Method and process for configuring a premises for monitoring

Abstract

A system and method for configuring an integrated information system through a common user interface are provided. A user accesses a graphical user interface and selects client, premises, location, monitoring device, and processing rule information. The graphical user interface transmits the user selection to a processing server, which configures one or more monitoring devices according to the user selections.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. In an integrated information system in communication with a number of monitoring devices, a method for configuring the monitoring devices through a central interface, the method comprising:
 obtaining a user selection of at least one client associated with the integrated information system;   obtaining a user selection of at least one premises associated with the user selection of at least one client, within the integrated information system;   obtaining a user selection of at least one location wherein the user selection of at least one location is associated with an identifiable attribute of the user selection of at least one premises;   obtaining a user selection of at least one monitoring device associated with the user selection of at least one location;   obtaining a user selection of at least one processing rule associated with the user selection of at least one monitoring device; and   configuring the integrated information system according to the user selection of at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule data;   wherein the user selection of at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule data is obtained from a common user interface.   
     
     
       2. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein obtaining the user selection of at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device, or processing rule data includes obtaining data modifying a previous selection. 
     
     
       3. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a selection of monitoring device setting information related to the operation of the user selection of at least one monitoring device. 
     
     
       4. The method as recited in  claim 3  further comprising displaying a current monitoring device setting information prior to obtaining the selection of monitoring device setting information. 
     
     
       5. The method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising obtaining a user selection of at least one user associated with the integrated information system. 
     
     
       6. The method as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the user selection of at least one user is authorized to provide configuration information to the integrated information system. 
     
     
       7. The method as recited in  claim 6 , where the user selection of at least one user authorized to obtain information regarding the user selection of at least one premises is dynamically generated in response to the processing of the user selection of at least one processing rule in accordance with the integrated information system. 
     
     
       8. The method as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the user selection of at least one user is associated with the user selection of at least one client or premises and is authorized to accept a notification of a processing rule violation. 
     
     
       9. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one client is associated with a plurality of premises, and wherein the user selection of at least one premises includes a selection of all the plurality of premises associated with the user selection of at least one client. 
     
     
       10. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one premises includes obtaining a user selection of users authorized to obtain information regarding the user selection of at least one premises. 
     
     
       11. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one location corresponds to a zone or area within a premises. 
     
     
       12. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one location corresponds to a plurality of monitoring devices, and wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a user selection of all the plurality of monitoring devices associated with the user selection of at least one location. 
     
     
       13. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a user selection of at least one primary or auxiliary location associated with the monitoring device. 
     
     
       14. The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the user selection of at least one primary or auxiliary location is based on a default setting for the user selection of at least one monitoring device. 
     
     
       15. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a user selection of at least one monitoring device attribute, wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device attribute can include a default value. 
     
     
       16. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a user selection of a threshold indicating a violation of the user selection of at least one processing rule. 
     
     
       17. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a specification of a comparison of collected data to information stored in a database. 
     
     
       18. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a specification of Boolean operators for creating associations between the user selection of at least one rule for the user selection of at least one monitoring device. 
     
     
       19. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a specification of two or more processing rules that are considered as a single processing event. 
     
     
       20. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a selection of one or more notification acceptors corresponding to the evaluation of the user selection of at least one processing rule. 
     
     
       21. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein configuring the integrated information system includes inserting default values for the client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule data. 
     
     
       22. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the common user interface is a graphical user interface displayed on a computing device. 
     
     
       23. The method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the common user interface is a graphical user interface accessible through the World Wide Web. 
     
     
       24. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the common user interface includes a plurality of hyperlinks for any of the client, premises, location, monitoring device, or processing rule data selections. 
     
     
       25. In an integrated information system in communication with a number of monitoring devices and including a computer system having a display and user input device, a method for configuring the monitoring devices through a central interface, the method comprising:
 generating a common user interface, wherein the common user interface receives a plurality of input from a user;   obtaining a user selection of at least one client associated with the integrated information system from the common user interface;   obtaining a user selection of at least one premises associated with the user selection of at least one client from the common user interface;   obtaining a user selection of at least one location from the common user interface, wherein the user selection of at least one location is associated with an identifiable attribute of a premises;   obtaining a user selection of at least one monitoring device associated with the user selection of at least one location from the common user interface;   obtaining a user selection of at least one processing rule associated with the user selection of at least one monitoring device from the common user interface; and   transmitting the user selection of at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule to a server, wherein the server configures the integrated information system according to the user selection of at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule.   
     
     
       26. A system for configuring monitoring devices through a central interface, the system comprising:
 a computing device in communication with the one or more data stores, the computing device configured to:
 cause a user interface to be presented on a computing device associated with a user; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one client associated with an integrated information system; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one premises associated with the user selection of at least one client, within the integrated information system; 
 obtain a user selection of a location, wherein the user selection of at least one location is associated with an identifiable attribute of the user selection of at least one premises; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one monitoring device associated with the location; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one processing rule associated with the user selection of at least one monitoring device, 
 configure the integrated information system according to the user selection of the at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule, 
 wherein the user selection of the at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device, and processing rule obtained from the computing device associated with the user. 
   
     
     
       27. The system of claim 26, wherein to obtain a user selection of at least one monitoring device, the computing device is configured to obtain a threshold that establishes when a violation of the at least one processing rule will occur. 
     
     
       28. The system of claim 26, wherein to obtain a user selection of the at least one client, the computing device is configured to authorize the at least one client to accept a notification of a processing rule violation. 
     
     
       29. The system of claim 26, wherein to obtain the user selection of at least one monitoring device, the computing device is configured to identify an attribute associated with the user selection of the location. 
     
     
       30. The system of claim 26, wherein to obtain the user selection of the location, the computing device is configured to identify an attribute associated with the at least one processing rule. 
     
     
       31. The system of claim 26, wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a user selection of all monitoring devices associated with the location. 
     
     
       32. The system of claim 26, wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a specification of a comparison of collected data to information stored in a database. 
     
     
       33. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium having one or more computer-executable modules for configuring monitoring devices through a central interface, the one or more computer-executable modules comprising:
 a first module configured to:
 cause a user interface to be presented on a computing device associated with a user; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one client associated with an integrated information system; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one premises associated with the user selection of at least one client, within the integrated information system; 
 obtain a user selection of a location, wherein the user selection of at least one location is associated with an identifiable attribute of the user selection of at least one premises; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one monitoring device associated with the location; 
 obtain a user selection of at least one processing rule associated with the user selection of at least one monitoring device, 
 configure the integrated information system according to the user selection of the at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule, 
 wherein the user selection of the at least one client, premises, location, monitoring device, and processing rule obtained from the computing device associated with the user. 
   
     
     
       34. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to obtain a user selection of at least one monitoring device, the first module is configured to obtain a threshold that establishes when a violation of the at least one processing rule will occur. 
     
     
       35. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to obtain a user selection of the at least one client, the first module is configured to authorize the at least one client to accept a notification of a processing rule violation. 
     
     
       36. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to obtain the user selection of at least one monitoring device, the first module is configured to identify an attribute associated with the user selection of the location from one of multitude of locations at multiple premises. 
     
     
       37. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein to obtain the user selection of the location, the first module is configured to identify an attribute associated with the at least one processing rule. 
     
     
       38. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the user selection of at least one monitoring device includes a user selection of all monitoring devices associated with the location. 
     
     
       39. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the user selection of at least one processing rule includes a specification of a comparison of collected data to information stored in a database.