Television receiver and home automation system and methods to associate data with nearby people

• US 9,628,286 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phuc H., Bruhn, Christopher William
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van
• Application Number:
  US15/050,958
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19615 wherein said pattern is defined by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19678 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• 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: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The disclosure relates to systems and methods for identifying a person using a home automation system, and using data collected from a television distribution system and data collected by sensors in a home automation system to identify a person. An example method or system includes receiving television programming from a television service provider, detecting target data in the television programming associated with a virtual person, identifying characteristics of the virtual person, detecting home automation data associated with a local person, identifying characteristics of the local person, comparing the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person, and transmitting a portion of the target data and a portion of the home automation data to an electronic device for displaying.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a television receiver connected to a home automation system, television programming from a television service provider;

detecting, by the television receiver, target data in the television programming, wherein target data includes data associated with a virtual person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the virtual person using the target data;

storing the target data and characteristics in a database of target data, wherein the characteristics are associated with the target data in the database;

detecting, by a sensor of the home automation system, home automation data associated with a local person, wherein the home automation data includes video or audio data associated with the local person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the local person using the home automation data;

comparing the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person;

transmitting a portion of the target data and a portion of the home automation data to an electronic device, wherein when the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are received, the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are displayable on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the television receiver, additional data associated with the virtual person, wherein the additional data is received from an internet website.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target data includes a picture of a suspected criminal shown in a television program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the local person include facial features associated with the local person.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an alert communication, wherein the alert communication includes an alert to a law enforcement organization, and wherein the alert communication includes the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the local person includes features of a vocal sound associated with the person.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, using the comparison of the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person, that the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person have a certain number of matching characteristics; and

determining that the certain number of matching characteristics meet or exceed a threshold number of matching characteristics.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

compiling, at the television receiver, historical home automation data collected over a period of time,

wherein the threshold number of matching characteristics dynamically adjusts based on the historical home automation data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the target data in the television programming includes identifying key words within a television program that are associated with a potential virtual person.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the target data in the television programming includes receiving an input from a user of the television receiver, wherein the input from the user includes an indication that the virtual person is included in a television program being shown on a display connected to the television receiver.

11. A television receiver, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

receiving, at a television receiver connected to a home automation system, television programming from a television service provider;

detecting, by the television receiver, target data in the television programming, wherein target data includes data associated with a virtual person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the virtual person using the target data;

storing the target data and characteristics in a database of target data, wherein the characteristics are associated with the target data in the database;

detecting, by a sensor of the home automation system, home automation data associated with a local person, wherein the home automation data includes video or audio data associated with the local person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the local person using the home automation data;

comparing the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person;

transmitting a portion of the target data and a portion of the home automation data to an electronic device, wherein when the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are received, the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are displayable on a display device.

12. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, at the television receiver, additional data associated with the virtual person, wherein the additional data is received from an internet website.

13. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the target data includes a picture of a suspected criminal shown in a television program.

14. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the one or more characteristics of the local person include facial features associated with the local person.

15. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

transmitting an alert communication, wherein the alert communication includes an alert to a law enforcement organization, and wherein the alert communication includes the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data.

16. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the one or more characteristics of the local person includes features of a vocal sound associated with the person.

17. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

determining, using the comparison of the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person, that the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person have a certain number of matching characteristics; and

determining that the certain number of matching characteristics meet or exceed a threshold number of matching characteristics.

18. The television receiver of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

compiling, at the television receiver, historical home automation data collected over a period of time,

wherein the threshold number of matching characteristics dynamically adjusts based on the historical home automation data.

19. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein detecting the target data in the television programming includes identifying key words within a television program that are associated with a potential virtual person.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving, at a television receiver connected to a home automation system, television programming from a television service provider;

detecting, by the television receiver, target data in the television programming, wherein target data includes data associated with a virtual person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the virtual person using the target data;

storing the target data and characteristics in a database of target data, wherein the characteristics are associated with the target data in the database;

detecting, by a sensor of the home automation system, home automation data associated with a local person, wherein the home automation data includes video or audio data associated with the local person;

identifying one or more characteristics of the local person using the home automation data;

comparing the characteristics of the virtual person and the characteristics of the local person;

transmitting a portion of the target data and a portion of the home automation data to an electronic device, wherein when the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are received, the portion of the target data and the portion of the home automation data are displayable on a display device.