Text-based structure access

• US 10,134,212 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ren, Margaret, Kim, Unyoung, Hanson, Kristine Anne, Marappan, Priti, Shah, Jenish, Shrivastava, Rohit, Yu, Tian, Zhu, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, K.
• Application Number:
  US15/628,120
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• 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: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

A first user associated with a structure (e.g., a home, a building, etc.) may authorize a second user to access the structure when the first user is not present. The second user may request to access the structure via a text message that includes an access code that was previously provided. The second user may be verified/authenticated based on the telephone number in which the text message was received, the access code, and/or an access schedule that indicates when the second user is authorized to access the structure. The second user may send a second text message indicating a desire to lock/unlock a structure entrance (e.g., a door) to the structure that contains a smart lock. Upon receiving the second text message, a service provider sends an instruction to the smart lock, causing the structure entrance to become locked/unlocked, and allowing the second user to access or secure the structure.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-executable instructions that are stored in the memory and that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

identifying a residence associated with a first user, the residence including a door that is used to access the residence and that includes a smart lock;

receiving, from a first user device of the first user, user information associated with a second user that has been authorized by the first user to access the residence via the door, the user information including a telephone number of a second user device of the second user and access information indicating an extent to which the second user is authorized to access the residence;

generating a user profile for the second user that is to be maintained in the memory, the user profile identifying the telephone number of the second user device, an access schedule that specifies at least one of times or days in which the second user is authorized to access the residence, and a unique short code associated with the second user;

sending, from a dedicated short code associated with a service provider and to the telephone number of the second user device, a first text message that includes the unique short code;

receiving, at a time, a second text message that indicates a request to at least one of access or secure the residence via the door;

verifying that the second user is authorized to at least one of access or secure the residence via the door by;

determining that the second text message was received from the telephone number of the second user device;

determining that the second text message includes the unique short code associated with the second user; and

determining that the time corresponds to the at least one of the times or the days in which the second user is authorized to access the residence;

sending, to the telephone number of the second user device and based on a determination that the second user is authorized to at least one of access or secure the residence at the time, a third text message that instructs the second user to send a first reply to access the residence or a second reply to secure the residence;

receiving, from the telephone number of the second user device, a fourth text message that includes the first reply or the second reply; and

sending, to at least one of one or more components of the smart lock or one or more devices that are communicatively coupled to the smart lock, and based on the first reply or the second reply, an access instruction to cause the smart lock to unlock or lock the door.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise sending, to the first user device of the first user, a notification indicating that the door has been unlocked or locked.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein verifying that the second user is authorized to at least one of access or secure the residence via the door further comprises:

searching a plurality of user profiles each associated with a different user to identify the user profile; and

identifying the telephone number of the second user device, the unique short code, and the access schedule from the user profile.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the third text message was sent at a second time;

determining that the fourth text message was sent at a third time that is subsequent to the second time;

determining that an amount of time from the second time to the third time is less than or equal to a threshold amount of time; and

sending the access instruction based on a determination that the amount of time is less than or equal to the threshold amount of time.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the access instruction causes the smart lock to unlock the door, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a second time at which the door was unlocked;

determining that the door has not been relocked within a threshold amount of time after the second time; and

sending, to the one or more components of the smart lock, a second access instruction to cause the smart lock to lock the door.

6. A method comprising:

determining that a first user has authorized a second user to access a structure via a structure entrance having a lock;

receiving, at a first time, a telephone number from the first user;

receiving, at a second time that is later than the first time, a text message that includes an access code, the text message representing a request to access or secure the structure via the structure entrance;

determining that the text message was received from the telephone number of the second user;

determining that the access code included in the text message is associated with the second user and was previously sent to the second user prior to the second time;

accessing an access schedule that indicates at least one of times or days in which the second user is authorized by the first user to access the structure;

determining, based at least partly on the telephone number, the access code, and the access schedule, that the second user is authorized to at least one of access or secure the structure at the second time; and

sending an access instruction to cause the structure entrance to be locked or unlocked.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, from a first user device of the first user, user information associated with the second user, the user information including the telephone number of the second user and access information indicating an extent to which the second user is authorized to access the structure; and

generating a user profile for the second user, the user profile identifying the telephone number of the second user, the access schedule, and the access code.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

at least partly in response to receiving the user information, generating the access code; and

sending, from a dedicated short code associated with a service provider and to the telephone number of the second user, a second text message that includes the access code.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the structure includes at least one of a residence, a workplace, a building, a vehicle, or a boat, and wherein the structure entrance includes at least one of a door or a window.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

sending, based on a determination that the second user is authorized to at least one of access or secure the structure at the time, a second text message to the telephone number of the second user, the second text message instructing the second user to send a first reply to access the residence or a second reply to secure the residence;

receiving, from the telephone number of the second user, a third text message that includes the first reply or the second reply; and

sending, based at least partly on the first reply or the second reply, the access instruction.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the structure entrance is a door, and wherein the first reply corresponds to one or more first characters to unlock the door and the second reply corresponds to one or more second characters to lock the door.

12. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising sending, to the first user, a notification associated with the structure, the notification indicating that at least one of the second user attempted to access the structure or the structure entrance was locked or unlocked.

13. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the access code is a short code that includes at least one of one or more numbers, one or more letters, or one or more symbols.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first time, a telephone number from a first user;

receiving, at a second time that is later than the first time, a first text message that includes an access code, the first text message being a request to access or secure a structure associated with a first user via a structure entrance having a lock;

verifying that a second user is authorized to access or secure the structure at the second time based at least partly on the telephone number in which the first text message was received and the access code;

sending, to the telephone number, a second text message that instructs the second user to send a first reply to access the structure or a second reply to secure the structure;

receiving, from the telephone number, a third text message that includes the first reply or the second reply; and

sending, based at least partly on the first reply or the second reply, an access instruction to cause the lock to unlock or lock the structure entrance.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein verifying that the second user is authorized to access or secure the structure comprises:

determining that the telephone number was previously associated with the second user;

and

determining that the time corresponds to at least one of times or days in which the first user authorized the second user to access the structure.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising sending, to a user device of the first user, a notification indicating that the structure entrance has been unlocked or locked.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, user information associated with the second user, the user information including the telephone number and access information indicating an extent to which the second user is authorized to access the structure; and

generating, at least partly in response to receiving the user information, the access code.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising sending, to the telephone number, a fourth text message that includes the access code and indicates that the first user has authorized access to the structure by the second user.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first reply corresponds to one or more first characters and the second reply corresponds to one or more second characters.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the structure includes at least one of a residence, a workplace, a building, a vehicle, or a boat, and wherein the structure entrance includes at least one of a door or a window.