Monitoring and entry system presence service

• US 7,561,041 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vivint Incorporated (NRG Energy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Hong Thi, Denny, Michael Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/520,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/501, 340/541, 340/825.49, 340/7.46, 340/7.56, 340/573.1, 340/539.1, 340/468, 340/550, 340/551, 340/565, 379/167.05, 709/229
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A monitoring and entry system presence service provides notification about a trigger event to a user and performs actions based on user input. Interface devices equipped with client applications capable of performing actions such as VoIP calls, video calls, and the like, register with a control and session layer, which facilitates interaction with a specific presence application and an integrated presence service, such as a doorbell application and a generic presence service. Upon determining the location of a user, notification and a list of actions are provided through a watcher client application. In response to the user selection, actions are facilitated through the same network session(s).

Claims

1. A method for providing distributed access services between a watcher and at least one personal presentity, the method comprising:

receiving an alert from a personal presentity;

determining an availability of the watcher, wherein determining the availability of the watcher includes determining a current location of the watcher;

if the watcher is available, providing a notification associated with the alert to the watcher; and

updating a presentity database based on the current location of the watcher.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the watcher a plurality of actions to select in response to the alert.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

activating an application in response to a selection by the watcher, wherein the application includes at least one of;

a voice communication through the personal presentity, a video communication through the personal presentity, an image acquisition application, and an electronic control application.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing the notification and receiving the watcher selection through at least one Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) session using an IP Multi Media System (IMS) infrastructure.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the voice communication is established employing a Voice over IP (VoIP) network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal presentity includes at least one of:

a building entry system, a security monitoring system, and an equipment monitoring system.

7. The method of claim 1,further comprising:

if the watcher is not available, performing one of;

providing a notification associated with the alert to another watcher and executing a predetermined response action.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions for providing a monitoring and entry system presence service, the instructions comprising:

in response to a trigger event, receiving an indication signal from an interface device;

determining a current location of a user;

updating a presence data store with the current location of the user;

providing the user a notification associated with the trigger event and a plurality of actions to select in response to the notification;

in response to a selection by the user activating an application associated with the monitoring and entry system presence service.

9. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise:

selecting a client application and a client device to provide the notification and to present the plurality of actions to the user based on the current location of the user.

10. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the user is a watcher and the client device is a personal presentity.

11. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the application includes at least one of:

a voice communication through the personal presentity, a video communication through the personal presentity, an image acquisition application, and an electronic control application.

12. A system for providing distributed access services between a watcher and a personal presentity, comprising:

an interface device configured to;

detect a trigger event; and

provide a notification associated with the trigger event through an IMS infrastructure network, wherein the interface device acts as the personal presentity; and

a presentity application configured to;

receive the notification;

determine a current location of the watcher;

provide the current location of the watcher and the notification to an aggregate presence service such that the aggregate presence service can provide the notification and a plurality of actions to the watcher through a watcher client application, and receive a watcher selection from the watcher client application; and

in response to receiving the watcher selection from the aggregate presence service, facilitate execution of the action by activating one of a plurality of client applications associated with the personal presentity.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the presentity application is a doorbell presence application and the personal presentity is a doorbell presence hardware.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein doorbell presence application is further configured to:

manage at least one from a set of;

a VoIP call between the watcher and a person using the doorbell presence hardware, a capture of a still image of the person, a capture of a video of the person, and a control mechanism activation by activating one of the plurality of client applications associated with the doorbell presence hardware.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the doorbell presence application is configured to communicate with the aggregate presence service and the plurality of client applications through one or more SIP sessions using the IMS infrastructure.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the doorbell presence application is further configured to register and update a profile associated with the doorbell presence hardware in a home subscriber service component of the IMS infrastructure.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the personal presentity is a monitoring device configured to capture an image of a monitored location in response to a selection by the watcher, and wherein the presentity application is a monitoring presence application configured to manage notification of the watcher and delivery of the captured image to the watcher.

18. A method for providing distributed access services between a watcher and at least one personal presentity, the method comprising:

receiving an alert from a personal presentity;

determining an availability of the watcher, wherein determining the availability of the watcher includes determining a current location of the watcher;

if the watcher is available, providing a notification associated with the alert to the watcher; and

selecting an interface device and an associated watcher client application to provide the watcher the notification and to present a plurality of actions based on the location of the watcher.