History archive of live audio and methods of using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10339097-B2
Application number	US-201514868881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for archiving data, e.g., log files with live audio, corresponding to an emergency event is provided. Upon an occurrence of a safety event, a notification device, e.g., a smoke detector, detects smoke, and transmits an alert to a fire control panel (FACP). Upon receiving the alert, the FACP generates a log file with data corresponding to the devices responsive to the event. Additionally, a live audio file corresponding to the event is generated, via the FACP or other device. The FACP may then connect to a data controller, via a gateway application, for transmitting the log file and audio file for archiving the same. An audio message of the audio file may then be embedded, via an embedding means, into the log file.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fire control panel with archiving capabilities, comprising:
a processor in signal communication with a memory and configured to execute a plurality of instructions of a control panel application stored in the memory and in response to an emergency event, the plurality of instructions including monitoring and managing safety field devices comprising fire and smoke detectors;
wherein upon receiving an alert indicative of the emergency event, the processor, under the control of the control panel application, is configured to:
identify one or more safety field devices responsive to the emergency event;
identify an audio file representative of an audio message corresponding to the emergency event and broadcasted via a speaker,
generate a log file in response to the emergency event, and record one or more values corresponding to the one or more safety field devices as an entry in the log file, the one or more values comprising an emergency event date and data indicating activated safety field devices; and
embed the audio message into the log file via an embedding means,
wherein the embedding means is a log file generator residing in the memory of the fire control panel, and wherein embedding comprises, under control of the log file generator, extracting data representing the audio message from the audio file and integrating extracted data into metadata of the log file and converting data from the extracted format into a format compatible for being embedded into the log file, and

further comprising a timer operably coupled to the processor, the timer defining a time period for identifying the audio file,
wherein the processor, under the control of the control panel application, identifies the audio file based on an audio files presence within the defined time period.

2. The fire control panel of claim 1 ,
wherein the processor, under the control of the control application, is further configured to:
establish a connection with a data controller operably connected to the fire control panel; and
transmit the log file to the data controller.

3. The fire control panel of claim 2 ,
wherein the embedding means is a log file generator residing in a memory of the data controller;
wherein the identified audio file is on the data controller; and
wherein the audio message is embedded on the data controller.

4. The fire control panel of claim 2 ,
wherein the connection to the data controller is established via a gateway application residing in one of the memory of the fire control panel or a memory of the data controller.

5. The fire control panel of claim 1 ,
wherein the audio message is embedded as an object, and wherein the object is represented by audio indicia in the log file.

6. The fire control panel of claim 5 ,
wherein the audio indicia are included in the entry.

7. A system for archiving an audio message corresponding to an emergency event, comprising:
a fire control panel in communication with one or more safety devices comprising fire and smoke detectors; and
a data controller operably coupled to the fire control panel;
wherein the fire control panel is configured to execute a method comprising:
receiving an alert identifying the emergency event;
identifying one or more safety devices responsive to the emergency event;
generating a log file in response to the event, and recording one or more values corresponding to the one or more safety device in the log file as an entry, the one or more values comprising an emergency event date and data indicating activated safety field devices;
identifying an audio file representative of the audio message corresponding to the emergency event and broadcasted via a speaker; and
embedding, via an embedding means, the audio message into the log file,
wherein the embedding means is a log file generator residing in the memory of the fire control panel, and wherein embedding comprises, under control of the log file generator, extracting data representing the audio message from the audio file and integrating extracted data into metadata of the log file and converting data from the extracted format into a format compatible for being embedded into the log file, and

further comprising a timer defining a time period for identifying the audio file,
wherein the method executed by the fire control panel further comprises identifying the audio file based on an audio files presence within the defined time period.

8. The system of claim 7 ,
wherein the embedding step further comprises:
establishing a connection with the data controller operably connected to the control panel; and
transmitting the log file to the data controller.

9. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the identified audio file is on the data controller, and wherein the audio message is embedded, via the embedding means, on the data controller.

10. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein the embedding means is a log file generator residing in a memory of the data controller.

11. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the connection to the data controller is established via a gateway application residing in a memory of the control panel or the data controller.

12. The system of claim 7 ,
wherein the audio message is embedded as an object, and wherein the object is represented by audio indicia in the log file.

13. The system of claim 7 ,
wherein the data controller is configured to execute a method comprising:
receiving, via the fire control panel, a message in response to the emergency event, the message including a log file corresponding to the emergency event;
determining whether the message identifies an audio file representative of the audio message;
identifying the audio file; and
updating the log file, via an embedding means, by embedding the audio message of the identified audio file in the log file.

14. The system of claim 13 ,
wherein the receiving step further comprises:
establishing a connection with the fire control panel, via a gateway application residing in a memory of the fire control panel.

15. The system of claim 13 ,
wherein the embedding means is a log file generator residing in a memory of the data controller;
wherein the identified audio file is on the data controller; and
wherein the audio message is embedded on the data controller.

16. The system of claim 13 ,
wherein the audio message is embedded as an object.

17. The system of claim 13 ,
wherein the audio message is represented by audio indicia in the log file.

Assignees

• Siemens Industry Inc

Inventors

• El-Mankabady Emad
• Iasso Daniel S
• Limlaw Robert
• Perlak Lester K
• Baker George E

Classifications

• G06F16/113 Primary

  Details of archiving (lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data G06F11/1446) · CPC title

• G06F16/61

  Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures · CPC title

• G08B25/14 Primary

  Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements · CPC title

• G08B3/10 Primary

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B25/009

  Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range · CPC title