Handling visitor interaction at a smart-home in a do not disturb mode

• US 9,959,727 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (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): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US14/587,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 340501, 340517, 340 41- 462
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/005 combined burglary and fire alarm systems
• 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 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system

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 managing a smart environment associated with a plurality of smart devices, the method comprising:

obtaining, at an environment computing system from at least a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices, environment data;

analyzing, with the environment computing system, the obtained environment data, wherein at least a portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises calendar information accessed from a calendar application on the first smart device associated with a user of the smart environment, and wherein the calendar information is indicative of a scheduled activity of the user;

determining, with the environment computing system, a status of at least a portion of the smart environment based on the analyzing; and

enabling, with the environment computing system, a do-not-disturb mode for the at least a portion of the smart environment based on the determining, wherein the enabling comprises automatically adjusting, with the environment computing system, the functionality of a second smart device of the plurality of smart devices, and wherein, when the do-not-disturb mode is enabled, a setting of the do-not-disturb mode defines how the computing system automatically provides feedback to a visitor in response to the visitor being detected at the smart environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein another portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises data indicative of a location of the user with respect to the smart environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein another portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises data indicative of a current activity of the user associated with the smart environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein another portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises data indicative of a current operation of an electronic device at the smart environment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, at the environment computing system from at least one sensor of at least a third smart device of the plurality of smart devices, visitor data associated with a visitor detected at an entrance to the smart environment;

processing, with the environment computing system, at least a portion of the obtained visitor data in combination with at least one setting of the enabled mode; and

based on the processing, communicating, using the environment computing system, feedback to the detected visitor via a fourth smart device of the plurality of smart devices, wherein;

the processing comprises determining whether the identity of the detected visitor is known by at least one user of the smart environment;

when it is determined that the identity of the detected visitor is known by the at least one user of the smart environment, the feedback comprises first feedback;

when it is determined that the identity of the detected visitor is not known by the at least one user of the smart environment, the feedback comprises second feedback; and

the first feedback is different than the second feedback.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, based on the enabling, automatically sharing, by the environment computing system with a remote entity, status information indicative of the determined status.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the remote entity comprises at least one of the following:

a package delivery facilitator;

a security enforcement facilitator; and

an emergency response facilitator.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the status information comprises information related to at least one of:

occupancy of the smart environment; and

movement within the smart environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein another portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises at least two of the following types of data:

data indicative of a location of the user with respect to the smart environment;

data indicative of a current activity of the user associated with the smart environment; and

data indicative of a current operation of an electronic device at the smart environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the functionality of the second smart device comprises increasing the perception of occupancy at the environment to a visitor at an entrance of the smart environment.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the functionality of the second smart device comprises disabling at least a portion of a functionality of a doorbell smart device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the functionality of the second smart device comprises conveying to the visitor information via an entryway interface smart device of the smart environment that a doorbell user interface of the entryway interface smart device is disabled.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the doorbell user interface of the entryway interface smart device is disabled during the conveying.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the doorbell user interface of the entryway interface smart device is not disabled during the conveying.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second smart device comprises a doorbell smart device.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the communicating the feedback comprises conveying information to the visitor indicating that an occupant of the smart environment is unable to communicate with the visitor.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the first feedback comprises more detail than the second feedback with respect to the availability of the at least one user of the smart environment.

18. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

based on the processing, communicating, using the environment computing system, additional feedback to the at least one user via a fifth smart device of the plurality of smart devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the processing comprises determining whether the detected visitor is of a particular importance to the at least one user of the smart environment;

when it is determined that the identity of the detected visitor is of the particular importance to the at least one user of the smart environment, the additional feedback comprises third feedback;

when it is determined that the identity of the detected visitor is not of the particular importance to the at least one user of the smart environment, the additional feedback comprises fourth feedback; and

the third feedback is different than the fourth feedback.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions recorded thereon for:

obtaining, at an environment computing system from at least a first smart device of a plurality of smart devices associated with a smart environment, environment data;

analyzing, with the environment computing system, the obtained environment data, wherein at least a portion of the obtained environment data that is analyzed comprises calendar information accessed from a calendar application of the first smart device that is associated with a user of the smart environment, and wherein the calendar information is indicative of a scheduled activity of the user;

determining, with the environment computing system, a status of at least a portion of the smart environment based on the analyzing; and

enabling, with the environment computing system, a do-not-disturb mode for the at least a portion of the smart environment based on the determining, wherein, when the do-not-disturb mode is enabled, a setting of the do-not-disturb mode defines how the environment computing system provides automatic feedback to a visitor being detected at the smart environment.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the enabling comprises automatically adjusting, with the environment computing system, the functionality of a second smart device of the plurality of smart devices.

21. A system for managing a smart environment, the system comprising:

a plurality of smart devices at the smart environment; and

a computing system operative to;

receive environment data from at least a first smart device of the plurality of smart devices;

process the received environment data;

determine a status of at least a portion of the smart environment based on the processed environment data; and

enable a do-not-disturb mode for the at least a portion of the smart environment based on the determined status, wherein;

the processed environment data comprises;

calendar information accessed from a calendar application on the first smart device that is associated with a user of the smart environment, wherein the calendar information is indicative of a type of a scheduled user activity and of a scheduled time of the scheduled user activity; and

at least one of the following types of data;

data indicative of a current location of the user with respect to the smart environment;

data indicative of a current activity of the user associated with the smart environment; and

data indicative of a current operation of an electronic device at the smart environment;

when the do-not-disturb mode is enabled, the computing system is further operative to automatically share status information indicative of the determined status with a remote entity that is remote from the smart environment; and

when the do-not-disturb mode is enabled, a setting of the do-not-disturb mode defines how the computing system automatically provides feedback to a visitor in response to the visitor being detected at the smart environment.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the remote entity comprises at least one of the following:

a package delivery facilitator;

a security enforcement facilitator; and

an emergency response facilitator.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the remote entity is a package delivery facilitator; and

the status information comprises information related to the scheduled time of the scheduled user activity of the calendar information.

24. The system of claim 21, when the do-not-disturb mode is enabled, the computing system is further operative to automatically adjust a functionality of a particular smart device of the plurality of smart devices.