Configuring a smart home controller

• US 9,911,318 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse William, Le Guen, Sophie Solveig, Rukes, Jason Rundle, Boda, Ted Stephen, Sloo, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US14/672,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/021 Preservation or perfusion media, liquids, solids or gases used in the preservation of cells, tissue, organs or bodily fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0284 Temperature processes, i.e. using a designated change in temperature over time
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/705 Receptors; Cell surface antigens; Cell surface determinants tumour specific antigens C07K14/4748
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/85 for animal cells
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2510/00 Genetically modified cells
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/00 Undifferentiated human, animal or plant cells, e.g. cell lines; Tissues; Cultivation or maintenance thereof; Culture media therefor; plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/067 Hepatocytes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/069 Vascular Endothelial cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2333/705 Assays involving receptors, cell surface antigens or cell surface determinants
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5008 for testing or evaluating the effect of chemical or biological compounds, e.g. drugs, cosmetics
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system

Abstract

A method performed at a computer system includes: receiving current location data for a user; receiving door lock activation data for a door of a dwelling of the user; receiving current occupancy data for the dwelling; determining a configuration of a controller for the dwelling, based at least in part on the received current location data for the user, the received door lock activation data for the door, and the received current occupancy data for the dwelling; if the door was locked from inside the dwelling and the user is present in the dwelling, setting or sending instructions to set a configuration of the controller to a first configuration; and, if the door was locked from outside the dwelling and the user is not present in the dwelling, setting or sending instructions to set the configuration of the controller to a second configuration, distinct from the first configuration.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

receive current location data for a user;

determine whether the user is within a predefined distance from a dwelling of the user based at least in part on the received current location data;

receive door lock activation data for a door of the dwelling;

determine whether the door is currently locked or unlocked based at least in part on the received door lock activation data;

receive current occupancy data for the dwelling of the user from two or more types of smart devices;

determine whether the dwelling is currently occupied by aggregating the received occupancy data;

set a configuration of a controller for the dwelling to a first configuration based at least in part on;

(i) the received current location data for the user,

(ii) the determination of whether the user is within a predefined distance from the dwelling,

(iii) the determination of whether the door is currently locked or unlocked, and

(iv) the determined occupancy for the dwelling,

the first configuration including for each sensor in a set of sensors coupled to the controller, disabling the sensor or disabling alerts from the sensor;

while the controller is operating in the first configuration;

in accordance with a determination that the user is not present in the dwelling, that the door is currently unlocked, and that the dwelling is unoccupied, set or send instructions to set the configuration of the controller to a second configuration, the second configuration including for each sensor in the set of sensors coupled to the controller, enabling the sensor or enabling alerts from the sensor;

in accordance with setting, or sending instructions to set, the configuration of the controller to the second configuration, send a notification to the user that the controller has been set to the second configuration, the notification including a user option to override the second configuration by setting another configuration.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving current location data for the user includes receiving current location data for the user from one or more sensors in the dwelling of the user.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving current location data for the user includes receiving current location data for the user from a smart phone of the user.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the set of sensors coupled to the controller includes one or more video cameras, and wherein the first configuration has the one or more video cameras in the dwelling enabled, but notifications from the one or more video cameras in the dwelling disabled.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the set of sensors coupled to the controller includes one or more video cameras, and wherein the second configuration has the one or more video cameras in the dwelling enabled, and notifications from the one or more video cameras in the dwelling enabled.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, including instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

in accordance with a determination that

the door was locked from inside the dwelling,

the user is not present in the dwelling, and

the dwelling is unoccupied,

set or send instructions to set the configuration of the controller for the dwelling to the second configuration.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, including instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

in accordance with a determination that

the door is unlocked,

the user is not present within a geo-fence around the dwelling, and

the dwelling is unoccupied,

set or send instructions to set the configuration of the controller for the dwelling to the second configuration, including locking or sending instructions to lock one or more doors in the dwelling.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, including instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

in accordance with a determination that

the door is unlocked,

the user is not present within a geo-fence around the dwelling, and

the dwelling is unoccupied,

set or send instructions to set the configuration of the controller for the dwelling to the second configuration, including locking or sending instructions to lock one or more doors in the dwelling, and sending a notification to the user that the controller has been placed in the second configuration.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a housing that contains the computer system also contains a door lock for the door.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises the controller for the dwelling.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer system is located in a smart home provider server system remote from the dwelling.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the occupancy data includes two or more of:

motion data, visual data, audio data, ambient light data, touch data, ultrasonic data, and passive infrared data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions, which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to identify one or more occupants in the dwelling based on the received occupancy data.

12. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving current location data for a user;

determining whether the user is within a predefined distance from a dwelling of the user based at least in part on the received current location data;

receiving door lock activation data for a door of the dwelling;

determining whether the door is currently locked or unlocked based at least in part on the received door lock activation data;

receiving current occupancy data for the dwelling of the user from two or more types of smart devices;

determining whether the dwelling is currently occupied by aggregating the received occupancy data;

setting a configuration of a controller for the dwelling to a first configuration based at least in part on;

(i) the received current location data for the user,

(ii) the determination of whether the user is within a predefined distance from the dwelling,

(iii) the determination of whether the door is currently locked or unlocked, and

(iv) the determined occupancy for the dwelling,

the first configuration including for each sensor in a set of sensors coupled to the controller, disabling the sensor or disabling alerts from the sensor;

while the controller is operating in the first configuration;

in accordance with a determination that the user is not present in the dwelling, that the door is currently unlocked, and that the dwelling is unoccupied, setting or sending instructions to set the configuration of the controller to a second configuration, the second configuration including for each sensor in the set of sensors coupled to the controller, enabling the sensor or enabling alerts from the sensor;

in accordance with setting, or sending instructions to set, the configuration of the controller to the second configuration, sending a notification to the user that the controller has been set to the second configuration, the notification including a user option to override the second configuration by setting another configuration.

13. A method, comprising:

at a computer system with one or more processors and memory;

receiving current location data for a user;

determining whether the user is within a predefined distance from a dwelling of the user based at least in part on the received current location data;

receiving door lock activation data for a door of the dwelling;

determining whether the door is currently locked or unlocked based at least in part on the received door lock activation data;

receiving current occupancy data for the dwelling of the user from two or more types of smart devices;

determining whether the dwelling is currently occupied by aggregating the received occupancy data;

setting a configuration of a controller for the dwelling to a first configuration based at least in part on;

(i) the received current location data for the user,

(ii) the determination of whether the user is within a predefined distance from the dwelling,

(iii) the determination of whether the door is currently locked or unlocked, and

(iv) the determined occupancy for the dwelling,

the first configuration including for each sensor in a set of sensors coupled to the controller, disabling the sensor or disabling alerts from the sensor;

while the controller is operating in the first configuration;

in accordance with a determination that the user is not present in the dwelling, that the door is currently unlocked, and that the dwelling is unoccupied, setting or sending instructions to set the configuration of the controller to a second configuration, the second configuration including for each sensor in the set of sensors coupled to the controller, enabling the sensor or enabling alerts from the sensor;

in accordance with setting, or sending instructions to set, the configuration of the controller to the second configuration, sending a notification to the user that the controller has been set to the second configuration, the notification including a user option to override the second configuration by setting another configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to sending the notification to the user, receiving a user request to set the controller to a third configuration; and

in response to receiving the user request, setting or sending instructions to set the controller to the third configuration.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of sensors coupled to the controller includes one or more motion sensors for the dwelling, wherein the first configuration has the one or more motion sensors disabled, and wherein the second configuration has the one or more motion sensors enabled.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first configuration comprises a user-home configuration, and wherein the second configuration comprises a user-away configuration.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein setting or sending instructions to set the configuration of the controller to the second configuration includes:

determining whether the door of the dwelling is locked based on the door lock activation data; and

in accordance with a determination that the door of the dwelling is unlocked, locking or sending instructions to lock the door.