Monitoring system control technology

• US 10,379,515 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martin, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mattison, Dave
• Application Number:
  US15/450,332
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 315297
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25011 Domotique, I-O bus, home automation, building automation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

Systems and techniques are described for providing control of a monitoring system. In some implementations, a monitoring device is located in a building and is configured to monitor at least a portion of the building based on output from one or more sensors. A monitoring server is located remote from the building and is configured to communicate with the monitoring device. The monitoring server may be configured to translate one or more parameters received from a client device into an interpreted monitoring script and a trigger that causes performance of the interpreted monitoring script. The monitoring device may include an interpreter configured to determine that the trigger has been met and initiate performance of the interpreted monitoring script to evaluate a monitoring rule in accordance with one or more configurable parameters.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring device that is located in a building and that is configured to monitor at least a portion of the building based on output from one or more sensors; and

a monitoring server that is located remote from the building and that is configured to communicate with the monitoring device, wherein the communication between the monitoring server and the monitoring device is based on one or more rule templates that are compatible with specification data specific to the monitoring device, and wherein the monitoring sever is configured to create one or more rule templates by;

receiving, by the monitoring server, the specification data for the monitoring device, by receiving specification data in a predefined format, wherein the specification data comprises brand data for the monitoring device, a serial number for the monitoring device, a category for the monitoring device, and capability data for the monitoring device; and

creating one or more rule templates for the monitoring device based on the received specification data;

wherein the monitoring server is configured to;

receive login information from a client device;

determine, based on the received login information, a configuration of the monitoring system associated with the login information by determining a number of monitoring devices and a type of each of the monitoring devices that are included in the monitoring system;

present an interface that includes a set of rule templates that are specific to the monitoring devices included in the monitoring system;

receive a selection of a rule template from the set of rule templates; and

translate the selected rule template into an interpreted monitoring script and a trigger that initiates the performance of the interpreted monitoring script; and

a communication device that is configured to communicate the interpreted monitoring script to the monitoring device,

wherein the monitoring server is further configured to communicate a monitoring script to the monitoring device based on a successful testing of the interpreted monitoring script.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected rule template includes multiple adaptable parameters that define a rule for the selected rule template, and wherein a user input defines the multiple adaptable parameters used to define a rule for the selected rule template.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to determine the configuration of the monitoring system by determining where the monitoring devices are located within the building.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the configuration of the monitoring system that is located at the building and that includes the monitoring device comprises determining, for an account, a level of membership with the monitoring server.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an interpreter configured to;

receive a signal from a sensor related to a monitoring function associated with the monitoring device,

compare the received signal to the trigger that causes performance of the interpreted monitoring script,

determine that the trigger defined by the interpreted monitoring script has been met based on comparison results,

initiate performance of the interpreted monitoring script to evaluate the monitoring rule in accordance with the one or more parameters based on the determination that the trigger has been met, and

based on the evaluation of the monitoring rule revealing that the monitoring rule has been satisfied, trigger performance of the action associated with the interpreted monitoring script.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to:

emulate a monitoring system and test the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system;

determine whether testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system results in an error;

when testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system results in an error, withhold sending of the monitoring script to the monitoring device and provide an alert that the interpreted monitoring script includes an error; and

when testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system does not result in an error, send the monitoring script to the monitoring device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to receive a specification of a monitoring function associated with the monitoring device, and, create an instruction template that includes one or more variables defined by the one or more parameters received from the client device based on the received specification of the monitoring function.

17. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is further configured to:

emulate a monitoring system and test the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system;

determine whether testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system results in an error; and

send the monitoring script to the monitoring device based on successful testing of the interpreted monitoring script.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein creating one or more rule templates for the monitoring device based on the received specification data comprises:

identifying, based on the received specification data, one or more conditions the monitoring device is configured to detect;

identifying, based on the received specification data, one or more actions the monitoring device is configured to perform; and

creating one or more rule templates that each specify at least one condition and at least one action from the identified one or more conditions and the identified one or more actions.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a monitoring server, login information from a client device;

determining, by the monitoring server, based on the received login information, a configuration of the monitoring system associated with the login information by determining a number of monitoring devices and a type of each of the monitoring devices that are included in the monitoring system;

presenting, by the monitoring server, an interface that includes a set of rule templates that are specific to the monitoring devices included in the monitoring system;

receiving, by the monitoring server, a selection of a rule template from the set of rule templates; and

translating, by the monitoring server, the selected rule template into an interpreted monitoring script and a trigger that initiates the performance of the interpreted monitoring script;

communicating, by the monitoring server, the interpreted monitoring script to the monitoring device, wherein the communication between the monitoring server and the monitoring device is based on one or more rule templates that are specific to the monitoring device, and wherein the monitoring server is configured to create the one or more rule templates that are compatible with specification data specific to the monitoring device by receiving, by the monitoring server, at least one specification for the monitoring device, wherein the at least one specification includes brand data for the monitoring device, a serial number for the monitoring device, a category for the monitoring device, or capability data for the monitoring device, and creating one or more rule templates for the monitoring device based on the received at least one specification, and

wherein the monitoring server is further configured to communicate a monitoring script to the monitoring device based on a successful testing of the interpreted monitoring script.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selected rule template includes multiple adaptable parameters that define a rule for the selected rule template, and wherein a user input defines the multiple adaptable parameters used to define a rule for the selected rule template.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the monitoring server is configured to determine the configuration of the monitoring system by determining where the monitoring devices are located within the building.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring server is configured to determine the configuration of the monitoring system by determining how many and what types of monitoring devices are included in the monitoring system and where those monitoring devices are located within the building.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the configuration of the monitoring system that is located at the building and that includes the monitoring device comprises determining, for an account, a level of membership with the monitoring server.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying, from among the set of rule templates, the subset of rule templates specific to the determined configuration of the monitoring system comprises determining types of sensors included in the monitoring system that is located at the building and identifying a subset of rule templates based on the determined types of sensors.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying, from among the set of rule templates, the subset of rule templates specific to the determined configuration of the monitoring system comprises determining locations of sensors included in the monitoring system that is located at the building and identifying a subset of rule templates based on the determined locations of sensors.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying, from among the set of rule templates, the subset of rule templates specific to the determined configuration of the monitoring system comprises determining status of monitoring devices included in the monitoring system that is located at the building and identifying a subset of rule templates based on the determined status of monitoring devices.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying, from among the set of rule templates, the subset of rule templates specific to the determined configuration of the monitoring system comprises determining models, locations, and status of monitoring devices included in the monitoring system that is located at the building and identifying a subset of rule templates based on the determined models, locations, and status of monitoring devices.

18. The method of claim 8, comprising:

emulating, by the monitoring server, a monitoring system;

testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system;

determining whether testing the interpreted monitoring script in the emulated monitoring system results in an error; and

sending the monitoring script to the monitoring device based on successful testing of the interpreted monitoring script.