System and method for remote control of surveillance devices

Details System and method for remote control of surveillance devices System and method for remote control of surveillance devices

1999-10-12

2004-02-24

Rao, Andy (Department: 2613)

Interactive video distribution systems

Video distribution system with upstream communication

C709S203000, C709S205000, C348S014160, C348S211130, C348S143000, C348S151000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06698021

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video surveillance and monitoring systems, and more particularly, to video surveillance and monitoring systems that stores video image data in an off-site storage site.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Surveillance and monitoring systems have played a valuable role in many contexts. For example, surveillance video cameras are well renowned for capturing images of criminals that have burglarized various financial and commercial institutions. Video cameras have also played an increasingly valuable role in less visible contexts. For example, video cameras are increasingly being used to monitor work environments to ensure productivity or compliance with operating procedures. Additionally, video cameras are also valuable in providing evidence that establishes the non-occurrence of events in insurance fraud cases.
Video surveillance and monitoring systems will continue to proliferate as new applications of the video technology are identified. Limitations of conventional video surveillance and monitoring systems, however, greatly reduce the ultimate effectiveness of the technology.
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional video surveillance and monitoring environment
100
. Video surveillance and monitoring environment
100
includes a client site
110
and a viewing site
120
. Client site
110
is a self-contained operation that governs the capture and storage of analog video image data. In a typical installation, client site
110
consists of a video camera
114
coupled to a video cassette recorder (VCR)
112
. Analog video data captured by video camera
114
is stored onto a videotape
130
that has been inserted into a VCR
112
.
As one can readily appreciate, conventional surveillance and monitoring environment
100
is subject to severe limitations. First, client site
110
is a highly insecure environment. Access to the sole copy of the captured image data is limited only by the relative security procedures that control the access to the location where videotapes
130
are stored. For example, in a criminal context, a perpetrator need only access the location in client site
110
that houses VCR
112
. Once accessed, videotape
130
can be located and ultimately removed from the premises, thereby removing the sole piece of evidence.
Even assuming that videotape
130
has not been removed from client site
110
, the video surveillance operation is severely limited. The ultimate goal of the surveillance process is to provide images to a particular party that is responsible or interested in the events occurring at client site
110
. That individual is often located in a remote location relative to client site
110
. If that remote location, illustrated as viewing site
120
, is separated by a significant geographical distance, then videotape
130
needs to be shipped through insecure channels (e.g., express mail) to the interested party. Even if the videotape
130
is hand-delivered, videotape
130
may not reach the hands of the interested party residing in viewing site
120
for up to 3 days. This substantial delay is often unacceptable in situations that require a swift or timely response by the responsible organization.
In addition to the security and responsiveness issues described above, video surveillance and monitoring environment
100
also suffers from inherent technical limitations. Videotape image storage is limited by the physical capacity of videotape
130
. This limited capacity creates numerous problems in situations that require continual surveillance.
Human factors are therefore necessary to cope with the physical limitations of surveillance and monitoring environment
100
. The entry of human factors creates another set of operational problems. VCRs
112
may not be reloaded. Recorded videotapes
130
can also be misplaced, mislabeled, or cataloged in error. These errors are particularly problematic because the archival nature of video surveillance and monitoring environment
100
would be severely impacted.
Advances in computer technology have augmented the functionality of conventional video surveillance systems. In particular, analog video image systems have been replaced by digital video image systems. An example of this updated video surveillance and monitoring environment is illustrated in FIG.
2
.
Video surveillance and monitoring environment
206
includes client site
210
and viewing site
220
. In a typical installation, client site
210
consists of a video camera
214
coupled to a server computer
212
. Video images captured by video camera
214
are stored on an electronic storage medium (e.g., hard drive, tape drive, etc.) coupled to server computer
212
. Video images stored on server computer
212
are accessible by user workstation
222
at viewing site
220
via a direct dial-up connection.
The ability to retrieve images via a direct dial-up connection significantly improves the timeliness of delivery of image data to an interested party. However, video surveillance and monitoring environment
200
is still subject to significant limitations. In particular, the functionality at client site
210
is impacted by significant maintenance issues.
First, the ongoing system maintenance of customized and proprietary software resident on server computer
212
impacts overall system availability. This is particularly problematic when considering the multiplicative effect introduced by a client's needs at multiple client sites
210
. Each individual server computer
212
would require a separate software upgrade whenever a software patch or new version becomes available. In a similar manner, software resident on each user workstation
222
may also require frequent software updates.
Maintenance issues are also relevant to the actual system operation of server computer
212
. Although the capacity of electronic storage devices (not shown) coupled to server computer
212
is much larger relative to the storage capacity of videotapes
130
, a technician must routinely get involved in the coordination of the overall video image archive. For example, the technician must monitor the relative fullness of the storage device that is in active use to ensure that memory is not being overrun. Further, a technician must ensure that removable storage devices are not misplaced, mislabeled, or cataloged in error.
In general, the existence of a physical library of removable storage devices leads to a highly insecure environment. In a similar fashion to video surveillance and monitoring environment
100
, access to the sole copy of the archived video image data is limited only by the relative security that controls the physical access to the library of removable storage devices. The removal of a removable storage device from client site
210
is an inherent fault of video surveillance and monitoring environment
200
.
The security issues surrounding dial-up access to stored video image data is also significant. Remote users operating at client workstation
222
are typically given access to data stored at client site
210
based upon a simple check of a user ID and corresponding password. This level of access security is minimal and, in many cases, is entirely inappropriate for maintaining sufficient privacy of stored video image data.
More generally, access to video image data stored at client site
210
is also limited by the communications capacity of server computer
212
. In many instances, server computer
212
is configured with only a single communication port (not shown). This single communication port limits the remote access to only a single user at a time. In these cases, multiple, simultaneous remote user access would not be possible, thereby limiting the overall utility of video surveillance and monitoring environment
200
. It should also be noted that access to server computer
212
via a dial-up connection would also be subject to any applicable long distance or ISDN charges.
As thus described, video surveillance and monitoring environments
100
,
200
each have significant limita

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