Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-08-28
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
C340S520000, C340S524000, C340S525000, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281790
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to monitoring a remote site. More particularly, the present invention is directed to monitoring a remote site by providing real time transmission of outputs from a plurality of digital and/or analog multistate sensors which detect intrusion and/or fire, and communicate this information in an efficient, and effective format.
2. Background Information
Existing intrusion detection systems and their respective monitoring stations typically provide binary off/on alert information to the user. Known security systems employ binary status detection devices due to the availability and low cost of these sensors, and report only active (versus inactive) alarm status information. For example, an indicator, such as a lamp or audible output, is on when a particular sensor is tripped, and is off when the sensor is reset. Some known methods capture dynamic point state transitions using, for example, latching sensors that hold a transition state for a limited period of time, then reset automatically.
Systems that offer more detailed information resort to specialized communication protocols and proprietary interconnection solutions. For example, monitoring systems for property protection and surveillance are known which transmit live audio and/or video data. However, because a large number of video surveillance cameras is not only cost prohibitive, but generates large quantities of data that cannot be easily transmitted to remote monitoring sites in real time, these systems have not achieved the wide spread use associated with binary off/on systems.
Systems that supply binary off/on alert information, even sophisticated systems that employ multiple sensors in a monitored space, only resolve alert information to a particular sector, or zone, of the building under surveillance. Thus, information such as the precise location of a potential intruder, is not provided for responding police officers. More importantly, even when a large number of sensors is used to increase the resolution of alert information, the use of binary on/off indicators prohibits any ability to track an intruder's movement through the building and yet still be able to resolve the current location of the intruder.
In addition, known binary off/on systems can not distinguish whether an alarm is real (i.e., genuine) or false. When police arrive on the scene of a building where an alarm was tripped, they do not know whether the alarm is real or false and they are blind to what is inside the building. Substantial time and money is expended in having police respond to large numbers of false alarms. In situations where the alarms are valid, the police do not know this for certain, and can be taken by surprise. They enter the building not knowing where the subject(s) might be.
The same drawbacks exists for fire monitoring and surveillance systems. Although fire alarm systems are often tied directly into the local fire company, the false/real alarm discrimination, exact location of the fire, and the movement of the fire are unknown to the fire company which receives and responds to the alarm.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for monitoring a remote site, whereby the false/real alarms can be accurately distinguished, and whereby movement of intruders or fire can be reliably tracked while still pinpointing the precise location of the intruder or fire. It would also be desirable to provide this information to monitoring sites, for use by responding personnel, in real time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to providing systems and methods for remotely monitoring sites to provide real time information which can readily permit false alarms to be distinguished, and which can identify and track the precise location of an alarm. In exemplary embodiments, monitoring capabilities such as intrusion/fire detection and tracking capabilities, can be implemented through the use of multistate indicators in a novel interface which permits information to be transmitted using standard network protocols from a remote site to a monitoring station in real-time over preexisting communication networks, such as the Internet. A wireless network can also be established using browser encapsulated communication programs (for example, active X control, Java applets, and so forth) to transmit data packets which comply with any standard wireless local area network protocol. Communications can thereby be established between a web server embedded in a centrally located host monitoring station and a separate security panel deployed in each of the buildings to be remotely monitored. In exemplary embodiments, communications can be handed off from the centrally located host monitoring station to a mobile monitoring station (for example, to a laptop computer in a responding vehicle, such as a police or fire vehicle). The handoff can be such that direct communications are established between a security panel located at a site being monitored and the laptop (for example, over a cellular network), or indirect communications can be established via the host monitoring station.
The network can be used to provide the primary visual alarm status reporting that gives the monitoring authority (user) the ability to identify the precise location of an intrusion/fire, and to distinguish false alarms.
Multiple state, or multistate, indications are provided to represent a sensor. For example, each sensor can be identified as being: (1) currently in alarm; (2) currently in alarm and acknowledged by a monitor; (3) recently in alarm; (4) not in alarm; (5) disabled; or (6) a non-reporting alarm. With these multistate indications, the movements of an intruder or fire can be tracked, and yet the precise location of the intruder/fire can still be identified. This additional tracking ability gives police/firemen a tactical advantage at the scene as they know the location of the subject/fire and can track any subsequent movements as they close to make the arrest and or fight the fire.
Generally speaking, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for monitoring a space, the apparatus comprising: a security panel located at the space, said security panel having a plurality of sensors; and a monitoring system for receiving real time information regarding the space from the security panel over a network using a network protocol, said monitoring system including a graphic interface to display said information as multistate outputs associated with each of said plurality of sensors.
In accordance with alternate embodiments, an apparatus is provided for monitoring a space comprising: a security panel located at the space;
and a monitoring system for receiving real time information regarding the space from the security panel over a network, said monitoring system including a graphic interface to display information that distinguishes false alarms from actual alarms.
Exemplary embodiments provide updated information, in real time, regarding the status of sensors associated with point alarms included in the space being monitored. The graphical display of information can be provided as a hierarchical representation of network-to-site-to-point status using a plurality of tiered screen displays. The supervisory monitoring system can be configured as a central or distributed monitoring system including, but not limited to, the use of a base station host computer which can optionally direct information to the user via a cellular telephone network and/or via paging service in real-time. Alternate embodiments can also include security measures, such as the pseudo-randomizing of port access to the network to secure command and control communications.
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patent:
Byrne, Jr. James T.
Dobois Ronald
Jones, Jr. Donald R.
Kimmel David E.
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Net Talon Security Systems, Inc.
Pope Daryl
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