Method for defining and implementing alarm/notification by exception

• US 7,911,341 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Raji, Reza, Gutt, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US12/019,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 3405456-5459, 340/573.1, 340/539.14, 340/539.15, 340/541
• US Class Current: 340/545.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system

Abstract

Methods, systems, gateways, and servers are provided for by-exception notification to a user when an event does not occur at a premises. An interface is provided through which a user can define a time window and an event capable of being sensed by a device at the premises. A server records the first event and the first time window and communicates these to a gateway at the premises. A gateway sets up an automation to detect the first event during the first time window. Devices detect if the first event occurs during the first time window. If the first event does not occur during the time window, the gateway indicates to the server the non-occurrence of the first event. The server sends notification to the user of the by-exception event. Methods, systems, gateways, and servers combine event notification upon the occurrence of an event with by-exception event notification.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user that an event has not occurred on a premises comprising:

providing an interface through which a user can define a first time window and a first event capable of being sensed by a first device at a premises during the first time window wherein devices for monitoring and/or controlling the premises are at the premises, wherein the devices are coupled to a gateway through a network and the gateway is coupled to a server by the Internet, and wherein the server is accessible by the user through the Internet;

detecting whether the first event occurred at the premises during the first time window; and

sending a notification if the first event does not occur during first time window,

wherein the first time window has a start time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day and an end time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein through the interface, the user can define a person to notify if the first event does not occur during the first time window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is motion at the premises wherein the first device is a motion sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the server recording the first event and the first time window defined by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising if the first event does not occur during first time window the gateway sending to the server a first by-exception event, wherein the first by-exception event is the non-occurrence of the first event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the notification comprises the server creating at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), and a phone notification to at least one of the user and a person indicated by the user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an interface through which a user can define a second time window;

providing an interface through which a user can define a second event capable of being sensed by a second device at a premises;

detecting whether the second event occurs at the premises within the second time window; and

sending a notification if second event occurs during second time window,

wherein the first event and the second event are at least one of the same event and a different event, wherein the first device and the second device are at least one of the same device and different devices, and wherein the first time window and the second window do not overlap.

8. A system for notifying a user that an event has not occurred on a premises comprising:

a first device at the premises coupled to a gateway, wherein devices are located at the premises for monitoring and/or controlling the premises, wherein the devices are coupled to the gateway though a network and the gateway is coupled to a server by the Internet, and wherein the server is accessible by the user through the Internet;

an interface through which the user can define a first time window and a first event capable of being sensed by the first device at the premises during the first time window;

the gateway comprising an automation that detects whether the first event occurs at the premises during the first time window; and

a notification if the first event does not occur during first time window,

wherein the first time window has a start time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day and an end time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first event is motion at the premises wherein the first device is a motion sensor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server comprises a schedule based on the first event defined by the user and the first time window defined by the user.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the server comprises logic that creates the notification, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), and a phone notification.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the gateway comprises:

logic that clears a flag that keeps track of whether the first event has occurred; and

logic that, at the end of the first time window, checks whether the flag is indicated to determine if the first event occurred,

wherein the automation indicates the flag if the first event occurs.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the gateway comprises logic that, if the flag is not indicated, sends to the server a first by-exception event, wherein the first by-exception event is the non-occurrence of the first event.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the server comprises logic that creates the notification, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), and a phone notification.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the logic comprises hardware.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the logic comprises software.

21. The system of claim 8, comprising:

a second device at the premises coupled to the gateway;

an interface through which a user can define a second time window and a second event capable of being sensed by the second device at the premises during the second time window;

the gateway comprising an automation that detects whether the second event occurs at the premises during the second time window; and

a notification if the second event occurs during second time window.

11. A system for notifying a user that an event has not occurred on a premises comprising:

a first device at the premises coupled to a gateway, wherein devices are located at the premises for monitoring and/or controlling the premises, wherein the devices are coupled to the gateway though a network and the gateway is coupled to a server by the Internet, and wherein the server is accessible by the user through the Internet; and

an interface through which the user can define a first time window and a first event capable of being sensed by the first device at the premises during the first time window,

the gateway comprising;

an automation that detects whether the first event occurs at the premises during the first time window,

a notification if the first event does not occur during first time window,

a counter that keeps track of how many times the first event has occurred,

logic that clears the counter at the start of and/or before the first time window, and

logic that, at the end of and/or after the first time window, checks the counter to determine how many times the first event occurred,

wherein the automation comprises logic that increments the counter whenever the first event occurs during the first time window.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the gateway comprises logic that, if the counter is zero, sends to the server a first by-exception event, wherein the first by-exception event is the non-occurrence of the first event.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic comprises hardware.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic comprises software.

22. A gateway for notification by exception when an event has not occurred on a premises, the gateway comprising:

an automation that detects whether a first event occurs at the premises during a first time window, wherein the gateway is coupled to devices for monitoring and/or controlling a premises through a network, wherein the gateway is coupled to a server by the Internet for notifying a user that an event has not occurred on a premises, and wherein the server is accessible to the user through the Internet; and

logic that sends to the server a first by-exception event if the first event does not occur, wherein the first by-exception event is a non-occurrence of the first event, wherein the first time window has a start time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day and an end time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day.

23. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the first event is defined by the user and the first time window is defined by the user.

24. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the first event is motion at the premises wherein the first device is a motion sensor.

25. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the gateway comprises logic that receives a schedule from the server based on the first event defined by the user and the first time window defined by the user to send to the gateway.

26. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the gateway comprises:

a counter that keeps track of how many times the first event has occurred; and

logic that clears the counter at the start of and/or before the first time window,

wherein the automation comprises;

logic that increments the counter whenever the first event occurs during the first time window, and

wherein the gateway further comprises

logic that, at the end of and/or after the first time window, checks the counter to determine how many times the first event occurred, and

logic that, if the counter is zero, sends to the server the first by-exception event.

27. The gateway of claim 26, wherein the gateway comprises logic that clears a flag that keeps track of whether the first event has occurred, wherein the automation indicates the flag if the first event occurs, and wherein the gateway comprises:

logic that, at the end of the first time window, checks whether the flag is indicated to determine if the first event occurred, and

logic that, if the flag is not indicated, sends to the server the first by-exception event.

28. The gateway of claim 22, wherein a second device is coupled to the gateway through the network, wherein the gateway further comprises an automation that detects whether a second event occurs at the premises during a second time window, wherein the second event and the second time window are defined by the user, wherein the first event and the second event are at least one of the same event and a different event, wherein the first device and the second device are at least one of the same device and different devices, and wherein the first time window and the second time window do not overlap.

29. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the logic comprises hardware.

30. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the logic comprises software.

31. A server for notifying a user that an event has not occurred on a premises, wherein the server comprises:

logic that allows a user access to a user account for the premises, wherein the account is on the server, and wherein the user accesses the user account through the Internet;

logic that receives a first time window and a first event from the user, wherein the first event is capable of being sensed by a first device at the premises during the first time window, wherein devices for monitoring and/or controlling the premises are at the premises, wherein a server is coupled to a gateway by the Internet and the gateway is coupled to the devices on the premises;

logic that creates a notification if the first event does not occur during first time window; and

logic that sends the notification to at least one of the user and a person designated by the user to receive the notification,

wherein the first time window has a start time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day and an end time that is defined by the user in terms of a time-of-day.

32. The server of claim 31, further comprising:

a schedule based on the first event defined by the user and the first time window defined by the user to send to the gateway; and

logic that sends the schedule to the gateway.

33. The server of claim 31, comprising status information about the premises that may be accessed by the user.

34. The server of claim 31, comprising logic that receives from the gateway a first by-exception event, wherein the first by-exception event is the non-occurrence of the first event.

35. The server of claim 31, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS), and a phone notification.

36. The server of claim 31, comprising:

logic that receives a second time window and a second event from the user, wherein the second event is capable of being sensed by a second device at the premises during the second window;

logic that creates a notification if the second event occurs during first time window; and

logic that sends the notification to at least one of the user and a person designated by the user to receive the notification,

wherein the first event and the second event are at least one of the same event and different events, wherein the first device and the second device are at least one of the same device and different devices, and wherein the first time window and the second window do not overlap.

37. The server of claim 31, wherein the logic comprises hardware.

38. The server of claim 31, wherein the logic comprises software.