Solar-charging mounting bracket for audio/video recording and communication devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11082591-B2
Application number	US-201815905718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2018
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

Some aspects of the present embodiments provide a mounting bracket for automatically charging one or more rechargeable batteries of an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device. The mounting bracket of some of the present embodiments includes one or more integrated solar panels that generate the electrical power for charging the rechargeable battery(ies) of the A/V recording and communication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An audio/video recording and communication doorbell (A/V doorbell) mounting and charging system, comprising:
a bracket having
a rear surface that is flat for abutting a mounting surface of a structure,
a front surface, opposite the rear surface, including a recessed receiving area sized and shaped to receive and couple with a rear surface of the A/V doorbell,
an upper surface adjacent an upper edge of the receiving area, the upper surface including an upper recess,
left-side and right-side surfaces adjacent left-side and right-side edges, respectively, of the receiving area, the left-side and right-side surfaces including, respectively, a left-side recess and a right-side recess, and
at least one aperture, formed within the receiving area, sized and shaped to receive at least one screw for securing the bracket to the structure;

an upper solar panel located within the upper recess;
a left-side solar panel located within the left-side recess;
a right-side solar panel located within the right-side recess;
a charging cable operatively connected to each of the upper solar panel, the left-side solar panel, and the right-side solar panel; and
a connector that mechanically and electrically couples the charging cable to the A/V doorbell when the A/V doorbell is mounted to the bracket.

2. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system of claim 1 , wherein the receiving area includes at least one device-mounting screw to secure the A/V doorbell to the bracket.

3. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system of claim 1 , wherein the receiving area includes a connector recess that accommodates the connector of the charging cable.

4. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system of claim 1 , wherein the connector of the charging cable comprises a micro-USB connector.

5. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system of claim 1 , wherein the receiving area includes a receiving area recess that accommodates a protrusion on the rear surface of the A/V doorbell.

6. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system of claim 5 , wherein the protrusion comprises a reset button.

7. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system mounting bracket of claim 1 , wherein the receiving area includes an electrically conductive contact plate.

8. The A/V doorbell mounting and charging system mounting bracket of claim 7 , wherein the contact plate is coupled to at least one of a plurality of pins located on the rear surface of the A/V doorbell to indicate to the A/V doorbell that electrical power is being received from the solar panels.

9. A mounting bracket for mounting and charging an audio/video recording and communication doorbell (A/V doorbell), the mounting bracket comprising:
a rear surface that is flat for abutting a mounting surface of a building;
a front surface forming a recessed receiving area shaped and sized to couple with a rear surface of the A/V doorbell;
an upper surface formed at a top edge of the mounting bracket and comprising an upper solar panel;
left-side and right-side surfaces formed at left and right edges of the mounting bracket and comprising, respectively, a left-side solar panel and a right-side solar panel; and
a charging cable operatively connected to each of the upper solar panel, the left-side solar panel, and the right-side solar panel;
wherein the solar panels provide power to the A/V doorbell through the charging cable.

10. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the mounting surface comprises one of a door and a wall of the building.

11. The mounting bracket of claim 10 , wherein the building comprises one of a residential building and a commercial building.

12. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the upper surface comprises a recess that accommodates the upper solar panel.

13. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the left-side and right-side surfaces comprise left-side and right-side recesses that accommodate, respectively, the left-side solar panel and the right-side solar panel.

14. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the charging cable comprises a connector that mechanically and electrically couples the charging cable to the A/V doorbell.

15. The mounting bracket of claim 14 , wherein the connector of the charging cable comprises a micro-USB connector.

16. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the mounting bracket forms a plurality of hooks within the receiving area that engage with a plurality of apertures on the rear surface of the A/V doorbell to mechanically couple the A/V doorbell to the mounting bracket.

17. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , further comprising at least one aperture, formed within the recessed receiving area, sized and shaped to receive at least one screw for securing the mounting bracket to the building.

18. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the recessed receiving area includes at least one device-mounting screw to secure the A/V doorbell to the mounting bracket.

19. The mounting bracket of claim 9 , wherein the recessed receiving area includes an electrically conductive contact plate.

20. The mounting bracket of claim 19 , wherein the contact plate is coupled to at least one of a plurality of pins located on the rear surface of the A/V doorbell to indicate to the A/V doorbell that electrical power is being received from the solar panels.

Assignees

• Ring Inc
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Siminoff James
• Sacre Spiro
• Tso Robert
• Loew Christopher
• Siminoff Mark
• England Matthew J

Classifications

• H04N23/65

  Control of camera operation in relation to power supply · CPC title

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/50

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H02J7/35 Primary

  with light sensitive cells · CPC title

• H04N7/186

  Video door telephones · CPC title