Systems, methods, and devices for activity monitoring via a home assistant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12374202-B2
Application number	US-202318485593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2023
Priority date	May 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for monitoring activity in a home environment. In one aspect, a method performed at a voice-assistant device includes: detecting a sound; obtaining a determination as to whether the sound meets one or more monitoring criteria; and in accordance with a determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria, generating a notification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring activity in a home environment, comprising:
receiving, by a computer system via one or more microphones, a voice command, wherein the computer system comprises a voice-activated user interface, the one or more microphones, one or more speakers, one or more processors, and memory;
outputting, via the one or more speakers, a spoken response to the voice command;
after outputting the spoken response, detecting, by the computer system via the one or more microphones, a sound;
in response to detecting the sound, transmitting, by the computer system to a cloud-computing server system, a recording of the sound;
obtaining, by the computer system, a determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria; and
in accordance with the determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria, causing a notification to be output to a mobile device, wherein the notification provides access for a user of the mobile device to the recording of the sound stored by the cloud-computing server system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification is indicative of breaking glass.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the notification is further indicative of a location of the breaking glass.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
outputting, for presentation, the notification on the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the notification allows viewing of video captured using a camera corresponding to the sound.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria comprises obtaining the determination from a remote server system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria comprises determining whether a personal device of an occupant of the home is remote from the home environment in which the computer system is present.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the notification comprises emitting a response, a simulated human response, or a simulated animal response.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the notification includes performing one or more of:
adjusting a lighting level of the home environment; and
enabling a home device.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in accordance with the determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria:
enabling a remote occupant of the home environment to perform one or more of: listen to the sound, and listen to the home environment via the one or more microphones.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is coupled to one or more additional computer systems within the home environment; and
the method further comprises, in accordance with the determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria, requesting that at least one additional computer system output the notification.

12. A computer system comprising:
a voice-activated user interface;
one or more microphones;
one or more speakers;
one or more processors coupled to the one or more microphones and the one or more speakers; and
memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
receiving, via the one or more microphones, a voice command;
outputting, via the one or more speakers, a spoken response to the voice command;
after outputting the spoken response, detecting, via the one or more microphones, a sound;
transmitting, by the computer system to a cloud-computing server system, a recording of the sound;
obtaining a determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria; and
in accordance with the determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria, causing a notification to be output to a mobile device, wherein the notification provides access for a user of the mobile device to the recording of the sound stored by the cloud-computing server system.

13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein the notification is indicative of breaking glass.

14. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the notification is further indicative of a location of the breaking glass.

15. The computer system of claim 12 , further comprising:
outputting, for presentation, the notification on the mobile device.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the notification allows viewing of video captured using a camera corresponding to the sound.

17. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein obtaining the determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria comprises obtaining the determination from a remote server system.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computing system having one or more processors, memory, a voice-activated user interface, one or more microphones and one or more speakers, cause the computing system to:
receive, via the one or more microphones, a voice command;
output, via the one or more speakers, a spoken response to the voice command;
after outputting the spoken response, detecting, via the one or more microphones, a sound;
in response to detecting the sound, transmitting, to a cloud-computing server system, a recording of the sound;
obtain a determination that the detected sound meets one or more monitoring criteria; and
in accordance with the determination that the sound meets the one or more monitoring criteria, cause a notification to be output to a mobile device, wherein the notification provides access for a user of the mobile device to the recording of the sound stored by the cloud-computing server system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the notification is indicative of breaking glass and a location of the breaking glass.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the notification provides access to video captured using a camera corresponding to the sound.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Horling Bryan

Classifications

• H05B47/197

  Sound control or voice control · CPC title

• H05B47/125

  by using cameras · CPC title

• H05B47/115

  by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H05B47/12

  by detecting audible sound · CPC title