Television – Special applications – Observation of or from a specific location
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-24
2001-01-16
Britton, Howard (Department: 2713)
Television
Special applications
Observation of or from a specific location
C348S143000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175382
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to video surveillance systems which enable an attendant situated at a remote location to visually monitor (by interactive video) activities at a distant, unmanned, satellite fueling facility, to maintain reciprocal (interactive) audio/visual communication with a customer at such fueling facility and to maintain a temporary audio/video record of activities at the fueling facility.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The system described herein is an improvement of the self-service concept in which an on-site attendant monitors fueling operations and provides assistance when required.
Facilities similar to Assignee's fueling facility described herein are in operation in Dayton, Ohio and Tampa, Florida; however, those latter facilities either have no video surveillance at all or have no video camera in the fuel dispenser (therefore, no interactive video) and no voice intercommunication capability.
An unattended gasoline fueling facility constructed by Gary Williams Energy Corporation of Denver, Colorado, was opened to the public in August of 1996. The facility is located at a Wal-Mart store in a shopping center in Denver, Colo. A Sept. 3, 1996, article from the
Chicago Sun Times
describes the unattended facility. This facility has no interactive video capability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A vehicle fueling facility is unmanned but remotely monitored. The fueling system, made up of fuel dispensers (with credit/debit card and cash acceptors) and product storage tank(s) is located at a satellite site. The satellite site includes security video cameras which monitor overall activity at the site. An additional video camera is installed in each fuel dispenser head to monitor activities of a customer at that fuel dispenser. The outputs of all security and dispenser video cameras are transmitted to a remote (attended) monitoring site for viewing by an attendant. Still another video camera is trained on the attendant at the remote site so that the attendant's face can be transmitted back to a video monitor located in the fuel dispenser for viewing by the customer. The video surveillance system enables an attendant, who is physically situated at the remote location (i.e., a remote monitoring site which may be several miles from the satellite fueling facility), to visually monitor activity at the fueling facility (i.e., to view images captured by security and dispenser cameras at the satellite site), to transmit video of the attendant to a video monitor located on a fuel dispenser at the satellite site for viewing by a customer, to thereby maintain interactive audio/visual communication with a customer at the fueling facility, and to maintain a temporary audio/video record of activities at the site. Thus, the video/audio intercommunication system enables customers and attendants to maintain interactive visual and voice communication with each other during a refueling operation.
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“Video camera only attendant in Shell test,”USA Today.Published more than one year prior to the filing date of Nov. 24, 1997.
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Britton Howard
Diep Nhon T
Shell Oil Company
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