IN-RESIDENCE TRACK AND ALERT

• US 20160066046A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar UK Holdings Ltd (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Mountain, Dale Llewelyn
• Granted Patent: US 9,621,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/08 Elderly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 : comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Monitoring, via a network of sensors each communicatively coupled to a home gateway system, movement and location of one or more individuals within their own residence. The hone gateway system may also respond to inquiries as to a potential or probable or possible status of the one or more individuals within the residence.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a television receiver, an in-bound telephone call;

determining, by the television receiver, whether a calling party is authorized to access a message that provides an indication to the status of an individual as derived by the television receiver based upon a number of sensors positioned with a residence in which the television receiver serves as a gateway of a home automation system; and

playing-back, by the television receiver for the calling party, the message that provides the indication to the status of the individual when the calling party is authorized to access the message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the calling party to enter a passcode to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a telephone number associated with the in-bound telephone call to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the in-bound telephone call for rollover to the television receiver for the television receiver to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message following a particular ring count.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting by the television receiver a selection made by the calling party to instantiate an emergency response alert; and

instantiating by the television receiver the emergency response alert.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring by the television receiver data from each of the number of sensors to generate content of the message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically generating by the television receiver content for insertion into the message based on data retrieved by the television receiver from each of the number of sensors.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the television receiver in response to a command received by the television receiver over a network connection from another different television receiver, content for insertion into the message based on data retrieved by the television receiver from each of the number of sensors.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the television receiver a definition to authorize the calling party to access the message; and

storing the definition to a persistent storage medium of the television receiver.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the calling party is authorized to access the message; and

playing-back the message for the calling party.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the calling party is unauthorized to access the message; and

rolling the in-bound telephone call to voicemail.

12. A television receiver, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory element communicatively coupled with and readable by at least one processor and having stored therein processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

detect an in-bound telephone call;

determine whether a calling party is authorized to access a message that provides an indication to the status of an individual as derived by the television receiver based upon a number of sensors positioned with a residence in which the television receiver serves as a gateway of a home automation system; and

play-back for the calling party the message that provides the indication to the status of the individual when the calling party is authorized to access the message.

13. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

determine that the calling party is authorized to access the message; and

play-back the message for the calling party.

14. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

determine that the calling party is unauthorized to access the message; and

rollover the in-bound telephone call to voicemail.

15. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

prompt the calling party to enter a passcode to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message.

16. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

analyze a telephone number associated with the in-bound telephone call to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message.

17. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

select the in-bound telephone call for rollover to the television receiver for the television receiver to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message following a particular ring count.

18. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

detect a selection made by the calling party to instantiate an emergency response alert; and

instantiate the emergency response alert.

19. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

generate, in response to a command received by the television receiver from another different television receiver over a network connection, content for insertion into the message based on data retrieved by the television receiver from each of the number of sensors.

20. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a television receiver, an in-bound telephone call;

analyzing, by the television receiver, a telephone number associated with the in-bound telephone call as a primary security measure to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access a message that provides an indication to the status of an individual as derived by the television receiver based upon a number of sensors positioned with a residence in which the television receiver serves as a gateway of a home automation system;

authenticating, by the television receiver, the telephone number to determine that the calling party is authorized to access a secondary security measure to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access a message;

analyzing, by the television receiver, a passcode entered by the calling party as the secondary security measure to determine whether the calling party is authorized to access the message;

authenticating, by the television receiver, the passcode to determine that the calling party is authorized to access the message; and

playing-back, by the television receiver for the calling party, the message that provides the indication to the status of the individual when the calling party is authorized to access the message.