Transitioning of devices from their primary function to providing security system functionality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021224770-A1
Application number	US-202117146002-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 11, 2021
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Jul 22, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A point of sale (POS) security system includes a POS device including a non-transitory memory, one or more hardware processors, and one or more environment sensors. A plurality of POS instructions are located on the non-transitory memory in the POS device and executable by the one or more hardware processors in the POS device to provide a POS engine that is configured to receive and transmit payment information for conducting a payment transaction associated with a purchase. A plurality of security instructions are located on the non-transitory memory in the POS device and are executable by the one or more hardware processors in the POS device to provide a security engine that is configured to receive environment signals from the one or more environment sensors in the POS device and analyze those environment signals to determine a security breach.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A method for using customer devices for providing security in residential and office environments, comprising:
accessing first environment signals from a first environment sensor of a first user device and second environment signals from second environment sensor of a second user device, the first environment signals and the second environment signals indicative of a wireless signal quality of a wireless environment at one or more of the first user device and the second user device; analyzing the first environment signals and the second environment signals to determine a wireless signal quality change in the wireless environment; determining, based at least on the wireless signal quality change, an indication of a potential security breach at a physical location where the first user device and the second user device are located; and in response to determining that there is an indication of the potential security breach, determining whether to transition at least one of the first user device and the second user device from executing non-security instructions for conducting non-security operations to executing security instructions for conducting security operations.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the physical location is bound by a plurality of physical walls, where at least one of the physical walls can be breached during a security breach.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein analyzing the first environment signals and the second environment signals comprise:
analyzing signal quality of the first environment signals and the second environment signals in accordance with a sensitivity setting to determine that the wireless signal quality change in the wireless signal quality of the wireless environment is indicative of the security breach.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
transmitting communication to a management device to cause the management device to display, in a user interface of the management device, a location in the wireless environment of the wireless signal quality change.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving audio information provided by the first user device in response to an audio signal generated by the second user device; analyzing the audio information to detect motion that is indicative of the security breach, wherein the determining that there is a security breach is further based on the analyzing the audio information.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining whether to transition at least one of the first user device and the second user device is based on one or more of a location of the first user device and the location of the second user device and respective types of the first environment sensors and the second environment sensors.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first user device is configured to execute a portion of the security instructions in background while executing the non-security instructions.

9 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
sending instructions to the second user device to transition the second user device from executing non-security instructions for conducting non-security operations to executing security instructions for conducting security operations.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first user device and the second user device is a general purpose device purposed for non-security operations including general residential or office use, and wherein the transition repurposes the first user device or the second user device for the security operations.

11 . A device, comprising:
a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the device to: access first environment signals from a first environment sensor of the device and second environment signals received from a user device, the first environment signals and the second environment signals indicative of a wireless signal quality of a wireless environment of an area at a physical location where the device and the user device are located; analyze the first environment signals and the second environment signals to determine a wireless signal quality change in the wireless environment; determine, based at least on the wireless signal quality change, that there is a security breach at the physical location; and in response to determining that there is the security breach, transition the user device from executing non-security instructions for conducting non-security operations within a first time period to executing security instructions for conducting security operations within a second time period.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the physical location is bound by a plurality of physical walls, where at least one of the physical walls can be breached during a security breach.

13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the device and the user device is a general purpose device purposed for general residential use.

14 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the device is configured to execute a portion of the security instructions in background while executing the non-security instructions.

15 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the transitioning the user device comprises sending instructions to the user device to transition the user device from executing non-security instructions for conducting non-security operations within the first time period to executing the security instructions for conducting security operations within the second time period.

16 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the transitioning the user device comprises sending the security instructions to the user device for execution for conducting the security operations within the second time period.

17 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable to cause performance of operations comprising:
receiving first environment signals from a first environment sensor of a first user device and second environment signals from second environment sensor of a second user device, the first environment signals and the second environment signals indicative of a wireless signal quality of a wireless environment at one or more of the first user device and the second user device; analyzing the first environment signals and the second environment signals to determine a wireless signal quality change in the wireless environment; determining, based at least on the wireless signal quality change, an indication of a security breach at a physical location where the first user device and the second user device are located; and in response to determining that there is an indication of the security breach, determining to repurpose, by sending instructions to transition, at least one of the first user device and the second user device from conducting non-security operations to conducting security operations.

18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise sending instructions to the second user device to repurpose the second user device from executing non-security instructions for conducting the non-security operations to executing security instructions for conducting the security operations.

19 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise determining whether to repurpose the first user device or the second user device based on one or more of a location of the first user device and the location of the second user device and respe

Assignees

• Paypal Inc

Inventors

• Nichols Timothy C
• Khanna Ramaneek
• Chatterton Geoffrey W

Classifications

• G06Q20/20 Primary

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• G06Q20/4016

  involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing · CPC title

• G07G3/00

  Alarm indicators, e.g. bells · CPC title