Bandwidth shaping client to capture, transform, cache, and upload images from a remote point of recordation to a network service

• US 8,558,888 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Third Iron LLC, VIAAS, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Third Iron LLC
• Inventors: ROSKOWSKI, STEVEN GODDARD
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US12/395,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/152
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19665 Details related to the storage of video surveillance data television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/125 Arrangements for preventing errors in the return channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video surveillance terminal avoids network congestion. The camera lowers exposure to unauthorized operation. Each apparatus discards unviewed higher resolution streams unless expressly desired by a host user. The client of the service determines an event of interest, selects an extent of data to represent the event, and derives a compact representation by video encoding and compression.

Claims

1. A method for operating an apparatus for to reliably maintain high complexity continuous data over a low bandwidth and unreliable connection, the apparatus comprising:

a point of recordation terminal (PORT) coupled to

a connection, the method comprising

capturing, and

transmitting, an event of interest, wherein capturing an event of interest comprises the following processes;

determining when an event of interest occurs;

selecting an extent of data associated with the event of interest;

efficiently recording the selected extent of data;

deriving a compact representation of the event of interest; and

storing the recorded events;

wherein transmitting an event of interest comprises the following processes;

transmitting immediately when directed and

storing if immediate transmission fails;

opening an https client session;

opening an https server session;

connecting between an https client and server;

transmitting with link level encryption;

storing recorded events of interest locally; and

transmitting when an acceptable amount of bandwidth becomes available.

2. A point of recordation terminal comprising:

a high resolution digital camera;

a first storage device;

a first network interface;

a circuit controlled by software to signal a motion threshold;

a circuit controlled by software to measure motion activity;

a circuit controlled by software to track motion objects with analysis artifacts;

a circuit controlled by software to encode h(dot)264 format files;

a circuit controlled by software to encode JPEG files;

a circuit to write to non-volatile removable memories;

a circuit to generate thumbs, timestamps, and motion meta-data;

a circuit controlled by software to determine if multiple events of interest occur in close proximity;

a circuit controlled by software to cause a single extent of data to be recorded indicative of multiple event representations and where they occur; and

a circuit controlled by software to store assets locally on the first storage device and to retry transmission at a later time wherein a circuit comprises a processor controlled by software instructions and the processor is coupled to the first network interface, the processor is coupled to the first storage device, and the processor is coupled to the high resolution digital camera.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a point of recordation terminal (PORT) coupled to a connection, said PORT comprising;

an asset &

event capture circuit;

a reference select &

meta-tagger circuit;

a formatting circuit;

an archive store;

a network interface;

a bandwidth control circuit;

an upload management circuit;

an encryption circuit;

a connection management circuit;

the reference select &

meta-tagger circuit coupled to the asset and event capture circuit and coupled to the formatting circuit, the archive store coupled to the formatting circuit and to the upload management circuit, the encrypt circuit coupled to the formatting circuit and to the archive store, the network interface coupled to the connection management circuit and to the bandwidth control circuit;

a policy store, the policy store coupled to the connection management circuit, the policy store coupled to the bandwidth control circuit, the policy store coupled to the asset &

event capture circuit, the policy store coupled to the reference select &

meta-tagger circuit, and the policy store coupled to the upload management circuit.

4. A method for operating an apparatus for to reliably maintain high complexity continuous data over a low bandwidth and unreliable connection, the apparatus comprising:

a point of recordation terminal (PORT) coupled to a connection, the method comprising;

capturing an event of interest, wherein capturing an event of interest comprises the following processes;

determining a start of an event of interest;

recording data associated with the event of interest;

deriving a compact representation of the event of interest;

recording the compact representation of the event of interest;

determining an end of the event of interest;

stopping recording data;

transmitting an event of interest, wherein transmitting an event of interest comprises the following processes;

opening a client session to a server;

transmitting the recorded compact representation of the event immediately; and

storing recorded events of interest locally for later transmission;

wherein capturing an event of interest further comprises;

reading a policy from a policy store;

determining the triggers which cause certain actions and when triggered;

setting thresholds for event determination;

selecting data for association with an event of interest to be recorded;

setting parameters for deriving a compact representation; and

setting resolutions for deriving compact representation.

5. A method for operating an apparatus for to reliably maintain high complexity continuous data over a low bandwidth and unreliable connection, the apparatus comprising:

a point of recordation terminal (PORT) coupled to a connection, the method comprising;

capturing an event of interest, wherein capturing an event of interest comprises the following processes

determining a start of an event of interest;

recording data associated with the event of interest;

deriving a compact representation of the event of interest;

recording the compact representation of the event of interest;

determining an end of the event of interest;

stopping recording data;

transmitting an event of interest wherein transmitting an event of interest comprises the following processes;

opening a client session to a server,

transmitting the recorded compact representation of the event immediately, and

storing recorded events of interest locally for later transmission;

wherein transmitting the recorded compact representation of the event comprises the steps following;

storing the compact representation of the event in the archive store of the PORT for later transmission if immediate transmission fails and

detecting that immediate transmission has failed.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein transmitting further comprises:

reading a policy from a policy store;

determining the triggers which cause certain actions and when triggered;

setting a rate for immediate transmission;

setting a rate for later transmission;

initiating an upload of a specific recorded event; and

overwriting stored recorded events with new recorded events or discarding new recorded events.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

transmitting accumulated compact representations from the archive store of the PORT; and

detecting when connectivity has been restored.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting accumulated compact representations comprises:

transmitting accumulated recorded compact representations at a limited rate determined by reading a policy store.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a digital camera coupled to

a reference select &

meta-tagger circuit coupled to

a formatting circuit coupled to

a connection manager circuit coupled to

a network interface, wherein the connection manager circuit comprises a processor controlled by software to perform the following operations;

reading a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address hardcoded onto the connection manager circuit board;

receiving a compact representation of an event of interest from the reference select &

meta-tagger circuit;

preparing packets with the destination IP address containing the compact representation;

opening a client session with the destination IP address; and

transmitting the packet as a client to a server at the destination IP address.