Contextual communication of events

• US 10,096,231 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slavin, Alison Jane, Kinney, Abraham Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/613,430
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

An electronic system is described that receives data collected by a monitoring system, where the monitoring system includes a notification device that is tunable between different states that discreetly convey contextual alerts based on prior association of the states with contextual alerts. The system analyzes the monitoring system data against one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property. Based on the analysis of the monitoring system data, a particular event is identified. Information that specifies contextual alerts to be provided by the monitoring system that each correspond to an event defined by the one or more event profiles is accessed. A particular contextual alert that corresponds to the particular event is identified. The system causes output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device included in the monitoring system by changing a state of the notification device.

Claims

1. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving monitoring system data collected by a monitoring system that is associated with a property, the monitoring system including a notification device configured to output contextual alerts and sensors that are fixed within the property and that are configured to sense attributes of the property, the monitoring system being associated with one or more client devices and one or more servers that are in communication with the monitoring system;

analyzing the monitoring system data against one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property;

determining, based on the analysis of the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property, that a particular event has occurred;

determining, for each of the one or more client devices, (i) a location of the client device and (ii) an identity of a user assigned to the client device;

selecting, from among the one or more client devices, a particular client device to provide an alert that corresponds to the particular event, wherein the particular client device is selected based at least on;

determining that the identity of the user assigned to the particular client device is classified as being capable of addressing the particular event, and

determining that the location of the particular client device is (i) outside of the property and (ii) within a threshold distance of the property;

accessing information that specifies contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices, wherein the contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and the alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices correspond to events defined by the one or more event profiles;

identifying, based on the particular event and the information that specifies the contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and the alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices, a particular contextual alert that corresponds to the particular event to be provided by the notification device, and a particular alert that corresponds to the particular event to be provided at the particular client device; and

causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device and of the particular alert at the particular client device.

2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is a tunable light emitting diode (LED) device that is fixed within the property, and wherein the particular contextual alert is a color output of the tunable LED device or a pattern of light emission output by the tunable LED device.

3. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is fixed at another property that is separate from the property.

4. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system data comprises at least one of (i) sensor data indicating one or more attributes of the property received from one or more of the sensors that are fixed within the property, (ii) location data indicating locations of the one or more client devices received from the one or more client devices, or (iii) data indicating one or more attributes of a geographical area corresponding to the property received from one or more of the servers.

5. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the analysis of the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property, that a particular event has occurred comprises:

determining, based on the analysis of the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property, that two or more events have occurred, the two or more events including the particular event;

identifying priority measures assigned to the two or more events; and

selecting the particular event based at least on the priority measures assigned to the two or more events identifying the particular event as a highest priority event of the two or more events.

6. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system includes multiple notification devices that are each associated with a location within the property, and wherein causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device comprises:

determining a particular location within the property corresponding to the particular event;

selecting the notification device from among the multiple notification devices, based at least on the notification device being associated with a location within the property that corresponds to the particular location within the property corresponding to the particular event; and

causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device based at least on selecting the notification device from among the multiple notification devices.

7. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise:

generating one or more activity profiles that each correspond to the property or to a user of the property based at least on an analysis of the monitoring system data, wherein the one or more activity profiles each indicate one or more events that have occurred at the property or one or more actions performed by a user of the property.

8. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property comprises analyzing the monitoring system data against one or more activity profiles that each correspond to the property or to a user of the property, the one or more activity profiles each indicating one or more events that have occurred at the property or one or more actions performed by a user of the property.

9. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is associated with a default output state, and wherein causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device comprises:

controlling the notification device to output the particular contextual alert at the notification device;

receiving data indicating a user acknowledgement of the particular contextual alert output at the notification device; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the user acknowledgement of the particular contextual alert output at the notification device, causing output of the default output state at the notification device by changing a state of the notification device.

10. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving other monitoring system data collected by one or more other monitoring systems that are each associated with another property, each of the one or more other monitoring systems including sensors that are fixed within another property and that are configured to sense attributes of the other property, and each of the one or more other monitoring systems being associated with one or more client devices that are each distinct from the notification device;

analyzing the other monitoring system data against one or more event profiles that define events relating to the other property or one or more users of the other property; and

determining, based on (i) the analysis of the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property, and (ii) the analysis of the other monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the other property or one or more users of the other property, that the particular event has occurred.

11. A method comprising:

receiving monitoring system data collected by a monitoring system that is associated with a property, the monitoring system including a notification device configured to output contextual alerts and sensors that are fixed within the property and that are configured to sense attributes of the property, the monitoring system being associated with one or more client devices and one or more servers that are in communication with the monitoring system;

analyzing the monitoring system data against one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property;

determining, based on the analysis of the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property, that a particular event has occurred;

determining, for each of the one or more client devices, (i) a location of the client device and (ii) an identity of a user assigned to the client device;

selecting, from among the one or more client devices, a particular client device to provide an alert that corresponds to the particular event, wherein the particular client device is selected based at least on;

determining that the identity of the user assigned to the particular client device is classified as being capable of addressing the particular event, and

determining that the location of the particular client device is (i) outside of the property and (ii) within a threshold distance of the property;

accessing information that specifies contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices, wherein the contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and the alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices correspond to events defined by the one or more event profiles;

identifying, based on the particular event and the information that specifies the contextual alerts to be provided by the notification device and the alerts to be provided at the one or more client devices, a particular contextual alert that corresponds to the particular event to be provided by the notification device, and a particular alert that corresponds to the particular event to be provided at the particular client device; and

causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device and of the particular alert at the particular client device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification device is a tunable light emitting diode (LED) device that is fixed within the property, and wherein the particular contextual alert is a color output of the tunable LED device or a pattern of light emission output by the tunable LED device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system data comprises at least one of (i) sensor data indicating one or more attributes of the property received from one or more of the sensors that are fixed within the property, (ii) location data indicating locations of the one or more client devices received from the one or more client devices, or (iii) data indicating one or more attributes of a geographical area corresponding to the property received from one or more of the servers.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system includes multiple notification devices that are each associated with a location within the property, and wherein causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device comprises:

determining a particular location within the property corresponding to the particular event;

selecting the notification device from among the multiple notification devices, based at least on the notification device being associated with a location within the property that corresponds to the particular location within the property corresponding to the particular event; and

causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device based at least on selecting the notification device from among the multiple notification devices.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising:

generating one or more activity profiles that each correspond to the property or to a user of the property based at least on an analysis of the monitoring system data, wherein the one or more activity profiles each indicate one or more events that have occurred at the property or one or more actions performed by a user of the property.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein analyzing the monitoring system data against the one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property comprises analyzing the monitoring system data against one or more activity profiles that each correspond to the property or to a user of the property, the one or more activity profiles each indicating one or more events that have occurred at the property or one or more actions performed by a user of the property.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification device is associated with a default output state, and wherein causing output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device comprises:

controlling the notification device to output the particular contextual alert at the notification device;

receiving data indicating a user acknowledgement of the particular contextual alert output at the notification device; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the user acknowledgement of the particular contextual alert output at the notification device, causing output of the default output state at the notification device by changing a state of the notification device.