Method, system and apparatus for automated reporting of account and sensor zone information to a central station

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for receiving sensor configuration information from a remote security, monitoring and automation (SMA) controller, storing that sensor configuration information, and transmitting the sensor configuration information to a remote central station alarm monitoring system in a form usable by the remote central station. In addition, a mechanism is provided for receiving account configuration information from a remote node, storing that account configuration information, and transmitting the account configuration information to the remote central station in a form usable by that remote central station. In this manner, inefficiencies during installation and modification of a security system using the SMA controller can be avoided through automated provision of the information.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, over a first network, sensor configuration information from a remote security, monitoring and automation (SMA) controller;   storing the sensor configuration information;   translating the sensor configuration information to a format compatible with a remote central station alarm monitoring system; and   transmitting, over a second network, the translated sensor configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 performing said storing the sensor configuration information using a database record associated with an account identifier, wherein the account identifier identifies a subscriber associated with the SMA controller. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 translating the account identifier associated with the SMA controller to an account identifier configured on the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and 
 transmitting, over the second network, the translated account identifier in association with said transmitting the translated sensor configuration information. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 performing said transmitting the translated sensor configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system using a web service, wherein said translating comprises formatting and assembling the sensor configuration information to data usable by the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the sensor configuration information comprises:
 one or more sensor identifiers; and 
 one or more zones associated with the one or more sensor identifiers. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving, over a third network, account configuration information from a remote network node; 
 storing the account configuration information; 
 translating the account configuration information to a format compatible with the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and 
 transmitting, over the second network, the translated account configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the account configuration information comprises:
 an account identifier; 
 one or more account configuration parameters; and 
 an SMA controller identifier associated with the account identifier. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the account configuration parameters comprise:
 one or more of account passwords, account secret words, and emergency contact information. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said storing the account configuration information comprises:
 creating a new record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier not previously stored; and 
 modifying a previously stored record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier previously stored. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said storing the account configuration information comprises storing the account configuration information in a database record. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said translating the account configuration information comprises:
 including a new account create parameter for the remote central station alarm monitoring system, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier not previously stored. 
 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising:
 a security, monitoring and automation (SMA) controller comprising
 a memory storing sensor configuration information associated with a plurality of security sensors coupled to the SMA controller, and 
 a SMA controller network interface coupled to a first network and configured to transmit the sensor configuration information using the first network; and 
 a first computing node comprising a first network interface coupled to the first network and configured to receive the sensor configuration information from the SMA controller, 
 a storage volume storing the sensor configuration information, 
 a second network interface coupled to a second network and configured to transmit the sensor configuration information to a remote central station alarm monitoring system, wherein the sensor configuration information is in a format usable by the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the storage volume comprises: a database storing the sensor configuration information in association with an account identifier, wherein the account identifier identifies a subscriber associated with the SMA controller. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the first computing node further comprises:
 a processor coupled to the first and second network interfaces and the storage volume; 
 a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions configured to translate the account identifier associated with the SMA controller to an account identifier configured on the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and 
 the second network interface is further configured to transmit the translated account identifier in association with transmitting the sensor configuration information. 
 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the sensor configuration information comprises:
 a plurality of sensor identifiers each associated with a corresponding security sensor of the plurality of security sensors coupled to the SMA controller; and 
 one or more zones associated with one or more sensor identifiers. 
 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the first computing node further comprises:
 a third network interface coupled to a third network and configured to receive account configuration information from a remote network node; 
 the storage volume further storing the account configuration information; and 
 the second network interface further configured to transmit the account configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system, wherein the account configuration information is in a format usable by the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the account configuration information comprises:
 an account identifier; 
 one or more account configuration parameters comprising one or more of account passwords, account secret words, and emergency contact information; and 
 an SMA controller identifier associated with the account identifier. 
 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the first computing node further comprises:
 a processor coupled to the first, second and third network interfaces and the storage volume; 
 a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions configured to perform the storing of the account configuration information using instructions configured to create a new database record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier not previously stored, and modify a previously stored database record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier previously stored. 
 
     
     
         19 . An apparatus comprising:
 a first network interface coupled to a first network and configured to receive sensor configuration information from a remote security, monitoring and automation (SMA) controller;   means for storing the sensor configuration information;   means for translating the sensor configuration information to a format compatible with a remote central station alarm monitoring system; and   a second network interface coupled to a second network and configured to transmit the translated sensor configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  further comprising:
 means for storing the sensor configuration information using a database record associated with an account identifier, wherein the account identifier identifies a subscriber associated with the SMA controller. 
 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further comprising:
 means for translating the account identifier associated with the SMA controller to an account identifier configured on the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and 
 the second network interface further configured to transmit the translated account identifier in association with said transmitting the translated sensor configuration information. 
 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 19  further comprising:
 a third network interface coupled to a third network and configured to receive account configuration information from a remote network node, wherein the account configuration information comprises an account identifier; 
 means for storing the account configuration information; 
 means for translating the account configuration information to a format compatible with the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and 
 the second network interface further configured to transmit the translated account configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein the means for storing the account configuration information comprises:
 means for creating a new record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier not previously stored; and 
 means for modifying a previously stored record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier previously stored. 
 
     
     
         24 . A method comprising:
 receiving by a first network node, over a first network, account configuration information from a remote network node coupled to the first network;   storing the account configuration information in a memory coupled to the first network node;   selecting a subset of the account configuration information to transmit to a remote central station alarm monitoring system, wherein the subset of the account configuration information is sufficient to create a new subscriber account at the remote central station alarm monitoring system; and   transmitting, over a second network, the selected subset of the account configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system coupled to the second network.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the account configuration information comprises:
 an account identifier; and 
 one or more account configuration parameters comprising one or more of account passwords, account secret words, and emergency contact information. 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein said storing the account configuration information comprises:
 creating a new record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier not previously stored; and 
 modifying a previously stored record for the account identifier, if the account configuration information is for an account identifier previously stored. 
 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  further comprising:
 receiving, over a third network, sensor configuration information from a remote security, monitoring and automation (SMA) controller coupled to the third network; 
 storing the sensor configuration information in the memory in association with the account identifier; and 
 transmitting, over the second network, the associated account identifier and at least a portion of the sensor configuration information to the remote central station alarm monitoring system. 
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the account configuration information is received by the first network node as data entered by one or more of an agent or an end user.