IP Library Granted Patent US 11,684,039
Granted Patent B2
US 11,684,039 · App. 17/478,060 · Granted Jun 27, 2023

Automatic electric fence boundary adjustment

Inventors: Jeffrey A. Bedell (Arlington, VA); Abraham Joseph Kinney (Vienna, VA); Jace Jawn Bauer (Houston, TX); Robert Nathan Picardi (Herndon, VA); Matthew Daniel Correnti (Newtown Square, PA)
Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
A01K11/008A01K15/023A01K27/009A01K29/005G01S5/0027G01S19/14G08B21/0269G08B21/0286G08B21/0288H04N7/18H04N7/181
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,684,039
App. No.
17/478,060
Granted
Jun 27, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and techniques are described for pet monitoring during unattended delivery. In some implementations, a monitoring system monitors a property includes sensors located throughout the property and generates sensor data. A monitor control unit receives a first indication that a resident of the property will be receiving a delivery during a delivery time. Based on the sensor data and during the delivery time, the monitor control unit determines that a pet, that resides at the property, has been restrained. The monitor control unit provides, to a delivery person, a second indication that the pet at the property has been restrained.

Claims (46)

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a likelihood that a delivery to a property at which a pet is located will occur satisfies a likelihood threshold; and

in response to determining that the likelihood that the delivery to the property at which the pet is located will occur satisfies the likelihood threshold, adjusting one or more boundaries of an electronic fence for the pet to i) provide a safe zone at the property for delivery to the property, ii) define a first area for the pet different than a second area when the electronic fence does not provide the safe zone, and iii) reduce a likelihood that the pet can access the safe zone.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

detecting that an object has been delivered at the property; and

in response to detecting that the object has been delivered at the property, adjusting the one or more boundaries of the electronic fence to i) remove the safe zone from the property, and ii) define the second area.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting that the object has been delivered at the property uses video object recognition to determine whether the object was delivered.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

receiving an indication that an object will be delivered to the property; and

determining that a second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during an expected delivery time satisfies a second likelihood threshold,

wherein adjusting the one or more boundaries of an electronic fence for the pet is responsive to: a) determining that the likelihood that the delivery to the property at which the pet is located will occur satisfies the likelihood threshold, b) receiving the indication that the object will be delivered to the property, and c) determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during an expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:

determining that the second likelihood satisfies the second likelihood threshold comprises determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located within a temporary electronic fence at the property during the expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold; and

adjusting the one or more boundaries of the electronic fence comprises adjusting the one or more boundaries of the temporary electronic fence.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein:

determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during the expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold uses sensor data from a smart collar on the pet and image data from a camera at the property.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining that the pet will likely be located outside the electronic fence during an expected delivery time and that a smart collar on the pet is not activated; and

in response to determining that the pet will likely be located outside the electronic fence during the expected delivery time and that the smart collar on the pet is not activated, activating, prior to the expected delivery time, the smart collar on the pet to increase a likelihood that the pet will likely be located inside the electronic fence.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first area is located within the second area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first area is a smaller area than the second area.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first area is outside a building on the property.

11. A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices on which are stored instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

determining whether a likelihood that a delivery to a property at which a pet is located will occur satisfies a likelihood threshold; and

in response to determining that the likelihood that the delivery to the property at which the pet is located will occur satisfies the likelihood threshold, adjusting one or more boundaries of an electronic fence for the pet to i) provide a safe zone at the property for delivery to the property, ii) define a first area for the pet different than a second area when the electronic fence does not provide the safe zone, and iii) reduce a likelihood that the pet can access the safe zone.

12. The system of claim 11 , comprising:

detecting that an object has been delivered at the property; and

in response to detecting that the object has been delivered at the property, adjusting the one or more boundaries of the electronic fence to i) remove the safe zone from the property, and ii) define the second area.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein detecting that the object has been delivered at the property uses video object recognition to determine whether the package was delivered.

14. The system of 12 , comprising:

receiving an indication that an object will be delivered to the property; and

determining that a second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during an expected delivery time satisfies a second likelihood threshold,

wherein adjusting the one or more boundaries of an electronic fence for the pet is responsive to: a) determining that the likelihood that the delivery to the property at which the pet is located will occur satisfies the likelihood threshold, b) receiving the indication that the object will be delivered to the property, and c) determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during an expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein:

determining that the second likelihood satisfies the second likelihood threshold comprises determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located within a temporary electronic fence at the property during the expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold; and

adjusting the one or more boundaries of the electronic fence comprises adjusting the one or more boundaries of the temporary electronic fence.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein:

determining that the second likelihood that the pet will be located at the property during the expected delivery time satisfies the second likelihood threshold uses sensor data from a smart collar on the pet and image data from a camera at the property.

17. The system of claim 11 comprising:

determining that the pet will likely be located outside the electronic fence during an expected delivery time and that a smart collar on the pet is not activated; and

in response to determining that the pet will likely be located outside the electronic fence during the expected delivery time and that the smart collar on the pet is not activated, activating, prior to the expected delivery time, the smart collar on the pet to increase a likelihood that the pet will likely be located inside the electronic fence.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first area is located within the second area.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first area is a smaller area than the second area.

20. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

determining whether a likelihood that a delivery to a property at which a pet is located will occur satisfies a likelihood threshold; and

in response to determining that the likelihood that the delivery to the property at which the pet is located will occur satisfies the likelihood threshold, adjusting one or more boundaries of an electronic fence for the pet to i) provide a safe zone at the property for delivery to the property, ii) define a first area for the pet different than a second area when the electronic fence does not provide the safe zone, and iii) reduce a likelihood that the pet can access the safe zone.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 12, 2021
From: BEDELL, JEFFREY A.; KINNEY, ABRAHAM JOSEPH; BAUER, JACE JAWN; PICARDI, ROBERT NATHAN; CORRENTI, MATTHEW DANIEL
To: ALARM.COM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 057758/0586 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16289249 · Feb 28, 2019
Provisional Application 62636499 · Feb 28, 2018
Related Publication 20220000070A1 · Jan 6, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,635,663