Integrated interface for mobile device

• US 9,141,276 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icon Acquisitions LLC
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dawes, Paul J., Fulker, Jim, Wales, Carolyn, Raji, Reza, Gutt, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US13/311,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 715/716, 715/736
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1013 Network architectures, gateways, control or user entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An integrated security system integrates broadband and mobile access and control with conventional security systems and premise devices to provide a tri-mode security network that with remote connectivity and access. The integrated security system includes a touchscreen providing security keypad functionality as well as content management and presentation, and is used as a security system interface and an interface for interacting with a network. The integrated security system delivers remote premise monitoring and control functionality to conventional monitored premise protection and complements existing premise protection equipment. The integrated security system integrates into the premise network and couples wirelessly with the conventional security panel, enabling broadband access to premise security systems. Automation devices can be added, enabling users to remotely see live video or pictures and control home devices via a personal web portal, mobile phone, or other client device. Users can receive notifications of detected events via electronic message.

Claims

1. A security system comprising:

a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a premise, the monitoring system including a sensor that is installed at the premise, the sensor being adapted to sense a status of the premise; and

a mobile device that is provided separately from the monitoring system by a company that is different than a company that provides the monitoring system, the mobile device including applications that, when run on the mobile device, perform operations comprising;

performing a synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system;

based on the synchronization, receiving by the mobile device one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise;

displaying, on a display of the mobile device, a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system based on the received one or more data communications;

displaying, on the display of the mobile device, a control interface area that enables a user to provide user input to control the monitoring system;

receiving user input defining a control operation for the monitoring system based on the control interface area; and

based on the received user input and the synchronization, sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input.

2. The security system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the applications is custom-built for the mobile device.

3. The security system of claim 1,

wherein the monitoring system is integrated with a monitoring system server that is located remote from the premise and that is configured to receive, over a network, data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the one or more sensors included in the monitoring system;

and

wherein performing the synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system comprises coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system.

4. The security system of claim 3, wherein coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system comprises synchronizing with the monitoring system server over the network, such that the mobile device exchanges, with the monitoring system server over the network, data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise.

5. The security system of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise comprises receiving one or more data communications indicating that the monitoring system has detected an alarm event at the premise;

and

wherein displaying a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system comprises;

overriding a first application operating on the mobile device at a time of receipt of the one or more data communications, when the first application has been deteiniined to have a lower priority than the alarm event, and

displaying an alert that includes a description of the alarm event at the premise detected by the monitoring system, the alert replacing at least a portion of the first application content being displayed by the first application at a time of receipt of the one or more data communications.

6. The security system of claim 5, wherein the displaying the control interface area comprises displaying an input control that corresponds to a security operation that causes the monitoring system to perform an operation related to the alarm event;

and

wherein the receiving user input comprises receiving, from a user, input corresponding to the security operation that causes the monitoring system to perform the operation related to the alarm event; and

wherein sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input comprises;

sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the alarm control operation defined by the received user input; and

resuming, on the mobile device, operation of the first application after receiving the user input activating the input control.

7. A method for protecting a premise, the premise protection method comprising the following operations:

performing, by a mobile device that is provided separately from a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a premise and includes a plurality of sensors that are installed at the premise and that are adapted to sense at least one status of the premise, a synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system that is configured to monitor the premise;

based on the synchronization, receiving by the mobile device one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise;

displaying, on a display of the mobile device, a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system based on the received one or more data communications;

displaying, on the display of the mobile device, a control interface area that enables a user to provide user input to control the monitoring system;

receiving by the mobile device a user input defining a control operation for the monitoring system based on the control interface area; and

based on the received user input and the synchronization, sending by the mobile device one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input.

8. The premise protection method of claim 7, wherein the mobile device includes at least one application that is custom-built for the mobile device and performs at least one of the operations.

9. The premise protection method of claim 7, wherein the monitoring system is integrated with a monitoring system server that is located remote from the premise and that is configured to receive, over a network, at least one data communication descriptive of sensor events detected by the plurality of sensors;

and

wherein performing ling the synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system comprises coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system.

10. The premise protection method of claim 9, wherein coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system comprises synchronizing with the monitoring system server over the network, such that the mobile device exchanges, with the monitoring system server over the network, the at least one data communication descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise.

11. The premise protection method of claim 7, wherein receiving one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise comprises receiving at least one data communication indicating that the monitoring system has detected an alarm event at the premise;

wherein displaying a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system comprises;

overriding a first application operating on the mobile device at a time of receipt of the data communication, when the first application has been determined to have a lower priority than the alarm event, and

displaying an alert that includes a description of the alarm event at the premise detected by the monitoring system, the alert replacing at least a portion of the first application content being displayed by the first application at a time of receipt of the data communication.

12. The premise protection method of claim 11, wherein displaying a control interface area that enables a user to provide user input to control the monitoring system comprises displaying, concurrently with or after display of the alert, an input control that corresponds to a security operation that causes the monitoring system to perform an operation related to the alarm event;

wherein receiving user input defining a control operation for the monitoring system based on the control interface area comprises receiving user input activating the input control that corresponds to the security operation that causes the monitoring system to perform the operation related to the alarm event; and

wherein sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input comprises;

sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the security operation defined by the received user input; and

resuming, on the mobile device, operation of the first application after receiving the user input activating the input control.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform premise security operations comprising:

performing, by a mobile device that is provided separately from a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a premise and includes a sensor that is installed at the premise and that is configured to sense a status of the premise, a synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system that is configured to monitor the premise;

based on the synchronization, receiving one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise;

displaying, on a display of the mobile device, a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system based on the received one or more data communications;

displaying, on the display of the mobile device, a control interface area that enables a user to provide user input to control the monitoring system;

receiving user input defining a control operation for the monitoring system based on the control interface area; and

based on the received user input and the synchronization, sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least a part of the instructions define at least one application that is custom-built for the mobile device and performs at least one of the operations.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the monitoring system is integrated with a monitoring system server that is located remote from the premise and that is configured to receive, over a network, at least one data communication descriptive of sensor events detected by the one or more sensors included in the monitoring system;

and

wherein performing the synchronization to associate the mobile device with the monitoring system that is configured to monitor the premise comprises coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein coordinating with the monitoring system server to synchronize with the monitoring system comprises synchronizing with the monitoring system server over the network, such that the mobile device exchanges, with the monitoring system server over the network, the at least one data communication descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more data communications descriptive of sensor events detected by the monitoring system at the premise comprises receiving at least one data communication indicating that the monitoring system has detected an alarm event at the premise;

and

wherein displaying a status interface area that includes status information related to the monitoring system comprises;

overriding a first application operating on the mobile device at a time of receipt of the one or more data communications, when the first application has been determined to have a lower priority than the alarm event, and

displaying an alert that includes a description of the alarm event at the premise detected by the monitoring system, the alert replacing at least a portion of the first application content being displayed by the first application at a time of receipt of the one or more data communications.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein displaying a control interface area that enables a user to provide user input to control the monitoring system comprises displaying, concurrently with or after display of the alert, an input control that corresponds to a security operation that causes the monitoring system to perfoini an operation related to the alarm event;

wherein receiving user input defining a control operation for the monitoring system based on the control interface area comprises receiving user input activating the input control that corresponds to the security operation that causes the monitoring system to perform the operation related to the alarm event; and

wherein sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined by the received user input comprises;

sending one or more control communications that cause the monitoring system to perform the security operation defined by the received user input; and

resuming, on the mobile device, operation of the first application after receiving the user input activating the input control.