AU2018101270A4 - Incident monitoring method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

INCIDENT MONITORING METHOD AND SYSTEM Abstract Disclosed herein are an incident monitoring system and method. The system comprises a notifications server that includes: a customer database for storing a user profile for each registered user; a template database for storing a set of user interface templates; and a notifications module adapted to receive incident reports from said registered user. The notifications module is configured to display an incident newsfeed to computing devices associated with registered users of said system. C> I C,) = -5 z I 0m 0C) C) 0z I - I o MAi JPpnng9- Rnprifir.ntinn eirnwinnq vqri

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

Innovation Patent Specification

Title: INCIDENT MONITORING METHOD AND SYSTEM

Applicant(s): Preampt Pty Ltd

Inventor(s): Jason Muir

Agent: ©COTTERS

Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys

The following is a full description of the invention which sets forth the best method known to the applicant of performing it.

INCIDENT MONITORING METHOD AND SYSTEM

Related Application [0001] The present application is related to Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2018900633 titled "Incident monitoring method and system" and filed 27 February 2018 in the name of Preampt Pty Ltd, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Technical Field [0002] The present disclosure relates to an incident monitoring method and system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented monitoring method and system that are adapted to provide notifications based on a location of a user. The computer-implemented method and system of the present disclosure are particularly suitable for use in the hospitality industry.

Background [0003] The hospitality industry encompasses a wide variety of services broadly relating to the entertainment of customers. The services include, for example, but are not limited to, hotels, motels, restaurants, taverns, roadhouses, clubs, bars, tourism services, amusement parks, festivals, concerts, and the like. People working in the hospitality industry span a large range of roles that include management, marketing, waitstaff, housekeepers, tour guides, musicians, drivers, kitchen staff, bartenders, security personnel, cleaners, and the like.

[0004] It is incumbent upon a service provider within the hospitality industry to provide customers with an enjoyable experience in a safe environment. It is common for operators of various establishments to employ security personnel to ensure that the respective establishment complies with its operating licence and to prevent, or at least minimise, any unruly behaviour. For example, premises that are licensed to serve alcohol may have a minimum age for customers to set foot within the boundary of that premises and security personnel may be positioned at doorways to check the ages of customers wishing to enter. Many premises have a limit to the number of people that may be physically present on the premises at any one time and security personnel are often used to regulate the flow of customers into and out of the premises.

[0005] Bars, nightclubs, festivals, concert venues, and other licensed premises that serve alcohol often employ security personnel, as alcohol is a contributing factor to violent incidents. Depending on the location and the type of premises, there may be 5 to 10 or more incidents per night at a nightclub.

[0006] Hospitality staff at a venue are often unaware of incidents that may have occurred at other venues near their location. Such incidents may relate, for example, to anti-social behaviour and may involve eviction of one or more persons from a premises. A person involved in an earlier incident at a nearby location may seek access to another venue and statistically is more likely to be involved in a further incident. It is desirable for hospitality staff to receive notification of earlier incidents local to their position.

Hospitality staff that have received such a notification can be on the look out for potentially disruptive customers and take appropriate measures to refuse entry or monitor new customers, in order to prevent further incidents.

[0007] Thus, a need exists to provide an improved monitoring method and system. Summary [0008] The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented incident monitoring method and system that are adapted to provide notifications based on a location of a user. The computer-implemented method and system of the present disclosure are particularly suitable for use in the hospitality industry.

[0009] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides an incident monitoring system comprising: a notifications server that includes: a customer database for storing a user profile for each registered user; a template database for storing a set of user interface templates; and a notifications module adapted to receive incident reports from the registered user, the incident reports based on at least one registered user completing at least one of the user interface templates; wherein the notifications module is configured to send a notification to each registered user within a predefined range of a reported incident.

[0010] In one arrangement, the notification is one of an email, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, a chat message, a web browser notification, or an in-app notification.

[0011] In one arrangement, the notifications module is further configured to display an incident newsfeed to computing devices associated with registered users of the system, wherein the incident newsfeed includes a set of notifications based on reported incidents, and further wherein the notifications module is configured to customise the incident newsfeed for each registered user, based on a location of the respective user, the customised newsfeed for a user displaying notifications relating to reported incidents within a predefined range of the location of the user.

[0012] In one arrangement, the system further comprises: a user interface displayed on a computing device accessed by the registered user, wherein the user interface enables the registered user to report an incident using an incident reporting template from the set of user interface templates, the incident reporting template including at least one field for receiving information relating to at least one of: number of people, gender ratio, reason for incident, complexion, and clothing description.

[0013] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for reporting incidents, comprising the steps of: registering a set of users, each registered user being associated with a location; receiving an incident report from one of the registered users, the incident report including the location of the one of the registered users; and transmitting a notification to each registered user within a predefined range of the location included in the incident report, the notification being one of an email, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, a chat message, a web browser notification, an in-app notification, or a newsfeed entry.

[0014] According to another aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for implementing any one of the methods described above.

[0015] Other aspects of the present disclosure are also provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings [0016] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of specific example(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0017] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a system on which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be practised; [0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram representation of a system that includes a general purpose computer on which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be practised; [0019] Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram representation of a system that includes a general smartphone on which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be practised; [0020] Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of a monitoring method in accordance with the present disclosure; [0021] Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a monitoring method in accordance with the present disclosure; [0022] Fig. 6 is a screenshot of a welcome screen; [0023] Fig. 7 is a screenshot of a registration screen; [0024] Fig. 8 is a screenshot of user profile screen; [0025] Fig. 9 is a screenshot of a sign-in screen; [0026] Fig. 10 is a screenshot of an alerts screen; [0027] Fig. 11 is a screenshot of an incident screen; [0028] Fig. 12 is a screenshot of a detailed incident screen [0029] Fig. 13 is a screenshot of a chat screen; [0030] Fig. 14 is a screenshot of a report screen; [0031] Fig. 15 is a screenshot of a chat screen relating to an incident; [0032] Fig. 16 is a schematic representation of a system architecture on which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be practised; [0033] Fig. 17. is a schematic representation of a security reference architecture; [0034] Fig. 18 is a schematic representation illustrating functional components that may be utilised in an embodiment of the present disclosure; and [0035] Fig. 19 is a schematic representation of a system on which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be practised.

[0036] Method steps or features in the accompanying drawings that have the same reference numerals are to be considered to have the same function(s) or operation(s), unless the contrary intention is expressed or implied.

Detailed Description [0037] The present disclosure provides a computer-implemented incident monitoring method and system that are adapted to provide notifications based on a location of a user. The method provides a portal that enables registered users to communicate with each other and sends notifications of reported incidents to registered users within a predefined range. Registered users may be venues or individuals, such as hospitality staff. Registered users are able to report incidents, which then result in corresponding notifications being sent to other registered users operating within a predefined range.

[0038] The computer-implemented method and system of the present disclosure are particularly suitable for use in the hospitality industry, providing a computer-based platform by which venues and/or their staff can communicate with each other, particularly in relation to the status of any incidents. Such incidents may include, for example, but are not limited to, anti-social behaviour, including fights, evictions, possession of illegal drugs, and the like. Incidents may also relate to service disruptions, such as power outages, gas outages, water main breakages, fires, and the like. Further, incidents may include traffic accidents, roadworks, detours, and the like.

[0039] Any incident within a predefined range of a venue may have an effect, or potential effect, on that venue. For example, an incident at a first venue relating to eviction of 10 customers may result in those 10 customers seeking to gain access at a second venue located within a predefined range, say 1.0km, of the first venue. In such a scenario, management at the second venue may choose to put security personnel on alert and/or control the number of available entrances in order to vet any new customers seeking to gain entrance to the second venue. Similarly, a fire at the first venue may result in an influx of customers to the second venue, as customers are evacuated from the first venue. A traffic incident that blocks access to a venue may result in a significant downturn in the number of patrons at that venue for a period of time, which means that management can rearrange rostered staff to minimise the economic impact of lower patronage.

[0040] In each of the scenarios described above, staff at the second venue can only take appropriate action if they receive advance warning or notification of the respective earlier incidents. The present disclosure provides a computer-implemented monitoring method and system that is adapted to send notifications to subscribed users relating to incidents that occur within a predefined range of the users' respective positions.

[0041] There are many risk factors that are identifiable in relation to incidents that occur at premises licensed to serve alcohol. Such risk factors may be broadly classified as: (i) patron characteristics; (ii) venue characteristics; (iii) social environment; (iv) staffing characteristics; and (v) wider environment.

[0042] Patron characteristics include heavy intoxication, greater proportion of male patrons/customers, presence of males in groups, heavy drinkers, younger patrons, greater proportion of unkempt patrons, and patrons exhibiting signs of being less agreeable, more impulsive and angry. Venue characteristics include queues or line ups outside a venue, patrons lingering outside the venue after closure, queues for public transport, venues with larger capacity, poorly maintained and unpleasant decor, unclean or messy venues, poor or low levels of lighting, crowding that inhibits movement around the venue, frequent patron movement, higher noise levels, poor ventilation and high temperatures, inadequate or uncomfortable seating, and inconvenient access to the bar.

[0043] Social environment includes features relating to heavy drinking and high levels of intoxication, generally permissive environment with high levels of rowdy behaviour, expectation that aggression will be tolerated, hostile atmosphere, macho culture, patron boredom, underage drinking, presence of competitive games, dancing, sexual activity, drink promotions, limited availability of food, and other illegal activities, such as drug dealing.

[0044] Staffing characteristics may include high proportion of male staff, low staff-to-patron ration, lack of responsible service practices, refusing service to already intoxicated patrons, drinking by staff, greater number of staff adopting confrontational approach to venue management, aggressive security staff, poor co-ordination of staff, poor monitoring and control of minor incidents, limited ability to control or defuse situations, lack of professionalism by security staff, serving multiple drinks to patrons at closing, and younger security staff.

[0045] Wider environmental characteristics may include high density of licensed premises, high levels of movement in and out of premises, entry and ejection practices for aggressive patrons, unfair or confrontational entry practices, conflict between social groups emerging from or congregating around venues, poor management of cluster points (such as bus stations, taxi ranks, and food outlets), and congestion points as crowds leave venues.

[0046] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a monitoring system 100 for providing notifications to registered users regarding incidents that have occurred within a predefined range. The system 100 includes a notifications server 110 connected to a communications network 105. The communications network 105 may include, for example, one or more wired or wireless connections, including a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), cellular telephony network, the Internet, or any combination thereof.

[0047] The notifications server 110 includes a template database 112 for storing screenshots and graphical user interface elements to be shown to a display of a remote client computing device used by a registered user to access the notifications server 110. The notifications server 110 also includes a customer database 114 for storing user information associated with registered users. The customer database 114 stores a user profile for each registered user, wherein each user profile includes a username and password, which are used as part of an authentication process to validate access by the user to the notifications server 110.

[0048] The notifications server 110 also includes a notifications module 116, which is adapted to store incident information relating to one or more reported incidents and then transmit notifications to registered users within predefined ranges of the respective incidents. The notifications may be sent, for example, by email, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), chat notification, in app notification, telephone call, or any combination thereof.

[0049] The notifications server 110 is coupled to a database 118, which may be internal or external to the notifications server 110. Depending on the implementation, the database 118 may store geographical information, such as maps and venue locations. The database 118 may also store historic information relating to incidents and/or perpetrators. In one implementation, the database 118 is associated with a police department or other law enforcement agency.

[0050] The system 100 includes a first venue 120 that includes a first computing device 122 and a second computing device 124, each of which is coupled to the communications network 105. The system 100 also includes a second venue 130 that includes a third computing device 132, a fourth computing device 134 and a fifth computing device 136. The system 100 further includes a third venue 140 that includes a sixth computing device 142 and a seventh computing device 144. Each of the first to seventh computing devices 122, 124, 132, 134, 136, 142, 144 may be implemented using a smartphone, laptop, desktop computer, server, tablet computing device, phablet computing device, or other general purpose computer.

[0051] The monitoring system of the present disclosure may be practised using a computing device, such as a general purpose computer or computer server. Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a system 200 that includes a general purpose computer 210. The general purpose computer 210 includes a plurality of components, including: a processor 212, a memory 214, a storage medium 216, input/output (I/O) interfaces 220, and input/output (I/O) ports 222. Components of the general purpose computer 210 generally communicate using one or more buses 248.

[0052] The memory 214 may be implemented using Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. The storage medium 216 may be implemented as one or more of a hard disk drive, a solid state "flash" drive, an optical disk drive, or other storage means. The storage medium 216 may be utilised to store one or more computer programs, including an operating system, software applications, and data. In one mode of operation, instructions from one or more computer programs stored in the storage medium 216 are loaded into the memory 214 via the bus 248. Instructions loaded into the memory 214 are then made available via the bus 248 or other means for execution by the processor 212 to implement a mode of operation in accordance with the executed instructions.

[0053] One or more peripheral devices may be coupled to the general purpose computer 210 via the I/O ports 222. In the example of Fig. 2, the general purpose computer 210 is coupled to each of a speaker 224, a camera 226, a display device 230, an input device 232, a printer 234, and an external storage medium 236. The speaker 224 may be implemented using one or more speakers, such as in a stereo or surround sound system. In the example in which the general purpose computer 210 is utilised to implement the notifications server 110, one or more peripheral devices may relate to a mail engine or communications hub connected to the I/O ports 222.

[0054] The camera 226 may be a webcam, or other still or video digital camera, and may download and upload information to and from the general purpose computer 210 via the I/O ports 222, dependent upon the particular implementation. For example, images recorded by the camera 226 may be uploaded to the storage medium 216 of the general purpose computer 210. Similarly, images stored on the storage medium 216 may be downloaded to a memory or storage medium of the camera 226. The camera 226 may include a lens system, a sensor unit, and a recording medium.

[0055] The display device 230 may be a computer monitor, such as a cathode ray tube screen, plasma screen, or liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The display 230 may receive information from the computer 210 in a conventional manner, wherein the information is presented on the display device 230 for viewing by a user. The display device 230 may optionally be implemented using a touch screen to enable a user to provide input to the general purpose computer 210. The touch screen may be, for example, a capacitive touch screen, a resistive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, or the like.

[0056] The input device 232 may be a keyboard, a mouse, a stylus, drawing tablet, or any combination thereof, for receiving input from a user. The external storage medium 236 may include an external hard disk drive (HDD), an optical drive, a floppy disk drive, a flash drive, solid state drive (SSD), or any combination thereof and may be implemented as a single instance or multiple instances of any one or more of those devices. For example, the external storage medium 236 may be implemented as an array of hard disk drives.

[0057] The I/O interfaces 220 facilitate the exchange of information between the general purpose computing device 210 and other computing devices. The I/O interfaces may be implemented using an internal or external modem, an Ethernet connection, or the like, to enable coupling to a transmission medium. In the example of Fig. 2, the I/O interfaces 222 are coupled to a communications network 238 and directly to a computing device 242. The computing device 242 is shown as a personal computer, but may be equally be practised using a smartphone, laptop, or a tablet device. Direct communication between the general purpose computer 210 and the computing device 242 may be implemented using a wireless or wired transmission link.

[0058] The communications network 238 may be implemented using one or more wired or wireless transmission links and may include, for example, a dedicated communications link, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a telecommunications network, or any combination thereof. A telecommunications network may include, but is not limited to, a telephony network, such as a Public Switch Telephony Network (PSTN), a mobile telephone cellular network, a short message service (SMS) network, or any combination thereof. The general purpose computer 210 is able to communicate via the communications network 238 to other computing devices connected to the communications network 238, such as the mobile telephone handset 244, the touchscreen smartphone 246, the personal computer 240, and the computing device 242.

[0059] One or more instances of the general purpose computer 210 may be utilised to implement a server acting as a notifications server 110 to implement a monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure. In such an embodiment, the memory 214 and storage 216 are utilised to store data relating to registered users, alerts, incidents, and the like. Software for implementing the monitoring system is stored in one or both of the memory 214 and storage 216 for execution on the processor 212. The software includes computer program code for implementing method steps in accordance with the monitoring system described herein.

[0060] Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a system 300 on which one or more aspects of a monitoring method and system of the present disclosure may be practised. The system 300 includes a portable computing device in the form of a smartphone 310, which may be used by a registered user of the monitoring system 100 in Fig. 1. The smartphone 310 includes a plurality of components, including: a processor 312, a memory 314, a storage medium 316, a battery 318, an antenna 320, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver 322, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card 324, a speaker 326, an input device 328, a camera 330, a display 332, and a wireless transmitter and receiver 334. Components of the smartphone 310 generally communicate using one or more bus connections 348 or other connections therebetween. The smartphone 310 also includes a wired connection 345 for coupling to a power outlet to recharge the battery 318 or for connection to a computing device, such as the general purpose computer 210 of Fig. 2. The wired connection 345 may include one or more connectors and may be adapted to enable uploading and downloading of content from and to the memory 314 and SIM card 324.

[0061] The smartphone 310 may include many other functional components, such as an audio digital-to-analogue and analogue-to-digital converter and an amplifier, but those components are omitted for the purpose of clarity. However, such components would be readily known and understood by a person skilled in the relevant art.

[0062] The memory 314 may include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. The storage medium 316 may be implemented as one or more of a solid state "flash" drive, a removable storage medium, such as a Secure Digital (SD) or microSD card, or other storage means. The storage medium 316 may be utilised to store one or more computer programs, including an operating system, software applications, and data. In one mode of operation, instructions from one or more computer programs stored in the storage medium 316 are loaded into the memory 314 via the bus 348. Instructions loaded into the memory 314 are then made available via the bus 348 or other means for execution by the processor 312 to implement a mode of operation in accordance with the executed instructions.

[0063] The smartphone 310 also includes an application programming interface (API) module 336, which enables programmers to write software applications to execute on the processor 312. Such applications include a plurality of instructions that may be pre-installed in the memory 314 or downloaded to the memory 314 from an external source, via the RF transmitter and receiver 322 operating in association with the antenna 320 or via the wired connection 345.

[0064] The smartphone 310 further includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) location module 338. The GPS location module 338 is used to determine a geographical position of the smartphone 310, based on GPS satellites, cellular telephone tower triangulation, or a combination thereof. The determined geographical position may then be made available to one or more programs or applications running on the processor 312.

[0065] The wireless transmitter and receiver 334 may be utilised to communicate wirelessly with external peripheral devices via Bluetooth, infrared, or other wireless protocol. In the example of Fig. 3, the smartphone 310 is coupled to each of a printer 340, an external storage medium 344, and a computing device 342. The computing device 342 may be implemented, for example, using the general purpose computer 210 of Fig. 2.

[0066] The camera 326 may include one or more still or video digital cameras adapted to capture and record to the memory 314 or the SIM card 324 still images or video images, or a combination thereof. The camera 326 may include a lens system, a sensor unit, and a recording medium. A user of the smartphone 310 may upload the recorded images to another computer device or peripheral device using the wireless transmitter and receiver 334, the RF transmitter and receiver 322, or the wired connection 345.

[0067] In one example, the display device 332 is implemented using a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The display 332 is used to display content to a user of the smartphone 310. The display 332 may optionally be implemented using a touch screen, such as a capacitive touch screen or resistive touchscreen, to enable a user to provide input to the smartphone 310.

[0068] The input device 328 may be a keyboard, a stylus, or microphone, for example, for receiving input from a user. In the case in which the input device 328 is a keyboard, the keyboard may be implemented as an arrangement of physical keys located on the smartphone 310. Alternatively, the keyboard may be a virtual keyboard displayed on the display device 332.

[0069] The SIM card 324 is utilised to store an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and a related key used to identify and authenticate the user on a cellular network to which the user has subscribed. The SIM card 324 is generally a removable card that can be used interchangeably on different smartphone or cellular telephone devices. The SIM card 324 can be used to store contacts associated with the user, including names and telephone numbers. The SIM card 324 can also provide storage for pictures and videos. Alternatively, contacts can be stored on the memory 314.

[0070] The RF transmitter and receiver 322, in association with the antenna 320, enable the exchange of information between the smartphone 310 and other computing devices via a communications network 390. In the example of Fig. 3, RF transmitter and receiver 322 enable the smartphone 310 to communicate via the communications network 390 with a cellular telephone handset 350, a smartphone or tablet device 352, a computing device 354 and the computing device 342. The computing devices 354 and 342 are shown as personal computers, but each may be equally be practised using a smartphone, laptop, or a tablet device.

[0071] The communications network 390 may be implemented using one or more wired or wireless transmission links and may include, for example, a cellular telephony network, a dedicated communications link, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a telecommunications network, or any combination thereof. A telecommunications network may include, but is not limited to, a telephony network, such as a Public Switch Telephony Network (PSTN), a cellular (mobile) telephone cellular network, a short message service (SMS) network, or any combination thereof.

[0072] Fig. 19 is a schematic representation of a system 1900 on which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be practised. The system 1900 includes a set of one or more software applications 1905 executing on a corresponding set of computing devices, such as smartphones, tablets, phablets, laptop computers, desktop computers, and the like. The software applications 1905 include Representational State Transfer (REST) application programming interfaces (APIs) for connecting to an application server cluster 1920 via a communications network 1915.

[0073] The system 1900 also includes an administrator panel 1910, which is also coupled to the application server cluster 1920 via the communications network 1915. The administrator panel 1910 may be accessed by authorised staff to monitor, control, and modify settings of the application server 1920. The administrator panel 1910 may control access by other users, such as granting access to new users or restricting access to other users. The administrator panel 1910 may also be used to interrogate the health of the application server cluster 1920 and associated devices, to ensure that the computer-implemented incident monitoring platform implemented by the system 1900 is operating correctly.

[0074] In the example of Fig. 19, the application server cluster 1920 includes a set of servers: EC2Server-l 1921, EC2Server-2 1922, ..., EC2Server-3 1923. The application server cluster 1920 is coupled to each of a relational database 1930, a caching system 1935, and a file storage 1940. The relational database 1930 may be implemented, for example, using a MultiA-Z relational database service (RDS). In one implementation, multiple replicas can be created as and when needed on the relational database 1930, such as to provide redundancy in the form of one or more backups.

[0075] Fig. 18 is a schematic representation illustrating functional components that may be utilised in an embodiment implementing the system 1900 of Fig. 19. As shown in Fig. 18, the system 1900 may be implemented using one or more programming languages. For example, schematic 1810 illustrates that: the backend may be implemented using PHP7 with Laravel framework; the administrator panel 1910 may be implemented using one or more of HTML, CSS, or jQuery; a hybrid front-end may be implemented using Ionic framework; and a responsive web may be implemented using Angular 2.

[0076] The database 1930, caching 1935, and file storage 1940 may be implemented, for example, using MySQL for relational data, such a user data, payment information, points, and the like, and Redis/Memached for the data caching layer.

[0077] Other infrastructure shown in the system 1900, such as the application server cluster 1920, may be implemented using: • AWS as PaaS - EC2 for servers, RDS for database, S3 for storing media files, ELB for load balancing; • Apache as a Webserver; • Git for source control, SONARQUBE for Static code review; and • NetBeans 8 IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

[0078] Monitoring and profiling may be implemented using Amazon Cloudwatch, which provides detailed graphs about different usage statistics of processes, such as CPU performance, memory, etc. JMeter may be used for load testing the application.

[0079] It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the relevant art that the various programming languages and implementations described above are illustrative and not restrictive and many variants may equally be practised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] Fig. 16 is a schematic representation of a system architecture 1600 on which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be practised. The system architecture 1600 includes a presentation layer 1610, which may, for example, be implemented using Ionic Framework with Cordova. The system architecture 1600 also includes a layer with infrastructure services 1620, such as application server, database, and storage service.

[0081] The system architecture 1600 further includes controllers 1630, a service layer 1640, a data caching layer 1650, a Data Access Object (DAO) layer 1660, and a transactional database 1670. The controllers 1630 may include, for example, MVC, security, and REST API controller. The service layer 1640 may include, for example, user service, location service, chat service, newsfeed service, incident service, and subscription service.

[0082] The DAO layer 1660 may include, for example, entity managers. Across the system architecture 1600 is provided a logging, transactions, security, and monitoring service 1680.

[0083] Fig. 17. is a schematic representation of a security reference architecture 1700. A data security module 1710 provides secure data storage. An Infrastructure Protection Services module 1715 is associated with accessing control on the servers/database and port blocking on unnecessary ports. An Identity and Access Management module 1730 performs role based authentication. A Transport Security module 1740 provides SSL based communication. An Application Security module 1750 performs secure coding practices, web penetration testing, and logging controls.

[0084] Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of a monitoring method 400 in accordance with the present disclosure. A first user 402 accesses the first computing device 122 to access a web-based interface of the notifications server 110 via the communications network 105, in order to register with the notifications system. In an alternative arrangement, the first user 402 accesses the first computing device 122 to download a software application ("app") associated with the notifications server 122. Depending on the implementation, the app may be downloaded directly from the notifications server 110 or from a third party digital distribution site, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or the like. Fig. 6 is a screenshot of a welcome screen 600 displayed to the first user on a display screen of the first computing device 110.

[0085] Returning to Fig. 4, in step 404 the first user 402 registers with the notifications server 110. Fig. 7 is a screenshot of a registration screen 700 displayed to the first user when accessing the notifications server 100 for the first time. In one arrangement, the template database 112 provides the registration screen 700 to the display of the first computing device 122. In an alternative embodiment, the registration screen is resident in an app executing on a processor of the first computing device 122. The registration screen 700 asks the first user to provide a set of user information that, in this example, includes mobile number, full name, user name, and password.

[0086] In step 406, the notifications server 110 receives the user information provided to the registration screen 700 and stores the user information in the customer database 114 in a newly created user profile associated with the first user. Fig. 8 is a screenshot of an example of a user profile page 800. The registration process may involve the notifications server 110 sending a confirmation link or code to the first computing device 122. Once a user has registered with the notifications server 110, subsequent access is achieved by logging into the notifications server 110 using the username and password associated with the user, via a sign-in screen. Fig. 9 is a screenshot of an example of a sign-in screen 900.

[0087] Step 408 turns on the location associated with the first user 402. In one implementation, the location associated with the first user is determined from a geo-location device in the first computing device 122 accessed by the first user, or from a global positioning system (GPS) device associated with the user. In another implementation, GPS co-ordinates of a fixed location, such as a venue, are input or otherwise determined for the user. For example, if the "user" is the name of a venue and the second computing device 124 is a fixed desktop computer located at that venue, then there is no need for a geo-location device if the GPS co-ordinates of the venue are otherwise known and can be provided.

[0088] In one implementation, the notifications server 110 establishes a range associated with one or more registered users. In a simple scenario, the notifications server 110 implements a fixed range of 5km for each user, such that each user will receive notifications relating to any reported incident that occurs within a 5km radius of that user. In one implementation, the predefined range is a parameter of the user profile created in step 406. Depending on the implementation, the predefined range may be modified by a user to a smaller or larger range. In one implementation, the notifications server establishes a default range of 5km and a user is able to zoom in or out to decrease or increase the range for which alerts and notifications will be received. Zooming in or out may be achieved by scroll bars, buttons, screen gestures, mouse scrolling, or the like, depending on the features associated with the computing device being accessed by the user.

[0089] In step 410, the first user is able to view an incident newsfeed on a display of the first computing device 122. The incident newsfeed is a list of incidents that have been reported to the notifications server 110. The incident newsfeed may be information pushed out from the notification server 110 to an app executing on the first computing device 122 or may be information displayed in a region of a webpage published in association with the notifications server 110. The incident newsfeed may be associated with one or more filters and/or sorting options, based on incident information associated with each incident. Such incident information may include, for example, but is not limited to, location, date, time, broad reason or classification of the incident, number of people involved, gender ratio of the people involved, a detailed reason for the incident (which may be selected from a group of pre-set options), clothing description, and the like.

[0090] The incident newsfeed may include an option to sort items in the newsfeed based on the various incident information. For example, a user may select an option to sort incidents in the incident newsfeed by most recent incident, so that the most recent incident appears at the top of the incident newsfeed. Other sorting options may relate to the type or severity of an incident, proximity of an incident, or the like.

[0091] In one arrangement, the incident newsfeed provides an option for a user to establish communication with the user who submitted the incident report. Such communication may be via a chat platform hosted on the app or web browser associated with the notification server 110. This feature allows a user to communicate with the reporting user in order to obtain specific details about an incident, determine whether further support is required by the reporting user, and find out whether the incident is ongoing or has been resolved. In one arrangement, a user is able to view the username associated with the reporting user and is not able to view that reporting user's actual name. In one arrangement, users are only able to see usernames associated with other registered users in all interactions with the notifications server 110 and its associated app and/or website.

[0092] In one arrangement, a limited view of the incident newsfeed is viewable by non-registered users, and users must be registered in order to obtain detailed information about incidents and to access full functionality relating to sorting, filtering, and communication with other users.

[0093] In one arrangement, the newsfeed refreshes at periodic intervals, in order to delete references to incidents that are older than a predefined period of time. The predefined period of time may be, for example, 12 hours or 24 hours.

[0094] The incident newsfeed is the default view presented to a registered user of the notifications system. Fig. 10 is a screenshot of an incident newsfeed 1000 in accordance with one embodiment. In the example of Fig. 10, the incident newsfeed 1000 includes notifications relating to three separate incidents, sorted chronologically with the most recent incident positioned at the top. In the example of Fig. 10, each incident is associated with a location, a reason, a distance from the current user, and the incident time. In one arrangement, the user can select the number of incidents to appear on the incident newsfeed.

[0095] A user of the notifications system is able to select a number of functions. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the user can select from the following functions: • list of active chats 412; • report an incident 414; • map view 416; • settings 418; • notification 420; • profile 422; and • invite a friend 424.

[0096] The user is able to select any one of the displayed incidents in order to obtain further information about those incidents. For example, in step 416 a user selects a map button associated with the incident and is presented with a location map. Fig. 11 is a screenshot of a location map 1100 associated with the first incident. By clicking on the incident in the incident newsfeed, the user can obtain further information about the selected incident. In one implementation, the location map 1100 provides a map view with identification pins showing the location of incidents that have been reported. The user has the ability to change the predefined range (or radius) for which notifications are being transmitted. The user is able to tap or click or otherwise select an identification pin to obtain more information about the particular incident associated with that identification pin.

[0097] Fig. 12 is a screenshot of a detailed incident report 1200 associated with the first incident. The detailed incident report 1200 includes more information about the incident, including the number of people involved, the gender ratio, complexion of main protagonist, clothes, and any identifiable characteristics, such as particular clothing, tattoos, or the like.

[0098] Fig. 5 is a continuation of the method of Fig. 4. If a user selects a list of active chats 412, the user is able to view past chats 510 or view and send messages to existing registered users 512, such as to users accessing the computing devices 132, 124, 136, 142, 144. Fig. 13 is a screenshot of a list of chats relating to a set of reported incidents. Messages may be sent directly between 2 registered users or to a defined set or groups of users. For example, Fig. 15 is a screenshot of a chat session between two users relating to a reported incident. Alternatively, messages may be sent globally to all registered users.

[0099] A registered user, such as a user accessing the seventh computing device 144 at venue 3 140 is able to report an incident, as shown in step 414. The user fills in an incident report by providing details to a template form, such as may be delivered from the template database 112 or embedded within an app executing on the seventh computing device 144. The user fills in the incident report and then reports the incident in step 516, by submitting the report to the notifications server 110. The notifications server 110 updates stored records relating to the reporting user, the location and then the notifications module 116 sends a notification to all registered users within a predefined range of the location at which the incident occurred.

[00100] All posted incident reports appear in the incident newsfeed on all registered users that are within a predefined range of the location of the reported incidents.

Reported incidents are pinned to the current location of the reporting user at the time at which the incident was reported.

[00101] In one arrangement, filling in an incident report requires a registered user to complete a template form provided by the template database 112. The template form may include, for example, a range of fields, buttons, drop-down boxes and the like from which the user is able to select in order to complete the incident report. In one implementation, the user must select the most relevant option for a number of mandatory fields. For example, the fields and the available options for one implementation are set out below:

Number of People • 1 • 2 to 5 • 5 to 10 • 10+

Gender Ratio *Does not appear if number of people = 1 • Majority Male • Even Split • Majority Female

Eviction or Refusal? • Aggressive Behaviour • Intoxication • Assault • Theft (Does not apply for Refusal of Entry)

Complexion • White • Black • Asian • Indian • Pacific Islander • American Indian • Mixed Races

Clothing Description • - Casual • - Smart Casual • - Semi Formal • - Formal

The Clothing Description field may include a small description box to enter more details.

In one arrangement, the additional description box is character limited. Fig. 14 is a screenshot of an example of an incident report template to be completed by a reporting user. Depending on various privacy laws that may be in force for a particular jurisdiction, the incident report may optionally allow a reporting user to upload images relating to the incident, such as photos of people involved.

[00102] In one arrangement, the incident report includes a feature that enables a reporting user to request assistance from one or more external service providers, such as emergency services (i.e., police, fire brigade, ambulance, paramedics), security personnel, management, waste services (including hazardous waste), traffic management, and the like. In an emergency situation, the reporting user is able to quickly request help through the interface, using one or more button clicks. The notifications module 116 is configured to request the indicated external service provider, either automatically or through personnel associated with the operation of the notifications server 110.

[00103] A registered user is able to change settings associated with the notification system in step 418. Modifiable settings may relate, for example, to the number of alerts displayed on a default screen, the predefined range for which the user wants to receive alerts, a predefined refresh time after which incidents are removed from an incident newsfeed, and the like.

[00104] Step 420 relates to receiving a notification from the notifications system. As described above, the notification may be a push notification from the notifications module 116 of the notification server 110, sent by email, SMS, MMS, chat message, or the like. The notification may be audible, visual, or a combination thereof. For example, a notification may be a chat message within an app, accompanied by the phone vibrating and issuing a predefined tone or sound.

[00105] Step 422 enables a registered user to view and modify an associated user profile. Attributes in the user profile may include, for example, username, password, contact details (email address, social media accounts, phone number, etc.), occupation, place of employment, licensing information (e.g., security licence, responsible service of alcohol (RSA) certificate), and the like. In step 518, the user is able to access a payment gateway to pay subscription fees for the notification/monitoring system. In one arrangement, subscription fees are payable on a tiered level, such as daily, monthly, quarterly, or annual.

[00106] Step 424 relates to functionality that enables a registered user to invite a friend to subscribe to the notification system. The "invite a friend" functionality may include links or connections via email or one or more social media platforms, including, for example, but not limited to, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and the like.

Industrial Applicability [00107] The arrangements described are applicable to the telecommunications and hospitality industries.

[00108] The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

[00109] In the context of this specification, the word "comprising" and its associated grammatical constructions mean "including principally but not necessarily solely" or "having" or "including", and not "consisting only of". Variations of the word "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises" have correspondingly varied meanings.

[00110] As used throughout this specification, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc., to describe common or related objects, indicates that reference is being made to different instances of those common or related objects, and is not intended to imply that the objects so described must be provided or positioned in a given order or sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

[00111] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (5)

1. The claims defining the invention are as follows:

   1. An incident monitoring system comprising: a notifications server that includes: a customer database for storing a user profile for each registered user; a template database for storing a set of user interface templates; and a notifications module adapted to receive incident reports from said registered user, said incident reports based on at least one registered user completing at least one of said user interface templates; wherein said notifications module is configured to send a notification to each registered user within a predefined range of a reported incident.
2. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the notification is one of an email, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, a chat message, a web browser notification, or an in-app notification.
3. 3. The system according to either one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the notifications module is further configured to display an incident newsfeed to computing devices associated with registered users of said system, wherein said incident newsfeed includes a set of notifications based on reported incidents, and further wherein said notifications module is configured to customise said incident newsfeed for each registered user, based on a location of the respective user, said customised newsfeed for a user displaying notifications relating to reported incidents within a predefined range of the location of said user.
4. 4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said system further comprises: a user interface displayed on a computing device accessed by said registered user, wherein said user interface enables said registered user to report an incident using an incident reporting template from said set of user interface templates, said incident reporting template including at least one field for receiving information relating to at least one of: number of people, gender ratio, reason for incident, complexion, and clothing description.
5. 5. A method for reporting incidents, comprising the steps of: registering a set of users, each registered user being associated with a location; receiving an incident report from one of said registered users, said incident report including the location of said one of said registered users; and transmitting a notification to each registered user within a predefined range of said location included in said incident report, said notification being one of an email, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, a chat message, a web browser notification, an in-app notification, or a newsfeed entry. PREAMPT PTY LTD By Patent Attorneys for the Applicant ©COTTERS Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys