Monitoring physical locations using rules and events processing

• US 7,925,606 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Stunson, Charles D., Neir, Lynn, Katzer, Robin Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes; Michael B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US11/857,021
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 706/2, 706/6, 706 46- 48, 705/2, 707/2, 707/10, 707/103
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A monitoring system is provided. The monitoring system comprises a first storage queue containing rules ready for processing, an event storage containing events, and a plurality of first processor threads configured to execute any one of the rules contained in the first storage queue based on the contents of the event storage. The system also comprises a rules processor configured to receive a plurality of events from a plurality of monitored locations, to add the event to the event storage, to remove a first rule from the first storage queue, to provide the first rule to one of the first processor threads for executing, to receive a first result from the one of the first processor threads, and to send a first notification based on the first result.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of monitored physical locations, comprising:

a first storage queue containing rules ready for processing;

an event storage containing events;

a plurality of first processor threads configured to execute any one of the rules contained in the first storage queue based on the contents of the event storage; and

a rules processor configured to receive a plurality of events from a plurality of monitored physical locations, to add the events to the event storage, to remove a first rule from the first storage queue, to provide the first rule to one of the first processor threads for executing, to receive a first result from the one of the first processor threads, and to send a first notification based on the first result;

wherein at least one of the events comprises information regarding at least one of physical activity and physical inactivity at one or more of the plurality of monitored physical locations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage queue contains static rules associated with the monitored physical locations, and further comprising:

a second storage queue containing dynamic rules associated with the monitored physical locations; and

a plurality of second processor threads configured to execute any one of the rules contained in the second storage queue based on the contents of the event storage;

wherein the rules processor is further configured to remove a second rule from the second storage queue, to provide the second rule to one of the second processor threads for executing, to receive a second result from the one of the second processor threads, and to send a second notification based on the second result.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the first processor threads is further configured to return the first rule to the first storage queue if no event in the event storage matches the first rule and if a time associated with the first rule has not expired, and wherein each of the second processor threads is further configured to return the second rule to the second storage queue if no event in the event storage matches the second rule and if a timer associated with the second rule has not expired.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a dynamic rule is put in the second storage queue when the rules processor receives a trigger sensor event linked with the dynamic rule and wherein a timer associated with the dynamic rule counts time from about when the trigger sensor event is received by the rules processor.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first notification is emailed to a monitoring terminal.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the events indicate at least one of a motion in an elder care location, a door opening in an elder care location, and a window opening in an elder care location.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the rules contained by the first storage queue are one of a static type rule and a dynamic type rule.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the rules define a plurality of rule chains, each rule chain associated with one remote environment and including at least one rule, each rule including at least one condition, each condition associated with at least one sensor.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the condition identifies an expected time range for the at least one associated sensor to generate an event, and wherein the one of the first processor threads generates a negative result when the condition times out and wherein the rules processor sends the first notification indicating an expected event did not occur in the expected time range.

10. A method of monitoring a plurality of locations, comprising:

adding a plurality of static rules to a static rules queue, each static rule associated with one of the locations;

adding a plurality of dynamic rules to a dynamic rules queue, each dynamic rule associated with one of the locations;

adding a plurality of events to an event store, at least some of the events associated with the locations;

removing a first static rule from the static rules queue for processing;

returning the first static rule to the static rules queue for later processing;

matching a first event in the event store with the first static rule, the matching based at least in part on the location associated with the first event and with the first static rule;

processing the first static rule based on the first event;

removing a first dynamic rule from the dynamic rules queue for processing;

returning the first dynamic rule to the dynamic rules queue for later processing;

matching a second event in the event store with the first dynamic rule, the matching based at least in part on the location associated with the second event and with the first dynamic rule; and

processing the first dynamic rule based on the second event,

wherein the static rules are defined with reference to a start time and an end time, and wherein the dynamic rules are defined with reference to an elapsed time since an associated event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the static rules and the dynamic rules are associated with one location by an account number.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least some of the static rules associated with a location are linked together as a static rule chain, wherein at least some of the dynamic rules associated with the location are linked together as a dynamic rule chain, and further including:

sending a first positive notification when all the static rules associated with the static rule chain complete successfully, and

sending a second positive notification when all the dynamic rules associated with the dynamic rule chain complete successfully.

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

sending a first negative notification when one of the static rules completes unsuccessfully; and

sending a second negative notification when one of the dynamic rules completes unsuccessfully.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the events associated with the locations indicate that motion has been detected at the locations.

15. A method of providing elder care, comprising:

detecting a plurality of events at an elder care location;

determining if the detection of events occurs during an expected time interval based on a first plurality of rules data; and

sending a first notification that expected events occurred based on the first plurality of rules data.

16. The method of claim 15 further including:

updating the first plurality of rules data with a second plurality of rules data, wherein the updating occurs without recompiling code or restarting virtual machines;

determining if the detection of events occurs during an expected time interval based on the second plurality of rules data; and

sending a second notification that expected events occurred based on the second plurality of rules data.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first plurality of rules includes one or more time rules and one or more sensor rules and a chain rule that associates the one or more time rules and the one or more sensor rules with the elder care location.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the chain rule includes an identification of the chain rule, an identification of the elder care location, an identification of one or more time rules, and a message content of the first notification;

wherein the time rules include an identification of the time rule, an identification of the elder care location, an identification of a timing rule content, and a message content of a second notification that expected event did not occur based on the time rule content; and

wherein the sensor rules include an identification of the sensor rule, an identification of the elder care location, and an identification of a sensor, an identification of a sensor type.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the rules are stored as entries in a chain rule table, in a time rule table, and a sensor rule table in a database.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the rules data includes both static time rules data and dynamic time rules data.