Networked security system

• US 9,942,840 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Master Lock Company LLC (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.), Vardr Pty Ltd
• Original Assignee: Master Lock Company LLC (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.), Vardr Pty Ltd
• Inventors: Smith, Geoff, Celinski, Tom, Fitzpatrick, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US14/853,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of communicating between a wireless security device and a security server through an access point includes estimating a link latency between a time of transmission of a message from the wireless security device and a time at which a response is received from the security server. A polling mode is enabled in which the access point will hold messages received by the access point that are directed to the wireless security device while the device is in a sleep state, without discarding the messages for a threshold period of time. The wireless security device may be placed in a sleep state and woken after a wake time determined based on the estimated link latency, and receives any messages received by the access point during the sleep state.

Claims

1. A wireless security device configured to communicate with a security server through an access point, the wireless security device comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the processor to;

estimate a link latency between a time of transmission of a message from the wireless security device and a time at which a response is received from the security server;

enable a polling mode, wherein, when the polling mode is enabled, the access point will hold any messages received by the access point that are directed to the wireless security device while the wireless security device is in a sleep state without discarding the messages for a threshold period of time, and wherein the link latency is estimated with the polling mode disabled;

transmit a first query to the security server through the access point and inform the access point that the wireless security device is entering the sleep state;

place the wireless security device into the sleep state;

wake the wireless security device from the sleep state after a wake time, wherein the wake time is determined based on the estimated link latency;

receive any messages received by the access point while the wireless security device was in the sleep state;

transmit a second query to the security server through the access point and inform the access point that the wireless security device is again entering the sleep state; and

repeat placing the wireless security device into the sleep state and waking the wireless security device from the sleep state based on the wake time.

2. The wireless security device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to estimate the link latency by:

transmitting a plurality of test queries from the wireless security device to the security server;

receiving a plurality of responses to the test queries from the security server;

for each received message, measuring a latency time from when the test query was transmitted to when the response was received; and

estimating the link latency based on the measured latency times.

3. The wireless security device of claim 2, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to calculate the link latency based on an average of the measured latency times.

4. The wireless security device of claim 2, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to set the wake time to be a predetermined period of time longer than the estimated link latency.

5. The wireless security device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processor to:

determine whether the messages received by the access point while the wireless security device was in the sleep state include responses from the security server to queries made prior to entering the sleep state; and

re-estimate the link latency when a number of responses from the security server not received by the wireless security device exceeds a threshold number.

6. The wireless security device of claim 1, wherein queries from the wireless security device to the security server are made using a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) with a Power Save Poll (PSP) mode activated.

7. The wireless security device of claim 1, wherein the first query and the second query comprise a heartbeat signal configured to indicate to the security server that the wireless security device is still online.

8. The wireless security device of claim 1, wherein the messages include one or more responses from the security server configured to instruct the wireless security device to execute one or more actions.

9. The wireless security device of claim 8, wherein the wireless security device is a wireless camera, and wherein the one or more actions comprise capturing video based on a video capture request received from a user.

10. A method of communicating between a wireless security device and a security server through an access point, the method comprising:

estimating, at the wireless security device, a link latency between a time of transmission of a message from the wireless security device and a time at which a response is received from the security server;

enabling a polling mode, wherein, when the polling mode is enabled, the access point will hold any messages received by the access point that are directed to the wireless security device while the wireless security device is in a sleep state without discarding the messages for a threshold period of time, and wherein the link latency is estimated with the polling mode disabled;

transmitting a first query from the wireless security device to the security server through the access point and informing the access point that the wireless security device is entering the sleep state;

placing the wireless security device into the sleep state;

waking the wireless security device from the sleep state after a wake time, wherein the wake time is determined based on the estimated link latency;

receiving, at the wireless security device, any messages received by the access point while the wireless security device was in the sleep state;

transmitting a second query from the wireless security device to the security server through the access point and informing the access point that the wireless security device is again entering the sleep state; and

repeating placing the wireless security device into the sleep state and waking the wireless security device from the sleep state based on the wake time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein estimating the link latency comprises:

transmitting a plurality of test queries from the wireless security device to the security server;

receiving a plurality of responses to the test queries from the security server;

for each received message, measuring a latency time from when the test query was transmitted to when the response was received; and

estimating the link latency based on the measured latency times.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein estimating the link latency based on the measured latency times comprises calculating the link latency based on an average of the measured latency times.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting the wake time to be a predetermined period of time longer than the estimated link latency.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the messages received by the access point while the wireless security device was in the sleep state include responses from the security server to queries made prior to entering the sleep state; and

re-estimating the link latency when a number of responses from the security server not received by the wireless security device exceeds a threshold number.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein queries from the wireless security device to the security server are made using a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) with a Power Save Poll (PSP) mode activated.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first query and the second query comprise a heartbeat signal configured to indicate to the security server that the wireless security device is still online.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the messages include one or more responses from the security server configured to instruct the wireless security device to execute one or more actions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless security device is a wireless camera, and wherein the one or more actions comprise capturing video based on a video capture request received from a user.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the first query, the second query, and at least one additional query from the wireless security device to the security server through the access point while the polling mode is activated;

receiving responses from the security server to one or more of the first, second, and additional queries;

determining a number of queries for which responses were not received from the security server;

deactivating the polling mode when the number of queries for which responses were not received exceeds a failure threshold;

when the polling mode is deactivated;

determining a number of queries for which responses were received from the security server; and

activating the polling mode when the number of queries for which responses were received exceeds a success threshold.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a method comprising:

estimating a link latency between a time of transmission of a message from a wireless security device and a time at which a response is received from a security server;

enabling a polling mode, wherein, when the polling mode is enabled, an access point will hold any messages received by the access point that are directed to the wireless security device while the wireless security device is in a sleep state without discarding the messages for a threshold period of time, and wherein the link latency is estimated with the polling mode disabled;

transmitting a first query from the wireless security device to the security server through the access point and informing the access point that the wireless security device is entering the sleep state;

placing the wireless security device into the sleep state;

waking the wireless security device from the sleep state after a wake time, wherein the wake time is determined based on the estimated link latency;

receiving any messages received by the access point while the wireless security device was in the sleep state;

transmitting a second query from the wireless security device to the security server through the access point and informing the access point that the wireless security device is again entering the sleep state; and

repeating placing the wireless security device into the sleep state and waking the wireless security device from the sleep state based on the wake time.