Doorbell communities

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.

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 , further comprising sending, by the doorbell system, an alert to the doorbell user group in response to a selection of a first button on the first remote computing device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the alert comprising at least one of a video and an image taken by the first doorbell. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending, in response to a selection of a first button on the first remote computing device, a communication to at least a portion of the doorbell user group,
 wherein the communication is configured to cause the first and second doorbells to simultaneously record videos to capture evidence regarding an emergency situation in a neighborhood of the first and second doorbells.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising recording comments regarding the videos from the doorbell user group such that members of the doorbell user group can read the comments. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising recording comments regarding the first picture from the doorbell user group such that members of the doorbell user group can read the comments. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending, in response to a selection of a first button on the first remote computing device, a communication to at least a portion of the doorbell user group,
 wherein the communication is configured to cause the first and second doorbells to simultaneously emit an alarm sound in response to an emergency situation.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the communication is configured to cause the first and second doorbells to simultaneously emit lights in response to the emergency situation. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first doorbell is coupled to a first building, and a remote sensor is configured to detect an unauthorized intrusion of the first building, the method further comprising sending an alert sent to the doorbell user group in response to the remote sensor detecting the unauthorized intrusion. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the alert comprising at least one of a video and an image taken by the first doorbell. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending an alert to members of the doorbell user group in response to detecting, by a remote burglar detection system, a burglary of the first building. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the alert comprising at least one of a video and an image taken by the first doorbell. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first remote computing device is not communicatively coupled to the second doorbell, the method further comprising receiving 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. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a first trait of the first visitor from 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. 
     
     
         15 . 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 receiving a selection by a user of a map icon representing the second doorbell while the map icon is displayed on the first remote computing device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising adding the second doorbell to the doorbell user group in response to detecting the user selecting the second doorbell on the first remote computing device. 
     
     
         17 . 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 facial recognition of the information. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the facial recognition is configured to detect the visitor having visited the first, second, and third buildings. 
     
     
         19 . A method of using a doorbell system communicatively coupled to a first doorbell coupled to a first building, a second doorbell coupled to a second building, and a third doorbell coupled to a third building, the method comprising:
 coupling communicatively, by the doorbell system, the first doorbell to a first remote computing device;   receiving, by the doorbell system, information from the first, second, and third doorbells; and   analyzing, by the doorbell system, the information collected from the first, second, and third doorbells.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sending an alert to the first remote computing device in response to facial recognition of the information. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sending an alert to the first remote computing device in response to determining by analyzing the information via facial recognition that the first, second, and third doorbells have taken images of a same visitor. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising creating a doorbell user group comprising the first remote computing device and a second remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to the second doorbell but is not communicatively coupled to the first doorbell, the method further comprising sending an alert to the doorbell user group in response to facial recognition of the information. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sending an alert to the first remote computing device in response to identifying, by the doorbell system, abnormal behaviors correlated with crime. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sending an alert to the first remote computing device in response to determining a number of visits of a visitor to a group of buildings comprising the first, second, and third buildings. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sending an alert to the first remote computing device in response to analyzing a combination of the information and a database of past criminal activity in an area of the first, second, and third buildings. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising predicting, by the doorbell system based at least partially on the information, a likelihood of future criminal activity. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising predicting, by the doorbell system based at least partially on the information and on a database of past criminal activity in an area of the first, second, and third buildings, a likelihood of future criminal activity. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising determining, by the doorbell system based at least partially on the information and on a database of past criminal activity in an area of the first, second, and third buildings, a safety score of the area. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising sending the safety score to a third party in a manner configured to enable the third party to display a safety metric based at least partially on the safety score with real estate listings. 
     
     
         30 . A doorbell system comprising:
 a first doorbell having a first camera coupled to a first building, wherein the first doorbell is communicatively coupled to a first remote computing device;   a second doorbell having a second camera coupled to a second building, wherein the second doorbell is communicatively coupled to a second remote computing device; and   a doorbell user group comprising a database having images taken by the first camera and the second camera, wherein the doorbell system is configured to share the images with members of the doorbell user group,   wherein the doorbell user group is communicatively coupled to the first remote computing device and the second remote computing device, and   wherein the first doorbell is not communicatively coupled to the second remote computing device, and the second doorbell is not communicatively coupled to the first remote computing device while the doorbell system is configured such that the first remote computing device receives, due to the doorbell user group, a first visitor picture taken by the second doorbell.