Occupant notification of visitor interaction with a doorbell at a smart-home

• US 9,626,841 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• 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): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US14/587,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 340326, 340 55, 340 565
• 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

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 a plurality of smart devices, the method comprising:

detecting visitor information indicative of the visitor at the smart environment using a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

analyzing the detected visitor information using a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the first smart device;

based on the analyzing, communicating, using the computing system, a first environment notification to the smart environment via a second smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

determining, using the computing system, whether a system response is generated based on the communicated first environment notification; and

when it is determined that no system response is generated based on the communicated first environment notification, communicating, using the computing system, a second environment notification to the smart environment, wherein;

the communicating the first environment notification comprises communicating the first environment notification via a first output component of the second smart device; and

the communicating the second environment notification comprises communicating the second environment notification via a second output component of the second smart device that is different than the first output component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining, using the computing system, whether a system response is generated based on the communicated first environment notification for a particular period of time after the communicating the first environment notification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating the second environment notification further comprises communicating the second environment notification via a third smart device of the plurality of smart devices that is different than the second smart device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second smart device is positioned in a different room of the environment than the third smart device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating the second environment notification further comprises communicating the second environment notification via a third smart device of the plurality of smart devices that is different than the second smart device and not via the first output component of the second smart device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first output component comprises an audio output component of the second smart device; and

the second output component comprises a visual output component of the second smart device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communicating the first environment notification comprises communicating the first environment notification via the first output component of the second smart device; and

the communicating the second environment notification comprises communicating the second environment notification via both the first output component and via the second output component of the second smart device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communicating the first environment notification comprises communicating the first environment notification via the first output component of the second smart device; and

the communicating the second environment notification comprises communicating the second environment notification via the second output component and not via the first output component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communicating the first environment notification comprises conveying a first message; and

the communicating the second environment notification comprises conveying a second message that is different than the first message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first smart device comprises a smart doorbell device positioned proximate any entryway 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 visitor information.

11. A method of handling a visitor at a smart environment that comprises a plurality of smart devices, the method comprising:

detecting visitor interaction information indicative of a particular interaction of the visitor with the smart environment using a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

analyzing the detected visitor interaction information using a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the first smart device;

based on the analyzing, determining, using the computing system, that the particular interaction of the visitor matches a particular pre-defined interaction type of a plurality of pre-defined interaction types; and

based on the determining, communicating, using the computing system, a particular user notification associated with the particular pre-defined interaction type to a user of the smart environment, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises at least one active visitor interaction with an input component of the first smart device within a period of time that is no greater than ten seconds.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises at least two visitor interactions with the input component of the first smart device within the period of time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises any number fewer than a particular number of visitor interactions with the input component of the first smart device within the period of time.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises any number greater than a particular number of visitor interactions with the input component of the first smart device within the period of time.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

when the particular interaction of the visitor comprises a single visitor interaction with the input component of the first smart device for any length of time less than a particular period of time, then the particular user notification conveys a first message; and

when the particular interaction of the visitor comprises a single visitor interaction with the input component of the first smart device for any length of time greater than the particular period of time, then the particular user notification conveys a second message that is more urgent than the first message.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises at least two visitor interactions of different lengths with the input component of the first smart device within the period of time.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the particular interaction of the visitor comprises at least three consecutive visitor interactions with the input component of the first smart device within the period of time; and

a first break between a first of the three consecutive visitor interactions and a second of the three consecutive visitor interactions is of a different length than a second break between the second of the three consecutive visitor interactions and a third of the three consecutive visitor interactions.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular user notification does not convey any message to the user.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first smart device comprises a smart doorbell device positioned proximate any entryway 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 visitor interaction information.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the input component of the first smart device comprises a doorbell.

21. A method of handling a visitor at a smart environment that comprises a plurality of smart devices, the method comprising:

detecting visitor interaction information indicative of a particular interaction of the visitor with the smart environment using a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

analyzing the detected visitor interaction information using a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the first smart device;

based on the analyzing, determining, using the computing system, that the particular interaction of the visitor matches a pre-defined interaction type; and

based on the determining, communicating, using the computing system, a particular user notification associated with the pre-defined interaction type to a user of the smart environment, wherein;

when the particular interaction of the visitor comprises any number fewer than a particular number of visitor interactions with an input component of the first smart device within a particular period of time, then the particular user notification conveys a first message; and

when the particular interaction of the visitor comprises any number greater than the particular number of visitor interactions with the input component of the first smart device within the particular period of time, then the particular user notification conveys a second message that is more urgent than the first message.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the input component of the first smart device comprises a doorbell.

23. A method of handling a visitor at a smart environment that comprises a plurality of smart devices, the method comprising:

detecting visitor interaction information indicative of a particular interaction of the visitor with the smart environment using a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

analyzing the detected visitor interaction information using a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the first smart device;

based on the analyzing, determining, using the computing system, that the particular interaction of the visitor matches a pre-defined interaction type;

based on the determining, communicating, using the computing system, a particular user notification associated with the pre-defined interaction type to a user of the smart environment;

prior to the detecting, providing, using the computing system, a log of previously detected visitor interactions of the visitor with the smart environment;

enabling user selection of at least one of the previously detected visitor interactions from the provided log as the pre-defined interaction type; and

associating, using the computing system, the particular user notification with the pre-defined interaction type.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the particular user notification comprises a lack of user notification for the purpose of not disturbing the user.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising, prior to the associating, enabling user customization of the particular user notification.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the first smart device comprises a doorbell.

27. 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;

obtain visitor interaction information indicative of a particular interaction of the visitor with the smart environment from a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

analyze the obtained visitor interaction information;

based on the analysis, determine that the particular interaction of the visitor matches a particular pre-defined interaction type of a plurality of pre-defined interaction types; and

based on the determination, communicate a particular user notification associated with the particular pre-defined interaction type to a user of the smart environment, wherein the particular interaction of the visitor comprises at least one active visitor interaction with an input component of the first smart device within a period of time no greater than ten seconds.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the input component of the first smart device comprises a doorbell component of an entryway interface smart device.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the first smart device comprises:

at least one sensing component operative to detect the visitor interaction information; and

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

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the doorbell component comprises the at least one sensing component.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the computing system is operative to communicate the particular user notification to the user via a second smart device of the plurality of smart devices.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the second smart device comprises a hazard detector smart device.