METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR BACKUP ASSIGNMENT OF A MOBILE ELECTRONICS DEVICE

1 . A controller apparatus comprising:

a first interface communicatively couplable to at least one mobile electronics device;

a second interface communicatively couplable over at least one network to a server, and wherein the server, when operating in a normal mode associated with communications between the controller apparatus and the server being on-line, records each of the at least one mobile electronics device as being assigned to a respective user;

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transient computer readable medium communicatively connected to the at least one processor and configured to store:

one or more device assignment records in relation to the at least one mobile electronics device, indicating assignment of the at least one mobile electronics device to a respective one or more users, when the server operates in an off-line mode when communication between the controller apparatus and the server is off-line, and

computer program instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller apparatus to:

in response to one or more device assignment requests received when the server is operating in the off-line mode, create the one or more device assignment records, and

in response to the server re-entering the normal mode, update the server with the one or more device assignment records.

2 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a single device housing, and

wherein the first and second interfaces, the at least one processor and the at least one non-transient computer readable medium are all contained within the single device housing.

3 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a credentials input device that is configured to receive user credentials as input and initiate a credentials validation request within the controller apparatus, and wherein at least a portion of the one or more assignment records are derived from the user credentials.

4 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the credentials input device includes at least one of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card reader, a Bluetooth-based reader, a keypad, a keyboard and a biometric reader.

5 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile electronics device includes an image sensor configured to capture and store video.

6 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the at least one non-transient computer readable medium is configured to also store the video during the off-line mode when the at least one mobile electronics device is coupled to the first interface.

7 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein no space is allocated within the at least one non-transient computer readable medium to store the video during the off-line mode when the at least one mobile electronics device is coupled to the first interface.

8 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the server operates in the off-line mode when a connectivity issue exists in the at least one network, an upgrade to the server is taking place, or maintenance tasks in relation to the server are taking place.

9 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one non-transient computer readable medium is further configured to store audit events that transpire during a period of time when the server is operating in the off-line mode.

10 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one network includes a part of the Internet and at least a part of the server resides within a cloud environment.

11 . The controller apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile electronics device is a plurality of body-worn cameras.

12 . A method comprising:

providing a controller apparatus, at least one mobile electronics device communicatively coupled to the controller apparatus, and a server communicatively coupled over at least one network to the controller apparatus, wherein the server, when operating in a normal mode associated with communications between the controller apparatus and the server being on-line, records each of the at least one mobile electronics device as being assigned to a respective user;

in response to one or more device assignment requests received by the controller apparatus when the server is operating in an off-line mode, creating, within the controller apparatus, one or more device assignment records indicating assignment of the at least one mobile electronics device to a respective one or more users;

when the server is operating in the off-line mode such that communication between the controller apparatus and the server is off-line, storing, in the controller apparatus, the one or more device assignment records in relation to the at least one mobile electronics device; and

in response to the server re-entering the normal mode, updating the server with the one or more device assignment records.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising:

receiving user credentials as input at a credentials input device; and

initiating a credentials validation request within the controller apparatus.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the at least one mobile electronics device includes an image sensor configured to capture and store video.

15 . The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising storing the video within the controller apparatus during the off-line mode.

16 . The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the server operates in the off-line mode when a connectivity issue exists in the at least one network, an upgrade to the server is taking place, or maintenance tasks in relation to the server are taking place.

17 . The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising storing, within the controller apparatus, audit events that transpire during a period of time when the server is operating in the off-line mode.