Patent Publication Number: US-2023160232-A1

Title: Monitoring Access

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/025,031, filed Sep. 18, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/028,246, filed Jul. 5, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,815,693, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/739,513, filed Jun. 15, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,047,543, the content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Building security monitoring systems typically provide for an alarm when an exterior door is opened while the system is armed. The opening of a door is commonly sensed through use of a reed switch attached to the door frame with a corresponding magnet positioned on the door so that the movement of the door magnet, as the door is opened, causes the reed switch to be opened or closed. These existing systems fail to provide information about whether the occupant is entering or leaving or information about activities that stop short of opening the door. Some other existing security monitoring systems provide a device, commonly known as a request-to-exit (REX) device, on or near the interior side of a door, to disable an alarm before an occupant exits the door. Types of REX devices may include interior proximity sensors that detect motion near the interior side of a door, a button mounted on or near the interior side of a door, which can be pressed to enable exit, and a switch built into the inside door handle to disable the alarm when the inside handle is actuated. These existing systems do not provide information about an occupant entering or information about activities on the exterior side of the door that stop short of opening the door. These and other shortcomings are addressed by the present disclosure. 
     SUMMARY 
     In light of the foregoing background, the following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claims. The following summary merely presents various described aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below. 
     According to some embodiments, an apparatus is described for detecting door handle positional information of an interior and an exterior door handle in a door handle set. One or more aspects of the disclosure also provide for a door position sensor for detecting a door open or door closed position. In some embodiments, an alarm module may be connected to at least one of the sensors. In some embodiments, a visual indicator may be provided for indicating an alarm status. 
     One or more aspects of the disclosure also provide for a method that may include receiving an actuation signal, determining whether the signal is from a sensor associated with an inside door handle or an outside door handle, or interior and exterior portions of any opening mechanism (e.g., pushing surface, a switch to initiate opening or closing, etc.), and performing a first function or a second function, depending on which handle was actuated. In some embodiments the first function may include generating a first audible alarm for a selected period and generating a second audible alarm, subsequent to expiration of the selected period. In some embodiments, the second function may include sounding an alarm, capturing an image, turning on a light or providing a notification via email. 
     One or more aspects of the disclosure also provide for a method that may include monitoring a position of an inside door handle, monitoring a position of an outside door handle, monitoring a door position, and determining a door state. According to some embodiments, door events, such as an attempted entry, a forced entry and an incomplete entry may be recognized. 
     According to some embodiments, the methods as disclosed herein may be implemented in relation to windows and other potential entry ways having exterior and/or interior opening portions. 
     The summary here is not an exhaustive listing of the novel features described herein, and are not limiting of the claims. These and other features are described in greater detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like numerals reference similar elements between the drawings. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an example information access and distribution network that may be used to implement one or more aspects as described herein. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates an example computing device that may be used to implement one or more aspects as described herein. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an example operating environment in which one or more of the various features described herein may be implemented. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates an example apparatus in accordance with one or more aspects as described herein. 
         FIGS.  5 - 6    illustrate example flow charts for performing methods in accordance with one or more aspects as described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of various illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an example information distribution network  100  on which many of the various features described herein may be implemented. Network  100  may be any type of information distribution network, such as satellite, telephone, cellular, wireless, etc. One example may be a wireless network, an optical fiber network, a coaxial cable network, or a hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) distribution network. Such networks  100  use a series of interconnected communication links  101  (e.g., coaxial cables, optical fibers, wireless, etc.) to connect multiple premises  102  (e.g., businesses, homes, consumer dwellings, etc.) to a local office  103  (e.g., a headend, a processing facility, etc.). The local office  103  may transmit downstream information signals onto the links  101 , and each premises  102  may have a receiver used to receive and process those signals. 
     There may be one link  101  originating from the local office  103 , and it may be split a number of times to distribute the signal to various premises  102  in the vicinity (which may be many miles) of the local office  103 . The links  101  may include components not illustrated, such as splitters, filters, amplifiers, etc. to help convey the signal clearly, but in general each split introduces a bit of signal degradation. Portions of the links  101  may also be implemented with fiber-optic cable, while other portions may be implemented with coaxial cable, other lines, or wireless communication paths. 
     The local office  103  may include a termination system (TS)  104 , such as a cable modem termination system (CMTS) in an example of an HFC-type network, which may be a computing device configured to manage communications between devices on the network of links  101  and backend devices such as servers  105 - 107  (to be discussed further below). In the example of an HFC-type network, the TS may be as specified in a standard, such as the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard, published by Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (a.k.a. CableLabs), or it may be a similar or modified device instead. The TS may be configured to place data on one or more downstream frequencies to be received by modems at the various premises  102 , and to receive upstream communications from those modems on one or more upstream frequencies. The local office  103  may also include one or more network interfaces  108 , which can permit the local office  103  to communicate with various other external networks  109 . These networks  109  may include, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) networks Internet devices, telephone networks, cellular telephone networks, fiber optic networks, local wireless networks (e.g., WiMAX), satellite networks, and any other desired network, and the interface  108  may include the corresponding circuitry needed to communicate on the network  109 , and to other devices on the network such as a cellular telephone network and its corresponding cell phones. 
     As noted above, the local office  103  may include a variety of servers  105 - 107  that may be configured to perform various functions. For example, the local office  103  may include a push notification server  105 . The push notification server  105  may generate push notifications to deliver data and/or commands to the various premises  102  in the network (or more specifically, to the devices in the premises  102  that are configured to detect such notifications). The local office  103  may also include a content server  106 . The content server  106  may be one or more computing devices that are configured to provide content to users in the homes. This content may be, for example, video on demand movies, television programs, songs, services, information, text listings, etc. In some embodiments, the content server  106  may include software to validate (or initiate the validation of) user identities and entitlements, locate and retrieve (or initiate the locating and retrieval of) requested content, encrypt the content, and initiate delivery (e.g., streaming, transmitting via a series of content fragments) of the content to the requesting user and/or device. 
     The local office  103  may also include one or more application servers  107 . An application server  107  may be a computing device configured to offer any desired service, and may run various languages and operating systems (e.g., servlets and JSP pages running on Tomcat/MySQL, OSX, BSD, Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, HTML5, JavaScript, AJAX and COMET). For example, an application server may be responsible for collecting television program listings information and generating a data download for electronic program guide listings. Another application server may be responsible for monitoring user viewing habits and collecting that information for use in selecting advertisements. Another application server may be responsible for formatting and inserting advertisements in a video stream and/or content item being transmitted to the premises  102 . 
     An example premises  102   a  may include an interface  110  (such as a modem, or another receiver and/or transmitter device suitable for a particular network), which may include transmitters and receivers used to communicate on the links  101  and with the local office  103 . The interface  110  may be, for example, a coaxial cable modem (for coaxial cable lines  101 ), a fiber interface node (for fiber optic lines  101 ), or any other desired modem device. The interface  110  may be connected to, or be a part of, a gateway interface device  111 . The gateway interface device  111  may be a computing device that communicates with the interface  110  to allow one or more other devices in the home to communicate with the local office  103  and other devices beyond the local office. The gateway  111  may be a set-top box (STB), digital video recorder (DVR), computer server, or any other desired computing device. The gateway  111  may also include (not shown) local network interfaces to provide communication signals to other devices in the home (e.g., user devices), such as televisions  112 , additional STBs  113 , personal computers  114 , laptop computers  115 , wireless devices  116  (wireless laptops, tablets and netbooks, mobile phones, mobile televisions, personal digital assistants (PDA), etc.), telephones  117 , window security sensors  118 , home security system  119 , tablet computers  120 , personal activity sensors  121 , video cameras  122 , motion detectors  123 , microphones  124 , and/or any other desired computers, sensors, and/or other devices. Examples of the local network interfaces may include Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA) interfaces, Ethernet interfaces, universal serial bus (USB) interfaces, wireless interfaces (e.g., IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth interfaces, ZigBee interfaces and others. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates general hardware elements of an example computing device  200  that can be used to implement one or more aspects of the elements discussed herein and/or illustrated in the figures. The computing device  200  may include one or more processors  201 , which may execute instructions of a computer program to perform any of the features described herein. The instructions may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or memory, to configure the operation of the processor  201 . For example, instructions may be stored in a read-only memory (ROM)  202 , random access memory (RAM)  203 , removable media  204 , such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk drive, or any other desired electronic storage medium. Instructions may also be stored in an attached (or internal) storage  205  (e.g., hard drive, flash, etc.). The computing device  200  may include one or more output devices, such as a display  206  (or an external television), and may include one or more output device controllers  207 , such as a video processor. There may also be one or more user input devices  208 , such as a remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, microphone, camera, etc. The interface between the computing device  200  and the user input devices  208  may be a wired interface, wireless interface, or a combination of the two, including IrDA interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces and ZigBee interfaces, for example. The computing device  200  may also include one or more network interfaces, such as input/output circuits  209  (such as a network card) to communicate with an external network  210 . The network interface may be a wired interface, wireless interface, or a combination of the two. In some embodiments, the interface  209  may include a modem (e.g., a cable modem), and network  210  may include the communication links  101  discussed above, the external network  109 , an in-home network, a provider&#39;s wireless, coaxial, fiber, or hybrid fiber/coaxial distribution system (e.g., a DOCSIS network), or any other desired network. Additionally, the device may include security system application  201   a  which may enable the device to perform the steps described herein. 
     The  FIG.  2    example is an example hardware configuration. Modifications may be made to add, remove, combine, divide, etc. components as desired. Additionally, the components illustrated may be implemented using basic computing devices and components, and the same components (e.g., processor  201 , storage  202 , user interface  205 , etc.) may be used to implement any of the other computing devices and components described herein. For example, the various components herein may be implemented using computing devices having components such as a processor executing computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, as illustrated in  FIG.  2   . 
     One or more aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in computer-usable data and/or computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more program modules, executed by one or more computers (such as computing device  200 ) or other devices to perform any of the functions described herein. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types when executed by a processor in a computer or other data processing device. The computer executable instructions may be stored on one or more computer readable media such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid state memory, RAM, etc. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such as integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and the like. Example data structures may be used to illustrate one or more aspects described herein, but these are merely illustrative examples. 
       FIG.  3    is a diagram showing an example operating environment in which various features described herein may be performed and implemented. The environment may include premises  300  (which may correspond to premises  102  of  FIG.  1   ), such as a user residence, business, recreational facility, etc. (referred to herein as a user residence or premises in a non-limiting manner), and a local office  302  (which may correspond to the local office  103  of  FIG.  1   ). One or more properties located on premises  300 , such as a television  303 , may be secured according to one or more aspects described herein. The premises  300  may include one or more doors  304  and a plurality of windows  305 . The doors  304  may be secured by one or more associated door security sensors  306 . In addition, each of the plurality of windows  305  may be secured by associated window security sensors  307 , which may be similar to the door security sensor  306 . The security sensors  306  and  307  may be communicatively coupled to a security system  319  (which may correspond to the home security system  119  of  FIG.  1   ), which may allow the security sensors  306  and  307  to be armed, disarmed and monitored. In one arrangement, an alarm panel  308  may be implemented in and/or as part of security system  319 . A user may operate alarm panel  308  to arm security sensors  306 , such that if a door  304  is opened while the associated security sensor  306  is armed, an alarm will be triggered. Herein, triggering an alarm may result in various actions, for example, playing an alarm sound, presenting an alarm message, turning on/off lights, turning on cameras, etc. 
     In one arrangement, security system  319  and/or alarm panel  308  may be implemented in computing device  200 , for example, with many functions disclosed herein implemented by security system application  201   a.    
     In another arrangement, security system  319  and/or alarm panel  308  may be implemented as part of gateway  111  ( FIG.  1   ). Thus, in one example, gateway  111  may be communicatively coupled to security sensors  306  and  307 , which may allow gateway  111  to arm, disarm, and/or monitor the security sensors  306  and  307 . While the description above focuses on door security sensors  306  and window security sensors  307 , many other security sensors and devices may be communicatively coupled to security system  319  and/or gateway  111 . For example, the security system  319  may be communicatively coupled to one or more cameras  310 , which may record video to monitor the premises  300  and surrounding area. 
     One or more cameras  310  may be located so as to monitor an access location of the premises  300 , such as a door  304  or a window  305 . According to various techniques disclosed herein, images captured by a camera  310  associated with a door  304  or a window  305  may be transmitted by the security system  319 , for example, as email. 
     One or more lights  311  may be located so as to illuminate an access location of the premises  300 , such as a door  304  or a window  305 . According to various techniques disclosed herein, the alarm system  319  may control the light  311  to provide illumination as part of providing an alarm triggered by door sensor  306  or a window sensor  307 . 
     From the example diagram of  FIG.  3   , various features may be realized. For example, the security sensors  306  and  307 , cameras  310 , light  311 , alarm panel  308 , and security system  319  may be communicatively coupled to a user interface device, such as the television  303  (or another type of display). Through the user interface device (e.g., the television  303 ) an authorized user may configure any of the devices within the security system. Another example feature may include transmitting (e.g., streaming) data (e.g., pictures, video, audio, etc.) from one or more cameras  310  to any of the other devices in the diagram of  FIG.  3   . 
       FIG.  3    also shows that the security system  319  may communicate with an external network, such as the local office  302 . Thus, the security system  319  may transfer alert signals indicating detected alarm events upstream to the local office  302 . This may be particularly desired to counter “smash and grab” scenarios in which an intruder smashes devices of the security system (e.g., alarm panel  308 , camera  310 , security sensors  306  and  307 , etc.) in hopes of disabling the alarm event or preventing recording of the alarm event. In a smash and grab scenario, the security system  319  may transfer alert signals upstream to the local office  302  so that the authorities can be alerted and/or data regarding the alarm event can be captured before the security system is disabled. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , when an alarm event is detected, the local office  302  may record the alarm event (e.g., store information identifying the sensor(s) that were tripped, their location, recording video and/or audio showing the event that occurred, etc.), determine an appropriate reaction, and/or transmit a signal to an external network, such as the public switched telephone network PSTN  312  or a wide area network WAN  313 . In one embodiment, the security system  319  may communicate directly with networks  312  and  313  via the PSTN  312 , the local office  302  may transfer an alert signal to a cell tower  314  and ultimately to a designated cellular device  315  (e.g., smartphone, tablet, etc.). Also, through the PSTN  312 , the local office  302  may connect to a public safety answering point (PSAP). Thus, the local office  302  may alert authorities of the alarm, so that the authorities may be dispatched to the premises  300 . 
     Additionally, or alternatively, the local office  302  may transfer an alert signal via the WAN  313  (e.g., the Internet) to a monitoring entity  317  and/or a web portal server  318 . The monitoring entity  317  may be the same entity as the local office  302  or a third party entity. Regardless, the monitoring entity  317  may be responsible for monitoring the premises  300 . This may include responding to alert signals received when the security system detects an alarm event. For example, the monitoring entity  317  may immediately contact the appropriate authorities to dispatch them to the premises  300 . Or, when an alert signal is transferred to the monitoring entity  317 , this may prompt a representative or automated system of the monitoring entity  317  to call the premises or another designated number to confirm the truthfulness of the alarm event. 
     Meanwhile, the web portal server  318  may be a computing device capable of providing a web portal through which users may view, on any connected display device, information regarding the security of the premises  300 . Users may log-on to the web portal provided by the web portal server  318  and view an alarm event and/or information related to an alarm event, such as what sensor was triggered and when it was triggered. Also, through the web portal, a user may be able to view video of the premises  300  captured by the camera  310  or may be able to check the status of the security system, to see if it is armed. Where the web portal server  318  is coupled to a WAN  313 , such as the Internet, the web portal for the premises  300  may be accessed using any device that can connect to the WAN  313 , such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. The web portal may also be used to customize settings, such as schedules, to indicate when and how the security system should operate. For instance, using the web portal, a user may be able to indicate certain times during which the security system should automatically arm itself. 
     In some embodiments, the web portal may permit a user to view multiple premises  300 . 
     That is, a single interface may allow a user to view status information, video, security settings, etc. for a plurality of premises  300 . In some cases, such information may be viewed simultaneously on the web portal. Having a single interface may be desirable to users who have multiple security systems at various remote locations, such as users who own multiple homes or businesses. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an example door handle set apparatus  400  in accordance with one or more aspects as described herein. A door handle set is provided for exemplary purposes and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It is contemplated that window handles and other potential entry devices having exterior and/or interior opening portions may be implemented or modified according to the disclosure. 
     The apparatus  400  may include an inside door handle  401  and an outside door handle  402 . Spherical door handles are depicted in the illustration; however, any style of door handle may be used. In the illustration, a rotating style handle is shown and will be referred to herein. It should be understood that other types of door handle sets may be used, for example, a lever style door handle set. Each door handle may be attached to a spindle  411 ,  412  in order to operate latch mechanism  403 . The door handle  401  may be attached to the spindle  411 , through use of a set screw, for example, to secure the handle to the spindle. The latch mechanism  403  may be mortised, cylindrical, or another type. A cylindrical type is depicted in the illustration. 
     Latch mechanism  403 , when operated, may move latch bolt  404  through face plate  413 . As an example, door handles  401  and  402  may be mounted on a door where door handle  401  may operate a latch mechanism from an interior space, such as inside a premises  300 , and door handle  402  may operate the latch mechanism from an exterior space, such as outside of a premises  300 . 
     Door handles  401  and  402  may each independently operate latch mechanism  403 . In other words, door handle  401  may operate latch mechanism  403  without causing door handle  402  to move, and similarly, door handle  402  may operate latch mechanism  403  without causing door handle  401  to move. 
     The door handle set apparatus  400  may include fixed sensors  405  and  406  (which may correspond to the door sensor  306  or the window sensor  307  of  FIG.  3   ) on spindles  411  and  412 , respectively, positioned to detect movement of the spindles. Hall effect sensors are illustrated in the drawing, but it should be known that there are many types of sensors that could be used. For example, a switch may be used, affixed to the spindle or latch mechanism such that rotation of the spindle causes the switch to be actuated. One of a number of position sensors may be used, including a rotary encoder, a capacitive sensor, an inductive sensor, an optical sensors or a potentiometer. Also, sensors  405  and  406  are illustrated as positioned circumferentially to the spindles, as an example. There are many other ways to position the sensor to the same effect, including positioning sensors in door handles  401  and  402 . In the example illustration, elements  409  and  410  may be composed of magnetic material in order to provide a means for the sensor element to detect motion. When the spindle rotates, the element  409  or  410 , depending on which door handle is operated, moves within sensor  405  or sensor  406 , which may produce a signal via conductors  407  or  408  that can be read, for example, by security system  319 . Movement of either door handle may be detected at the security system  319 , regardless of whether or not the door is subsequently opened. 
     Referring again to  FIG.  4   , in some embodiments, face plate  413  may include door position sensor  414  (which may also correspond to door sensor  306  of  FIG.  3   ) in order to detect the door position open or closed. Similarly, in embodiments implemented with windows, a window position sensor (which may also correspond to window sensor  307  of  FIG.  3   ) may be detect the window open or closed. Door position sensor  414  may be a Hall effect sensor, positioned to be close to a magnetic element in the door jamb such that when the door is opened, the element and the sensor become separated, thereby generating a signal. Conductors  415  may connect sensor  414  to a security system  319 , in order to communicate the door position signal. Here again, a Hall effect sensor is illustrated, but it should be known that there are many types of sensors that could be used, including a switch which may be actuated upon movement of the door away from the door jamb. 
     As disclosed above, while  FIG.  4    depicts an example door handle set apparatus, it is to be understood that the methods described herein may be implemented for windows and/or other openings. 
       FIG.  5    is an exemplary flow diagram illustrating an example process  500  in accordance with one or more disclosed features described herein. At step  501  a door handle actuation signal is received. Although a door is discussed in this example, any other entry point, such as a window, is contemplated as part of the disclosure. At step  502 , it is determined which door handle was actuated, for example, the inside handle or the outside handle. If it is determined that the inside handle was actuated, a first function may be performed at step  503 . If it is determined that the outside handle was actuated, a second function may be performed at step  504 . 
     In some embodiments, step  503  may include generating a first audible alarm for a particular time period and then generating a second audible alarm after the first alarm. This may be useful in scenarios where an occupant turns an inside door handle to open a door to exit while the alarm system is armed. A first audible alarm might be a chirp or other warning to the user that the alarm system is armed. Continuing the example, after a period of chirp, the main alarm may be generated. The period gives the occupant time to disable the alarm before it goes to next level. In other embodiments, based on user preferences, for example, no alarms or other notifications may be triggered based on opening of the inside portion of the door handle or other device. However, should the door handle on the outside be actuated, in step  504 , the full alarm may be triggered. 
     In still other embodiments, a particular alarm type in steps  503  and  504  may be selected based on the time of day. For example, a first alarm may be used during the day and a second alarm may be used during the night. 
     In some embodiments, at step  504 , a camera  310  may be controlled, by security system  319  for example, to capture an image around the outside door handle, in response to receiving a signal indicative of actuation of the external door handle  402 . This may be useful when the outside handle is tested or operated, regardless of whether or not the door is subsequently opened. For example, it would be useful to have photographic evidence of any attempted entry to a premises. 
     In addition, at step  504 , in some embodiments, responsive to actuation of door handle  402 , security system  319  may control a light  311  to be turned on, for example, to illuminate the area around the outside of door  304 . This illumination may scare off a would-be intruder. In some embodiments, the illumination may make it easier for a user to find their keys, should it be dark outside, and actuation of the door  304  handle may cause the light to come on. 
     In some embodiments, step  504  may include sending of a notification via email by security system  319  or gateway  111  upon detection of an outside handle actuation signal. Example notifications may include simply a notice of the action and the time of occurrence or the notification may include, for example, an image captured by camera  310 , as discussed above. In some embodiments, notifications may be restricted or enabled during certain time periods so as to not annoy an occupant. 
     In some embodiments, the method illustrated in  FIG.  5    may further include an alarm mode and a visual indicator to indicate the alarm mode. In step  503 , the alarm mode may be changed automatically upon determining that an inside door handle was actuated. This may be useful, for example, to change the alarm mode from a mode where interior premises proximity sensors are disabled to a mode where they are enabled. 
     In some embodiments, the alarm system  319  may accept a voice command to disable the alarm. In other embodiments, the voice command may be accepted by handle set  400 . 
     In still other embodiments, door handles  401  and  402  may be actuated to provide input, such as a command, to alarm system  319 . For example, the actuation of both door handles may disarm, arm or change the mode of the alarm. A particular sequence of actuating one handle and/or the other may provide input to the alarm system  319 . As an example, it may be convenient for a premises occupant to enable the alarm system by actuating the door handles on their way out of the premises. This may save the occupant from having to visit alarm panel  308  to enable the alarm system. As an example, the occupant might actuate the inside door handle (or window handle) once, followed by actuating the outside door handle (or window handle) twice and then the inside door handle (or window handle) once again. This may signal the alarm system  319  to arm the alarm mode. Given these examples, it should be known that there are many other possible commands that may be input through the door handle or window handle manipulation methods as described herein. 
     In some embodiments, the method of  FIG.  5    may further include learning the user or occupant behavior in order to adjust alarm settings or modes. For example, the occupant may set the alarm system  319  to a particular mode at night. The occupant may routinely open the door at a particular time, to let out a pet, for example. The alarm system  319  may keep track of the occupant&#39;s interaction with the alarm system and perform steps for the occupant, without the occupant&#39;s request. Continuing the example, if the alarm system  319  determines that the occupant routinely opens a door (or window) at 5 am, and the occupant changes an alarm mode to another mode, such as a day mode, at that time, the alarm system  319  may automatically make the change for the occupant. 
       FIG.  6    is an exemplary flow diagram illustrating an example process  600  in accordance with one or more disclosed features described herein. Although a door is being discussed in this example, any other entry point, such as a window, is contemplated as part of the disclosure. 
     At step  601  a first sensor may be monitored. In some embodiments, the first sensor may provide an indication of the position of an inside door handle. 
     At step  602  a second sensor may be monitored. In some embodiments, the second sensor may provide an indication of the position of an outside door handle. 
     At step  603 , a door position sensor may be monitored. 
     At step  604 , a door state may be determined. In some embodiments, the door state may include the inside door handle position, the outside door handle position, the door position, and information about whether the door is locked or not. 
     In some embodiments, the door state at  604  may be compared to a previous door state to determine that a door event has taken place. For example, the door might have been opened following the actuation of the outside door handle. By comparing two door states, for sake of example, two consecutive door states, a change in door state can be determined. In some embodiments, a door state transition table may be created and referred to, in order to interpret the meaning of a door event. This state transition table may be implemented in security system application  201   a,  for example. 
     In cases where the outside handle  402  is actuated, but the door is not opened, an attempted entry may be determined. An attempted entry may occur, for example, when a would-be intruder tests the door security by turning the door knob to see if the door will open. When an attempted entry is detected, an illumination may be provided by security system  319 , in some embodiments, for example, via light  311 . Continuing the example, camera  310  may be controlled to capture an image of the would-be intruder. The resulting image may be stored or transmitted to a security service or law enforcement, in some embodiments. 
     In another embodiment, if the door were opened without the detecting of door handle actuation from inside or outside, a forced entry event may be recognized. A forced entry may occur if a door is kicked in, for example. In other words, the door was opened, but not by the normal means of actuating a door handle. In this example, various responses may be contemplated, including the immediate sounding of an alarm by the security system  319  and the notification of monitoring entity  317 . 
     In still another embodiment, if a door is opened using an exterior door handle  402 , but not subsequently closed, an incomplete entry may be recorded. This may indicate that someone entered but failed to close the door. This may be important to know, for example, if there are pets or children among the occupants. In this embodiment, alarm system  319  may provide a particular alert or notification. 
     In still another embodiment, if a door is opened using an interior door handle  401 , but not subsequently closed, an incomplete exit may be recorded. This may indicate that someone exited but failed to close the door. This may be important to know, for example, when there might be no more occupants on the premises and the door has been left open by the last occupant leaving. 
     In some other embodiments, if a door is opened, triggering an alarm, information about which of the interior or exterior door handles was actuated, if any, will allow a user to better understand the scenario that triggered the alarm. For example, the alarm may have been triggered by an entry or an exit. 
     Even in embodiments where the alarm may not be enabled, if a door is opened via actuation of a door handle, information about which of the interior or exterior door handles was actuated, will allow a user to better understand the scenario. For example, someone may have entered or exited the premises. 
     The responses to the above embodiments may be user configurable in the security system  319 . They may also be dependent on the time of day. 
     It can be seen that by having information about inside and outside door handle actuation, among other things, a security system can provide a more complete security status to a user and provide the beneficial functions as described herein. 
     The descriptions above are merely example embodiments of various concepts. They may be rearranged/divided/combined as desired, and one or more components or steps may be added or removed without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of this patent should only be determined by the claims that follow.