Baby car seat alert and range alarm

• US 20030122662A1
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David R. Quinonez
• Original Assignee: David R. Quinonez
• Inventors: Quinonez, David R.
• Application Number:
  US10/033,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122662A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/457
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2839 having a front guard or barrier
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0205 Specific application combined with child monitoring using a transmitter-receiver system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for warning when a child has been left in a baby car seat and when one or both of: (i) a vehicle door has been opened, and (ii) a key ring remote unit is not within a predetermined zone about the vehicle. The apparatus includes a child detection mechanism for detecting the presence of a child within a baby car seat located within the vehicle; a door position detection mechanism for detecting the state of the driver side door of the vehicle; a range detection mechanism for detecting the range of a key ring remote from the vehicle; a control unit for generating an alarm signal when the child detection mechanism detects the presence of a child within the infant seat and either or both: (i) the door position detection mechanism detects that the state of the driver vehicle door position has been modified from a “closed” position to some other position, and (ii) the range detection mechanism detects that the key ring remote is no longer within the predetermined range from the vehicle; and alarm units for generating an alarm or alarms in response to the alarm signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

(a) a child state detector for detecting the presence of a child within a baby car seat located within a vehicle;

(b) a component selected from a group consisting of;

(i) a door state sensor for detecting the state of a driver door of the vehicle and capable of being activated by an open driver door;

(ii) a range detector for detecting the distance of a driver possessing a key ring remote from the baby car seat located within the vehicle and capable of being activated by removing the key ring remote a predetermined distance from the child state detector;

(c) a control unit for generating an alarm signal when the selected component activates and provides a signal to the control unit; and

(d) a power unit for supplying electrical power to the control unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected component is the door state sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected component is the range detector.

4. The range detector of claim 3 wherein the range detector further comprises the key ring remote.

5. The key ring remote of claim 4 wherein the key ring remote further comprises a wireless child state activation receiver.

6. The child state detector of claim 1 wherein the child state detector further comprises a wireless transmitter.

7. The child state detector of claim 6 wherein the child state detector couples to a harness of the baby car seat.

8. The child state detector of claim 6 wherein the wireless transmitter is capable of generating a signal receivable by a wireless child state activation receiver, the key ring remote including the wireless child state activation receiver.

9. The key ring remote of claim 8 wherein the wireless child state activation receiver is capable of discriminating the signal based upon predetermined criteria.

10. The wireless child state activation receiver of claim 9 wherein the predetermined criteria includes signal strength.