Sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communication devices for parcel theft deterrence

• US 9,965,934 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ring Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siminoff, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US15/640,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340 554, 340 561, 340 101, 34053917, 3405681, 3406861
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0023 Containers, boxes, cases or the like, e.g. for compact discs or video-cassettes, specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• 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 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/57 for processing of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating in a network using parcel theft share signals in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure are provided. In one embodiment, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device comprises: a camera configured to capture first image data of a drop-off zone; a communication module; and a processing module comprising: a processor; and a parcel theft deterrence application that configures the processor to: monitor a parcel in the drop-off zone, wherein the parcel is associated with parcel tracking data; determine that the parcel has been removed from the drop-off zone; generate a parcel theft share signal using the first image data and the parcel tracking data, wherein the parcel theft share signal includes a command to share the first image data with a network of users; and transmit the parcel theft share signal to the backend server using the communication module.

Claims

1. An audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device comprising:

a camera configured to capture first image data of a drop-off zone;

a communication module; and

a processing module operatively connected to the camera and the communication module, wherein the processing module is in network communication with a backend server via the communication module, the processing module comprising;

a processor; and

a parcel theft deterrence application, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application configures the processor to;

monitor a parcel in the drop-off zone, wherein the parcel is associated with parcel tracking data;

determine that the parcel has been removed without authorization from the drop-off zone;

generate a parcel theft share signal using the first image data and the parcel tracking data, wherein the parcel theft share signal includes a command to share the first image data with a network of users; and

transmit the parcel theft share signal to the backend server using the communication module.

2. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 1, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to monitor the parcel in the drop-off zone by determining when the parcel has been placed in the drop-off zone using the first image data of the drop-off zone captured by the camera.

3. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 1, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to determine that the parcel has been removed from the drop-off zone using the first image data of the drop-off zone captured by the camera.

4. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 1, wherein the parcel tracking data comprises automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) data.

5. The A/V recoding and communication device of claim 4, wherein the AIDC data comprises, a barcode, a matrix code, or a bokode.

6. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 5, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to determine that the parcel has been removed from the drop-off zone using the AIDC data.

7. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 5, further comprising a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, wherein the RFID reader is operatively connected to the processing module and is configured to capture RFID data from a RFID tag located on the parcel.

8. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 7, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to determine that the parcel has been removed from the drop-off zone by using the RFID data.

9. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 1, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to determine whether removal of the parcel from the drop-off zone was authorized.

10. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 9, wherein the parcel theft deterrence application further configures the processor to generate the parcel theft share signal upon a determination that the removal of the parcel from the drop-off zone was not authorized.