Virtual enhancement of security monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10049544-B2
Application number	US-201715609381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on storage devices, for monitoring, security, and surveillance of a property. In one aspect, a system includes a virtual reality headset, a plurality of cameras, a plurality of sensors that includes a first sensor, a control unit, wherein the control unit includes a network interface, a processor, a storage device that includes instructions to perform operations that comprise receiving data from the first sensor that is indicative of an alarm event, determining a location of the first sensor, identifying a set of one or more cameras from the plurality of cameras that are associated with the first sensor, selecting a particular camera from the identified set of one or more cameras; and transmitting one or more instructions to the particular camera that command the particular camera to stream a live video feed to a user interface of the virtual reality headset.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
detecting an event at a property that is monitored by a monitoring system that is remote from a virtual reality headset, wherein detecting the event by the monitoring system comprises:
obtaining, by the monitoring system and from one or more sensors installed at the property, sensor data that is generated by the one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors are remote from both the monitoring system and the virtual reality headset;
analyzing, by the monitoring system, the obtained sensor data to determine whether the obtained sensor data is indicative of an occurrence of an event;

based on detection of the event at the property that is monitored by the monitoring system, transmitting, by the monitoring system and to a device that is remote from the property, a notification of the event detected at the property;
after transmission of the notification of the event detected at the property, receiving, by the monitoring system, a request to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property, the virtual reality headset being located remote from the property that is monitored by the monitoring system;
based on the request, transmitting, by the monitoring system and to the virtual reality headset located remote from the property, a prompt that requests authentication data for a user that is operating the virtual reality headset;
receiving, by the monitoring system and from the virtual reality headset, authentication data for the user that is operating the virtual reality headset;
determining, by the monitoring system and based on the received authentication data, that the user operating the virtual reality headset is permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property; and
based on the determination that the user is permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property:
providing, by the monitoring system, a video feed from a camera of the monitoring system for output on a user interface of the virtual reality headset to enable the user to view the video feed through the virtual reality headset, and
enabling, by the monitoring system, the user to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset by controlling the video feed using controls of the virtual reality headset.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining, based on the received authentication data, that the user operating the virtual reality headset is not permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property; and
based on the determination that the user is not permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property:
denying the request to enable a virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing, by the monitoring system, a video feed from a camera of the monitoring system for output on a user interface of the virtual reality headset to enable the user to view the video feed through the virtual reality headset that is remote from the property comprises:
transmitting one or more instructions to the camera of the monitoring system that instruct the camera of the monitoring system to sync with the virtual reality headset that is remote from the property.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein syncing the camera of the monitoring system with the virtual reality headset causes the camera of the monitoring system to move a proportional amount in response to movements of the user detected by the virtual reality headset that is remote from the property.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the monitoring system and from the virtual reality headset, authentication data for the user that is operating the virtual reality headset comprises:
receiving one or more of a username, a password, biometric data, or a dynamically changing personal identification number.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining, by the monitoring system and based on the received authentication data, that the user operating the virtual reality headset is permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property comprises:
determining, based on one or more of the received username, password, biometric data, or the dynamically changing personal identification number whether the user operating the virtual reality headset is permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property; and
determining whether the user that submitted the received request to enable a virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property is a lawful occupant of the property.

7. The method of claim 6 , the method further comprising:
in response to determining that the user that submitted the received request to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property is not a lawful occupant of the property, transmitting a request for permission for the user to enable a virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property to a mobile device of a person who is a lawful occupant of the property.

8. The method of claim 7 , the method further comprising:
receiving data, from the mobile device of the person who is a lawful occupant of the property, indicating that the user who is not a lawful occupant of the property is permitted to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property; and
in response to receiving data, from the mobile device of the person who is a lawful occupant of the property, indicating that the user who is not a lawful occupant of the property is permitted to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property:
determining that the user that submitted the received request to enable the virtual reality headset is permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property.

9. The method of claim 7 , the method further comprising:
receiving data, from the mobile device of the person who is a lawful occupant of the property, indicating that the user who is not a lawful occupant of property is not permitted to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property;
in response to receiving data, from the mobile device of the person who is a lawful occupant of the property, indicating that the user who is not a lawful occupant of the property is not permitted to enable the virtual reality headset to investigate the event detected at the property:
determining that the user that submitted the received request to enable the virtual reality headset is not permitted to investigate the event at the property using the virtual reality headset located remote from the property.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting, by the monitoring system and to a device that is remote from the property, a notification of the event detected at the property comprises:
transmitting a notification to a mobile device in response to the receipt of data, from one or more sensors of a plurality of sensors installed at the property, that is indicative of one or more objects moving within a vicinity of the one or more sensors.

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 com

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Kerzner Daniel

Classifications

• G08B13/19684

  Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely · CPC title

• G08B13/19697

  Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves · CPC title

• G08B13/19693

  using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• G08B25/009

  Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range · CPC title