SAFETY CONTROL FOR PRODUCT DISPENSERS

• US 20160325867A1
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,666,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0011 based on the timed opening of a valve
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0878 Safety, warning or controlling devices B67D1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0882 Devices for controlling the dispensing conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0255 System arrangements wherein the parent unit emits, i.e. the parent unit incorporates the emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID

Abstract

Techniques are described for processing sensor data associated with product dispensers at an establishment. The system is configured to monitor the location of product dispensers at an establishment and the system detects an alarm event related to the monitoring system based on the monitoring.

Claims

1. A system for processing sensor data associated with product dispensers at an establishment, the system comprising:

proximity sensors that are configured to enable sensing of location of the product dispensers at the establishment, at least one proximity sensor being mounted to each product dispenser;

condition sensors that are configured to sense physical conditions associated with the product dispensers, at least one condition sensor being mounted to each product dispenser;

a transmitter that is configured to communicate with the proximity sensors; and

a control unit that includes at least one processor, the control unit being configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from at least one of the condition sensors, at least one sensed physical condition associated with a particular product dispenser among the product dispensers;

determining that the particular product dispenser has been opened based on the at least one sensed physical condition associated with the particular product dispenser;

based on communication between the transmitter and at least one proximity sensor mounted to the particular product dispenser, detecting a location of the particular product dispenser at a time that the particular product dispenser has been opened;

based on the detected location of the particular product dispenser at a time that the particular product dispenser has been opened, determining whether the particular product dispenser is within a threshold distance from the transmitter at the time that the particular product dispenser has been opened; and

based on a determination that the particular product dispenser is located outside the threshold distance from the transmitter at the time that the particular product dispenser has been opened, trigging an alarm event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise detecting a refill event based on a determination that the particular product dispenser is located within the threshold distance from the transmitter at the time that the particular product dispenser has been opened.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein detecting a refill event further comprises detecting a change in the physical condition associated with the particular product dispenser associated with the at least one condition sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises triggering an alarm event based on the transmitter failing to establish communication with the at least one proximity sensor mounted to the particular product dispenser.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the condition sensors include a pressure differential sensor, a temperature differential sensor, and a light sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises generating an alarm notification and communicating the generated alarm notification to a device of a user associated with the establishment.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises controlling the particular product dispenser to provide a visible alert.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises controlling at least one of the particular product dispenser or the transmitter to provide an audible alert.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring application server that is configured to electronically receive, either directly or via a network communications module, data communications from the condition sensors and from at least one of the transmitter or the proximity sensors.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more cameras that are configured to monitor the location of the product dispensers, wherein the one or more cameras are configured to;

capture one or more images of the product dispensers at a predetermined time;

determine a count of the number of the product dispensers at the predetermined time based on the captured one or more images; and

based on a determination that the count of the number of product dispensers is below an acceptable count for a threshold period of time, triggering an alarm event.

19. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

one or more cameras that are configured to monitor the location of the product dispensers, wherein the one or more cameras are configured to;

capture one or more images of the product dispensers at a predetermined time;

determine a count of the number of the product dispensers at the predetermined time based on the captured one or more images; and

based on a determination that the count of the number of product dispensers is below an acceptable count for a threshold period of time, triggering an alarm event.

11. A system for monitoring product dispensers at an establishment, the system comprising:

an electronic holster that is configured to physically retain the product dispensers at the establishment, that is configured to detect physical presence of the product dispensers at the electronic holster, and that is configured to receive electronic information from the product dispensers based on the product dispensers being retained by the electronic holster;

communication devices that are associated with the product dispensers and that are configured to electronically communicate information from the product dispensers to the electronic holster, at least one communication device being mounted to each of the product dispensers; and

a control unit that includes at least one processor, the control unit being configured to perform operations comprising;

maintaining, in electronic storage, communication codes associated with the product dispensers, each product dispenser being associated with at least one communication code;

detecting presence, at the electronic holster, of a particular product dispenser;

based on detecting presence of the particular product dispenser at the electronic holster, determining whether the particular product dispenser has communicated to the electronic holster a communication code maintained in electronic storage; and

based on a determination that the particular product dispenser has failed to communicate to the electronic holster a communication code maintained in electronic storage, triggering an alarm event.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises generating an alarm notification and communicating the generated alarm notification to a device of a user associated with the establishment.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises controlling the particular product dispenser to provide a visible alert.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises controlling at least one of the particular product dispenser or the transmitter to provide an audible alert.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

proximity sensors that are configured to enable sensing of location of the product dispensers at the establishment, at least one proximity sensor being mounted to each product dispenser;

condition sensors that are configured to sense physical conditions associated with the product dispensers, at least one condition sensor being mounted to each product dispenser; and

a transmitter that is configured to communicate with the proximity sensors.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise detecting a refill event based on a determination that the particular product dispenser is located within a threshold distance from the transmitter at the time that the particular product dispenser has been determined to be opened based on at least one sensed physical condition associated with the particular product dispenser.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein detecting a refill event further comprises detecting a change in the physical condition associated with the particular product dispenser associated with the at least one condition sensor.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein trigging the alarm event comprises triggering an alarm event based on the transmitter failing to establish communication with the at least one proximity sensor mounted to the particular product dispenser.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a monitoring application server that is configured to electronically receive, either directly or via a network communications module, data communications from the condition sensors and from at least one of the transmitter or the proximity sensors.