Remote location monitoring

• US 9,140,583 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• 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:
  US14/023,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.09, 702/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 computing device, comprising:

a processor controlling at least some operations of the computing device; and

memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device 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;

retrieve one or more detection parameters associated with one or more users registered to receive notifications based on detection readings at the remote location;

compare the detection data to the retrieved detection parameters;

identify, based on the comparison, one or more of the associated users to receive notifications;

determine one or more notification addresses of the one or more users identified to receive notifications; 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 computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the notification addresses comprises a source web page stored at the computing device and said transmitting comprises updating the source web page to reflect the detection reading from the detector device at the remote location.

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

4. The computing device 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.

5. The computing device 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.

6. The computing device 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.

7. The computing device of claim 1, the memory storing further computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device 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.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the identification of the one or more of the associated users to receive notifications 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 second detector type.

21. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the received detection data corresponds to data from at least one of a temperature sensor, a wind sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, or a rain sensor of the detector device at the remote location, and wherein the computing device is configured to compare the received detection data with at least one of a temperature parameter, a wind parameter, a humidity parameter, a pressure parameter, or a rain parameter.

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

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

compare the additional detection data to the retrieved detection parameters; and

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

9. A method, comprising:

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

retrieving, by the computing device, one or more detection parameters associated with one or more users registered to receive notifications based on detection readings at the remote location;

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

identifying, by the computing device, one or more of the associated users to receive notifications, based on the comparison;

determining, by the computing device, one or more notification addresses of the one or more users identified to receive notifications; and

transmitting, by the computing device, 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.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the notification addresses comprises a source web page stored at the computing device and said transmitting comprises updating the source web page to reflect the detection reading from the detector device at the remote location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the received detection data corresponds to weather data from a weather detector at the remote location, and wherein the computing device is configured to receive weather data from a plurality of weather detection devices at a plurality of geographically separate remote locations.

12. The method of claim 9, 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.

13. The method of claim 9, 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.

14. The method of claim 9, 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.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the one or more of the associated users to receive notifications comprises:

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

comparing second detection data from a second detector type to a second set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the second detector type.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein the received detection data corresponds to data from at least one of a temperature sensor, a wind sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, or a rain sensor of the detector device at the remote location, and wherein the computing device is configured to compare the received detection data with at least one of a temperature parameter, a wind parameter, a humidity parameter, a pressure parameter, or a rain parameter.

24. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, additional detection data via the computer network, the received additional detection data corresponding to an additional detection reading from an additional detector device at a remote location;

comparing, by the computing device, the additional detection data to the retrieved detection parameters; and

transmitting, by the computing device, an additional notification to each of the one or more notification addresses, said additional notifications indicating the additional detection reading from the additional detector device at the remote location.

16. A system, comprising:

a detection data processing device; and

one or more detector devices installed at one or more remote locations to the detection data processing device,

wherein the detection data processing device comprises;

a processor controlling at least some operations of the detection data processing device; and

memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the detection data processing device to;

receive detection data from at least one of the detector devices via a computer network, the received detection data corresponding to one or more detection readings of the detector devices;

retrieve one or more detection parameters associated with one or more users registered to receive notifications based on detection readings at the remote locations of the detector devices from which the detection data was received;

compare the detection data to the retrieved detection parameters;

identify, based on the comparison, one or more of the associated users to receive notifications;

determine one or more notification addresses of the one or more users identified to receive notifications; and

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

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more detector devices comprises at least a first detector device of a first detector type and a second detector device of a second detector type, and wherein identifying the one or more of the associated users to receive notifications comprises:

comparing first detection data from the first detector device to a first set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the first detector type; and

comparing second detection data from a second detector device to a second set of retrieved detection parameters associated with the second detector type.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more detector devices comprises a plurality of weather detection devices at a plurality of geographically separate remote locations, and wherein the detection data processing device is configured to receive weather data from the plurality of weather detection devices.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more detector devices comprises at least one of:

a temperature sensor configured to transmit temperature data to the detection data processing device;

a wind sensor configured to transmit wind data to the detection data processing device;

a humidity sensor configured to transmit humidity data to the detection data processing device;

a rain sensor configured to transmit rain data to the detection data processing device;

a motion sensor configured to transmit motion data to the detection data processing device;

a power sensor configured to transmit electricity consumption data to the detection data processing device; and

an alarm detector configured to transmit alarm data to the detection data processing device.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more detector devices comprises an audio detector configured to detect sounds from at least one of a smoke detector, fire alarm, or burglar alarm at the remote location, and transmit an alarm indications of at least one of the a smoke detector, fire alarm, or burglar alarm to the detection data processing device.