Doorbell communities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018233003-A1
Application number	US-201815951534-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2018
Priority date	Jun 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 16, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Doorbells can send data to each other to enable a first doorbell user to warn a second doorbell user regarding a suspicious visitor. A first user can indicate a first trait of a visitor via a first remote computing device. The first user can create a user group to enable the members of the user group to use their doorbells to take pictures of suspicious visitors and to send the pictures of the suspicious visitors to other members of the user group.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1 . A method of using a doorbell system, wherein the doorbell system comprises a first remote computing device communicatively coupled to a first doorbell having a first camera, the method comprising:
sending a first picture, taken by the first doorbell, of a first visitor to the first remote computing device; creating a doorbell user group comprising the first remote computing device and a second remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to a second doorbell but is not communicatively coupled to the first doorbell; and sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group such that the second remote computing device receives the first picture.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first remote computing device is not communicatively coupled to the second doorbell, the method further comprising receiving, by the first remote computing device, a second picture taken by the second doorbell in response to the second doorbell sending the second picture to a database configured to provide visitor information to the doorbell user group.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sharing the first picture of the first visitor with the doorbell user group in response to the first trait of the first visitor.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating a first trait of the first visitor via the first remote computing device, and sending the first trait and the first picture of the first visitor to a database configured to provide information regarding the first visitor to the doorbell user group.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising providing a time, at which the first visitor visited the first doorbell, to the database.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first remote computing device is not communicatively coupled to the second doorbell, the method further comprising receiving, by the first remote computing device, data from the doorbell user group regarding the second doorbell that comprises a second camera and regarding a third doorbell that comprises a third camera, wherein the second doorbell is coupled to a second building, and the third doorbell is coupled to a third building.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the doorbell system comprises a database configured to share visitor information with the doorbell user group, the method further comprising selecting via the first remote computing device to receive the visitor information from at least one of the second doorbell and the third doorbell.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first doorbell is coupled to a first building, and the first building, the second building, and the third building are located apart from each other such that receiving the data comprises receiving the visitor information from a different location than a first location of the first building.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first picture comprises a first video.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the doorbell user group comprises adding a first email address and a second email address to a database, wherein the first email address is associated with the first doorbell, and the second email address is associated with the second doorbell.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a map on the first remote computing device, wherein the map displays a second location of the second doorbell and a third location of a third doorbell, the method further comprising displaying information regarding the second doorbell in response to selecting a map icon representing the second doorbell while the map icon is displayed on the first remote computing device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising selecting the map icon to add the second doorbell to the doorbell user group.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a first button on the first remote computing device to alert law enforcement and to alert the doorbell user group.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first doorbell is coupled to a first building, the second doorbell is coupled to a second building, and a third doorbell is coupled to a third building, the method further comprising analyzing information collected from the first, second, and third doorbells, and then sending an alert in response to analytics based on the information.

Assignees

• Skybell Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Thomas Andrew Paul
• Scalisi Joseph Frank
• Harrison Gregory Saul
• Mejia Desiree

Classifications

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• G07C9/00904

  for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like · CPC title

• G08B13/19684

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

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04N1/00164 Primary

  at a remote location · CPC title