Connection gateway for communicating monitoring and control information between a remotely located mobile device and premises devices/appliances on a premises network

Abstract

A home security and control system for monitoring and controlling an external environment such as a home environment comprising: an Internet browser connectable to an extranet; an extranet located external to the home environment and accessible via the Internet browser; a communications server located in the extranet and adapted to interconnect on demand with one of a series of connection gateways located in predetermined home environments; and a connection gateway located in the home environment adapted to control and/or monitor the operation of at least one security device in the home environment; wherein upon accessing a predetermined address by the Internet browser on the extranet, the communications server connects to a predetermined one of the connection gateways to control and/or monitor the operation of the security device. The extranet can ideally be implemented as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) across an Internet substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A system for automatic notification of security information to subscribed users based on user specified information, wherein the security information is communicated over at least one communication path from security devices associated with the subscribed users, the system comprising:
 (a) a user database for storing user profile information based on a user subscription wherein profile information comprises notification preferences; and   (b) a service provider network configured to:
 (i) receive communications that include security device information associated with one or more remote security devices associated with a subscribed user, 
 (ii) process the security device information from the one or more remote security devices, 
 (iii) automatically notify the subscribed user associated with the remote security devices when an alarm event satisfying the user notification preferences is received from the one or more remote security devices, and 
 (iv) allow subscribed users to interrogate the one or more remote security devices via a user interface connectable to the service provider network. 
   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein one of the remote security devices is a digital security camera. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the digital security camera includes motion detection and image significance algorithms which run in the digital security camera, and a filter so that only detected motion input is compressed and sent to the service provider network, and
 wherein the system is configured to generate and send to the service provider network an alert in response to a detected motion. 
 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the user interface is provided by a mobile device. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the user interface is provided by a web browser. 
     
     
         7 . A method for user premises monitoring and control, comprising:
 (a) monitoring user premises devices connected to a connection gateway at a user premises;   (b) controlling the user premises devices connected to the connection gateway at the user premises;   (c) receiving, at the user premises, an initiation signal associated with a service provider network communication server;   (d) in response to the initiation signal, initiating, from the connection gateway at the user premises, communications between the connection gateway and the service provider network communications server;   (e) communicating, during the communications between the connection gateway and the service provider network communications server, information associated with the user premises devices; and   (f) providing user access to the information associated with the user premises devices via a user interface connectable to the service provider network communications server.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the user premises devices is a digital security camera. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the digital security camera includes motion detection and image significance algorithms which run in the digital security camera, and a filter so that only detected motion input is compressed and sent to the service provider network communication server, and
 wherein the connection gateway generates and sends to the service provider network communications server an alert in response to a detected motion. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the user interface is provided by a mobile device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  wherein user interface is provided by a web browser. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the user premises devices is an appliance. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the initiation signal is a connection phase across one of a PSTN, PLMN, ISDN, or RF communication network, and the initiating communications is one of a HTTP or XML message. 
     
     
         14 . A system for remote access of home networks in respective user premises comprising:
 (a) a user interface;   (b) a connection gateway including at least one hardware processor, wherein the connection gateway is located in a respective one of the user premises and is part of the respective home network of the respective user premises; and   (b) an extranet including at least one hardware device, wherein the extranet is (i) located external to the user premises, (ii) accessible via the user interface via a network and an Internet protocol connection, and (iii) adapted to interconnect on-demand with the connection gateway;   wherein the connection gateway is accessible by the extranet and is communicatively coupled to one or more networked components of the respective home network in which the respective connection gateway is located, the extranet not being directly communicatively coupleable to the one or more networked components of the respective home network; and   responsive to the user interface accessing a predetermined address on the extranet, in which accessing the user interface provides authorization data, the extranet is configured to subsequently:
 (i) determine which one of the home networks in which one of the connection gateways is located the authorization data indicates authority to at least one of control and monitor, 
 (ii) create a communications session between the extranet and the one of the connection gateways located in the determined one of the home networks to at least one of control and monitor operation of at least one of the networked components in the home network, 
 (iii) obtain information contained within the home network from the connection gateway of the determined home network, and 
 (iv) using a web server, serve the information from the connection gateway of the determined home network, for a display in the user interface that is based on the information. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein at least one of the networked components is a security device. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the security device is a digital security camera. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the digital security camera includes motion detection and image significance algorithms which run in the digital security camera, and a filter so that only detected motion input is compressed and sent through the connection gateway to the extranet, and
 wherein the system is configured to generate and send to the extranet an alert in response to a detected motion. 
 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the user interface is provided by a mobile device. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the user interface is provided by a web browser. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14  wherein upon occurrence of a predetermined security alert condition at one of the user premises, the connection gateway located in the respective home network is configured to establish an interconnection with, and transfer information regarding the security alert condition to, the extranet, and
 wherein the extranet is configured to transmit a communication with a notification of the security alert condition as indicated in the information regarding the security alert condition. 
 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 14  wherein upon occurrence of a predetermined security alert condition at one of the user premises, a security device in the respective home network is configured to inform the connection gateway located in the respective home network of the security alert condition, and
 the connection gateway located in the respective home network is further configured to:
 (i) determine whether the security alert condition of which the connection gateway is informed satisfies a user pre-programmed qualifier stored on the connection gateway, and 
 (ii) responsive to a positive result of the determination of the satisfaction of the qualifier, transmit information regarding the security alert condition to the extranet for later viewing using the user interface.