Distributed monitoring sensor networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10281166-B1
Application number	US-201615180739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 13, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2015
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring multiple sensors over a distributed sensor network to enhance various monitoring operations. In some implementations, an identification of a sensor located in a property and a token that enables the mobile device to obtain data from the sensor are each received by a mobile device from a server. The mobile device is then determined to be within a communication range with the server that is indicated by the identification from the server. In response, data is obtained from the sensor by the mobile device using the token received from the server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device and from a server with a first communication protocol, (i) an identification of a sensor located in a property and (ii) a token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor;
determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is within a communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device;
in response to determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device:
obtaining, by the mobile device and with a second communication protocol configured for shorter range communication than the first communication protocol, data from the sensor using the token received from the server,
providing, by the mobile device and to the server with the first communication protocol, the data obtained from the sensor, and
receiving, by the mobile device and from the server with the first communication protocol, an indication to perform a maintenance operation corresponding to the sensor that was determined by the server based on the data obtained by the sensor; and

providing, for display on the mobile device, a notification to perform the maintenance operation corresponding to the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor comprises:
transmitting, by the mobile device and to a plurality of sensors within the communication range, a request to receive identification associated with each of the plurality of sensors; and
identifying the sensor from among the plurality of sensors based at least on comparing identification received from the sensor to the identification received from the server.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor comprises:
receiving, by the mobile device and from the sensor, a broadcast signal that identifies the sensor to the mobile device; and
establishing communications between the sensor and the mobile device based at least on the broadcast signal that identifies the sensor to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor becomes invalid upon the mobile device obtaining the data collected by the sensor using the token.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor remains valid for a predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor specifies a predetermined number of times in which the mobile device can use the token received from the server to obtain data from the sensor over a particular period of time.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the token is generated based at least on a seed value that is associated with both the server and the sensor,
the seed value is used as a seed to pseudo-randomly generate the token, and
the mobile device obtains the data from the sensor without obtaining access to the seed value that is associated with both the server and the sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data obtained from the sensor is encrypted based at least on the token received from the server.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
establishing, by the mobile device, communications with the server;
obtaining, by the mobile device, encrypted data from the sensor;
transmitting, by the mobile device, the obtained encrypted data to the server; and
in response to transmitting the obtained encrypted data, receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, a decrypted form of the transmitted data.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification provided for display on the mobile device comprises a user prompt to provide an instruction to the sensor to perform a particular action.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification provided for display on the mobile device comprises a user prompt requesting the user to manually perform a particular action associated with the sensor.

12. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device and from a server with a first communication protocol, (i) an identification of a sensor located in a property and (ii) a token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor;
determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is within a communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device;
in response to determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device:
obtaining, by the mobile device and with a second communication protocol configured for shorter range communication than the first communication protocol, data from the sensor using the token received from the server,
providing, by the mobile device and to the server with the first communication protocol, the data obtained from the sensor, and
receiving, by the mobile device and from the server with the first communication protocol, an indication to perform a maintenance operation corresponding to the sensor that was determined by the server based on the data obtained by the sensor; and

providing, for display on the mobile device, a notification to perform the maintenance operation corresponding to the sensor.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving the data from the sensor in an unencrypted form from the server; and
providing, for display on the mobile device, a notification based on the data from the sensor in the unencrypted form.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor comprises transmitting, by the mobile device, a request that includes the received identification of the sensor located in a property.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the obtained data collected by the sensor becomes invalid upon the mobile device obtaining the data from the sensor using the token.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the obtained data collected by the sensor remains valid for a predetermined time period.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device and from a server with a first communication protocol, (i) an identification of a sensor located in a property and (ii) a token that enables the mobile device to obtain data collected by the sensor;
determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is within a communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device;
in response to determining that the mobile device is within the communication range with the sensor based on the identification received by the mobile device:
obtaining, by the mobile device and with a second communication protocol configured for shorter range communication than the first communication protocol, data from the sensor using the token receiv

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Hutz David James

Classifications

• H04L12/2809

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title

• H04L12/2825

  Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002) · CPC title

• H04L12/2834

  Switching of information between an external network and a home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856) · CPC title

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title