The New DICE Gatekeeper Awarded Patent for Reducing Video Alarms to Central Stations
Gatekeeper technology reduces cellular data usage and operator time for alarm monitoring systems, helping businesses save money.
Adobe Stock image by Bartek (generated by AI)
BAY CITY, Mich. — DICE Corporation has been awarded U.S. Patent # 11688273B2 for the Gatekeeper, a digital video alarm monitoring solution that “prevents multiple and unnecessary video alarms from being received by the central station,” according to a company announcement.
This “allows operators to focus on true alarms,” the announcement says.
The Gatekeeper is a patented technology that reduces cellular data usage and operator time for alarm monitoring systems. By filtering out rampant video alarms and events not required by the central station, the Gatekeeper helps businesses save money, which is especially beneficial for cameras connected to cellular modems.
For instance, the Gatekeeper monitors digital video alarm status and identifies events that are not required to be transmitted to the central station. These events can include alarms from cameras on test or alarms that are not scheduled to be transmitted at a certain time.
The Gatekeeper discards these events, preventing the camera from using its data plan. This can save businesses a significant amount of money, especially if they have a large number of cameras or if they are using a cellular modem with a limited data plan.
Why The DICE Corp. Patented Gatekeeper
The Gatekeeper reduces cellular data usage and operator time by filtering out rampant video alarms and events that are not required by the central station. It can block alarms from cameras that are on test or alarms that are not scheduled to be transmitted at a certain time.
The Gatekeeper can also block irrelevant alarms from lower-end cameras that are prone to sending multiple events during wind or rainstorms.
By filtering out these unwanted alarms, the Gatekeeper helps businesses save money and ensures that operators have the bandwidth they need to view the cameras that are most important.
DICE also has an artificial intelligence product for filtering alarms, but the Gatekeeper patent is different because it works before the alarm is even received at the central station. This makes it the “first line of defense” against unwanted alarms.
If a camera sends an alarm, the Gatekeeper will prevent it from sending another alarm half a second later. This can be helpful for reducing bandwidth usage and preventing operators from being overwhelmed by a flood of alarms.
The Gatekeeper is configurable, making it a valuable tool for central stations, integrators, and end users alike.
“The Gatekeeper is a fitting name for this technology because it guards the gate of signals entering the central station,” says Clifford Dice, founder and CEO of The DICE Corporation, in the company announcement.
“This patent strengthens our intellectual property portfolio in the field of automation monitoring systems and software and is a valuable asset that will protect and enhance our ability to continue investing in innovative technology,” he says.
The New DICE is currently licensing the Gatekeeper technology to other companies so that they can integrate it into their automation monitoring software.
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