Television – Special applications – Observation of or from a specific location
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-01
2001-06-19
Britton, Howard (Department: 2613)
Television
Special applications
Observation of or from a specific location
C348S143000, C348S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249310
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to discrete or covert surveillance devices, and more particularly to such discrete devices that include one or more miniature video surveillance cameras hidden in objects resembling household, commercial or office devices such as smoke detectors, in-wall mounted face plates and desktop or wall clocks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the advent of miniature video cameras, such as CCD (charged couple device) cameras, surveillance products incorporating such miniature cameras have dramatically proliferated. CCD cameras can now be hidden in numerous locations such as in pocketbooks, behind walls, in ceilings and within ordinary objects. Although to some the thought of hidden video cameras placed in unsuspected locations raises invasion of privacy issues and notions of George Orwell's “Big Brother,” many industries today must use hidden cameras as an additional security measure in order to protect their inventory, premises and customers. For instance, financial institutions such as banks use hidden surveillance cameras to offer additional protection to their customers and to help guard against theft. Hidden video cameras are also being used more frequently in the home for the protection of children and personal property.
While it is oftentimes desirable to mount surveillance or closed circuit cameras in visible locations to create an awareness that an area is being observed, it is also desirable in many situations to use hidden or discrete surveillance cameras. Such discrete surveillance cameras can be located almost anywhere in a room, such as in a speaker, in an exit sign, in the ceiling, etc. For example, in one type of prior art discrete surveillance product offered by CCTV Corp. of South Hackensack, N.J. (model no. SD-100), a single CCD video camera is mounted in a housing resembling a household smoke detector. This surveillance product uses a single CCD camera and provides only one viewing area through a small hole in the bottom wall of the smoke detector. Because the smoke detector is normally located on the ceiling of a room, this surveillance device provides only a downward view of the room below and displays only the top of a person's head passing under the detector. This viewing angle can make it difficult to identify individuals passing below the surveillance camera. Moreover, since the camera is mounted in a fixed position in the detector housing, the positioning of the camera, such as setting the desired downward camera projection angle, cannot be adjusted without adjusting the position of the entire detector. Mounting the smoke detector at an angle, however, looks out of the ordinary to a casual observer and may tip him or her off that the device actually contains a surveillance camera.
As with the above-mentioned discrete smoke detector surveillance product, other “discrete” surveillance devices lack the ability of adjustable camera positioning. For example, while prior art “overt” surveillance devices have been available with an adjustable camera gimbal, such as model no. CM-200 from CCTV Corp., which provides a CCD camera completely visible to the observer behind a clear wall face plate and mounted on an adjustable camera gimbal, this type of camera adjustability is lacking in discrete-type surveillance devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a discrete surveillance device for observing a surveillance location including a housing having an interior, an exterior formed in the shape of a smoke detector and two or more camera viewing apertures formed in the exterior of said housing. One or more miniature video surveillance cameras are mounted within the interior of the housing on a camera gimbal provided for each of the surveillance cameras, and each camera gimbal includes at least two perpendicular axes of rotation to allow horizontal and vertical swivel positioning and adjustment of a respective surveillance camera. The surveillance cameras are arranged such that they are directed out of the camera viewing apertures to allow observation of multiple areas of the surveillance location by the cameras. Concealing means are provided for concealing the surveillance cameras from an observer viewing the exterior of the housing.
The housing of the discrete surveillance device desirably includes gimbal mounting posts attached to the interior of the housing and the camera gimbal further includes a mounting bracket for adjustably mounting the gimbal to gimbal mounting posts. The mounting bracket preferably includes a generally T-shaped body portion having a first leg portion including a camera mounting aperture and a second leg portion generally transverse to the first leg portion including one or more post mounting apertures for attaching the mounting bracket to one or more mounting posts, and stabilizing means for stabilizing the mounting bracket against the interior of the housing to provide additional support to the mounting bracket and to permit the mounting bracket to be attached in a stable fashion to only one said mounting posts if desired. The stabilizing means may comprise a pair of downwardly depending leg members attached to opposite ends of the second end portion of the mounting bracket and extending generally transverse to the body portion.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a discrete surveillance device for observing a surveillance location, including a housing having an interior, an exterior formed in the shape of a smoke detector, and two or more camera viewing apertures formed in the exterior of the housing. The surveillance device also includes at least two miniature video surveillance cameras, preferably CCD video cameras, mounted within the interior of the housing which are arranged such that they are directed out of the camera viewing apertures to allow observation of multiple areas of the surveillance location by the surveillance cameras. Concealing means, such as mesh screening positioned over the camera viewing apertures, for concealing the surveillance cameras from an observer viewing the exterior of the housing are also provided. In addition, the concealing means can also comprise one or more tinted, translucent covers positioned over the camera viewing apertures.
Desirably, the surveillance cameras are mounted on a camera gimbal including at least two perpendicular axes of rotation to allow horizontal and vertical swivel positioning and adjustment of the surveillance camera. The camera gimbals also preferably include axis displacement means for allowing positioning of the axes of rotation to provide forward and back and up and down displacement of the surveillance cameras.
Preferably, the housing includes a bottom wall and one or more upstanding side walls, and a first bottom surveillance camera is mounted in the housing to allow observation through the bottom wall and four side wall surveillance cameras are mounted in the housing to allow observation at locations through the side walls. The surveillance device also preferably includes mounting means for mounting the surveillance device in a room for observing the desired surveillance location.
In another aspect of the present invention, a discrete surveillance device for observing a surveillance location is provided with a face plate including an exterior surface, a interior surface and a camera viewing aperture. A miniature video surveillance camera, such as a CCD video camera, is mounted on a camera gimbal which is in turn mounted behind the back surface of the face plate. The camera gimbal includes at least two perpendicular axes of rotation to allow horizontal and vertical swivel positioning and adjustment of the surveillance camera. Concealing means, such as a tinted, translucent cover, is provided for concealing the surveillance camera from an observer viewing the exterior surface of the face plate. The camera gimbal preferably includes axis displacement means for allowing positioning of the axes of rotation to provide forward and back and up and down displacement of the surv
Britton Howard
Diep Nhon T
Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP
SLC Technologies Inc.
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