Patent EP0221631A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0221631A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Methods and apparatus for monitoring events
Assignee: Videoscan Ltd
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Filing: 1986-08-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-08-01
Abstract
Abstract Thers is disclosed a method for monitoring events spaced apart in time comprising the steps of identifying the events to be monitored and automatically recording and playing back only the identified events whereby the time required for monitoring is less than the time over which the events are spaced apart.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Frederick May
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 09:02
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08B; G08B13/00; G08B13/18; G08B13/189; G08B13/194; G08B13/196; G08B13/19639; G08B13/19645; G07; G07C; G07C11/00; G07G; G07G3/00; G08B13/19665; G08B13/19669; G11; G11B; G11B27/00; G11B27/02; G11B27/022; G11B27/028; G11B27/10; G11B27/19; G11B27/28; G11B27/32
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
47 words
A method for monitoring events spaced apart in time comprising the steps of identifying the events to be monitored and automatically recording and playing back only the identified events whereby the time required for monitoring is less than the time over which the events are spaced apart.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
47 words
A method for monitoring events spaced apart in time comprising the steps of identifying the events to be monitored and automatically recording and playing back only the identified events whereby the time required for monitoring is less than the time over which the events are spaced apart.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim l, in which a recording is made of the event area for the whole time over which the events are spaced, and only those portions of the recording are played back which are associated with the identified events.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 2, in which different sets of events are identified and portions of the recording associated only with one or some of said sets are played back.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the recording is made on video and/or audio recording medium and playback is controlled by a controller associating the identified events with positions on the said medium.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 4, in which the said recording medium comprises magnetic recording tape.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the recording medium itself carries control signals locating the occurence of events.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 6, in which the said control signals effect playback from the recording medium for a predetermined time period and the controller then searches for the next said control signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method according to claim 6, in which further control signals on the recording medium locate the ends of events and playback is effected for the recording between a control signal locating the occurence and a further control signal locating the end of an event, the controller then searching for the next said control signal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 4, in which the controller comprises memory separate from the recording medium and storing event data and controlling playback in accordance with said data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
l0. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 9, in which said controller comprises a microcomputer or microprocessor.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim l, in which the event area is monitored over the whole event time, only events identified being recorded.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim ll, in which the recording is made on video and/or audio recording medium.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
22 words
A method according to any one of claims l to l2, in which multiple event areas are connected to common recording means.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim l3, in which multiple event areas are continuously monitored, an event occurring in one of said areas switching said one area to said common recording means.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim l4, an event occurring in one of said areas during recording of an event in another of said areas being buffered while the event in said other areas is recorded.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
41 words
A method according to any one of claims l to l5 applied to monitoring a cash till at a retail checkout, in which a video camera monitors events in the checkout area, events for monitoring being selected by cash till actuation.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim l6, in which text imager means insets cash till data into a video image for display and recording.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim l6 or l7, in which cash till data are stored independently of video images.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim l8, in which cash till data are stored on magnetic medium separate from a video tape.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
31 words
A method according to any one of claims l6 to l9, in which a plurality of tills is monitored, till data being buffered while data from another till is being recorded.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
37 words
2l. A method according to any one of claims l6 to 20, in which simultaneous events selected for video monitoring in a pluralty of checkout areas are displayed on a split video screen and recorded as such.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus for monitoring events spaced apart in time comprising event identifying means and event recording and playback means connected with said event identifying means for recording and playing back only identified events whereby the time required for monitoring such events is less than the time over which the events are spaced apart.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus for monitoring events spaced apart in time comprising event identifying means and event recording and playback means connected with said event identifying means for recording and playing back only identified events whereby the time required for monitoring such events is less than the time over which the events are spaced apart.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus according to claim 22, in which the events to be monitored are imaged by a video camera connected to a video recorder and events are selected for monitoring by event identifying means other than the video camera.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus according to claim 23, the said event identifying means comprising a cash till transaction monitoring device.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 24, said cash till having a digital data output and said transaction monitoring device being programmable to assign criteria by which monitored events are to be selected.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus according to any one of claims 22 to 25, comprising a plurality of video cameras, a corresponding pluraltiy of event identifying means and a single video recorder switchably connected to record images from said video cameras according as an event is identifed for monitoring by one or other of said event identifying means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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