Sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communication devices

• US 10,417,776 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siminoff, James, Cziment, August, Harpole, Aaron, Lemberger, Elliott, Modestine, John, Sommerlatt, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US16/008,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20180295168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19636 pertaining to the camera
• 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 13/19656 : Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 : Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 : Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 : Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• 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 15/001 : Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/004 : using portable personal devices hand-held or body-worn self-defence devices using repellent gases or chemicals F41H9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 : using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 : Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 : Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 : with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 : using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 : Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/57 : for processing of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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: H04N 23/51 : Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 : Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 : for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 : Video door telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management

Abstract

Sharing video footage recorded by audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices, such as video doorbells and security cameras. When an A/V recording and communication device records video footage of suspicious activity, or even criminal activity, a user viewing the footage may alert his or her neighbors by sharing the video. In various embodiments, the user may share the video with anyone of the user'"'"'s choosing, including neighbors, friends, and family.

Claims

1. A system for communicating among a first audio/video recording and communication device (A/V device), a first client device associated with the first A/V device, a second A/V device, a second client device associated with the second A/V device, and a network device, the system comprising:

the network device having a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores code operable by the processor for;

receiving a location of the first A/V device;

receiving from the first client device an enable signal for a share feature of the first A/V device;

receiving a notification distance associated with the share feature of the first A/V device;

updating at least one data structure maintained by the network device with the location of the first A/V device and the notification distance;

receiving a share signal from the second client device;

in response to receiving the share signal from the second client device, determining that the second A/V device is within the notification distance from the location of the first A/V device; and

transmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores code operable by the processor for receiving a playback request signal from the first client device in response to the share notification signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the memory further stores code operable by the processor for transmitting a video signal to the first client device in response to the playback request signal, the video signal including images captured by a camera of the second A/V device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the share signal from the second client device includes text describing the images captured by the camera of the second A/V device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the memory further stores code operable by the processor for transmitting the text together with the share notification signal to the first client device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification distance is configurable by a user of the first A/V device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first A/V device and the second A/V device is an audio/video communication doorbell.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first client device and the second client device is a smartphone.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the network device is a server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises one or more network services.

11. A method for communicating among a first audio/video recording and communication device (A/V device), a first client device associated with the first A/V device, a second A/V device, a second client device associated with the second A/V device, and a network device, the method comprising:

receiving a location of the first A/V device;

receiving from the first client device an enable signal for a share feature of the first A/V device;

receiving from the first client device a notification distance associated with the share feature of the first A/V device;

updating at least one data structure with the location of the first A/V device and the notification distance;

receiving a share signal from the second client device;

in response to receiving the share signal from the second client device, determining that the second A/V device is within the notification distance from the location of the first A/V device; and

transmitting a share notification signal to the first client device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a playback request signal from the first client device in response to the share notification signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting a video signal to the first client device in response to the playback request signal, the video signal including images captured by a camera of the second A/V device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the share signal from the second client device includes text describing the images captured by the camera of the second A/V device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the text together with the share notification signal to the first client device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification distance is configurable by a user of the first A/V device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first A/V device and the second A/V device is an audio/video communication doorbell.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first client device and the second client device is a smartphone.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the network device is a server.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the network device comprises one or more network services.