System and method for collaborating emergency response efforts through multimedia data dissemination

#The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus and an associated method for the sharing and communication of video and other captured related multimedia data, and relates more particularly to the of streaming video from an emergency response unit to one or more varieties of mobile playing devices. Surveillance or on-the-scene, data obtained through a variety of monitoring options is wirelessly disseminated from a patrol car or similar emergency response unit to any number of other playing devices on a digital network. Video data is streamed wirelessly in real-time from the patrol car to the destination device(s).

#Security issues and other motivations for surveillance continue to drive wide scale deployment of systems that can provide monitoring in vehicles, buildings, parking lots and other areas. In some of these systems it is necessary to transmit acquired information to central monitoring locations, emergency response vehicles or to other devices. It is also the case that in some situations, it would be advantageous to have the ability to provide remote monitoring or access to non-party entities. Such non-party entities include law enforcement or emergency service agencies. Current systems are typically closed systems and tend to have proprietary communication schemes and thus provide limited access to data. These closed systems do not lend themselves to scalable widespread deployment or provide the opportunity for open access communication.

#It is desirable to have a system that can acquire a wide variety of multi-media and environmental data, and secure such data so that it can be transmitted over a communication channel that may not have a large bandwidth. More specifically, it is desirable to have a system that enables wireless transmission of audio/video information to provide a more complete impression of a particular scene or emergency situation. Even further, it would be advantageous to have the ability to share among response units that are present at the scene of an incident, data that has been acquired by the first responding unit or any of the other response units in the vicinity.

#The present invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a particular construction of the present invention. However, it should be noted that the invention as disclosed in the accompanying drawings is illustrated for the purpose of explanation only. The various elements and combinations of elements described below and illustrated in the drawings can be arranged and organized differently to result in constructions which are still within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art when the description is read in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is an illustration of the system and method of the present invention providing streaming video to a number of emergency response units; and

#FIG. 2 is an illustrative block diagram of exemplary components to implement the system and method of the present invention.

#The present invention is directed to a multi-media monitoring and surveillance apparatus for use in a plethora of situations. The apparatus operates in conjunction with one or more data collection stations, remote viewing stations, communication devices and other security related components. More specifically, the invention provides collection, processing, transmission and sharing of informational items relevant to the monitoring of an area. Acquired information is encoded and packetized utilizing components and methods that provide ease of dissemination and sharing while maintaining data/information integrity. In an embodiment of the present invention, the monitoring/surveillance device is embodied in a combination of hardware and/or software components. The device is also capable of operating on a computing device such as a laptop computer.

#An exemplary illustration of an operational environment for the dissemination of multimedia data according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1, and generally designated as emergency scene 100. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the components shown and their proximity to one another in the scene 100 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the application or scope of the present invention to the illustrated components or illustrated wireless/radio connectivity.

#As shown, the scene 100 may include a police vehicle, which for the purpose of the discussions in this document will be referred to as a first response unit 110. Located in the first response unit 110 is a device (originating device 200 shown in FIG. 2) for acquiring or capturing data from the scene 100. The captured data may then be provided to other vehicles, personnel or other relevant units. The term captured data, unless specifically identified otherwise, is used interchangeably herein to mean data that is captured by a source component located within the first response unit 110 or data that originates from a source component that is external to the unit 110. In other words, captured data that provided from the first response unit 110 may be: a real-time feed from a live media capture device that is located in the first response unit 110; feed from a live media capture device located in a facility at a scene of interest; or data that was previously stored or recorded. Although the discussions herein are reference video images and data, it should be understood that the system and method of the present is equally applicable to a variety of multimedia information and data.