Patent Document ID: 8675066
Application ID: 12893162
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A monitoring system comprising: a camera unit configured to capture images of an area corresponding to a location of the camera unit; a remote monitoring server that is located remote from the camera unit and that is configured to process image data captured by camera units associated with multiple, different customers of a monitoring company; a gateway that is configured to communicate with the camera unit using a short range wireless protocol and that is configured to communicate, over a network, with the remote monitoring server; and at least one processor of the camera unit configured to perform operations comprising: detecting an event that is indicative of potential physical activity within the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit; in response to detection of the event that is indicative of potential physical activity within the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit, controlling the camera unit to capture one or more images of the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit; analyzing the one or more images captured by the camera unit to determine whether the one or more images captured by the camera unit include image data that is indicative of relevant physical activity within the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit; transmitting, from the camera unit to the gateway, the one or more images captured by the camera unit based on a determination that the one or more images captured by the camera unit include image data that is indicative of relevant physical activity within the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit; and discarding the one or more images captured by the camera unit based on a determination that the one or more images captured by the camera unit do not include image data that is indicative of relevant physical activity within the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit, wherein the gateway is separate from the camera unit and configured to perform operations comprising: in response to receipt of the one or more images captured by the camera unit, accessing one or more security system rules that control whether the one or more images captured by the camera unit are transmitted from the gateway to the remote monitoring server based on one or more events sensed by a security system that monitors a property associated with the area corresponding to the location of the camera unit, the security system including sensors that are separate from the camera unit and that are configured to sense events related to security of the monitored property and the one or more security system rules defining security system event information that indicates activity in the property that confirms the potential physical activity that resulted in the camera unit capturing the one or more images; comparing one or more security system events sensed by the sensors included in the security system to the one or more security system rules that define security system event information that indicates activity in the property that confirms the potential physical activity that resulted in the camera unit capturing the one or more images, the one or more security system events occurring after the camera unit captured the one or more images and being different than the event indicative of potential physical activity that resulted in the camera unit capturing the one or more images; based on the comparison of the one or more security system events to the one or more security system rules, determining whether to transmit, from the gateway to the remote monitoring server, the one or more images that were captured by the camera unit in response to the event indicative of potential physical activity; and based on a determination to transmit the one or more images captured by the camera unit from the gateway to the remote monitoring server, transmitting, from the gateway to the remote monitoring server, the one or more images captured by the camera unit.