System and method for an interactive security system for a home

• US 7,786,891 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Mark Glenwood, Owens, Steve B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III; Edwin C
• Application Number:
  US11/897,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/3.71, 340/7.21, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 434/308, 434/350, 348152-156, 348/734, 455/420
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19658 Telephone systems used to communicate with a camera, e.g. PSTN, GSM, POTS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A system and method for displaying video in a residence. An indication of an alert is received as communicated from a security system of a residence. The indication of the alert is communicated to a cellular telephone. A selection of a television communicated from the cellular telephone is received. The television is selected from multiple televisions located within the residence. A command is communicated to display one or more images on the selected televisions.

Claims

1. A method of displaying video in a residence comprising:

receiving an indication of an alert communicated from a security system of a residence;

communicating the indication of the alert to a cellular telephone, wherein the alert indicates a reason for the alert being detected by a sensor, wherein the alert indicates a camera closest to a location of an event detected by the sensor that activates the alert, the home including motion sensors and audio sensors;

receiving a selection from the cellular telephone, the selection associated with the alert and a camera in the residence associated with the security system, the camera capturing the video in real-time, the video is an alert for an inhabitant of the residence;

receiving a selection of a television communicated from the cellular telephone, the television being selected from a plurality of televisions dispersed at different locations throughout the residence;

determining locations of one or more individuals and the inhabitant in the home utilizing the security system to identify the selected television;

receiving a selection from the cellular telephone to display the video from the selected camera on the selected television;

displaying the video from the selected camera to the selected television in one of the locations dispersed throughout the residence in response to receiving the selections from the cellular telephone, the location being associated with an inhabitant of the residence; and

changing the video displayed to the television in response to additional selections of a user utilizing the cellular telephone, wherein the selection and the additional selections are made utilizing a menu of available televisions and a menu of available cameras associated with the security system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video is one or more images associated with a location, the alert indicating the location, the location being further associated with the alert and the one or more images associated with a sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a ring tone is played and a visual alert is presented in response to the received indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating between the security system and the cellular telephone occurs through the Internet in communication with the security system, a CDMA network in communication with the Internet, and the cellular telephone in communication with the CDMA network.

5. The method of claim 1, the selected television being a television in a bedroom of the inhabitant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert indicates an exact location of the sensor, wherein the alert indicates a reason for the alert being detected by a sensor, the home including motion sensors and audio sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a user menu options to respond to an event for which the alert was generated, the menu options including controls for video for inside cameras and outside cameras, contacts, and hardware for locks and lights.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

automatically displaying the video from a camera associated with the event on the cellular phone, wherein the alert indicates the security camera closest to a location of an event detected by the sensor that activates the alert.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more images includes a pre-recorded message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pre-recorded message is a warning or an informative video selected by the user to address a condition faced by the inhabitant of the residence.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the video is captured by the cellular telephone and communicated to the display.

12. A method of unlocking a door in a residence comprising:

detecting a presence of an individual at an entrance of a residence;

receiving an indication of an alert communicated from a security system of the residence;

receiving one or more images associated with the alert;

communicating the indication of the alert to a cellular telephone;

communicating the one or more images to the cellular telephone in real-time through a cellular telephone network;

receiving a selection from a user from the cellular telephone;

receiving a video communication from a camera of the cellular telephone, the video communication is an alert for an inhabitant of the residence;

displaying the video communication from the cellular telephone to a television at the residence, the television being selected by the user through the cell phone;

determining a location of the inhabitant of the residence utilizing the security system for identifying the location of the selected television;

generating a command to unlock a door of the residence in response to the selection; and

changing the video communicated displayed to the television in response to additional selections of the user utilizing the cellular telephone, wherein the selection and the additional selections are made utilizing a menu of available televisions.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

wherein the selection specifies the door from a plurality of doors and whether the door is to be locked or unlocked.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a voice communication from the cellular telephone;

selecting a speaker associated with the door of the residence in response to received indication; and

communicating the voice communication to the speaker in response to the received voice communication.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more images may be selected from images recorded by the cellular telephone, images recorded by security cameras in communication with the security system, and pre-recorded video materials in response to a command entered by the user utilizing the cellular telephone, and wherein the cellular telephone network is a CDMA network.

16. A home security manager comprising:

an interfacing component for communicating with a cellular telephone through the Internet and a cellular telephone network, the interfacing component being configured to implement commands received from the cellular telephone;

a monitoring component for monitoring the operation of a plurality of cameras within a home, the monitoring component including a plurality of sensors for sending an alert to the cellular telephone based on motion detection or sound detection, the alert being for an inhabitant of the residence, the monitoring component being operable determine locations of one or more individuals in the home and the inhabitant, the alert indicating a location associated with an event and one of the plurality of cameras nearest the event detected by one or more of the plurality of sensors; and

a video component configured to deliver video content to a specified television at the location of the inhabitant within the home, the specified television being selected by a user utilizing the cellular telephone, the delivered video content being streamed from one or more of the plurality of cameras selected by a user through the interfacing component, the video content being delivered to the cellular telephone through the interfacing component in response to a user selection received by the video component through the cellular telephone, wherein the video component changes the video content in response to additional selections of a user utilizing the cellular telephone.

17. The home security manager of claim 16, wherein the cellular telephone presents a menu for manipulating the interfacing component, the plurality of power controls, the monitoring component, and the video component, the menu allowing a user to select the specified television at a location of an inhabitant of the home and one or more of the plurality of cameras associated with the alert.

18. The home security manager of claim 16, wherein the home security manager automatically presents a user options on the cellular telephone for addressing an event that triggers the alert, and wherein the cellular telephone network is a CDMA network.

19. The home security manager of claim 18, wherein the video content is automatically displayed on the cellular telephone once an audio alert and a visual alert is played, and wherein the interfacing component is utilized to select the video content from video recorded by the cellular telephone or pre-recorded video content addressing the event for communication to the video component.