Distributed alarm system

• US 20030141970A1
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kulack, Frederick Allyn, Dettinger, Richard Dean
• Granted Patent: US 6,741,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention generally is directed to an alarm device that includes a network interface configured to receive an alarm control signal, an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target, and a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm. The processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions only after a presence of the target is detected proximate to the alarm device.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an alarm device, comprising;

a network interface configured to receive an alarm control signal;

an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target; and

a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions only after a presence of the target is detected proximate to the alarm device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alarm control signal is from an alarm control signal origination device communicably linked to the alarm device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a remotely located detector configured to detect the presence of the target and configured to cause the alarm control signal origination device to issue the alarm control signal in response to detecting the presence of the target.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alarm device further comprises a detector interface configured to receive a detection signal indicating the presence of the target.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the alarm device further comprises a detector configured to generate the detection signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a distributor communicably linked between the alarm device and the alarm control signal origination device, the distributor being configured to receive the alarm control signal from the alarm control signal origination device and forward the alarm control signal to the alarm device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive an acknowledgment signal indicating that the target has acknowledged the alarm.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the alarm control signal is from an alarm control signal origination device communicably linked to the alarm device;

and wherein the network interface is further configured to forward the acknowledgment signal to the alarm control signal origination device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network interface is further configured to forward the acknowledgment signal to one or more distributors communicably linked between the alarm device and the alarm control signal origination device, each distributor being configured to receive the acknowledgment signal from the alarm device and forward the acknowledgment signal to the alarm control signal origination device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alarm device further comprising a circuit for generating the alarm control signal.

11. A method of processing an alarm control signal in an alarm device, comprising:

receiving an alarm control signal indicating that an alarm issuance to a target is requested;

detecting whether the target is proximate to the alarm device in response to the receipt of the alarm control signal; and

issuing an alarm to the target if the target is detected as being proximate to the alarm device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the target is detected as not being proximate to the alarm device, then forwarding the alarm control signal to another alarm device communicably linked to the alarm device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

if the target is detected as not being proximate to the alarm device, then forwarding the alarm control signal to one or more distributors communicably linked between the alarm device and the other alarm device, each distributor being configured to receive the alarm control signal from the alarm device and forward the alarm control signal to the other alarm device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement signal indicating that the target has acknowledged the alarm.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the alarm control signal is from an alarm control signal origination device communicably linked to the alarm device, the method further comprising:

forwarding the acknowledgment signal to the alarm control signal origination device when the acknowledgment signal is received by the alarm device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

forwarding the acknowledgment signal to one or more distributors communicably linked between the alarm device and the alarm control signal origination device, each distributor being configured to receive the acknowledgment signal from the alarm device and forward the acknowledgment signal to the alarm control signal origination device.

17. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

assigning a state value of alarm pending when the alarm control signal is received; and

changing a state value to alarm satisfied when the acknowledgment signal is received.

18. A computer program for processing an alarm control signal in an alarm device embodied in a computer program, the computer program comprising:

a code segment for receiving an alarm control signal indicating that an alarm issuance to a target is requested; and

a code segment for detecting whether the target is proximate to the alarm device in response to the receipt of the alarm control signal.

19. The computer program of claim 18, further comprising:

a code segment for issuing an alarm to the target if the target is detected as being proximate to the alarm device.

20. The computer program of claim 18, further comprising:

a code segment for forwarding the alarm control signal to another alarm device communicably linked to the alarm device if the target is detected as not being proximate to the alarm device.

21. The computer program of claim 20, further comprising:

a code segment for forwarding the alarm control signal to one or more distributors communicably linked between the alarm device and the other alarm device, each distributor being configured to receive the alarm control signal from the alarm device and forward the alarm control signal to the other alarm device, if the target is detected as not being proximate to the alarm device.

22. The computer program of claim 18, further comprising:

a code segment receiving an acknowledgement signal indicating that the target has acknowledged the alarm.

23. The computer program of claim 22, wherein the alarm control signal is from an alarm control signal origination device communicably linked to the alarm device, the computer program further comprising:

a code segment for forwarding the acknowledgment signal to the alarm control signal origination device when the acknowledgment signal is received by the alarm device.

24. A clustered alarm system, comprising:

an alarm control signal origination device for originating an alarm control signal;

a detector for detecting a target; and

one or more alarm devices communicably linked to the alarm control signal origination device, each alarm device comprising;

a network interface configured to receive the alarm control signal;

an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target; and

a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions when the detector detects the target.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the detector is a component of at least one of the one or more alarm devices.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising one or more distributors communicably linked between the alarm control signal origination device and the one or more alarm devices, each distributor being configured to receive the alarm control signal from the alarm control signal origination device and forward the alarm control signal to the alarm device.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive an acknowledgment signal indicating that the target has acknowledged the alarm.