Remote location monitoring

• US 8,558,687 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: La Crosse Technology IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: La Crosse Technology IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Haupt, Rolf, McCormick, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/439,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340 101- 103, 368/21, 368/47, 702/3
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements

Abstract

A remote location monitoring system, for example, a home monitoring or weather monitoring system may include one or more sensors and/or receivers at a remote location such as a residence or business to be monitored. The sensors and receivers may communicate with a central server via a gateway device, and may be controlled by users locally or remotely via the server. Users may register to receive remote notifications of weather events and other home monitoring events. Users may also access remotely sensors and receivers to configure alerts, notifications, and automatic responses for the devices and integrated appliances at the remote location.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

a processor controlling at least some operations of the server; and

memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server to;

receive detection data via a computer network, the received detection data corresponding to a detection reading from a detector device at a remote location;

identify at least one of a detector type or a data type associated with the received detection data;

retrieve one or more detection parameters associated with the identified detector type or data type and associated with the remote location;

compare the detection data to the retrieved detection parameters;

determine, based on the comparison, whether or not one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified;

in response to determining that one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified, identify one or more notification addresses of one or more registered users associated with the remote location; and

transmit a notification to each of the one or more notification addresses, said notifications indicating the detection reading from the detector device at the remote location.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein at least one of the notification addresses comprises a source web page stored at the server and said transmitting comprises updating the source web page to reflect the detection reading from the detector device at the remote location.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the source web page comprises a user interface displaying detection readings from each of a plurality of remote locations.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the received detection data corresponds to weather data from a weather detector at the remote location, and wherein the server is configured to receive weather data from a plurality of weather detection devices at a plurality of geographically separate remote locations.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the one or more notification addresses comprises at least one of a phone number, a pager number, an email address, and an instant messaging address, and wherein said transmitting comprises initiating at least one of a telephone call, a page, a text message, an email, and an instant message.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the server is configured to transmit a combination of notifications to a first registered user in response to the received detection data, the combination of notifications comprising two or more of:

a telephone call notification, an email notification, a pager notification, a text message notification, and an instant message notification.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the received detection data comprises at least one of temperature data from a temperature sensor, wind data from a wind sensor, humidity data from a humidity sensor, rain data from a rain sensor, motion data from a motion detector, electricity consumption data from a power sensor, and alarm data from an alarm detector.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the received detection data comprises data from an audio detector indicating that sounds from at least one of a smoke detector, fire alarm, or burglar alarm were detected at the remote location.

9. The server of claim 1, the memory storing further computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server to:

start a timer corresponding to the receipt of the detection data;

identify a time duration associated with the detector device corresponding to the detection data;

determine that the timer has reached the time duration associated with the detector device without receiving additional detection data corresponding to the detector device; and

transmit a notification to one or more notification addresses, said notification indicating that the detector device at the remote location has failed to report data in the time duration.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the determination whether or not one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified is based on a combination of:

a first comparison between first detection data from a first detector type and a first set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the first detector type; and

a second comparison between second detection data from a second detector type and a second set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the first detector type.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a detection data processing device, detection data from a detector device at a remote location;

identifying, by the detection data processing device, at least one of a detector type or a data type associated with the received detection data;

retrieving, by the detection data processing device, one or more detection parameters associated with the identified detector type or data type and associated with the remote location;

comparing, by the detection data processing device, the detection data to the retrieved detection parameters;

determining by the detection data processing device, whether or not one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified based on the comparison;

in response to determining that one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified, identifying by the detection data processing device one or more notification addresses of one or more registered users associated with the remote location; and

transmitting, by the detection data processing device, a notification to each of the one or more notification addresses, said notifications including the detection data received from the detector device at the remote location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the notification addresses comprises a source web page stored at the detection data processing device and said transmitting comprises updating the source web page to reflect the detection data received from the detector device at the remote location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the source web page comprises a user interface displaying detection data received from a plurality of detector devices at a plurality of remote locations.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the received detection data corresponds to weather data from a weather detector at the remote location, and wherein the method further comprises receiving weather data from a plurality of weather detection devices at a plurality of geographically separate remote locations.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more notification addresses comprises at least one of a phone number, a pager number, an email address, and an instant messaging address, and wherein said transmitting comprises initiating at least one of a telephone call, a page, a text message, an email, and an instant message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting a combination of notifications to a first registered user in response to the received detection data, the combination of notifications comprising two or more of:

a telephone call notification, an email notification, a pager notification, a text message notification, and an instant message notification.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the received detection data comprises at least one of temperature data from a temperature sensor, wind data from a wind sensor, humidity data from a humidity sensor, rain data from a rain sensor, motion data from a motion detector, electricity consumption data from a power sensor, and alarm data from an alarm detector.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the received detection data comprises data from an audio detector indicating that sounds from at least one of a smoke detector, fire alarm, or burglar alarm were detected at the remote location.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

starting a timer corresponding to the receipt of the detection data;

identifying a time duration associated with the detector device corresponding to the detection data;

determining that the timer has reached the time duration associated with the detector device without receiving additional detection data corresponding to the detector device; and

transmitting a notification to one or more notification addresses, said notification indicating that the detector device at the remote location has failed to report data in the time duration.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination whether or not one or more registered users associated with the remote location should be notified is based on a combination of:

a first comparison between first detection data from a first detector type and a first set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the first detector type; and

a second comparison between second detection data from a second detector type and a second set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the first detector type.