Sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communication devices

• US 10,447,963 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harpole, Aaron, Roth, Joshua, Simonoff, James, Sommerlatt, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/387,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• 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: G11B 27/19 by using information detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Video footage captured by A/V recording and communication devices may be readily uploaded to the cloud and shared with a requesting party, such as a law enforcement agency. When a request is received from a requesting party for video footage, a set of videos meeting the criteria specified by the requesting party may be determined. Consent requests may then be sent to users associated with each of the A/V recording and communication devices that recorded the videos meeting the criteria specified by the requesting party. When user consents to share the videos are received, the video footage may be provided to the requesting party.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a video request signal from a requesting device of a requesting party for video footage recorded by one or more audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices installed at one or more properties located within a specified area during a specified time window, wherein the specified time window includes a start time and an end time, and wherein each of the A/V recording and communication devices includes a camera configured to capture video footage;

in response to the received request signal, identifying, at the server, video footage recorded by at least a subset of the A/V recording and communication devices in the specified area recorded between the start time and the end time;

in response to the identifying, sending, from the server, a consent request signal to at least one client device associated with at least one of the A/V recording and communication devices in the subset;

receiving a share consent signal from the at least one client device granting consent to share the video footage recorded by the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset associated with the at least one client device; and

transmitting the video footage recorded by the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset to the requesting device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the end time is in the future.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, at the server, the video footage comprises taking as criteria the specified area and the specified time window, and using the criteria to search through video metadata to identify video footage that meets the criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying, at the server, the video footage returns a set of video metadata records.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the consent request signal comprises push notifications sent to the at least one client device associated with the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the push notifications comprise an indicator of the specified time window.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the push notifications comprise an indicator of the requesting party.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the push notifications comprise a listing of video footage that is/are associated with the video request signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a user may view the video footage in the listing.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the push notifications comprise three response options, including an option to share all video footage meeting criteria provided by the requesting party, an option to share no video footage, and an option to share some video footage meeting the criteria provided by the requesting party and withhold other video footage.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting party is a law enforcement agency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the server performs at least one of receiving the share consent signal and transmitting the video footage.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a video request signal from a requesting device of a requesting party for video footage recorded by one or more audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices installed at one or more properties located within a specified area during a specified time window, wherein the specified time window includes a defined start date and/or time, but does not include a defined end date and/or time, and wherein each of the A/V recording and communication devices includes a camera configured to capture video footage;

in response to the received request signal, identifying, at the server, video footage recorded by at least a subset of the A/V recording and communication devices in the specified area recorded after the defined start date and/or time;

in response to the identifying, sending, from the server, a consent request signal to at least one client device associated with at least one of the A/V recording and communication devices in the subset;

receiving a share consent signal from the at least one client device granting consent to share the video footage recorded by the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset associated with the at least one client device; and

transmitting the video footage recorded by the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset to the requesting device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the defined start date and/or time is in the past.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the defined start date and/or time correspond to a time that the video request signal is received.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying, at the server, the video footage comprises taking as criteria the specified area and the defined start date and/or time, and using the criteria to search through video metadata to identify videos that meet the criteria.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying, at the server, the video footage returns a set of video metadata records.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the consent request signal comprises push notifications sent to the at least one client device associated with the at least one A/V recording and communication device in the subset.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise an indicator of the defined start date and/or time.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise an indicator of the requesting party.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise a listing of video footage that is/are associated with the video request signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a user may view the video footage in the listing.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise three response options, including an option to share all video footage meeting criteria provided by the requesting party, an option to share no video footage, and an option to share some video footage meeting the criteria provided by the requesting party and withhold other video footage.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the requesting party is a law enforcement agency.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein the server performs at least one receiving the at least one user consent and providing the video footage.