System and method for home automation and security

• US 9,143,342 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• 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, Griffith, Laura Marie, Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US14/549,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/511, 340/517, 340/521, 340/541, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Systems and methods for home automation and security are disclosed. An example method includes storing an indication that a building is expected to be occupied at a first time; controlling, via a processor, a behavior of a security system at the building at the first time based on the indication; and changing, via the processor, the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that a particular person is located at a location not corresponding to the building at the first time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing an indication that a building is expected to be occupied at a first time;

controlling, via a processor, a behavior of a security system at the building at the first time based on the indication; and

changing, via the processor, the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that a particular person is located at a location not corresponding to the building at the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time based on the indication includes causing the security system to respond to a security event by prompting for a code before raising an alarm.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the changing of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes causing the security system to respond to the security event by raising the alarm without prompting for the code.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the prompting for the code includes using an interactive voice response system to ask for entry of the code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of day at which children associated with the building are scheduled to return from school.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification device associated with the particular person is located at the location at the first time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the security system is a first security system and the building is a first building, and the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification code associated with the particular person was entered into a second security system of a second building different than the first building.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

memory including machine readable instructions; and

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

storing an indication that a building is expected to be occupied at a first time;

controlling a behavior of a security system at the building at the first time based on the indication; and

changing the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that a particular person is located at a location not corresponding to the building at the first time.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controlling of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time based on the indication includes causing the security system to respond to a security event by prompting for a code before raising an alarm.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the changing of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes causing the security system to respond to the security event by raising the alarm without prompting for the code.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the prompting for the code includes using an interactive voice response system to ask for entry of the code.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of day at which children associated with the building are scheduled to return from school.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification device associated with the particular person is located at the location at the first time.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the security system is a first security system, the building is a first building, and the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification code associated with the particular person was entered into a second security system of a second building different than the first building.

15. A tangible computer readable storage device including machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

accessing an indication that a building is expected to be occupied at a first time;

controlling behavior of a security system at the building at the first time based on the indication; and

changing the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that a particular person is located at a location not corresponding to the building at the first time.

16. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the controlling of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time based on the indication includes causing the security system to respond to a security event by prompting for a code before raising an alarm.

17. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the changing of the behavior of the security system at the building at the first time in response to determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes causing the security system to respond to the security event by raising the alarm without prompting for the code.

18. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the prompting for the code includes using an interactive voice response system to ask for entry of the code.

19. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification device associated with the particular person is located at the location at the first time.

20. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the security system is a first security system and the building is a first building, and the determining that the particular person is located at the location not corresponding to the building at the first time includes receiving a message that an identification code associated with the particular person was entered into a second security system of a second building different than the first building.