Automatic emergency door unlock system

• US 10,062,233 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rogers, Thomas, Hutz, David James, Weingart, Noah Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/654,967
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00333 and the lock having more than one limited data transmission ranges
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

In some implementations, systems and techniques are described to automatically unlock a front door of a property in response to detecting an alarm signal indicating an emergency at or near a property. Data indicating occurrence of an emergency condition at a property is initially obtained. A lock configuration for an electronic lock of the property is determined. An unlock instruction is generated for the electronic lock based on the determined lock configuration for the electronic lock. The unlock instruction is transmitted to the electronic lock such that, when the unlock instruction is received by the electronic lock, the electronic lock is unlocked according to the unlock instruction.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

obtaining data indicating occurrence of an emergency condition at a property;

determining a lock configuration for an electronic lock of the property, the lock configuration identifying a locking feature that causes the electronic lock to automatically lock after a specified period of time has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked;

determining an unlock mechanism for unlocking the electronic lock based on the determined lock configuration for the electronic lock, the unlock mechanism specifying periodic transmission of an unlock instruction to the electronic lock over time intervals that correspond to the specified period of time that has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock such that, when the unlock instruction is received by the electronic lock, the electronic lock is unlocked according to the unlock instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by an application server associated with a monitoring system of the property; and

the unlock instruction for the electronic lock is remotely generated by the application server; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises transmitting, by the application server, the unlock instruction to a control unit of the monitoring system of the property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a monitoring system of the property;

the unlock instruction is locally generated by the monitoring system of the property; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises, transmitting, by the monitoring system, the unlock instruction to the electronic lock of the property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a third-party electronic device that is distinct from a monitoring system of the property.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the unlock instruction for the electronic lock comprises:

further comprising the steps of;

determining an emergency classification for the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property; and

determining a configuration corresponding to the determined emergency classification for the electronic lock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unlock instruction specifies a time period during which the electronic lock is unlocked.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property has terminated; and

in response to determining that the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property has terminated, transmitting a lock instruction to the electronic lock such that, when the lock instruction is received by the electronic lock, the electronic lock is locked according to the lock instruction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property has terminated comprises:

obtaining sensor data collected by a monitoring system of the property; and

determining that the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property has terminated based on the obtained sensor data collected by the monitoring system of the property.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to obtaining data indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property:

establishing an electronic communication between (i) a first device associated with a user located within the property during the occurrence of the emergency condition, and (ii) a second device associated with an authorized caretaker located outside the property during the occurrence of the emergency condition; and

transmitting, to a system associated with a first responder, data indicating an alert notification that identifies the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property.

10. A system comprises:

one or more computers; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining data indicating occurrence of an emergency condition at a property;

determining a lock configuration for an electronic lock of the property, the lock configuration identifying a locking feature that causes the electronic lock to automatically lock after a specified period of time has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked;

determining an unlock mechanism for unlocking the electronic lock based on the determined lock configuration for the electronic lock, the unlock mechanism specifying periodic transmission of an unlock instruction to the electronic lock over time intervals that correspond to the specified period of time that has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock such that, when the unlock instruction is received by the electronic lock, the electronic lock is unlocked according to the unlock instruction.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by an application server associated with a monitoring system of the property; and

the unlock instruction for the electronic lock is remotely generated by the application server; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises transmitting, by the application server, the unlock instruction to a control unit of the monitoring system of the property.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a monitoring system of the property;

the unlock instruction is locally generated by the monitoring system of the property; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises, transmitting, by the monitoring system, the unlock instruction to the electronic lock of the property.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a third-party electronic device that is distinct from a monitoring system of the property.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining data indicating occurrence of an emergency condition at a property;

determining a lock configuration for an electronic lock of the property, the lock configuration identifying a locking feature that causes the electronic lock to automatically lock after a specified period of time has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked;

determining an unlock mechanism for unlocking the electronic lock based on the determined lock configuration for the electronic lock, the unlock mechanism specifying periodic transmission of an unlock instruction to the electronic lock over time intervals that correspond to the specified period of time that has passed since the electronic lock has been unlocked; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock such that, when the unlock instruction is received by the electronic lock, the electronic lock is unlocked according to the unlock instruction.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by an application server associated with a monitoring system of the property; and

the unlock instruction for the electronic lock is remotely generated by the application server; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises transmitting, by the application server, the unlock instruction to a control unit of the monitoring system of the property.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein:

the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a monitoring system of the property;

the unlock instruction is locally generated by the monitoring system of the property; and

transmitting the unlock instruction to the electronic lock comprises, transmitting, by the monitoring system, the unlock instruction to the electronic lock of the property.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the occurrence of the emergency condition at the property is determined by a third-party electronic device that is distinct from a monitoring system of the property.