Patent ID: 7619517

Claim:
A selective intrusion detection system for selectively detecting an intrusion by a person, comprising: a plurality of photobeam sources; a plurality of photobeam detectors for detecting intrusion into a plurality of separate regions, wherein each photobeam detector being paired with an associated photobeam source, for detecting an intrusion into a separate region; and a controller in electrical communication with the plurality of photobeam detectors, the controller configured to identify an intrusion by the person into the plurality of separate regions, the intrusion by the person identified according to patterns in the detected intrusions into the separate regions, each pattern characterized as a collection of pulse electrical signals generated by the plurality of photobeam detectors, wherein each pulse electrical signal is characterized by time and duration corresponding to interruption of the photobeams incident on the detectors; wherein the patterns are derived from receipt and processing of the collective outputs of all the photobeam detectors by the controller; and wherein the controller analyzes a pattern corresponding to the intrusion by the person using time and duration of known patterns of pulse electrical signals to differentiate human intrusions from non-human intrusions.