Application and platform for temporary control over property access functions

• US 9,934,635 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Ryan Hedley, Haligas, Daniel Steven, Venugopal, Velayudhan Pillai, Devine, Alex Holm
• Primary Examiner(s): Negron, Daniell L
• Application Number:
  US14/544,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20160163138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• 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 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computing device may be configured to transition control over one or more functions of a rental unit to a user (e.g., a traveler) based on one or more of time, geo-location and access credentials. Access may be granted to the traveler to use one or more home automation functions including a HVAC system, a thermostat, lighting, security alarm, automated door locks, etc. An owner of the rental unit may have access to some or all of the home automation functions blocked during the traveler'"'"'s stay at the rental unit, and at an end of the stay owner access to those functions may be enabled. Some functions may be activated prior to the traveler'"'"'s arrival at the unit based on a time to arrival and/or distance from the unit. An application on a traveler'"'"'s computing device may be configured to summon a repair service for the unit.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of a computing device configured to execute specific computer-executable instructions,

receiving access credentials for an automated function of a rental unit;

accessing stay data for the rental unit;

verifying the access credentials;

in response to verifying the access credentials;

transitioning access to the automated function from owner access to traveler access;

blocking owner access to the automated function; and

storing data representing at least;

traveler access to the automated function, and

blocked owner access to the automated function; and

in response to the occurrence of an event, transitioning access to the automated function from traveler access to owner access.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the event corresponds to the occurrence of passing at least one of a check-out time or a check-out day.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event corresponds to an emergency at the rental unit.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

unblocking owner access to the automated function until the emergency at the rental unit is ended.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access credentials include device identification data for a traveler computing device that communicated the access credentials.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving location data for a traveler computing device, the location data indicating that the traveler computing device is positioned within a threshold distance from the rental unit.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the location data comprises at least one of an address associated with the traveler computing device or a radio frequency signal parameter of the traveler computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

retaining owner access to automated functions of an additional rental unit until occurrence of a second event; and

transitioning access to the automated functions of the additional rental unit from owner access to traveler access upon occurrence of the second event.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the occurrence of the second event comprises verifying access credentials for the additional rental unit.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a device located within the rental unit, identifying information from a traveler computing device, wherein the identifying information is associated with at least one of a traveler or the traveler computing device, wherein receiving the access credentials is based at least partly on the identifying information; and

determining that the traveler computing device is within a threshold distance of the rental unit, wherein the access credentials are verified in response to determining that that the traveler computing device is within the threshold distance of the rental unit.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving location data for a traveler computing device;

receiving a function activation time of the automated function;

determining an estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the rental unit;

adjusting the function activation time based at least in part on the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the rental unit to result in an adjusted function activation time; and

activating the automated function at the adjusted function activation time.

12. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to at least:

receive access credentials for an automated function of a rental unit;

access stay data for the rental unit;

verify the access credentials;

in response to verifying the access credentials;

transition access to the automated function from owner access to traveler access;

block owner access to the automated function; and

store data representing at least;

traveler access to the automated function, and

blocked owner access to the automated function; and

in response to an occurrence of an event, transition access to the automated function from traveler access to owner access.

13. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to at least:

receive location data for a computing device, the location data indicating that the computing device is positioned within a threshold distance from the rental unit.

14. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to at least:

receive location data for a computing device;

receive a function activation time of the automated function;

determine an estimated time of arrival of the computing device at the rental unit;

adjust the function activation time based at least in part on the estimated time of arrival of the computing device at the rental unit to result in an adjusted function activation time;

determine that the adjusted function activation time has occurred; and

activate the automated function.

15. A system comprising:

an electronic data store configured to store specific computer-executable instructions; and

a computing device in communication with the electronic data store, the computing device configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least;

receive access credentials for an automated function of a rental unit;

access stay data for the rental unit;

verify the access credentials;

in response to verifying the access credentials;

transition access to the automated function from owner access to traveler access;

block owner access to the automated function; and

store data representing at least;

traveler access to the automated function, and

blocked owner access to the automated function; and

in response to an occurrence of an event, transition access to the automated function from traveler access to owner access.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least receive location data for a second computing device and verify that the location data indicates that the second computing device is positioned within a threshold distance from the rental unit.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least:

receive location data for a second computing device;

receive a function activation time of the automated function;

determine an estimated time of arrival of the second computing device at the rental unit;

adjust the function activation time based at least in part on the estimated of time arrival of the second computing device at the rental unit to result in an adjusted function activation time;

determine that the adjusted function activation time has occurred; and

activate the automated function.