IP Library Granted Patent US 9,989,397
Granted Patent B1
US 9,989,397 · App. 15/651,786 · Granted Jun 5, 2018

Water management sensing

Inventors: Abraham Joseph Kinney (Vienna, VA); Craig Carl Heffernan (Oregon City, OR); Peter Richard Williams (Falls Church, VA); Daniel Goodman (Needham, MA); Bingying Qin (Los Angeles, CA)
Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
G01F23/00E03F1/002E04B1/70E04H9/145
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,989,397
App. No.
15/651,786
Granted
Jun 5, 2018
Kind
B1
Abstract

In some implementations, a system obtains activity data for a sump pump associated with a property where the obtained activity data indicates a present operational status of the sump pump. The system obtains water level data associated with the property where the water level data indicates a level of water within the property, determines that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, and, in response to the determination that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, provides a notification that the property is at risk of suffering water damage.

Claims (72)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting an occurrence of an event that may impact performance of a sump pump associated with a property;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event that may impact performance of the sump pump, providing a request to a sump pump sensor for activity data;

obtaining the activity data for the sump pump associated with the property in response to the request, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold comprises:

determining that a utilization of the sump pump calculated from the water level data and the obtained activity data indicates that the efficiency of the sump pump in removing water is reduced,

wherein providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump is in response to determining that a utilization of the sump pump calculated from the water level data and the obtained activity data indicates that the efficiency of the sump pump in removing water is reduced.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the activity data for the sump pump associated with a property comprises:

obtaining the activity data from the sump pump sensor that indicates whether the sump pump is currently pumping or not currently pumping.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining water level data associated with the property comprises:

obtaining water level data from a water level sensor that indicates whether water has reached the water level sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold comprises:

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is pumping water and that the water level within the property is at or above the water level risk threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

obtaining weather data associated with the property; and

determining the water level risk threshold based on the weather data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting an occurrence of an event that may impact performance of the sump pump comprises detecting an increase in precipitation associated with the property.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to a lawn irrigation system to turn off.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining activity data for a sump pump associated with a property, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

obtaining weather data associated with the property;

determining that the weather data indicates an amount of rainfall during a period of time; and

reducing the water level risk threshold from a predetermined default threshold based on the amount of rainfall during the period of time;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining activity data for a sump pump associated with a property, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

obtaining irrigation system data associated with the property;

determining the water level risk threshold based on the irrigation system data;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

detecting an occurrence of an event that may impact performance of a sump pump associated with a property;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event that may impact performance of the sump pump, providing a request to a sump pump sensor for activity data;

obtaining the activity data for the sump pump associated with the property in response to the request, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold comprises:

determining that a utilization of the sump pump calculated from the water level data and the obtained activity data indicates that the efficiency of the sump pump in removing water is reduced,

wherein providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump is in response to determining that a utilization of the sump pump calculated from the water level data and the obtained activity data indicates that the efficiency of the sump pump in removing water is reduced.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein obtaining the activity data for the sump pump associated with a property comprises:

obtaining the activity data from the sump pump sensor that indicates whether the sump pump is currently pumping or not currently pumping.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein obtaining water level data associated with the property comprises:

obtaining water level data from a water level sensor that indicates whether water has reached the water level sensor.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold comprises:

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is pumping water and that the water level within the property is at or above the water level risk threshold.

16. The system of claim 11 , comprising:

obtaining weather data associated with the property; and

determining the water level risk threshold based on the weather data.

17. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations:

obtaining activity data for a sump pump associated with a property, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

obtaining weather data associated with the property;

determining that the weather data indicates an amount of rainfall during a period of time; and

reducing the water level risk threshold from a predetermined default threshold based on the amount of rainfall during the period of time;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

detecting an occurrence of an event that may impact performance of a sump pump associated with a property;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event that may impact performance of the sump pump, providing a request to a sump pump sensor for activity data;

obtaining the activity data for the sump pump associated with the property in response to the request, the obtained activity data indicating a present operational status of the sump pump;

obtaining water level data associated with the property, the water level data indicating a level of water within the property;

determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold; and

in response to determining that the activity data indicates that the sump pump is operating and that the water level within the property satisfies a water level risk threshold, providing an instruction to the sump pump that causes the sump pump to increase a pump speed of the sump pump.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 21, 2021
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK
To: ENERGYHUB, INC.; ICN ACQUISITION, LLC; ALARM.COM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 055069/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2018
From: KINNEY, ABRAHAM JOSEPH; HEFFERNAN, CRAIG CARL; WILLIAMS, PETER RICHARD; GOODMAN, DANIEL; QIN, BINGYING
To: ALARM.COM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 044727/0944 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 10, 2017
From: ALARM.COM, INCORPORATED; ENERGYHUB, INC.; ICN ACQUISITION, LLC
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 044167/0235 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15098564 · Apr 14, 2016
Provisional Application 62147339 · Apr 14, 2015