Wireless speaker devices for wireless audio/video recording and communication devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9978254-B2
Application number	US-201615150387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A wireless speaker device configured for use with a wireless A/V recording and communication device, such as a doorbell. The wireless speaker device, which includes a speaker, may connect to the user's local area network (LAN), such as a Wi-Fi network. The LAN is connected to a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet and/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN). When the wireless A/V recording and communication device detects a visitor, it sends a signal, via the LAN, to at least one device in the WAN, such as a server and/or a service. In response, the at least one device in the WAN sends a signal, via the LAN, to the wireless speaker device. The signal to the wireless speaker device includes a command for the wireless speaker device to emit a tone through its speaker. The wireless speaker device then emits a tone through its speaker to alert the user that a visitor is at the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for communicating among a wireless audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, a wireless speaker device including a speaker, a local area network (LAN) including one or more LAN devices, and a wide area network (WAN) including at least one backend server, the method comprising:
the backend server receiving from the wireless A/V recording and communication device, via the one or more LAN devices, a visitor detection signal, the visitor detection signal indicating that a visitor has been detected at the wireless A/V recording and communication device; and
the backend server transmitting to the wireless speaker device, via the one or more LAN devices, in response to receiving the visitor detection signal, a tone signal, the tone signal including a command to the wireless speaker device to emit a tone from the speaker of the wireless speaker device, wherein the wireless speaker device and the backend server have a persistent connection to reduce communication latency between the wireless speaker device and the backend server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless A/V recording and communication device comprises a wireless A/V recording and communication doorbell including a button.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visitor detection signal comprises a button press signal indicating that the doorbell button has been pressed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless A/V recording and communication device further comprises a motion detector.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the visitor detection signal is received in response to the motion detector detecting motion at the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the backend server receiving from the wireless A/V recording and communication device a first alert signal and a first video signal, the first video signal including images captured by a camera of the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the backend server transmitting to a client device, in response to receiving the first alert signal and the first video signal, a second alert signal and a second video signal, the second video signal including the images captured by the camera of the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the client device is a smartphone.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the backend server is a first backend server, and wherein the first backend server transmits to the client device the second alert signal and the second video signal through a second backend server.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more LAN devices comprises at least one router.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the persistent connection reduces the communication latency by eliminating a need for the wireless speaker device to be re-established on the backend server each time the wireless speaker device receives the tone signal from the backend server.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless speaker device is a first speaker device from among a plurality of speaker devices, and wherein the backend server uses an application programming interface (API) service to determine that the first speaker device is the speaker device from among the plurality of speaker devices to receive the tone signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the wireless A/V recording and communication device is a first A/V recording and communication device from among a plurality of A/V recording and communication devices, and wherein the API service determines an association between each speaker device from among the plurality of speaker devices with a corresponding A/V recording and communication device from among the plurality of A/V recording and communication devices.

14. A wireless speaker device configured for use with a wireless audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, a local area network (LAN) including one or more LAN devices, and a wide area network (WAN) including at least one backend server, the wireless speaker device comprising:
a wireless communication module; and
a speaker;
wherein the wireless speaker device is configured to receive from the backend server, via the one or more LAN devices and via the wireless communication module of the wireless speaker device, a tone signal, the tone signal including a command to the wireless speaker device to emit a tone from the speaker of the wireless speaker device;
wherein the wireless speaker device and the backend server have a persistent connection to reduce communication latency between the wireless speaker device and the backend server; and
wherein the wireless speaker device is configured to emit the tone from the speaker of the wireless speaker device in response to receiving the tone signal including the command.

15. The wireless speaker device of claim 14 , wherein the wireless speaker device is further configured to receive from the backend server, via the one or more LAN devices and via the wireless communication module of the wireless speaker device, the tone signal in response to the backend server receiving from the wireless A/V recording and communication device, via the one or more LAN devices, a visitor detection signal, the visitor detection signal indicating that a visitor has been detected at the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

16. The wireless speaker device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless A/V recording and communication device comprises a wireless A/V recording and communication doorbell including a button, and wherein the visitor detection signal comprises a button press signal indicating that the doorbell button has been pressed.

17. The wireless speaker device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless A/V recording and communication device further comprises a motion detector, and wherein the visitor detection signal is received in response to the motion detector detecting motion at the wireless A/V recording and communication device.

18. The wireless speaker device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more LAN devices comprises at least one router.

19. The wireless speaker device of claim 14 , wherein the persistent connection reduces the communication latency by eliminating a need for the wireless speaker device to be re-established on the backend server each time the wireless speaker device receives the tone signal from the backend server.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wireless speaker is a first speaker device from among a plurality of speaker devices, and wherein the backend server uses an application programming interface (API) service to determine that the first speaker device is the speaker device from among the plurality of speaker devices to receive the tone signal from the backend server.

Assignees

• Bot Home Automation Inc

Inventors

• Siminoff James
• Roth Joshua
• Modestine John
• Sacre Spiro
• Siminoff Mark

Classifications

• H04N7/186

  Video door telephones · CPC title

• G08B3/10 Primary

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• H04N23/661

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title