Patent ID: 8140048

Claim:
A method of connecting a voice communication session with an alarm system to a monitoring system to enable voice communication between the alarm system and an operator handling an alarm event for the alarm system, the method comprising: receiving, by an intermediary alarm server, alarm data over a data communication channel, the alarm data being transmitted from a communication module included in an alarm system in response to the alarm system detecting an alarm event, the alarm data indicating the alarm event and the intermediary alarm server being different from the alarm system; transmitting, by the intermediary alarm server over a communication medium, the alarm data to a monitoring system that is different from the intermediary alarm server and the alarm system; establishing, over a voice communication channel that is decoupled from the data communication channel, a first voice communication session between the communication module and the intermediary alarm server, the communication medium with which the intermediary alarm server transmitted the alarm data to the monitoring system being different from the data communication channel and the voice communication channel; associating, by the intermediary alarm server, the alarm data with the first voice communication session between the communication module and the intermediary alarm server; based on association of the alarm data with the first voice communication session between the communication module and the intermediary alarm server, establishing, over the communication medium with which the intermediary alarm server transmitted the alarm data to the monitoring system, a second voice communication session between the monitoring system and the intermediary alarm server; and connecting, by the intermediary alarm server, the first voice communication session established, over the voice communication channel, with the communication module to the second voice communication session established, over the communication medium, with the monitoring system, thereby enabling voice communication between the alarm system and the monitoring system.