Patent ID: 7319477

Claim:
A system for communicating with a plurality of remote locations from a central station utilizing telephonic communication facilities to monitor distinctly different business entities at different remote locations, comprising: video communication structures located at the plurality of different remote locations for providing full motion video data on scenes at the plurality of different remote locations; a plurality of video display structures, located at the central station for receiving and displaying the full motion video data on scenes at the plurality of remote locations; telephonic interface apparatus for interconnecting via a temporary communication channel the video communication structures at the plurality of the remote locations with the plurality of the video display structures at the central station; and a control unit located at the central station for controlling the telephonic interface apparatus to establish video communication between a select video camera structure at a select one of the plurality of remote locations and one of the plurality of video display structures at the central station, with the central station receiving a display of a scene from the select one of the plurality of remote locations via the telephonic interface apparatus, the control unit providing scenes from the plurality of remote locations in sequence, at programmed intervals, the control unit further including an interrupt structure for receiving an interrupt indication from any particular one of the plurality of remote locations at which a particular circumstance to cause an alert occurs, the interrupt indication configured to interrupt the sequence of scenes displayed in order to provide an alternate display of a scene where the particular circumstance to cause the alert occurs rather than the next one in the sequence.