Wireless communication USB dongle

• US 10,783,757 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2019
• Issued: 09/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siminoff, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US16/253,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20190228616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

A communication device that may be removably coupled to a USB port, the device having a processor and non-volatile memory and configured to execute code, including code for receiving a wireless transmission including an alert signal from a second device, where the second device is a wireless doorbell, code for sounding an alarm via an audio or visual indicator on the communication device in response to the alert signal, code for receiving input from a user and transmitting a response signal to the second device, and code for allowing two-way audio communication between the communication device and the wireless doorbell.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium of an electronic device storing a program for communicating with a doorbell, the electronic device configured to communicate with a remote server and the doorbell and to emit audio ringtones, the program executable by a processor of the electronic device, the program comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:

receive a first signal from the remote server when the remote server receives, from the doorbell, a second signal along with audio/video data, and sends, to at least one client device associated with the doorbell, the audio/video data captured by the doorbell; and

in response to receiving the first signal, transmit a third signal to a speaker of the electronic device to emit an audio ringtone;

wherein;

each of the remote server and the doorbell are separate from the electronic device, and

the electronic device includes a male universal serial bus (USB) connector for removably coupling to a USB port.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises at least one light emitting diode (LED), and wherein the program comprises further computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the electronic device to, in response to receiving the first signal, activate the at least one LED.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein

the USB port is located on an external power source,

the electronic device does not include an internal power source, and

the electronic device receives electrical current through the USB port, the electrical current being required to operate the electronic device.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to receive data through the USB port and to store the received data in a memory of the electronic device.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the USB port comprises a USB port of a computer.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the USB port comprises a USB port of a USB wall adapter.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program comprises further computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the electronic device to receive the first signal from the remote server when a button of the doorbell is pressed.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a button and a microphone, and wherein the program comprises further computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the electronic device to, when the button is pressed, activate the microphone to establish audio communication between a user at the electronic device and a visitor at the doorbell.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the audio ringtone is one of a set of audio ringtones stored in a memory of the electronic device.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a wireless signal amplifier for boosting received wireless signals for one or more other devices to connect to at least one network.

11. A wireless communication device configured to communicate with a remote server and a doorbell and to emit audio ringtones, each of the remote server and the doorbell being separate from the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device comprising:

a communication module;

a speaker;

a male universal serial bus (USB) connector for removably coupling to a USB port;

a processor operatively connected to the communication module, the speaker, and the USB connector; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wireless communication device to;

receive, using the communication module, a first signal from the remote server when the remote server receives, from the doorbell, a second signal along with audio/video data, and sends, to at least one client device associated with the doorbell, the audio/video data captured by the doorbell; and

in response to receiving the first signal, transmit a third signal to the speaker to emit an audio ringtone.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 11 further comprising at least one light emitting diode (LED), wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for activating the at least one LED in response to receiving the first signal.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 11, further comprising a power regulator in electrical communication with the USB port that, when the wireless communication device is connected to the USB port, receives electrical current from the USB port using the USB connector, the electrical current being required to operate the wireless communication device.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication device, when the wireless communication device is connected to the USB port, receives data using the USB port and stores the received data in the memory.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the USB port comprises a USB port of a computer.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the USB port comprises a USB port of a USB wall adapter.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication device receives the first signal when a button of the doorbell is pressed.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 11 further comprising a button and a microphone, wherein the memory stores further computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the wireless communication device to activate the microphone and establish audio communication between a user at the wireless communication device and a visitor at the doorbell in response to a press of the button.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the audio ringtone is one of a set of ringtones stored in the memory.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 11 further comprising a wireless signal amplifier that boosts received wireless signals from one or more other devices to connect to at least one network.