Patent ID: 9742627
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A network video recorder (NVR) apparatus for automatic connection to an Internet protocol (IP) camera, the NVR apparatus comprising: an IP configuration unit, implemented by a processor, configured to automatically allocate to the NVR apparatus a non-duplicate IP address within a valid IP address range; a camera searching unit, implemented by the processor, configured to broadcast to an IP camera on a local area network (LAN) camera response request information having as a destination the IP address automatically allocated to the NVR apparatus and to identify the IP camera in response to receiving camera response information transmitted from the IP camera; a camera managing unit, implemented by the processor, configured to analyze the camera response information from the IP camera identified by the camera searching unit to determine whether the IP camera is available to be registered and, in response to determining the IP camera being available, to register the IP camera; a communication unit, implemented by the processor, configured to transmit the camera response request information and receive the camera response information; and a security level managing unit configured to control a security level of a registered IP camera, wherein the security level managing unit transmits security level setting request information to an IP camera, which is not to be exposed to another NVR apparatus, to request the IP camera to set a security level of the IP camera for not responding to camera response request information broadcast from the other NVR apparatus, wherein the camera managing unit is further configured to provide a user interface to allow registration of an image capturing location at which the IP camera captures an image in response to a determination that the IP camera is available to be registered, and register the image capturing location through the user interface, and wherein the camera managing unit is further configured to, in response to a determination that there are a number of IP cameras available to be registered, provide a user with the user interface having a display screen divided into segments, and register image capturing locations of each IP camera to respective ones of the segments of the display screen of the user interface.