Digital fingerprint tracking

• US 9,997,042 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hutz, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van
• Application Number:
  US15/395,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/00 Identifying, scaring or incapacitating burglars, thieves or intruders, e.g. by explosives
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0205 Specific application combined with child monitoring using a transmitter-receiver system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0225 Monitoring making use of different thresholds, e.g. for different alarm levels
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

Techniques are described for tracking intruders of a monitored property by the unique identifying characteristics or “digital fingerprints” of electronic devices carried by the intruders. A system detects an alarm event at a monitored property based on output from at least one sensor located at the monitored property. In response to detecting the alarm event at the monitored property, the system initiates a process to gather electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event. The system determines electronic identifiers for the mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event. The system stores in electronic storage, information indicating the determined electronic identifiers for the mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected alarm event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting an event at a monitored property based on output from at least one sensor located at the monitored property;

selecting, from among a plurality of device detection procedures, a device detection procedure according to the detected event;

in response to selecting the device detection procedure according to the detected event, determining electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event;

obtaining a list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

comparing the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event to the list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

based on comparison results, determining that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property; and

based on the determination that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property, triggering a response for an unknown mobile electronic device according to the device detection procedure selected from among the plurality of device detection procedures.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property comprises accessing a stored list of known devices that are associated with the monitored property.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein comparing the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event to the list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property comprises, for each electronic identifier for a mobile electronic device determined to be within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the event, determining whether a MAC address of the mobile electronic device determined to be within the monitored property matches a MAC address in the list of known electronic identifiers that are associated with the monitored property.

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

based on comparison results, determining that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property; and

based on the determination that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property, identifying a user associated with the matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising, based on identifying the user associated with the matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property, triggering a response for the identified user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to the identified user'"'"'s device, an alert that a fire has been detected in the monitored property.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to the identified user'"'"'s device, an alert that an intruder is detected within the monitored property.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to a device of a homeowner, an alert that the identified user'"'"'s device is within the monitored property and an alarm situation is detected.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein triggering the response for the unknown mobile electronic device comprises triggering a camera to record a location associated with the unknown mobile electronic device in response to determining that the at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at the time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein triggering the response for the unknown mobile electronic device further comprises transmitting an alert message to a homeowner indicating the non-matching electronic identifier of the unknown mobile electronic device, the transmitted alert message including a video recording of the location associated with the unknown mobile electronic device.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

detecting an event at a monitored property based on output from at least one sensor located at the monitored property;

selecting, from among a plurality of device detection procedures, a device detection procedure according to the detected event;

in response to selecting the device detection procedure according to the detected event, determining electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event; and

obtaining a list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

comparing the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event to the list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

based on comparison results, determining that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property; and

based on the determination that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property, triggering a response for an unknown mobile electronic device according to the device detection procedure selected from among the plurality of device detection procedures.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein obtaining a list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property comprises accessing a stored list of known devices that are associated with the monitored property.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein comparing the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event to the list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property comprises, for each electronic identifier for a mobile electronic device determined to be within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the event, determining whether a MAC address of the mobile electronic device determined to be within the monitored property matches a MAC address in the list of known electronic identifiers that are associated with the monitored property.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

based on comparison results, determining that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property; and

based on the determination that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property, identifying a user associated with the matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising, based on identifying the user associated with the matching electronic identifier known for the monitored property, triggering a response for the identified user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to the identified user'"'"'s device, an alert that a fire has been detected in the monitored property.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to the identified user'"'"'s device, an alert that an intruder is detected within the monitored property.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein triggering the response for the identified user comprises providing, to a device of a homeowner, an alert that the identified user'"'"'s device is within the monitored property and an alarm situation is detected.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein triggering the response e for the unknown mobile electronic device comprises triggering a camera to record a location associated with the unknown mobile electronic device in response to determining that the at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at the time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

detecting an event at a monitored property based on output from at least one sensor located at the monitored property;

selecting, from among a plurality of device detection procedures, a device detection procedure according to the detected event;

in response to selecting the device detection procedure according to the detected event, determining electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event; and

obtaining a list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

comparing the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event to the list of known electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices known for the monitored property;

based on comparison results, determining that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property; and

based on the determination that at least one of the determined electronic identifiers for mobile electronic devices located within the monitored property at a time corresponding to the detected event is a non-matching electronic identifier unknown for the monitored property, triggering a response for an unknown mobile electronic device according to the device detection procedure selected from among the plurality of device detection procedures.