Parcel Theft Deterrence for A/V Recording and Communication Devices

• US 20180047267A1
• Filed: 08/04/2017
• Published: 02/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bot Home Automation Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Modestine, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,482,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Parcel theft deterrence for audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices, such as video doorbells and security cameras. When an A/V recording and communication device captures image data that includes a parcel, a parcel boundary may be created for monitoring the parcel within. In various embodiments, when the parcel is removed from the parcel boundary, a user alert may be generated to notify a user of a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device that the parcel has been removed.

Claims

1. A method for an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, the device including a processor and a motion detector having motion detection rules, the method comprising:

receiving, by the processor from a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device, parcel monitoring rules for monitoring a parcel in a field of view of the motion detector, the parcel monitoring rules including a parcel boundary for monitoring the parcel within the parcel boundary, and a monitoring action to be executed in response to the parcel being moved from within the parcel boundary;

updating, by the processor based on the parcel monitoring rules, the motion detection rules to create updated motion detection rules;

detecting, by the motion detector based on the updated motion detection rules, that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary; and

executing, by the processor in response to the detecting that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary and based on the updated motion detection rules, the monitoring action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the motion detector is at least one of a camera and a motion sensor of the A/V recording and communication device; and

the motion detection rules and the updated motion detection rules include at least one of camera motion detection rules and motion sensor motion detection rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring action includes at least one of sounding an alarm, activating a camera of the A/V recording and communication device to record image data, and generating a user alert.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user alert includes at least one of an indication that the parcel has been removed from the parcel boundary, information about a person who removed the parcel from the parcel boundary, and at least one frame captured by the camera during the time the parcel is being removed from the parcel boundary.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated motion detection rules include increased sensitivity within the parcel boundary.

6. An audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device comprising:

a motion detector having motion detection rules;

a communication module;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory machine-readable memory storing a program, the program executable by at least one of the processors, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

receiving, from a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device using the communication module, parcel monitoring rules for monitoring a parcel in a field of view of the motion detector, the parcel monitoring rules including a parcel boundary for monitoring the parcel within the parcel boundary, and a monitoring action to be executed in response to the parcel being moved from within the parcel boundary;

updating, based on the parcel monitoring rules, the motion detection rules to create updated motion detection rules;

detecting, by the motion detector based on the updated motion detection rules, that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary; and

executing, by the processor in response to the detecting that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary and based on the updated motion detection rules, the monitoring action.

7. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 6, wherein:

the motion detector is at least one of a camera and a motion sensor of the A/V recording and communication device; and

the motion detection rules and the updated motion detection rules include at least one of camera motion detection rules and motion sensor motion detection rules.

8. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 6, wherein the monitoring action includes at least one of sounding an alarm, activating a camera of the A/V recording and communication device to record image data, and generating a user alert.

9. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 8, wherein the user alert includes at least one of an indication that the parcel has been removed from the parcel boundary, information about a person who removed the parcel from the parcel boundary, and at least one frame captured by the camera during the time the parcel is being removed from the parcel boundary.

10. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 6, wherein the updated motion detection rules include increased sensitivity within the parcel boundary.

11. A method for an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device having motion detection rules, the device including a processor and a camera, the method comprising:

generating, by the A/V recording and communication device, motion data in response to a motion event in a field of view of the A/V recording and communication device;

activating, by the processor based on the motion data, the camera to record image data in a field of view of the camera;

analyzing, by the processor, the image data to determine whether the image data includes a parcel;

transmitting, by the processor based on the determination whether the image data includes a parcel, the image data to a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device;

receiving, by the processor from the client device, parcel monitoring rules for monitoring the parcel in the field of view of the A/V recording and communication device, the parcel monitoring rules including a parcel boundary for monitoring the parcel within the parcel boundary, and a monitoring action to be executed in response to the parcel being moved from within the parcel boundary;

updating, by the processor based on the parcel monitoring rules, the motion detection rules to create updated motion detection rules;

detecting, by the A/V recording and communication device based on the updated motion sensor rules, that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary; and

executing, by the processor based on the updated motion detection rules and in response to the detecting that the parcel has been moved from within the parcel boundary, the monitoring action.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the motion detection rules are executed by at least one of the camera and a motion sensor of the A/V recording and communication device; and

the motion detection rules and the updated motion detection rules include at least one of camera motion detection rules and motion sensor motion detection rules.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring action includes at least one of sounding an alarm, activating a camera of the A/V recording and communication device to record image data, and generating a user alert.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user alert includes at least one of an indication that the parcel has been removed from the parcel boundary, information about a person who removed the parcel from the parcel boundary, and at least one frame captured by the camera during the time the parcel is being removed from the parcel boundary.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the updated motion detection rules include increased sensitivity within the parcel boundary.

16. A method for use with an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device and a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the client device, a first selection of a parcel boundary for monitoring a parcel within the parcel boundary, and a second selection of a monitoring action to be executed in response to the parcel being moved from within the parcel boundary; and

generating and transmitting, based on the first and second selections, parcel monitoring rules to the A/V recording and communication device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first selection includes one of a drawing of the parcel boundary around the parcel, fitting a selected shape around the parcel as the parcel boundary, and selecting a parcel boundary creation mode for creating the parcel boundary.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising, prior to receiving the first selection and the second selection:

receiving image data recorded by a camera of the A/V recording and communication device in a field of view of the camera in response to a motion event detected by the A/V recording and communication device in a field of view of the A/V recording and communication device;

analyzing the image data to determine whether the parcel is present; and

transmitting, based on the determination whether the parcel is present, the image data to the client device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is performed by a backend device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the backend device is a server.