Distributed security system over multiple sites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016110993-A1
Application number	US-201514884587-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A physical security system may define sites associated with cameras. Sites may be added as a child site off of a parent site to form a site family. Once set up, ranked user and group privileges on the parent site may be pushed to the child sites, and controlled by the parent site. The child sites may still define local users and groups so that the child site may operate if there is a loss of connectivity to the parent site.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A method of controlling sites in a security system through at least one graphical user interface, comprising:
adding a site as a child site to a parent site in the security system via a first graphical user interface accessed through the parent site, wherein the parent site is associated with one or more settings, and wherein the child site automatically inherits the one or more settings from the parent site; and restricting access to modify the one or more settings of the parent site from a second graphical user interface accessed through the child site.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying one or more settings of the child site from the first graphical user interface accessed through the parent site.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising automatically updating the one or more settings of the child site based on changes made to the one or more settings of the parent site.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the child site or the parent site comprises a single node.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the child site or the parent site comprises multiple nodes, wherein at least one of the multiple nodes is associated with a camera, an access control device, or a control node.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the child site stores one or more user credentials in a credentials database at the child site, and wherein at least one camera associated with the child site is accessible upon receiving, by the child site through the second graphical user interface, one of the one or more user credentials.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the credentials database at the child site is independent of a second credentials database stored at the parent site, wherein at least the credentials database and the second credentials database form a distributed access system.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising synchronizing at least the credentials database and the second credentials database such that the child site displays images from the at least one camera independently of the parent site.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the parent site stores one or more user credentials in a second credentials database at the parent site, and wherein the child site verifies user credentials received at the child site with the parent site to grant remote access to at least one camera associated with the child site.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein accessing the parent site through the first graphical user interface comprises receiving user credentials at the parent site, wherein the user credentials are associated with a first rank comprising access to the parent site and the child site.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first rank further comprises access to modify credentials or attributes of the credentials associated with at least one other user associated with the first rank or lower ranks.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein ranked user and group privileges of the parent site are synchronized to the child site.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a subset of the one or more settings to push to the child site from the parent site.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more setting comprise at least one of a rule, an alert, user credentials, group credentials, a network endpoint for remote access, a default device setting, or a default recording schedule for at least one camera or sensor.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first graphical user interface and the second graphical user interface are generated from a common node or a common site.

16 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for controlling access to sites in a security system through a graphical user interface, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
associating each of the sites of the security system with a rank, wherein each rank is associated with at least one set of user credentials and one or more access privileges to at least one of the sites; defining at least one child site and at least one parent site, wherein the parent site has access to the child site and the child site has restricted access to the parent site; and displaying a hierarchy of the sites of the security system, wherein the sites are connected to other sites according to the one or more access privileges.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
displaying at least one selection for adding a first site to the hierarchy of sites of the security system, wherein the first site automatically inherits a subset of the one or more access privileges of a connected site.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
displaying at least one selection for associating at least of a group privilege or an access right with a group.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
displaying at least one selection for associating a rank with a site or a node.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
receiving user credentials associated with the child site associated with a first rank; and displaying at least one unselectable item for associating at least of a group privilege or an access right with a group associated with a second rank.

21 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the hierarchy comprises a graphical representation of a tree.

22 . A node comprising a processor and a memory, the node further including computer-executable instructions stored in the memory of the node which, when executed by the processor of the node, cause the node to:
display a first graphical user interface for a security system, the security system comprising sites; receive input at the first graphical user interface to add a site as a child site to a parent site, wherein the parent site is associated with one or more settings; associate the one or more settings from the parent site with the child site; and restrict access to modify the one or more settings of the parent site from a second graphical user interface accessed through the child site.

23 . The node of claim 22 , wherein the node is part of the child site.

24 . The node of claim 23 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the node to synchronize the one or more settings with the parent site.

25 . The node of claim 23 , wherein the first graphical user interface comprises a graphical representation of a network topology including at least the node associated with the child site and a second node associated with the parent site.

26 . The node of claim 23 , wherein the child site is configured to maintain membership information of the child site independently of the parent site.

27 . The node of claim 26 , wherein the membership information co

Assignees

• Avigilon Corp

Inventors

• Marlatt Shaun P
• Chiang Avery W
• Goldenberg Tomer
• Adam Matthew J
• Grieman Jonathon E B

Classifications

• G08B13/19682

  Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system · CPC title

• G08B26/004 Primary

  with common interrogation of substations · CPC title

• G08B13/1968

  Interfaces for setting up or customising the system · CPC title

• G08B13/19656 Primary

  Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet · CPC title