Doorbell communities

• US 10,672,238 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2018
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyBell Technologies Ip, LLC
• Original Assignee: Skybell Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Thomas, Andrew Paul, Scalisi, Joseph Frank, Harrison, Gregory Saul, Mejia, Desiree
• Primary Examiner(s): Walker, Jared
• Application Number:
  US15/951,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20180233003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 348143
• 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: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1041 with alternative alert, e.g. remote or silent alert
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Doorbells can send data to each other to enable a first doorbell user to warn a second doorbell user regarding a suspicious visitor. A first user can indicate a first trait of a visitor via a first remote computing device. The first user can create a user group to enable the members of the user group to use their doorbells to take pictures of suspicious visitors and to send the pictures of the suspicious visitors to other members of the user group.

Claims

1. A method of using a doorbell system, wherein the doorbell system comprises a first remote computing device communicatively coupled to a first doorbell having a first camera, the method comprising:

sending a first picture, taken by the first doorbell, of a first visitor to the first remote computing device;

creating a doorbell user group comprising the first remote computing device and a second remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to a second doorbell but is not communicatively coupled to the first doorbell;

sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group such that the second remote computing device receives the first picture;

indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sending the first trait and the first picture of the first visitor to a database configured to provide information regarding the first visitor to the doorbell user group; and

providing a time, at which the first visitor visited the first doorbell, to the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first doorbell is coupled to a first building, the second doorbell is coupled to a second building, and a third doorbell is coupled to a third building.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising analyzing information collected from the first, second, and third doorbells, and then sending an alert in response to analytics based on the information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group in response to the first trait of the first visitor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote computing device is not communicatively coupled to the second doorbell, the method further comprising receiving, by the first remote computing device, a second picture taken by the second doorbell in response to the second doorbell sending the second picture to a database configured to provide visitor information to the doorbell user group.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first picture comprises a first video.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a first button on the first remote computing device to alert law enforcement and to alert the doorbell user group.

5. A method of using a doorbell system, wherein the doorbell system comprises a first remote computing device communicatively coupled to a first doorbell having a first camera, the method comprising:

sending a first picture, taken by the first doorbell, of a first visitor to the first remote computing device;

creating a doorbell user group comprising the first remote computing device and a second remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to a second doorbell but is not communicatively coupled to the first doorbell;

sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group such that the second remote computing device receives the first picture;

displaying a map on the first remote computing device, wherein the map displays a second location of the second doorbell and a third location of a third doorbell; and

displaying information regarding the second doorbell in response to selecting a map icon representing the second doorbell while the map icon is displayed on the first remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting the map icon to add the second doorbell to the doorbell user group.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first doorbell is coupled to a first building, the second doorbell is coupled to a second building, and a third doorbell is coupled to a third building.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing information collected from the first, second, and third doorbells, and then sending an alert in response to analytics based on the information.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sending the first trait and the first picture of the first visitor to a database configured to provide information regarding the first visitor to the doorbell user group.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the first picture comprises a first video.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein creating the doorbell user group comprises adding a first email address and a second email address to a database, wherein the first email address is associated with the first doorbell, and the second email address is associated with the second doorbell.

10. A method of using a doorbell system, wherein the doorbell system comprises a first remote computing device communicatively coupled to a first doorbell coupled to a first building and having a first camera, a second doorbell coupled to a second building, and a third doorbell coupled to a third building, the method comprising:

sending a first picture, taken by the first doorbell, of a first visitor to the first remote computing device;

creating a doorbell user group comprising the first remote computing device and a second remote computing device communicatively coupled to the second doorbell coupled to the second building;

sharing a first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group such that the second remote computing device receives the first picture; and

analyzing information collected from the first doorbell, the second doorbell, and the third doorbell, and then sending an alert in response to analytics based on the information to the doorbell user group.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting a first button on the first remote computing device to alert law enforcement and to alert the doorbell user group.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the doorbell user group comprises adding a first email address, a second email address, and a third email address to a database, wherein the first email address is associated with the first doorbell, the second email address is associated with the second doorbell, and the third email address is associated with the third doorbell.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group in response to the first trait of the first visitor.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first remote computing device is not communicatively coupled to the second doorbell, the method further comprising receiving, by the first remote computing device, data from the doorbell user group regarding the second doorbell that comprises a second camera and regarding the third doorbell that comprises a third camera.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the doorbell system comprises a database configured to share visitor information with the doorbell user group, the method further comprising selecting via the first remote computing device to receive the visitor information from at least one of the second doorbell and the third doorbell.