System for integrating security and access for facilities and information systems

• US 7,380,279 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lenel Systems International Incorporated (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Regelski, Michael, Prokupets, Rudy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nalven; Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US09/906,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/5.7, 713/201, 713/182, 713/185, 705/51, 705/76, 726/27
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system for integrating security and access for facilities and information systems is provided including a computer server, information systems, and facility protection systems. The information systems and facility protection systems are coupled for communication to the computer server via a network. Facility protection systems represent an access control system for controlling entry/exit to areas of buildings, such as with badges or other ID Credentials and other systems, such as intrusion detection and fire systems, to provide protection in facility environments. Information systems each represent a computer system requiring user authorization, via computers or terminals capable of connecting thereto, to access information resources or network environments protected by the computer system. Information systems may also include information protection systems requiring user authorization for external access to other information systems. The computer server has a central database which stores at least information defining users and their access privileges to the information systems and to areas of facilities controlled by access control system. Each of the information systems and facility protection systems sends event data to the computer server when an event occurs on its respective system, and an event transaction processor in the computer server determines action(s), if any, to take in response to one or more received events and accordingly sends action data to other information systems and facility protection systems to instruct such systems to automatically respond to security risks representing by such events in real-time. Central management of users and their access privileges, and monitoring of events is further provided.

Claims

1. A security system for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system comprising:

one or more facility protection systems in which at least one of said facility protection system controls user access to areas of a facility;

at least one information system which controls users'"'"' access to said information system;

a computer server system coupled for communication with said facility protection systems and said information system, in which said computer server system further comprises a database for storing at least security information for users and access privileges of users to said information system and one or more of said facility protection systems;

said facility protection systems and said information system each having means for sending to said computer system one or more events occurring at their respective system; and

said computer system having means, responsive to said one or more events from one or more of said facility protection systems and said information system, for directing one or more of said facility protection systems and said information system to take one or more actions in accordance with said one or more events, and said directing means is capable of directing one or more of said facility protection systems to take one or more actions in accordance with said one or more events when received from said information system.

2. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems and said information system each have means for receiving said actions from said computer server system and operating in accordance with said actions.

3. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems represent systems used for protecting personnel and property in facility environments.

4. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said facility protection systems comprise at least an access control system which controls user access to areas of a facility.

5. The security system according to claim 4 wherein said facility protection systems further comprise an intrusion detection system, a fire system building automation system, personal alarm safety system, and digital video recording and surveillance system.

6. The security system according to claim 1 in which said computer server system further comprises means for sending said security information to one or more of said facility protection systems in accordance with said access privileges and means for generating user authorization to said information system in accordance with said access privileges.

7. The security system according to claim 6 further comprising one or more administration computer systems comprising means for generating ID Credentials for users for use with said one of said facility protection system that controls user access to areas of a facility, and storing information about said ID Credentials on said database of said computer server system.

8. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said database further stores user data defining the users in the security system.

9. The security system according to claim 8 wherein said user data in said database is capable of being updated in response to changes in user data from another database coupled to said computer system.

10. The security system according to claim 1 wherein another database is updated by said computer server system in accordance with actions sent to one of said facility protection systems and said information system.

11. The security system according to claim 1 wherein computer system has a central database which logs said events received from facility protection systems and information system.

12. The security system according to claim 1 further comprising a network for enabling communication between said facility protection systems, information system, and computer server system.

13. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said directing means comprises an event transaction processor which receives said events and determines when one of said events or multiple ones of said events received by the computer server system requires action by one or more of said information system and facility protection systems.

14. The security system according to claim 1 further comprising one or more monitoring computer systems coupled to said computer server system for communication of said events received by said computer server system.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein said directing means of said computer system is capable of responding to one or multiple ones of said events from one or more of said facility protection systems by directing said information system to take one or more actions in accordance with said one or multiple ones of said events from one or more of said facility protection systems.

16. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said computer server system further comprises means for automatically assigning said access privileges for one or more of said users to said information system and to at least said one of said facility protection system that controls access to areas of a facility.

17. The security system according to claim 1 wherein said access privileges to said information system for one or more of said users represents at least a login identifier and a password.

18. A method for integrating security and access for at least one facility protection system and at least one information system comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system coupled for communication with said facility protection system and said information system having a database for storing at least access privileges of users to said information system and said facility protection system;

sending to said computer system one or more events from one or more of said facility protection system and said information system; and

sending one or more actions from said computer system to one or more of said facility protection system and said information system, wherein said sending step further comprises the step of sending at least one action from said computer system to said facility protection system in response to one or more events sent from said information system.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

receiving said one or more actions at one or more of said facility protection system and said information system from said computer system; and

operating one or more of said facility protection system and said information system receiving said one or more actions in accordance with said received one or more actions.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein said facility protection system represents a system for protecting personnel or property in a facility.

21. The method according to claim 18 wherein said facility protection system comprises an access control system which controls user access to areas of a facility.

22. The method according to claim 18 further comprising a plurality of ones of said facility protection system comprising one or more of an access control system, an intrusion detection system, a fire system, a building automation system, a personal safety system, or a digital video recording and surveillance system.

23. The method according to claim 18 wherein said database further stores user data defining the users in the security system, and said method further comprising the step of automatically updating said user data in said database in response to changes in user data from another database coupled to said computer server system.

24. The method according to claim 18 wherein said sending step further comprises the step of sending at least one action from said computer system to said information system in response to one or more events sent from said facility protection system.

25. An event transaction processor in a system having an access control system enabling access to a facility environment by users, and information systems, which enable access to network and data environments by said users, said processor comprising:

means for receiving events from one of access control system and at least one information system;

means for determining when each of said events requires action to protect one of access to said facility environment controlled by said access control system and access to said network and data environment controlled by said information system, in which said determining means is capable of determining an action in accordance with multiple ones said events being received, and sending commands to one of said access control system and information systems to protect said facility environment or network and data environments, respectively, wherein one or more events which occur in said access control system are capable of requiring action in said information system, and one or more events which occur in said information system are capable of requiring action in said access control system.

26. A method for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system comprising the steps of:

providing a computer server system coupled for communication with said facility protection systems and said information systems having a database for storing at least access privileges of users to said information system and one or more of said facility protection systems;

sending to said computer server system events from each of said facility protection systems and said information systems when events occur at their respective system; and

sending actions from said computer server system to one or more of said facility protection systems and said information systems to be taken to protect facilities protected by said facility protection systems, or network or information maintained by said information systems, wherein said sending step further comprises the step of sending at least one action from said computer server system to one of said information systems to be taken by said one of said information systems in response to at least one of said events occurring at facilities protected by one or more of said facility protection systems when security of information protected by said one of said information systems is at risk in accordance with said one of said events.

27. A method for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system comprising the steps of:

providing a computer server system coupled for communication with said facility protection systems and said information systems having a database for storing at least access privileges of users to said information system and one or more of said facility protection systems;

sending to said computer server system events from each of said facility protection systems and said information systems when events occur at their respective system; and

sending actions from said computer server system to one or more of said facility protection systems and said information systems to be taken to protect facilities protected by said facility protection systems, or network or information maintained by said information systems, wherein said sending step further comprises the step of sending at least one action from said computer server system to one of said facility protection systems to be taken by said one of said facility protection systems in response to at least one of said events occurring at one or more of said information systems when security of facilities protected by said one of said facility protection systems is at risk in accordance with said one of said events.

28. A security system for integrating security and access for facility protection systems and information systems in which each information system represents a computer system requiring user authorization at connected computers or terminals to access information resources or network environment protected by the information system, said security system comprising:

a computer system coupled for communication with one or more facility protection systems and one or more information systems, in which said computer system has memory storing at least user data and access privileges of users to said one or more information systems and said one or more facility protection systems, and said access privileges are capable of being assigned or updated when the user data is added, modified, or deleted in said memory; and

said computer system being capable of receiving event data from said one or more facility protection systems and said one or more information systems, and being operative to send action data in accordance with one or more of said received events for directing said one or more facility protection systems or said one or more information systems to take one or more actions wherein said one or more facility protection systems are capable of being directed to take one or more actions in accordance with one or more said received events from at least one of said one or more information systems.

29. The system according to claim 28 wherein said one or more information systems are capable of being directed to take one or more actions in accordance with one or more said received events from at least one of said one or more facility protection systems.

30. The system according to claim 28 wherein at least one of said one or more facility protection systems controls user access to areas of a facility, and said access privileges for each of the users comprises at least authorization information for access to said one or more of said information systems, and information representing one of different levels of access to said areas of the facility.

31. The system according to claim 28 wherein said user data comprises information characterizing at least each of said users as being one of different types, in which said access privileges of each of the users are in accordance with said user data of the user.

32. The system according to claim 28 wherein at least one of said one or more facility protection systems controls user access to areas of a facility, and other of said facility protection systems comprise one or more of an intrusion detection system, a fire system, a building automation system, a personal safety system, or a digital video recording and surveillance system.