System and method for home automation and security

• US 8,922,361 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Raymond Walden III, Griffith, Laura Marie, Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US13/546,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20120277889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/511, 340/517, 340/521, 340/541, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A home automation and security system is provided in which a home automation and security controller in a customer premises is coupled with a remotely located central control facility using a continuous connectivity access line providing a data channel separate from a voice channel. The controller at the customer premises is responsible for monitoring and applying control signals to devices in the home and for supporting a human interface. The remotely located central control facility is responsible for providing the computational and database resources to the controller. By redistributing functionality, the network-based structure of this home automation and security system can overcome the disadvantages of conventional home automation and security systems.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in response to receiving an indication that a controller of a first premises detected a person as present in the first premises at a first time, determining, via a processor, whether the person is associated with the first premises; and

when the person is unassociated with the first premises and when the person is scheduled to be at a second premises at the first time, instructing a security system of the second premises associated with the person to change a response to a security event from an identification prompt to an immediate alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the security system to change the response comprises instructing the security system to eliminate an assumption of an expected occupancy schedule that the security event corresponds to the person associated with the second premises.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the immediate alert comprises an alert activated in response to the security event without prompting for a code.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a schedule including an expectation of the person being located at the second premises during a specific period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report related to the presence of the person at the first premises.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the person is associated with the first premises comprises receiving an identifier from the person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the person is associated with the first premises comprises receiving a detection of a transponder corresponding to the person from the controller of the first premises.

8. A tangible machine readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

in response to receiving an indication that a controller of a first premises detected a person as present in the first premises at a first time, determining whether the person is associated with the first premises; and

when the person is unassociated with the first premises and when the person is scheduled to be at a second premises at the first time, instructing a security system of the second premises associated with the person to change a response to a security event from an identification prompt to an immediate alert.

9. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein instructing the security system to change the response comprises instructing the security system to eliminate an assumption of an expected occupancy schedule that the security event corresponds to the person associated with the second premises.

10. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the immediate alert comprises an alert activated in response to the security event without prompting for a code.

11. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining a schedule including an expectation of the person being located at the second premises during a specific period of time.

12. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise generating a report related to the presence of the person at the first premises.

13. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein determining whether the person is associated with the first premises comprises receiving an identifier from the person.

14. The tangible machine readable storage device of claim 8, wherein determining whether the person is associated with the first premises comprises receiving a detection of a transponder corresponding to the person from the controller of the first premises.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory storing machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the machine readable instructions to perform operations comprising;

in response to receiving an indication that a controller of a first premises detected a person as present in the first premises at a first time, determining whether the person is associated with the first premises; and

when the person is unassociated with the first premises and when the person is scheduled to be at a second premises at the first time, instructing a security system of the second premises associated with the person to change a response to a security event from an identification prompt to an immediate alert.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein instructing the security system to change the response comprises instructing the security system to eliminate an assumption of an expected occupancy schedule that the security event corresponds to the person associated with the second premises.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the immediate alert comprises an alert activated in response to the security event without prompting for a code.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining a schedule including an expectation of the person being located at the second premises during a specific period of time.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise generating a report related to the presence of the person at the first premises.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein determining whether the person is associated with the first premises comprises receiving a detection of a transponder corresponding to the person from the controller of the first premises.