Systems and methods for providing a smart notifications system

• US 9,613,514 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Torti, Sara McKinley
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US14/737,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20160364972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 340519, 340517, 340521, 340522, 713323
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• 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 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors

Abstract

A system includes one or more sensors to gather information about an environment, a memory device that stores one or more computer executable components, and a processor to execute the computer executable components in the memory, including an event detection component to obtain information from the one or more sensors and identify whether a first level event has occurred based on the obtained information, a coalescence component to consolidate a plurality of events into a hierarchically higher-level, pre-defined coalesced event, and a communication component to send to one or more users a notification of a hierarchically highest level event determined to have occurred during a pre-determined time range.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more sensors to gather information about an environment;

a memory device that stores one or more computer executable components; and

a processor to execute the following computer executable components in the memory;

an event detection component to obtain information from the one or more sensors and identify whether a first level event has occurred based on the obtained information,

a coalescence component to consolidate a plurality of events into a hierarchically higher-level, pre-defined coalesced event, and

a communication component to send to one or more users a notification of a hierarchically highest level event determined to have occurred during a pre-determined time range,

wherein the communication component receives a communication from one of the one or more users indicating that the user prefers not to receive notifications of the event and prevents further notifications of the event from being communicated to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication component selects the one or more users from among a plurality of users accounts based at least in part on user account data that includes a profile indicating a classification of the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of user accounts each include a location parameter that indicates a location of the corresponding user.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of user accounts each include a preferred device parameter that indicates a type of device through which the user prefers to receive the notification and a style of the notification.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a log component to record a data log of detected events and coalesced events along with corresponding times that the detected events and coalesced events occurred; and

an event generator component to identify patterns in the data log and create new coalesced event definitions based on the identified patterns.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a status component to generate a status report that provides information on a status of the system or a component of the system,

wherein the communication component sends the status report to the one or more users in the notification.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the status reports include maintenance reports on system components and financial reports regarding billing costs associated with the system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the notification includes one or more parameters that indicate a type of recipient likely to find the notification relevant or indicate a restriction on the recipient, and the communication component selects the one or more users based at least in part on the one or more parameters.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more parameters is selected from a group consisting of:

a profile parameter that indicates a type of recipient, an ordered list of priority recipients, a vicinity parameter that indicates where a recipient should be, a maximum/minimum number of recipient, a custom parameter based on a state of the system or a device in the system, and an urgency parameter indicating a level of urgency of the notification.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the event detection component obtains information from the one or more sensors based on a time of day.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the event detection component obtains information from the one or more sensors based on a power or battery level of the one or more sensors.

12. A method comprising:

obtaining information from one or more sensors about an environment;

determining whether a first event has occurred based on the obtained information;

determining whether a second event related to the first event occurred within a pre-determined time range of the first event based on the obtained information;

determining whether a hierarchically higher level event comprising the first event and the second event has occurred; and

communicating, to one or more users, a notification of a hierarchically highest level event determined to have occurred during a pre-determined time range.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more users are selected based on a present location of the one or more users.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more users are selected based on a classification of the one or more users.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more users are selected based on locations of the one or more users relative to each other.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a communication from one of the one or more users indicating that the user prefers not to receive notifications of the event; and

preventing further notifications of the event from being communicated to the user.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is obtained from the one or more sensors based on a time of day.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is obtained from the one or more sensors based on a power level of the one or more sensors.

19. A system comprising:

one or more sensors to obtain information about an environment;

a memory device that stores one or more computer executable components; and

a processor to execute the following computer executable components in the memory;

an event detection component to obtain information from the one or more sensors and identify whether a first level event has occurred and whether a second event related to the first event has occurred within a pre-determined time range of the first event based on the obtained information,

a coalescence component to determine whether a hierarchically higher level event comprising the first event and the second event has occurred, and

a communication component to send to one or more users a notification of a hierarchically highest level event determined to have occurred during a pre-determined time range.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the communication component selects the one or more users from among a plurality of users accounts based at least in part on user account data that includes a profile indicating a classification of the user.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of user accounts each include a location parameter that indicates a location of the corresponding user.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of user accounts each include a preferred device parameter that indicates a type of device through which the user prefers to receive the notification and a style of the notification.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a status component to generate a status report that provides information on a status of the system or a component of the system,

wherein the communication component sends the status report to the one or more users in the notification.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the status reports include maintenance reports on system components and financial reports regarding billing costs associated with the system.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the notification includes one or more parameters that indicate a type of recipient likely to find the notification relevant or indicate a restriction on the recipient, and the communication component selects the one or more users based at least in part on the one or more parameters.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more parameters is selected from a group consisting of:

a profile parameter that indicates a type of recipient, an ordered list of priority recipients, a vicinity parameter that indicates where a recipient should be, a maximum/minimum number of recipient, a custom parameter based on a state of the system or a device in the system, and an urgency parameter indicating a level of urgency of the notification.