Doorbell call center

• US 10,218,855 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerzner, Daniel Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eustaquio, Cal J
• Application Number:
  US15/811,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Techniques are described for enabling a service administrator to respond to a detected doorbell press at a property when an authorized user is unavailable to respond. In some implementations, a determination that a doorbell press has been detected at a property is made. Video data collected by a doorbell device of the property is obtained in response to determining that the doorbell press has been detected at the property. Sensor data collected by one or more sensors of a monitoring system located within the property is obtained in response to determining that the doorbell press has been detected at the property. A present security risk for the property is determined based at least on the obtained sensor data and the obtained video data. A communication session between the doorbell device and a server system associated with the monitoring system of the property is established in response to determining the present security risk for the property.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a doorbell press has been detected at a property;

in response to determining the doorbell press has been detected at the property;

obtaining video data collected by a doorbell device of the property,

obtaining sensor data collected by one or more sensors of a monitoring system located within the property,

determining, based on the sensor data, that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected, and

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, a likelihood that an individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder;

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies a predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property;

in response to (i) determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected and (ii) determining that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies the predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property, determining a present security risk for the property based at least on the obtained sensor data and the obtained video data; and

in response to determining the present security risk for the property, establishing a communication session between the doorbell device and a server system associated with the monitoring system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected comprises determining that a computing device of a property administrator was not located within the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the established communication comprises a two-way video conference between the doorbell device and the server system associated with the monitoring system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a communication session between the doorbell device of the property and the server system associated with the monitoring system comprises providing video data of the two-way video conference for output on a display of the doorbell device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a communication session between the doorbell device of the property and the server system associated with the monitoring system comprises providing a recorded video for output on a display of the doorbell device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the likelihood that an individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder comprises:

identifying the individual within the video data collected by the doorbell device;

and

determining the likelihood that the identified individual is an intruder based on the obtained sensor data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to determining the present security risk for the property, providing, for output to a computing device of a property administrator of the property, a communication that (i) indicates the present security risk for the property, and (ii) includes at least a frame of the video data collected by the doorbell device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the obtained sensor data, a present condition of the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property;

selecting, based on the present condition of the property, a system action from among multiple system actions specified within a doorbell action repository, wherein;

each system action is associated with a different condition of the property, and

the selected system action is associated with a condition that matches the present condition of the property; and

performing the selected system action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the present security risk for the property comprises determining that a property administrator of the property (i) presently occupies the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property, and (ii) is presently unable to answer the detected doorbell press; and

the communication session between the doorbell device and the server system associated with the monitoring system is established based on determining that the property administrator of the property presently occupies the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property and is presently unable to answer the detected doorbell press.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session permits a service administrator that does not occupy the property and is associated with a third-party service provider of the monitoring system to (i) access the video data collected by the doorbell device of the property and (ii) perform one or more system actions associated with the present security risk for the property.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more system actions associated with the present security risk for the property comprises at least one of:

transmitting an alert notification of the detected doorbell press to a computing device of a user of the property;

transmitting an alert notification of the present security risk to a computing device of law enforcement agency; and

transmitting an instruction to a control unit of the monitoring system that, when received by the control unit, generates an alarm condition at the property.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data indicates (i) a timestamp corresponding to the doorbell press detected at the property, and (ii) that the property is presently unoccupied during a time period when the doorbell press was detected at the property.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining, based on the timestamp corresponding to the doorbell press detected at the property, that the doorbell press detected at the property represents aberrant activity; and

wherein the determination that the present security risk satisfies the predetermined threshold criteria is based on determining that the doorbell press detected at the property represents aberrant activity and that the property is presently unoccupied during the time period when the doorbell press was detected at the property.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

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

determining that a doorbell press has been detected at a property;

in response to determining the doorbell press has been detected at the property;

obtaining video data collected by a doorbell device of the property,

obtaining sensor data collected by one or more sensors of a monitoring system located within the property,

determining, based on the sensor data, that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected, and

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, a likelihood that an individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder;

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies a predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property;

in response to (i) determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected and (ii) determining that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies the predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property, determining a present security risk for the property based at least on the obtained sensor data and the obtained video data; and

in response to determining the present security risk for the property, establishing a communication session between the doorbell device and a server system associated with the monitoring system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected comprises determining that a computing device of a property administrator was not located within the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the established communication comprises a two-way video conference between the doorbell device and the server system associated with the monitoring system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein establishing a communication session between the doorbell device of the property and the server system associated with the monitoring system comprises providing video data of the two-way video conference for output on a display of the doorbell device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

determining that a doorbell press has been detected at a property;

in response to determining the doorbell press has been detected at the property;

obtaining video data collected by a doorbell device of the property,

obtaining sensor data collected by one or more sensors of a monitoring system located within the property,

determining, based on the sensor data, that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected, and

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, a likelihood that an individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder;

determining, based on the sensor data and the video data, that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies a predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property;

in response to (i) determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected and (ii) determining that the likelihood that the individual that pressed the doorbell is an intruder satisfies the predetermined threshold associated with a security risk at the property, determining a present security risk for the property based at least on the obtained sensor data and the obtained video data; and

in response to determining the present security risk for the property, establishing a communication session between the doorbell device and a server system associated with the monitoring system.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein determining that the property was unoccupied when the doorbell press was detected comprises determining that a computing device of a property administrator was not located within the property when the doorbell press was detected at the property.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the established communication comprises a two-way video conference between the doorbell device and the server system associated with the monitoring system.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein establishing a communication session between the doorbell device of the property and the server system associated with the monitoring system comprises providing video data of the two-way video conference for output on a display of the doorbell device.