# US 10,504,312 B2 · Application and platform for temporary control over property access functions > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,504,312 B2 - Document ID: US10504312B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/943,430 - Filed: 2018-04-02 - Published: 2018-10-11 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-08 - Assignees: HomeAway.com, Inc. - Applicants: HomeAway.com, Inc. - Inventors: Ryan Hedley Turner; Daniel Steven Haligas; Velayudhan Pillai Venugopal; Alex Holm Devine - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504312B2 ## CPC - G07C 9/38: with central registration - G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events - G06Q 30/0645: Rental transactions; Leasing transactions - G07C 9/00174: {Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys (mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00)} - G07C 9/00571: {operated by interacting with a central unit} - G07C 9/00896: {specially adapted for particular uses} - H04L 61/4535: using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers - H04M 15/56: {for VoIP communications} - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - G07B 15/00: Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points (handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00) - G07C 2209/08: With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G07B: TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS ## Abstract A computing device may be configured to transition control over one or more functions of a rental unit to a user (e.g., a traveler) based on one or more of time, geo-location and access credentials. Access may be granted to the traveler to use one or more home automation functions including a HVAC system, a thermostat, lighting, security alarm, automated door locks, etc. An owner of the rental unit may have access to some or all of the home automation functions blocked during the traveler's stay at the rental unit, and at an end of the stay owner access to those functions may be enabled. Some functions may be activated prior to the traveler's arrival at the unit based on a time to arrival and/or distance from the unit. An application on a traveler's computing device may be configured to summon a repair service for the unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method comprising: under control of one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions, receiving data representing an estimated time of arrival of a traveler computing device to a housing unit; receiving data representing a relative time, with respect to the estimated time of arrival, at which an automated function of the housing unit is to be activated; determining a function activation time for the automated function based at least partly on the estimated time of arrival and the relative time; determining an estimated location at which the traveler computing device is expected to be at the function activation time; determining, based at least partly on the traveler computing device being at the estimated location at the function activation time, to active the automated function of the housing unit; and activating the automated function of the housing unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein activating the automated function comprises activating one of: a temperature control function, a security function, or a lighting function. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving location data representing a location of the traveler computing device at a first time prior to the function activation time; determining a velocity of the traveler computing device at the first time; determining a second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the velocity and location of the traveler computing device at the first time; and modifying the function activation time based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein modifying the function activation time is based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit and a rule regarding activation of the automated function during individual time periods of a day. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving location data representing a location of the traveler computing device at a first time prior to the function activation time; determining a velocity of the traveler computing device at the first time; determining a second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the velocity and location of the traveler computing device at the first time; and modifying the estimated location at which the traveler computing device is expected to be at the function activation time based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving data representing a second relative time, with respect to the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit, at which a second automated function of the housing unit is to be activated; determining a second function activation time for the second automated function based at least partly on the estimated time of arrival and the second relative time; and activating the second automated function of the housing unit at the second function activation time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving location data representing a current location of the traveler computing device; receiving velocity data representing a current velocity of the traveler computing device; determining, using the location data, a distance between the current location of the traveler computing device and a location of the housing unit; and determining the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the distance and the velocity data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a parameter for activation of the automated function based at least partly on at least one of: a time period of a day in which the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit is to occur, or a season of a year in which the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit is to occur. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: a computer-readable memory storing executable instructions; and one or more processors in communication with the computer-readable memory and configured by the executable instructions to at least: receive data representing an estimated time of arrival of a traveler computing device to a housing unit; receive data representing a relative time, with respect to the estimated time of arrival, at which an automated function of the housing unit is to be activated; determine a function activation time for the automated function based at least partly on the estimated time of arrival and the relative time; determine an estimated location at which the traveler computing device is expected to be at the function activation time; determine, based at least partly on the traveler computing device being at the estimated location at the function activation time, to active the automated function of the housing unit; and activate the automated function of the housing unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the automated function comprises one of: a temperature control function, a security function, or a lighting function. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein one or more processors are further configured by the executable instructions to at least: receive location data representing a location of the traveler computing device at a first time prior to the function activation time; determine a velocity of the traveler computing device at the first time; determine a second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the velocity and location of the traveler computing device at the first time; and modify the function activation time based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the function activation time is modified based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit and a rule regarding activation of the automated function during individual time periods of a day. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein one or more processors are further configured by the executable instructions to at least: receive location data representing a location of the traveler computing device at a first time prior to the function activation time; determine a velocity of the traveler computing device at the first time; determine a second estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the velocity and location of the traveler computing device at the first time; and modify the estimated location at which the traveler computing device is expected to be at the function activation time based at least partly on the second estimated time of arrival. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein one or more processors are further configured by the executable instructions to at least: receive data representing a second relative time, with respect to the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit, at which a second automated function of the housing unit is to be activated; determine a second function activation time for the second automated function based at least partly on the estimated time of arrival and the second relative time; and activate the second automated function of the housing unit at the second function activation time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein one or more processors are further configured by the executable instructions to at least: receive location data representing a current location of the traveler computing device; receive velocity data representing a current velocity of the traveler computing device; determine, using the location data, a distance between the current location of the traveler computing device and a location of the housing unit; and determine the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit based at least partly on the distance and the velocity data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein one or more processors are further configured by the executable instructions to at least determine a parameter for activation of the automated function based at least partly on at least one of: a time period of a day in which the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit is to occur, or a season of a year in which the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device at the housing unit is to occur. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, further comprising: a communication interface in communication with the one or more processors; and a mobile application configured to execute on the traveler computing device, wherein the mobile application causes the traveler computing device to at least: determine a current location of the traveler computing device; determine a velocity of the traveler computing device; and transmit, to the communication interface, data representing the current location and the velocity. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, further comprising: a communication interface in communication with the one or more processors; and a mobile application configured to execute on the traveler computing device, wherein the mobile application causes the traveler computing device to at least: determine the estimated time of arrival of the traveler computing device to the housing unit; determine the estimated location at which the traveler computing device is expected to be at the function activation time; and transmit, to the communication interface, the data representing the estimated time of arrival and data representing the estimated location.