Importance

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Abstract

An improved surveillance system for recording and monitoring video information from a plurality of cameras (20) and data from a plurality of electronic cash registers (21). An intelligent controller (28) controls operation of the entire system. Data concerning all cash register transactions are stored in a memory (78) and video signals are displayed on a monitor (27) and/or recorded on a VCR (26). A keyboard (30) is provided so that the user can generate reports, and selectively vary parameters which will trigger alarm events. A novel entrance door mat (22) is provided having a pair of switch arrays (46, 47) separated by a dead zone (48) is provided and the state of the switches is periodically read by the CPU. Control logic (FIGS. 9, 10) executed by the CPU detects closures of the switches in the mat to determine when customers are passing into and out of the store, as well as maintaining a count of the net number of customers at the store at any given time. A video multiplexer (250) changes the display format and the video signals on the monitor (27) and recorded by the VCR (26). Control of the multiplexer (256) is accomplished by a second multiplexer (258) which allows the video multiplexer to be controlled by the outputs of a read only memory (260) addressed by modified scan counts (195) from a CRT controller (165). Alternately, the format of the video display from the video multiplexer can be controlled by the CPU through words written into a register (268) connected to the second multiplexer (258). The apparatus changes the video display format from a normal split screen format in which portions of the video signals from all cameras are displayed to a full screen format of a particular camera. The system also includes apparatus for detecting the period of time for which a cash drawer of one of the ECRs is open and control logic (287) causes an alarm event to be generated turning on the recorder and selecting a full screen display format.

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First Claim