Outdoor furniture monitoring

• US 10,096,219 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maurer, Kevin, Slavin, Alison Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US15/836,168
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1472 with force or weight detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0252 System arrangements wherein the child unit emits, i.e. the child unit incorporates the emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes, receiving, by a monitoring server, weather data that corresponds to at least one weather condition at a location where a monitoring system monitors an item that is located at an outdoor location of a property and that includes a motion beacon, based on the received weather data, determining a motion tolerance for determining whether a force other than weather likely caused movement of the item, receiving, from the motion beacon, motion data that indicates motion of the item, comparing the motion data to the motion tolerance, based on comparing the motion data to the motion tolerance, determining whether to generate a monitoring system event indicating that a force other than weather likely caused the movement of the item, and performing the monitoring system event indicating that a force other than weather likely caused the movement of the item.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for determining whether an item located at an outdoor location of a property is being moved, the system comprising:

one or more sensors that are located throughout the property, at least one of the one or more sensors being a motion beacon that is connected to the item that is located at the outdoor location of the property; and

a monitoring control unit that is configured to;

receive weather data that corresponds to at least one weather condition at the property;

based on the received weather data, determine a motion tolerance that corresponds to the at least one weather condition, for determining whether a force other than weather caused a movement of the item;

receive, from the motion beacon, motion data that indicates motion of the item;

compare the motion data to the motion tolerance;

based on comparing the motion data to the motion tolerance, determine that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance; and

based on determining that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance, performing a monitoring system event indicating that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item, wherein the monitoring system event comprises sending a notification to a client device of a resident of the property indicating that the item is being moved.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive the weather data that corresponds to the at least one weather condition at the property by receiving wind speed data for the location; and

determine the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than weather caused the movement of the item by determining the motion tolerance based on the wind speed data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive the weather data that corresponds to the at least one weather condition at the location by receiving rain data for the location; and

determine the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item by determining the motion tolerance based on the rain data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

determine that the monitoring system is armed status; and

based on determining that the monitoring system is the armed status, decrease the motion tolerance;

compare the motion data to the motion tolerance by comparing the motion data to the decreased motion tolerance;

based on comparing the motion data to the decreased motion tolerance, determine that the motion data satisfies the decreased motion tolerance; and

based on determining that the motion data satisfies the decreased motion tolerance, performing a monitoring system event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is further configured to:

perform the monitoring system event indicating that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item based on determining that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance by generating an audible alarm at the property.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising:

one or more cameras located throughout the property, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to;

perform the monitoring system event indicating that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item based on determining that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance by;

activating the one of the one or more cameras that includes the item in a field of view of the one of the one or more cameras; and

generating the notification that indicates that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item and that includes a control to view a video captured by the one or more cameras; and

providing, to the client device of the resident of the property, the notification that indicates that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item and that includes the control to view the video captured by the one of the one or more cameras.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive, from the client device, data indicating a selection of the control indicating that the weather caused the movement of the item; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the selection of the control indicating that the at least one weather condition caused the movement of the item, increase the motion tolerance.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is further configured to:

receive, from an additional motion beacon of the one or more sensors that is attached to an additional item that is located at the property, additional motion data that indicates motion of the additional item;

compare the motion data to the additional motion data;

based on comparing the motion data to the additional motion data, determine that a difference between the motion data and the additional motion data satisfies a motion difference tolerance;

determine whether to generate the monitoring system event indicating that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item by generating a notification that indicates that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item; and

perform the monitoring system event indicating that a force other than the weather caused the movement of the item by providing, to the client device of the resident of the property, the notification that indicates that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive, from the client device of the resident of the property, data indicating a time period during which the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item;

receive additional motion data collected during the time period;

receive data indicating at least one previous weather condition that occurred during the time period; and

based on the additional motion data collected during the time period and the at least one previous weather condition that occurred during the time period, generate the motion tolerance that corresponds to the at least one previous weather condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive motion data that indicates motion of the item by;

receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer included in the motion beacon;

receiving gyroscope data from a gyroscope included in the motion beacon;

receiving magnetometer data from a magnetometer included in the motion beacon; and

receiving gravity sensor data from a gravity sensor included in the motion beacon; and

compare the motion data to the motion tolerance by;

generating a motion score based on the accelerometer data, the gyroscope data, the magnetometer data, and the gravity sensor data; and

comparing the motion score to the motion tolerance.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive motion data that indicates motion of the item by;

receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer included in the motion beacon;

receiving gyroscope data from a gyroscope included in the motion beacon;

receiving magnetometer data from a magnetometer included in the motion beacon; and

receiving gravity sensor data from a gravity sensor included in the motion beacon; and

compare the motion data to the motion tolerance by;

comparing the accelerometer data to an accelerometer tolerance;

comparing the gyroscope data to a gyroscope tolerance;

comparing the magnetometer data to a magnetometer tolerance; and

comparing the gravity sensor data to a gravity sensor tolerance.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive motion data that indicates motion of the item by;

receiving the motion data that indicates motion in three-dimensional space;

compare the motion data to the motion tolerance by;

comparing the motion data for each dimension of the three-dimensional space to a respective motion tolerance for the dimension.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitor control unit is configured to:

receive, from the one or more sensors other than the motion beacon, sensor data; and

adjust the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item based on the sensor data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the monitor control unit is configured to:

receive, from the one or more sensors other than the motion beacon, sensor data by

receiving the sensor data indicating that a person exits an exterior door of the property;

adjust, for a predetermined period of time, the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item based on the sensor data indicating that the person exists the exterior door of the property by increasing the motion tolerance; and

after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, adjust the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than weather caused the movement of the item by adjusting the motion tolerance to a value before the predetermined period of time.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the monitor control unit is configured to:

receive, from the one or more sensors other than the motion beacon, sensor data by

receiving sensor data indicating an estimated number of people at the property exceeds a threshold;

adjust the motion tolerance for determining whether the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item based on the sensor data indicating the estimated number of people at the property exceeds the threshold by increasing the motion tolerance;

after adjusting the motion tolerance, receive, from the one or more sensors other than the motion beacon, additional sensor data indicating the estimated number of people at the property no longer exceeds the threshold; and

based on the additional sensor data indicating the estimated number of people at the property no longer exceeds the threshold, adjust the motion tolerance to a value before receiving the sensor data indicating the estimated number of people at the property exceeds the threshold.

16. A computer-implemented method for determining whether an item located at an outdoor location of a property is being moved comprising:

receiving, by a monitoring control unit of a monitoring system, weather data that corresponds to at least one weather condition at the location where the monitoring system monitors the item that is located at the outdoor location of the property and that includes a motion beacon;

based on the received weather data, determining, by the monitoring control unit, a motion tolerance that corresponds to the at least one weather condition for determining whether a force other than weather caused a movement of the item;

receiving, by the monitoring control unit, from the motion beacon, motion data that indicates motion of the item;

comparing, by the monitoring control unit, the motion data to the motion tolerance;

based on comparing the motion data to the motion tolerance, determining, by the monitoring control unit, that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance; and

based on determining that the motion data satisfies the motion tolerance, performing the monitoring system event indicating that the force other than the weather caused the movement of the item;

the monitoring system event comprises sending a notification to a client device of a resident of the property to indicate the item is being moved.