Patent ID: 7468676

Claim:
A method for overriding a notification feature of a door monitoring system that allows a user to remotely actuate a garage door by controlling a garage door opener operably coupled to the garage door; the garage door monitoring system comprising: a notification feature, wherein the notification feature comprises a means for sending a notification message to a user that a door is open for a period of time greater than a timer alarm period; a control unit comprising a system override state wherein the notification feature of a garage door monitoring system is disabled while allowing other functions to continue, and a system enabled state wherein the notification feature of the garage door monitoring system is enabled; a door status sensor operably coupled to the control unit, the door status sensor comprising a door open state and a door closed state, and positioned to detect the status of the garage door; wherein the door open state indicates that the door is open and the door closed state indicates that the door is closed; and an override switch operably coupled to the control unit, the override switch comprising an override state and a enabled state, wherein asserting the override switch to the override state puts the door monitoring system in the system override state and asserting the enable state puts the door monitoring system in the system enable state; the method comprising steps of: sensing the state of the override switch; setting the door monitoring system in the system override state when the override switch is in the override state, wherein the notification feature of the garage door monitoring system is disabled while allowing at least one other monitoring or control feature of the door monitoring system to continue functioning; and setting the door monitoring system in an enabled state when the door status sensor is in the door closed state, wherein the notification feature of the garage door monitoring system is enabled to send a message to the user in the event the garage door is later opened for a period of time greater than the timer alarm period.