Methods and systems for updating an event timeline with event indicators

• US 10,467,872 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Laska, Jason N., Nelson, Greg R., Duffy, Greg, Hill, Cameron, Davidsson, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad J
• Application Number:
  US15/889,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20180158300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• 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: G08B 13/1961 Movement detection not involving frame subtraction, e.g. motion detection on the basis of luminance changes in the image
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for displaying event indicators on an event timeline. In one aspect, a method includes: (1) displaying a video monitoring user interface including: (a) video information corresponding to a video stream of remote camera'"'"'s field of view in a first region, and (b) the event timeline in a second region; (2) obtaining identification of a new zone of interest corresponding to a portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view; (3) sending information indicative of the new zone of interest to a server system; (4) obtaining identification of one or more past motion events detected by the remote camera involving the new zone of interest; and (5) updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having a visual characteristic corresponding to the new zone of interest for each of the one or more past motion events.

Claims

1. A method of displaying event indicators on an event timeline, comprising:

at a client device having memory, one or more processors, and a display;

displaying a video monitoring user interface on the display, the video monitoring user interface including;

a first region containing video information corresponding to a video stream of a remote camera'"'"'s field of view; and

a second region containing the event timeline having a plurality of time-based tick marks and a plurality of event indicators;

wherein the plurality of event indicators corresponds to a plurality of past motion events;

updating display of the event timeline, including adjusting positioning of the time-based tick marks and the plurality of event indicators in relation to the current time;

obtaining, via a user interaction with the video monitoring user interface, identification of a zone of interest corresponding to a portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view;

sending information indicative of the zone of interest to a server system;

obtaining from the server system identification of one or more past motion events involving the zone of interest; and

updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having a visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest for each of the one or more identified past motion events.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining from the server system identification of a new motion event involving the zone of interest; and

updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having the visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest for the new motion event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeatedly updating display of the event timeline, each update including adjusting positioning of the time-based tick marks, the plurality of event indicators, and the event indicator for each of the one or more identified past motion events in relation to the current time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating display of the event timeline comprises:

updating an endpoint of the event timeline so that the endpoint corresponds to the current time; and

for each event indicator of the plurality of event indicators, updating positioning of the event indicator such that relative positioning of the event indicator with respect to the endpoint represents a temporal relationship between the current time and a time of occurrence of an event represented by the event indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, within the video monitoring user interface, a notification that a motion event of the one or more past motion events involves the zone of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, within the video monitoring user interface, an indicator of a time scale for the event timeline and one or more affordances for adjusting the time scale.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, within the video monitoring user interface, a preview of a motion event of the one or more past motion events.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, via a second user interaction with the video information, identification of a second zone of interest corresponding to a second portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view, distinct from the first portion;

sending information indicative of the second zone of interest to the server system;

obtaining from the server system identification of one or more second past motion events detected by the remote camera involving the second zone of interest; and

updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having a second visual characteristic corresponding to the second zone of interest for each of the one or more second past motion events, wherein the second visual characteristic is distinct from the visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

displaying a video monitoring user interface on the display, the video monitoring user interface including;

a first region containing video information corresponding to a video stream of a remote camera'"'"'s field of view; and

a second region containing the event timeline having a plurality of time-based tick marks and a plurality of event indicators;

wherein the plurality of event indicators corresponds to a plurality of past motion events;

updating display of the event timeline, including adjusting positioning of the time-based tick marks and the plurality of event indicators in relation to the current time;

obtaining, via a user interaction with the video monitoring user interface, identification of a zone of interest corresponding to a portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view;

sending information indicative of the zone of interest to a server system;

obtaining from the server system identification of one or more past motion events involving the zone of interest; and

updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having a visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest for each of the one or more identified past motion events.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein updating display of the event timeline comprises updating display of the event timeline in real time.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the video monitoring user interface further includes a third region;

and

wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, after obtaining identification of the zone of interest, updating display of the third region to include an entry corresponding to the zone of interest.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the entry corresponding to the zone of interest includes a user interface element for toggling display of the event indicators for the one or more past motion events.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the entry corresponding to the zone of interest includes a user interface element for toggling notifications corresponding to subsequent motion events associated with the zone of interest.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronic device with a display and one or more processors, cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising:

displaying a video monitoring user interface on the display, the video monitoring user interface including;

a first region containing video information corresponding to a video stream of a remote camera'"'"'s field of view; and

a second region containing the event timeline having a plurality of time-based tick marks and a plurality of event indicators;

wherein the plurality of event indicators corresponds to a plurality of past motion events;

updating display of the event timeline, including adjusting positioning of the time-based tick marks and the plurality of event indicators in relation to the current time;

obtaining, via a user interaction with the video monitoring user interface, identification of a zone of interest corresponding to a portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view;

sending information indicative of the zone of interest to a server system;

obtaining from the server system identification of one or more past motion events involving the zone of interest; and

updating display of the event timeline to display an event indicator having a visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest for each of the one or more identified past motion events.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein at least one of the height or width of a particular event indicator on the event timeline corresponds to a temporal length of a corresponding motion event.

16. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the video information includes an image corresponding to the camera'"'"'s field of view;

and

wherein the user interaction comprises a user-drawn shape encompassing a portion of the image corresponding to the portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view.

17. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein a past motion event is determined to involve the zone of interest in accordance with a determination that the past motion event included motion within the portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view corresponding to the zone of interest.

18. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the visual characteristic corresponding to the zone of interest comprises a color or shading pattern.

19. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein at least one display characteristic for the event indicators corresponding to the zone of interest is distinct from display characteristics of the plurality of event indicators.

20. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of event indicators corresponds to one or more zones of interest;

wherein each of the one or more zones of interest corresponds to a distinct portion of the camera'"'"'s field of view; and

wherein each event indicator of the plurality of event indicators is displayed with a visual characteristic identifying the corresponding zone of interest.