Multi-station data capture system

• US 5,623,258 A
• Filed: 01/23/1995
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dorfman, Bertrand
• Original Assignee: Dorfman, Bertrand
• Inventors: Dorfman, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/376,689
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.01, 340/286.02, 340/825.34, 340/825.08, 340/306, 340/286.06, 340/287, 340/309.15, 340/825.02, 340/825.31, 235/380, 235/382, 235/382.5, 379/49
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/20 Checking timed patrols, e.g. of watchman

Abstract

A system for monitoring the tour that a guard must undertake in each building of a large number of building sites involves an arrangement in which a system control center has a two-way communication by telephone network with each of a large number of building sites. Within each building, a building site unit has a two-way communication by broadcast with a large number of tour station units. A guard with a guard identification card checks in through a card reader at each tour station unit. A unique tour station unit identification number is associated with the guard identification number and transmitted to the building site unit where it is associated with a time and date and transmitted to the system control center. In this fashion, a large number of sites and a larger number of tour station units can all be monitored on close to a real time basis. A defective tour station unit can readily be replaced with a standard unit available at each building site. Under control of data transmitted from the system control center. A PROM at the tour station unit can be programmed to provide the appropriate tour station unit code number.

Claims

1. A multi-station, multiple building personnel tour supervision and verification system comprising:

a system control center,

a plurality of building site units, one of said units being located at each of a plurality of building sites,

a plurality of tour station units at each of said sites, each of said tour station units including a first memory for retaining an individual tour station identification code,

each of said tour station units at a building site being substantially interchangeable except for said tour station identification code,

each of said tour station units being mounted for ready replacement,

a plurality of personnel identification passive element cards, each of said cards having a separate personnel identification code,

each of said tour station units including a card reader and a first transceiver, said first transceiver being a radio broadcast transceiver, said card reader adapted to receive any of said personnel identification cards and to read said personnel identification code on the card received,

each of said building site units including a second transceiver, said second transceiver being a radio broadcast transceiver adapted to communicate with each of said first transceivers at the associated building site,

each of said first transceivers being coupled to a separate one of said card readers to transmit information including said personnel identification code in association with said tour station identification code to the one of said second transceivers at the associated one of said building site units,

each of said building site units including a storage unit to store said information transmitted from each of said first transceivers in the associated building,

each of said building site units including a third transceiver, said third transceiver being adapted to transmit said information stored in said storage unit,

a fourth transceiver at said system control, said fourth transceiver adapted to communicate with each of said third transceivers at each of said building site units to receive transmissions from each of said building site units of said stored information,

each of said tour station units being responsive to a polling signal transmitted to said first transceiver to provide an indication of tour station operability,

each of said tour station units having a write element to write a station identification code in said first memory at said tour station unit,

said building site units responding to receipt of a tour station code transmitted from said system control unit to retransmit said tour station identification code to said write element at an uncoded tour station unit,

replacement of a defective one of said tour station units with an uncoded tour station unit permitting writing of a tour station identification code into said uncoded tour station unit under control of said system control center.

2. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

each of said tour station units is battery operated.

3. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

said first memory at each of said tour station units is a PROM.

4. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

each of said building site units transmits to said system control center in response to a polling signal received at said third transceiver from said system control center.

5. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

each of said building site units transmits to said system control center from said third transceiver on a predetermined periodic basis.

6. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

said third and fourth transceivers are modem units.

7. The multi-station system of claim 1 further comprising:

clock means at said building site units to provide a date and time signal.

said storage unit at each of said building site units providing said date and time signal as part of said stored information together with the associated personnel and tour station codes.

8. The multi-station system of claim 7 wherein:

each of said building site units transmits to said system control center in response to a polling signal received at said third transceiver from said system control center.

9. The multi-station system of claim 8 wherein:

each of said building site units transmits to said system control center from said third transceiver on a predetermined periodic basis.

10. The multi-station system of claim 1 wherein:

said second transceiver at each of said building site units includes a narrow pulse deleter to block as invalid any bit having a width less than a predetermined value.

11. The multi-station system of claim 2 wherein:

said second transceiver at each of said building site units includes a narrow pulse deleter to block as invalid any bit having a width less than a predetermined value.

12. The multi-station system of claim 7 wherein:

said second transceiver at each of said building site units includes a narrow pulse deleter to block as invalid any bit having a width less than a predetermined value.

13. The multi-station system of claim 8 wherein:

said second transceiver at each of said building site units includes a narrow puise deleter to block as invalid any bit having a width less than a predetermined value.

14. The multi-station system of claim 9 wherein:

said second transceiver at each of said building site units includes a narrow pulse deleter to block as invalid any bit having a width less than a predetermined value.