Application and platform for temporary control over property access functions

• US 20160163138A1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HomeAway, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Ryan Hedley, Haligas, Daniel Steven, Venugopal, Velayudhan, Devine, Alex Holm
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computing device may be configured to transition control over one or more functions of a rental unit to a user (e.g., a traveler) based on one or more of time, geo-location and access credentials. Access may be granted to the traveler to use one or more home automation functions including a HVAC system, a thermostat, lighting, security alarm, automated door locks, etc. An owner of the rental unit may have access to some or all of the home automation functions blocked during the traveler'"'"'s stay at the rental unit, and at an end of the stay owner access to those functions may be enabled. Some functions may be activated prior to the traveler'"'"'s arrival at the unit based on a time to arrival and/or distance from the unit. An application on a traveler'"'"'s computing device may be configured to summon a repair service for the unit.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving data representing access credentials for access to an automated function of a rental unit;

accessing data representing stay data for the rental unit;

verifying the data representing the access credentials;

transitioning, after the data representing the access credentials have been verified, access to the automated function from owner access to traveler access;

blocking owner access to the automated function of the rental unit after the transitioning;

re-transitioning, on occurrence of an event, access to the automated function of the rental unit from traveler access to owner access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises data representing a check-out time, a check-out day or both extracted from the stay data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises data representing an emergency at the rental unit received at an owner computing device configured to communicate data operative to re-transition access to the automated function of the rental unit from the traveler access to owner access.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein owner access to the automated function remains un-blocked until the data representing the emergency at the rental unit is no longer being received at the owner computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data representing the access credentials includes device identification data for a traveler computing device that communicated the data representing the access credentials.

6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

receiving data representing location data for a traveler computing device, the location data indicating the traveler computing device is positioned within a threshold of an allowable distance from the rental unit when the data representing the access credentials is received.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data representing the location data is determined by data representing an address unique to the traveler computing device, data representing a radio frequency signal parameter of the traveler computing device or both.

8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

retaining owner access to automated functions of an additional rental unit until occurrence of another event; and

transitioning access to the automated functions of the additional rental unit from owner access to traveler access upon occurrence of the another event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the occurrence of the another event comprises verifying data representing access credentials for the additional rental unit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the occurrence of the another event further comprises determining data representing a check-in time, a check-in day or both extracted from the stay data has occurred.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a computing resource;

a display in communication with the computing resource,

a data storage resource; and

a communications interface in communication with the computing resource and the data storage resource,

the computing resource configured to;

present data representing a service request type for a rental unit on the display,

receive data representing a selection of the service request type,

communicate, using the communications interface, data representing the selection of the service request type to a service provider address accessed from the data storage resource, and

receive data representing a service status for the rental unit, and

present the data representing the service status for the rental unit on the display.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the service provider address comprises an address for a rental owner computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the data representing the service status comprises one or more of estimated service completion time, updates on service, notification of a service time range, notice of completion of service.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the data representing the service status is received from a service provider computing device.

15. A system, comprising:

a communications interface;

a computing resource; and

a data storage resource, the communications interface in communication with the computing resource and the data storage resource,

the computing resource configured to;

access data representing location data for a location of a traveler computing device,

receive data representing pre-arrival activation data of an automated function of a rental unit,

receive data representing a function activation time extracted from the pre-arrival activation data,

access data representing an estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the rental unit,

calculate an estimated location of the traveler computing device at the function activation time,

determine a match between the function activation time and a time the traveler computing device arrives at the estimated location, and

activate the automated function of a match is determined.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein estimator circuitry in the traveler computing device determines the match, the estimator circuitry is coupled with an estimated time of arrival calculator configured to generate the data representing the estimated time of arrival and a location estimator configured to calculate the estimated location of the traveler computing device at the function activation time.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the estimated time of arrival calculator is configured

to receive the data representing the location data,

to calculate, using the location data and signals from clock circuitry and motion sensor circuitry of the traveler computing device, a distance traveled per unit of time,

to calculate, using the location data, a distance from a current location of the traveler computing device to a location of the rental unit, and

to calculate the estimated time of arrival using the distance and the distance traveled per unit of time.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the automated function that is activated comprises a lighting function of the rental unit.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the automated function that is activated comprises a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning function of the rental unit.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the automated function that is activated comprises a security function of the rental unit.