Doorbell package detection systems and methods

• US 9,508,239 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyBell Technologies Ip, LLC
• Original Assignee: Skybell Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Harrison, Gregory Saul, Scalisi, Joseph Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US15/167,831
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• 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 2201/07 Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/10 by pressure on floors, floor coverings, stair treads, counters, or tills
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1472 with force or weight detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• 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 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

Delivery parcel detection systems can include a remote computing device and a doorbell configured to detect a delivery parcel. The doorbell can have a wireless communication system and a radio frequency identification reader. The remote computing device can be communicatively coupled with the doorbell via the wireless communication system. The delivery parcel can have a radio-frequency identification tag. The doorbell can be configured to detect the delivery parcel by detecting the radio-frequency identification tag.

Claims

1. A delivery parcel detection system, the system comprising:

a doorbell having a first wireless communication system, a camera, and a radio-frequency identification reader;

a remote computing device communicatively coupled with the doorbell via the first wireless communication system; and

a delivery parcel having a radio-frequency identification tag, wherein the doorbell is configured to detect the delivery parcel by the radio-frequency identification reader reading the radio-frequency identification tag, and wherein the camera is configured to take a first picture of the delivery parcel when the delivery parcel is placed within a field of view of the camera and a second picture of the delivery parcel when the delivery parcel is removed from the field of view of the camera.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first communication sent from the doorbell to a remote computer system in response to the doorbell detecting the delivery parcel, wherein the remote computer system comprises a database having information regarding the delivery parcel.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second communication sent from the remote computer system to the doorbell in response to the remote computer system receiving the first communication, wherein the second communication comprises the information regarding the delivery parcel.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a third communication sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell receiving the second communication, wherein the third communication comprises the information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the third communication comprises a time indicative of when the doorbell first detected the delivery parcel.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a fourth communication sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell receiving the second communication, wherein the fourth communication comprises the first picture taken by the camera of the doorbell.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first picture shows the delivery parcel.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising a fourth communication sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell detecting the delivery parcel, wherein the fourth communication comprises the first picture taken by the camera of the doorbell.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first picture shows the delivery parcel.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first notification sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell detecting the radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first notification comprises the first picture taken by the camera of the doorbell in response to the doorbell detecting the radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote computing device comprises a display screen, the system further comprising at least a portion of the first picture displayed on the display screen such that the system is configured to enable a user of the remote computing device to see the delivery parcel on the display screen in response to the first notification.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second notification sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell determining that the radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel is no longer detected by the doorbell such that the system is configured to detect a removal of the delivery parcel from a detection range of the radio-frequency identification reader of the doorbell.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second notification comprises the second picture taken by the camera of the doorbell in response to the doorbell determining that the radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel is no longer detected by the doorbell.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second notification sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell detecting a removal of the delivery parcel.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a first signal of the radio-frequency identification tag detected by the doorbell at a first time, a second signal of the radio-frequency identification tag detected by the doorbell at a second time, and a second notification sent from the doorbell to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell detecting a removal of the delivery parcel by determining that the second signal is weaker than the first signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second notification comprises the second picture taken by the camera of the doorbell in response to the doorbell detecting the removal.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency identification tag is a passive tag.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency identification tag is an active tag.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the doorbell is configured to detect the delivery parcel by the radio-frequency identification reader reading a passive radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the doorbell is configured to detect the delivery parcel by the radio-frequency identification reader reading an active radio-frequency identification tag of the delivery parcel.

22. A method of using a delivery parcel detection system comprising a first wireless communication system, a camera, and a radio-frequency identification reader, the method comprising:

detecting, by the radio-frequency identification reader, a delivery parcel having a radio-frequency identification tag;

sending, by the doorbell, a first notification regarding the delivery parcel to a remote computing device;

taking, by the camera, a first picture of the delivery parcel when the delivery parcel is placed within a field of view of the camera; and

taking, by the camera, a second picture of the delivery parcel when the delivery parcel is removed from the field of view of the camera.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending, by the doorbell, a second notification regarding an arrival of the delivery parcel to a sender of the delivery parcel in response to detecting, by the doorbell, the delivery parcel.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving, by the doorbell, information associated with the delivery parcel from the sender.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first notification to the remote computing device contains the information associated with the delivery parcel such that the doorbell is configured to receive the information associated with the delivery parcel in response to detecting the delivery parcel and the doorbell is configured to send the information associated with the delivery parcel to a recipient of the delivery parcel in response to detecting the delivery parcel.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the information associated with the delivery parcel includes at least a description of contents of the delivery parcel.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein detecting, by the doorbell, the delivery parcel further comprises detecting, by the doorbell, that the delivery parcel has entered a radio frequency identification reading distance of the doorbell.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising sending, by the doorbell, a third notification to the remote computing device in response to the doorbell detecting that the delivery parcel has been removed from a detection area of the doorbell.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising taking, by the doorbell, the picture in response to the doorbell detecting that the delivery parcel has been moved.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising detecting, by the doorbell, that the delivery parcel has been removed.