Devices and methods for protecting unattended children in the home

• US 10,649,421 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelmes, Sierra Leigh, Le Guen, Sophie Solvieg, Veron, Maxime, Guenette, Isabel, Sloo, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US15/832,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20180095482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for protecting unattended children in the home. In one aspect, a method is performed at computer system. The computer system: (1) receives occupancy data for a room in a smart home environment; (2) determines based on the received occupancy data whether a predetermined child-protection alert condition is met; (3) in accordance with a determination that the condition is met, presents or sends instructions to issue a child-protection alert; (4) receives a request to cancel the child-protection alert; (5) in accordance with a determination that the request is a first type of cancellation request, cancels the child-protection alert and modifies the predetermined child-protection alert condition; and (6) in accordance with a determination that the request is a second type of cancellation request, cancels the child-protection alert and foregoes modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computer system;

receiving occupancy data for a room in a smart home environment;

determining, based at least in part on the received occupancy data for the room, whether a predetermined child-protection alert condition is met;

in accordance with a determination that the predetermined child-protection alert condition is met, presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert;

after the presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert, receiving a request to cancel the child-protection alert;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was unneeded, wherein the request includes cancelling a first disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was needed and properly performed, wherein the request includes cancelling a second disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

foregoing modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition; and

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child protection alert that was needed but late in being presented;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

changing the predetermined child-protection alert condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, based at least in part on the received occupancy data for the room, whether the predetermined child-protection alert condition is met includes determining that a child is the lone occupant in the room for at least a threshold amount of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the predetermined child-protection alert condition includes changing a threshold time and/or a threshold distance to at least one unused electrical outlet and/or at least one electronically-controlled door handle.

4. A computer system of a smart home environment, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving occupancy data for a room of the smart home environment;

determining, based at least in part on the received occupancy data for the room, whether a predetermined child-protection alert condition is met;

in accordance with a determination that the predetermined child-protection alert condition is met, presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert;

after the presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert, receiving a request to cancel the child-protection alert;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was unneeded, wherein the request includes cancelling a first disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was needed and properly performed, wherein the request includes cancelling a second disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

foregoing modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition; and

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child protection alert that was needed but late in being presented;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

changing the predetermined child-protection alert condition.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the instructions for presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert include instructions for displaying a visual warning in one or more rooms, sounding an audible warning in the one or more rooms, and/or sending a notification to one or more occupants of the smart home environment or to a third party.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the instructions for receiving occupancy data for a room of a smart home environment include instructions for receiving occupancy data from one or more of:

a motion sensor, an optical sensor, an audio sensor, a touch sensor, a pressure sensor, and an ambient sensor, in the room of the smart home environment.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the received occupancy data for the room include one or more of:

motion data, video data, audio data, and touch data.

8. The computer system of claim 6, further comprising instructions for identifying one or more categories of individuals based on the received occupancy data for the room.

9. The computer system of claim 4, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

displaying, on a display of a client device associated with a user of the smart home environment;

a user interface for presenting the child-protection alert; and

one or more user-selectable cancellation options.

10. The computer system of claim 9, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

transmitting to the computer system user feedback in accordance with a user selection of the one or more user-selectable cancellation options; and

wherein the determination of the request to cancel is in accordance with the user selection of the one or more user-selectable cancellation options.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the user selection of the one or more user-selectable cancellation options is made using a voice command of the user.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the user interface is generated based on information from the computer system.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system of a smart home environment, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

receiving occupancy data for a room in a smart home environment;

determining, based at least in part on the received occupancy data for the room, whether a predetermined child-protection alert condition is met;

in accordance with a determination that the predetermined child-protection alert condition is met, presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert;

after the presenting or sending instructions to issue a child-protection alert, receiving a request to cancel the child-protection alert;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was unneeded, wherein the request includes cancelling a first disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition;

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child-protection alert that was needed and properly performed, wherein the request includes cancelling a second disablement;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

foregoing modifying the predetermined child-protection alert condition; and

in accordance with a determination that the request to cancel corresponds to a child protection alert that was needed but late in being presented;

canceling the child-protection alert; and

changing the predetermined child-protection alert condition.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the room includes:

one or more unused electrical outlets; and

/or

one or more electronically-controlled door handles.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein:

canceling the first disablement includes canceling a disablement of at least one of the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or the one or more electronically-controlled door handles that is not needed; and

canceling the second disablement includes canceling a disablement of at least one of the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or the one or more electronically-controlled door handles that is needed and properly performed.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

disabling at least one of the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or at least one of the one or more electronically-controlled door handles in the room in accordance with the determination the predetermined child-protection alert condition is met.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

in accordance with a determination that the predetermined child-protection condition is met, disabling or sending instructions to disable one or more of;

the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or, the one or more electronically-controlled door handles;

after the disabling or the sending instructions to disable, receiving a request to enable the disabled one or more of;

the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or the one or more electronically-controlled door handles;

determining a type for the received enablement request;

in accordance with a determination that the received enablement request is a first type of enablement request;

enabling the disabled one or more of;

the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or the one or more electronically-controlled door handles, and

modifying the predetermined child-protection condition; and

in accordance with a determination that the received enablement request is a second type of enablement request, distinct from the first type of enablement request;

enabling the disabled one or more of;

the one or more unused electrical outlets and/or, the one or more electronically-controlled door handles, and

forgoing modifying the predetermined child-protection condition.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computer system is located in a smart home provider server system remote from the smart home environment.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions for receiving occupancy data for a room of a smart home environment include instructions for receiving occupancy data from one or more sensors in the room of the smart home environment;

and

wherein the computer system is located in the smart home environment at a separate location from the one or more sensors in the room.