Abstract: Example techniques may involve guest access to a media playback system. A guest may use a guest control device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to control aspects of a host's media playback system. In addition, the guest may temporarily register their user account of a streaming audio service with the host's media playback system, which enables playback of audio content from that service by one or more playback devices of the media playback system. When the guest control device de-registers from the host's media playback system, retrieval of audio content from the streaming audio service is disabled.

Abstract: The problems of allowing organizations to more easily connect teachers with learners and facilitating knowledge transfer from the teachers to the learners is addressed by methods and systems that provides members/employees of an organization with personal wallets that contain funds. Members/employees provide instruction to one another, transferring funds from a wallet associated with the learner to a wallet associated with the teacher either before or after the instruction is provided. In some cases, feedback on the teacher's performance is collected and the amount of funds transferred to the teacher for providing the instruction to the learner is based on the feedback. In some cases, after the learner completes the instruction, a skills wallet associated with the learner is updated to show that the learner has received the instruction. In some cases, learner or teacher performance is displayed to the organization via a leaderboard or other performance display.

Abstract: In some implementations, geolocation polling can include actions of receiving a location update from a user device of a user, determining an earliest time of arrival of the user to a home, determining, based on the earliest time of arrival, a time interval for a next location update, and providing instructions to the user device of the time interval for a next location update.

Abstract: A system and method are provided wherein, in at least one form, artificial intelligence is used to identify objects in a document to be considered for metallic rendering or printing on a substrate. Then, the options for printing, including the considerations for rendering in metallic toner or ink, are, in at least one form, presented to the user for acceptance or rejection before the actual printing is initiated.

Abstract: Described herein is environmental sensors, sensor units, sensor systems and/or sensing methods. In particular, an agricultural or horticultural environment multi-sensor unit comprising a plurality of environmental sensors, including at least: an incident light sensor, a temperature sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor and a relative humidity sensor. The sensor unit may also comprise a wireless communication interface, the multi-sensor unit being configured to transmit data from the environmental sensors via the wireless communications interface.

Abstract: An apparatus including a bracket, an upper rack engagement tab, a lower rack engagement tab; and a lock pin hole. The bracket has a rack attachment member and a guard attachment member. The lock pin hole is defined by the rack attachment member and structured to receive a lock pin having a stabilizing leg coupled to a lock pin head. Each engagement tab is coupled to the rack attachment member. Each engagement tab includes a stem portion coupled to the rack attachment member and a head portion having a greater cross-sectional area than the stem portion. The guard attachment member defines a guard attachment hole positioned at a rack guard spacing distance from the rack attachment member, and the stabilizing leg has a geometry such that the lock pin head is urged toward the lock pin hole when the stabilizing leg is passed through the lock pin hole.

Abstract: Described herein is environmental sensors, sensor units, sensor systems and/or sensing methods. In particular, an agricultural or horticultural environment multi-sensor unit comprising a plurality of environmental sensors, including at least: an incident light sensor, a temperature sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor and a relative humidity sensor. The sensor unit may also comprise a wireless communication interface, the multi-sensor unit being configured to transmit data from the environmental sensors via the wireless communications interface.

Abstract: Systems for use in one or more sludge or waste collection devices (e.g., containers, vessels or basins). One such system is a sludge removal system for removing sludge from one or more sludge collection devices. The sludge removal system includes one or more sludge removal grids disposed in one or more sludge collection devices. Each sludge removal grid preferably includes at least one header and a plurality of sludge collection laterals. Another such system includes a fluid distribution system for distributing one or more fluids in one or more sludge or waste collection devices. A movement restricting or prevention member is provided in both the fluid distribution and sludge removal systems to prevent or restrict movement of the sludge collection laterals and the fluid distribution laterals away from or towards a floor of a corresponding collection device without anchoring or fixing the laterals to the floor.

Abstract: An edible piñata system may have an edible piñata including edible upper and lower shells, a hanging rod for attaching the edible piñata to a hanging assembly, a support plate for supporting the edible piñata and edible contents, and the hanging assembly for supporting the edible piñata, hanging rod, and support plate to suspend the edible piñata for consumption. The edible piñata system may be made by a method for producing an edible piñata.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for monitoring screen activity of a computing device and performing designated system actions based on the monitored activity. In some implementations, activity data indicating usage of a computing device by a user within a property over a particular time period is obtained. Sensor data collected by a monitoring system that monitors the property over the particular time period is then obtained. An activity monitoring rule that specifies (i) one or more conditions associated with usage of the computing device by the user, and (ii) an action to perform in response to satisfaction of the one or more conditions is identified. A determination that the activity data and the sensor data satisfy the one or more conditions specified by the activity monitoring rule is made. The action specified by the activity monitoring rule is then performed in response to the determination.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for state and event monitoring. In some implementations, images captured by a camera are obtained, the images depicting an area of a property. Two or more images of the images are provided to a machine learning model. An output of the machine learning model is obtained, the output corresponding to the two or more images. One or more potential states of the area of the property are determined using the output of the machine learning model, each state of the one or more potential states corresponding to an image in the two or more images. An action is performed based on the one or more potential states.

Abstract: Systems for use in one or more sludge or waste collection devices (e.g., containers, vessels or basins). One such system is a sludge removal system for removing sludge from one or more sludge collection devices. The sludge removal system includes one or more sludge removal grids disposed in one or more sludge collection devices. Each sludge removal grid preferably includes at least one header and a plurality of sludge collection laterals. Another such system includes a fluid distribution system for distributing one or more fluids in one or more sludge or waste collection devices. A movement restricting or prevention member is provided in both the fluid distribution and sludge removal systems to prevent or restrict movement of the sludge collection laterals and the fluid distribution laterals away from or towards a floor of a corresponding collection device without anchoring or fixing the laterals to the floor.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for charging devices at a property using battery-charging drones. In some implementations, a monitoring system is configured to monitor a property and includes a battery-powered sensor configured to generate sensor data. The system includes a drone that is configured to navigate the property and charge the battery-powered sensor. A monitor control unit is configured to obtain a battery level from the battery-powered sensor and compare the battery level to a battery level threshold. Based on the comparison, the monitor control unit determines that the battery level does not satisfy the threshold. Based on the determination, the monitor control unit generates and transmits an instruction to a drone for the drone to navigate to the battery-powered sensor and charge a battery of the battery-powered sensor. The monitor control unit receives data from the drone that indicates whether the drone charged the battery of the sensor.

Abstract: Devices and methods associated with these devices for significantly improving the efficiency of an existing or new filter having a granular media filter bed. The methods and devices are designed to increase the height and hence overall volume of the filter bed to allow for longer filtration runs between washing or cleaning cycles of the granular media filter bed. One embodiment includes a multi-wash trough adapter that upon removal of an existing deep wash trough connects two shallow wash troughs or two shallow wash trough channels to an existing wash trough opening formed in a wall of a filter compartment. The shallow members have a height significantly less than the height of the existing deep wash trough, e.g., one third to one half of the height of the existing deep wash trough allowing the volume of the granular media filter bed to be significantly increased.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for using a drone to monitor a community. The drone may include a processor and a storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations may include receiving an instruction to deploy based on a determination, by a community monitoring system that an event was detected at a property of the community, navigating towards the property along an initial navigation path, obtaining local monitoring system data from a local monitoring system of a property of the community, generating based on the local monitoring system data a navigational model that identifies a location of each of one or more surveillance objectives, determining an adjusted navigation path to a location of a surveillance objective of the one or more surveillance objectives, and navigating along the adjusted navigation path.

Abstract: A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property includes a connected scale device that is configured to receive a package, determine a weight of the package, and after determining the weight of the package, arm the connected scale device, and a monitoring control unit that is configured to receive, from the connected scale device, data indicating that the connected scale device received the package and the connected scale device is armed, and based on receiving the data indicating that the connected scale device received the package and the connected scale device is armed, communicate, to a user device of a resident of the property, a notification indicating that the connected scale device received the package.