Video monitoring and alarm verification technology

• US 8,520,072 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slavin, Alison Jane, Hutz, David James, Trundle, Stephen Scott, Martin, Jean-Paul, McCarthy, Robert J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, TYLER B
• Application Number:
  US13/011,087
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 348/152
• US Class Current: 348/156
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19654 Details concerning communication with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Video monitoring and alarm verification technology, in which a first connection is established between a first device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the first device and image data captured by the camera is received over the first connection and at the first device. A determination is made to establish a second connection with a second device that enables sharing of the received image data with the second device and, in response to the determination, the second connection is established between the first device and the second device. The received image data is shared with the second device over the second connection and the second device is restricted from directly accessing image data captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a first connection between a mobile device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the mobile device, the mobile device being located outside of the monitored property;

receiving, over the first connection and at the mobile device, live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property associated with the user of the mobile device;

determining, at the mobile device, to establish a second connection with a monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, the monitoring station device being associated with a monitoring station that monitors data from a monitoring system located at the monitored property;

in response to the determination to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, establishing the second connection between the mobile device and the monitoring station device;

sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device such that the live video of the monitored property is displayed on the monitoring station device concurrently with display of the live video of the monitored property on the mobile device;

providing, by the mobile device over the second connection, identification information that enables the monitoring station device to link the live video of the monitored property with monitoring system data received by the monitoring station from the monitoring system located at the monitored property over a communication pathway that is different than the first connection and the second connection; and

restricting an ability of the monitoring station device to directly access, from the camera, the live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the first connection between the mobile device and the camera located in the monitored property associated with the user of the mobile device comprises establishing a direct connection between the mobile device and the camera located in the monitored property associated with the user of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, at the mobile device, to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device comprises:

receiving user input indicating a desire of the user of the mobile device to share the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device; and

determining to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device based on the received user input indicating the desire of the user of the mobile device to share the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, at the mobile device, to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device comprises:

automatically, without user input, determining to share the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device; and

determining to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device based on automatically, without user input, determining to share the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein restricting the ability of the monitoring station device to directly access, from the camera, the live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property comprises preventing the monitoring station device from establishing a connection with the camera located in the monitored property.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input indicating a desire of the user of the mobile device to record the live video of the monitored property; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user of the mobile device to record the live video of the monitored property, recording, in electronic storage of the mobile device, the live video of the monitored property.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the mobile device, to establish a third connection with a third device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the third device, the third device being different than the monitoring station device;

in response to the determination to establish the third connection with the third device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the third device, establishing the third connection between the mobile device and the third device such that the mobile device has concurrently established connections with the camera located in the monitored property, the monitoring station device, and the third device;

during sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, sharing, by the mobile device over the third connection, the live video of the monitored property with the third device such that the mobile device, the monitoring station device, and the third device all concurrently display the live video of the monitored property; and

restricting an ability of the third device to directly access, from the camera, live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

automatically, without user input, initiating a text-based communication session between the mobile device, the monitoring station device, and the third device that enables the mobile device, the monitoring station device, and the third device to exchange text-based messages while concurrently displaying the live video of the monitored property.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an attribute associated with the live video of the monitored property;

identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute; and

performing an operation directed to sharing the live video of the monitored property with the identified one or more users.

10. The method of claim 9:

wherein detecting the attribute associated with the live video of the monitored property comprises detecting sensor data, sensed by the monitoring system at the monitored property, that triggered the camera at the monitored property to capture the live video of the monitored property; and

wherein identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute comprises identifying one or more users based on the sensor data that triggered the camera at the monitored property to capture the live video of the monitored property.

11. The method of claim 9:

wherein detecting the attribute associated with the live video of the monitored property comprises determining camera identification data for the camera at the monitored property that captured the live video of the monitored property; and

wherein identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute comprises identifying one or more users based on the camera identification data for the camera at the monitored property that captured the live video of the monitored property.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute comprises accessing data defining a network of multiple users that are connected to the user of the mobile device and selecting, from the network of multiple users that are connected to the user of the mobile device, a subset of users based on the detected attribute.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the live video of the monitored property with the identified one or more users comprises displaying, in a list, identification data for each of the identified one or more users to enable the user of the mobile device to select one or more users to share the live video of the monitored property.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the live video of the monitored property with the identified one or more users comprises automatically, without user input, sharing the live video of the monitored property with each of the identified one or more users.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the live video of the monitored property has not been acknowledged within a first period of time from receipt;

providing an alert indicating that the live video of the monitored property will be automatically shared in a second period of time;

monitoring for a response to the provided alert; and

automatically, without user input, sharing the live video of the monitored property when no response to the provided alert has been received within the second period of time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing an alert indicating that the live video of the monitored property will be automatically shared in a second period of time comprises providing the alert at the mobile device, providing the alert through the monitoring system located at the monitored property, and providing the alert to another communication mechanism used by the user of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein sharing the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device comprises sending, by the mobile device over the second connection, a link configured to open a portal that displays a shared image of a screen of the mobile device such that the user of the mobile device controls what video is shared with the monitoring station device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein providing identification information that enables the monitoring station device to link the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring system data comprises providing at least one of an address of the monitored property and an account number for the monitoring system located at the monitored property.

19. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user; and

a mobile device of the user that includes at least one processor configured to perform operations comprising;

establishing a first connection between a mobile device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the mobile device, the mobile device being located outside of the monitored property;

receiving, over the first connection and at the mobile device, live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property associated with the user of the mobile device;

determining, at the mobile device, to establish a second connection with a monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, the monitoring station device being associated with a monitoring station that monitors data from a monitoring system located at the monitored property;

in response to the determination to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, establishing the second connection between the mobile device and the monitoring station device;

sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device such that the live video of the monitored property is displayed on the monitoring station device concurrently with display of the live video of the monitored property on the mobile device;

providing, by the mobile device over the second connection, identification information that enables the monitoring station device to link the live video of the monitored property with monitoring system data received by the monitoring station from the monitoring system located at the monitored property over a communication pathway that is different than the first connection and the second connection; and

restricting an ability of the monitoring station device to directly access, from the camera, the live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

20. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a first connection between a mobile device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the mobile device, the mobile device being located outside of the monitored property;

receiving, over the first connection and at the mobile device, live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property associated with the user of the mobile device;

determining, at the mobile device, to establish a second connection with a monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, the monitoring station device being associated with a monitoring station that monitors data from a monitoring system located at the monitored property;

in response to the determination to establish the second connection with the monitoring station device that enables sharing of the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device, establishing the second connection between the mobile device and the monitoring station device;

sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, the live video of the monitored property with the monitoring station device such that the live video of the monitored property is displayed on the monitoring station device concurrently with display of the live video of the monitored property on the mobile device;

providing, by the mobile device over the second connection, identification information that enables the monitoring station device to link the live video of the monitored property with monitoring system data received by the monitoring station from the monitoring system located at the monitored property over a communication pathway that is different than the first connection and the second connection; and

restricting an ability of the monitoring station device to directly access, from the camera, the live video of the monitored property captured by the camera located in the monitored property.