Alarm signaling technology

• US 9,495,864 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane, Martin, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/691,196
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/527, 340/528, 340/539.14, 340/502, 340/505, 340/541, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system

Abstract

Techniques are described for handling an event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.”

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building;

identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal;

dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal; and

handling alarm signal escrowing and alarm system destruction detection for the alarm system using the dynamically set escrow period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal as a multiple of an entry delay period for the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal.

3. The system of claim 1:

wherein receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building comprises receiving a potential alarm event signal that includes sensor identification data indicating which sensor caused the potential alarm event; and

wherein identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises analyzing the potential alarm event signal to extract the sensor identification data from the potential alarm event signal and using the sensor identification data to identify which sensor caused the potential alarm event.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises receiving sensor identification data indicating which sensor caused the potential alarm event in a communication that is separate from the potential alarm event signal.

5. The system of claim 1:

wherein receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building comprises receiving a potential alarm event signal that includes an entry delay time associated with the identified sensor; and

wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the entry delay time received in the potential alarm event signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises:

accessing a data structure that maps sensors to escrow periods,

comparing the identified sensor to the data structure;

identifying an escrow period corresponding to the identified sensor based on the comparison; and

dynamically setting the escrow period for the potential alarm event to the escrow period mapped to using the data structure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal using a data structure that maps sensors to escrow periods for the alarm system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the escrow periods defined in the data structure are set by an alarm company.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the escrow periods defined in the data structure are set by a user based on user input provided by the user through a web interface that allows the user to adjust alarm settings for the alarm system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on a history of interactions associated with particular sensors.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building;

identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal;

dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal; and

handling alarm signal escrowing and alarm system destruction detection for the alarm system using the dynamically set escrow period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal as a multiple of an entry delay period for the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal.

13. The method of claim 11:

wherein receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building comprises receiving a potential alarm event signal that includes sensor identification data indicating which sensor caused the potential alarm event; and

wherein identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises analyzing the potential alarm event signal to extract the sensor identification data from the potential alarm event signal and using the sensor identification data to identify which sensor caused the potential alarm event.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying a sensor included in the alarm system that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises receiving sensor identification data indicating which sensor caused the potential alarm event in a communication that is separate from the potential alarm event signal.

15. The method of claim 11:

wherein receiving a potential alarm event signal from at least one component of an alarm system configured to monitor a building comprises receiving a potential alarm event signal that includes an entry delay time associated with the identified sensor; and

wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the entry delay time received in the potential alarm event signal.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises:

accessing a data structure that maps sensors to escrow periods,

comparing the identified sensor to the data structure;

identifying an escrow period corresponding to the identified sensor based on the comparison; and

dynamically setting the escrow period for the potential alarm event to the escrow period mapped to using the data structure.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal using a data structure that maps sensors to escrow periods for the alarm system.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the escrow periods defined in the data structure are set by an alarm company.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the escrow periods defined in the data structure are set by a user based on user input provided by the user through a web interface that allows the user to adjust alarm settings for the alarm system.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on the identified sensor that caused the potential alarm event signal comprises dynamically setting an escrow period for the potential alarm event signal based on a history of interactions associated with particular sensors.