Smart invitation handling at a smart-home

• US 9,600,645 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fadell, Anthony Michael, Rogers, Matthew Lee, Matsuoka, Yoky, Sloo, David, Honjo, Shigefumi, McGaraghan, Scott A., Plitkins, Michael, Veron, Maxime, Guenette, Isabel
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US14/587,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/005 combined burglary and fire alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

This patent specification relates to apparatus, systems, methods, and related computer program products for providing home security/smart home objectives. More particularly, this patent specification relates to a plurality of devices, including intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that communicate with each other and/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system to provide any of a variety of useful home security/smart home objectives.

Claims

1. A method of handling a visitor at a smart environment that comprises at least one smart device, the method comprising:

acquiring, at a computing system, unique invitation identification information;

defining, at the computing system, a mode setting that is associated with the acquired unique invitation identification information and the smart environment, wherein the defined mode setting comprises at least one platform action;

after the defining, receiving, at the computing system from the smart environment, invitation identification data detected by the at least one smart device from the visitor, wherein the received invitation identification data comprises the unique invitation identification information;

analyzing, using the computing system, the unique invitation identification information of the received invitation identification data from the smart environment to identify the defined mode setting associated with the unique invitation identification information and the smart environment; and

automatically carrying out, using the computing system, the at least one platform action of the identified defined mode setting based on the analyzing, wherein the carrying out the at least one platform action comprises;

presenting a plurality of options to the visitor via the at least one smart device;

receiving a selection of a particular option of the presented plurality of options;

conveying a message to a user of the smart environment based on the selection of the particular option; and

providing the visitor with physical accessibility to at least a portion of the smart environment when the message is conveyed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique invitation identification information comprises a password.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the unique invitation identification information is operative to be detected by a sensing component of the at least one smart device; and

the sensing component comprises one of the following;

a microphone operative to detect the password when the password is orally spoken by the visitor in a sensing region of the microphone; and

a camera operative to detect the password when a print-out of the password is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique invitation identification information comprises a barcode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the unique invitation identification information is operative to be detected by a sensing component of the at least one smart device; and

the sensing component comprises a scanner operative to detect the barcode when the barcode is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the scanner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the unique invitation identification information is operative to be detected by a sensing component of the at least one smart device; and

the sensing component comprises a receiver operative to detect the unique invitation identification information using electromagnetic induction when an object on which the unique invitation identification information is electronically stored is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the receiver.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the receiving, sharing the unique invitation identification information with the visitor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the sharing comprises sharing a smart invitation with the visitor; and

the smart invitation comprises;

the unique invitation identification information; and

additional invitation information comprising at least one of the following;

information indicative of the location of the smart environment; and

information indicative of a condition that must be satisfied for the smart invitation to be useful.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sharing comprises e-mailing the smart invitation to the visitor.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the sharing comprises sharing the acquired unique invitation identification information with the visitor using the computing system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the visitor with physical accessibility to the at least a portion of the smart environment comprises providing the visitor with temporary accessibility to the at least a portion of the smart environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the smart device comprises a smart doorknob device for a door to a secure area of the smart environment; and

the providing the visitor with temporary accessibility to the at least a portion of the smart environment comprises unlocking the door with the smart doorknob device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrying out the at least one platform action further comprises:

detecting the current location of the user; and

conveying another message based on the detected current location of the user to the visitor via the at least one smart device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveying the message to the user of the smart environment based on the selection of the particular option comprises conveying the message to multiple occupied portions of the smart environment via multiple other smart devices of the smart environment.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the carrying out the at least one platform action further comprises, prior to the presenting, determining a plurality of songs currently queued in a playlist that is currently being played back by the smart environment;

the presenting comprises presenting information indicative of a first song of the determined plurality of songs as a first option of the plurality of presented options and presenting information indicative of a second song of the determined plurality of songs as a second option of the plurality of presented options;

the received selection comprises a selection of the first option; and

the conveying comprises the smart environment playing back the first song.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options comprises a plurality of songs in a queued playlist of the smart environment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the defining comprises defining at least one condition associated with the at least one platform action;

the method further comprises, after the receiving but prior to the carrying out, determining, using the computing system, that the at least one condition is satisfied; and

the carrying out comprises carrying out the at least one platform action of the identified defined mode setting based on the analyzing and based on the determining.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one smart device comprises a smart doorbell device positioned proximate to a door at an entry point to a portion of the smart environment; and

the smart doorbell device comprises;

a doorbell component operative to be interacted with by a user for generating a request to contact an occupant of the smart environment; and

at least one sensing component operative to detect the invitation identification data.

19. A system for handling a visitor at a smart environment, the system comprising:

a plurality of smart devices at the smart environment; and

a computing system operative to;

acquire unique invitation identification information;

define a mode setting that is associated with the acquired unique invitation identification information and the smart environment and that comprises at least one platform action and at least one condition associated with the at least one platform action;

after the mode setting is defined, receive invitation identification data from at least one sensing component of a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices that is operative to detect the invitation identification data from the visitor, wherein the received invitation identification data comprises the unique invitation identification information;

analyze the unique invitation identification information of the received invitation identification data from the smart environment to identify the defined mode setting associated with the unique invitation identification information and the smart environment;

determine that the at least one condition of the identified defined mode setting is satisfied by receiving visitor identification data that is indicative of the visitor from at least one sensing component of a second smart device of the plurality of smart devices that is operative to detect the visitor identification data from the visitor and by identifying a particular characteristic of the at least one condition in the received visitor identification data, wherein the particular characteristic is a general physical characteristic obtainable by multiple potential visitors; and

automatically carry out the at least one platform action of the identified defined mode setting based on the analysis and the determination by adjusting a functionality of a third smart device of the plurality of smart devices at the smart environment.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first smart device comprises an entryway interface smart device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the entryway interface smart device comprises:

the at least one sensing component operative to detect the invitation identification data; and

a doorbell component operative to be touched by a user for generating a request to contact an occupant of the smart environment.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the unique invitation identification information comprises a password;

the at least one sensing component of the entryway interface smart device comprises one of the following;

a microphone operative to detect the password when the password is orally spoken by the visitor in a sensing region of the microphone; and

a camera operative to detect the password when a print-out of the password is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the camera.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the unique invitation identification information comprises a barcode; and

the at least one sensing component of the entryway interface smart device comprises a scanner operative to detect the barcode when the barcode is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the scanner.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one sensing component of the entryway interface smart device comprises a receiver operative to detect the unique invitation identification information using electromagnetic induction when an object on which the unique invitation identification information is electronically stored is positioned by the visitor in a sensing region of the receiver.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the second smart device comprises the entryway interface smart device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the functionality adjustment comprises conveying a message to the visitor via an output component of the entryway interface smart device.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the functionality adjustment provides to the visitor temporary accessibility to a portion of the smart environment.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the second smart device comprises a smart doorknob device for a door to a secure area of the smart environment; and

the functionality adjustment unlocks the door using the smart doorknob device.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the general physical characteristic is the satisfaction of a dress code.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the general physical characteristic is the existence of clothing of a particular color.