Method and apparatus for pool alarm system

• US 20030222782A1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sylvain Gaudreau
• Original Assignee: Sylvain Gaudreau
• Inventors: Gaudreau, Sylvain
• Application Number:
  US10/160,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222782A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/082 by monitoring electrical characteristics of the water

Abstract

a pool alarm system in combination with a swimming pool comprising: a detection mechanism for detecting intrusion into the pool and generating a detection output signal; a first alarm receiving the detection output signal and sounding the first alarm; a timer circuit triggered by the first alarm and generating a timer exceeded output signal after a predetermined time has lapsed; a second alarm receiving the timer exceeded output signal and sounding the second alarm; and a stop mechanism to shut off the first alarm and the second alarm; wherein the first alarm is a local alarm to be heard by people inside or around the pool and the second alarm is a general alarm to be heard by surrounding neighbors. Also described is a method for detecting intrusion in a swimming pool comprising: activating a first low-level intensity alarm to alert a person in the pool without disrupting a surrounding area; providing a stop mechanism manually accessible near an edge of the swimming pool for deactivating the first alarm; activating a second higher-level intensity alarm to alert the surrounding area if the first alarm has not been deactivated within a predetermined time following its activation.

Claims

1. A pool alarm system in combination with a swimming pool comprising:

a detection mechanism for detecting intrusion into the pool and generating a detection output signal;

a first alarm receiving said detection output signal and sounding said first alarm;

a timer circuit triggered by said first alarm and generating a timer exceeded output signal after a predetermined time has lapsed;

a second alarm receiving said timer exceeded output signal and sounding said second alarm; and

a stop mechanism to shut off said first alarm and said second alarm;

wherein said first alarm is a local alarm to be heard by people inside or around the pool and said second alarm is a general alarm to be heard by surrounding neighbors.

2. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system is located at an edge of said swimming pool.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein said stop mechanism is manually accessible by a swimmer from within said swimming pool.

4. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection mechanism is a sonar transducer.

5. A combination as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third alarm, wherein said timer circuit is triggered by said second alarm and generates a second timer exceeded output signal to trigger said third alarm, and said third alarm is a very loud alarm to be heard in a wide area.

6. A combination as claimed in claim 5, wherein said third alarm is connected to a residential alarm system to transmit through a telephone line an emergency signal.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein said third alarm is connected to a lighting system to indicate the location of the swimming pool in the neighborhood, said lighting system triggered by said second timer exceeded output signal.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a water level indicator to indicate the positioning of said system with respect to the water in the swimming pool.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein said system further comprises a temperature indicator to indicate the outside temperature.

10. A combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein said system further comprises a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes to indicate the state of the system.

11. A combination as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a counter to be decremented by said detection mechanism each time a detection occurs, said counter triggering said first alarm.

12. A combination as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second detection mechanism to be placed within the same pool.

13. A combination as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a radio frequency module to communicate between said pool alarm system and said residential alarm system.

14. A method for detecting intrusion in a swimming pool comprising:

activating a first low-level intensity alarm to alert a person in the pool without disrupting a surrounding area;

providing a stop mechanism manually accessible near an edge of said swimming pool for deactivating said first alarm;

activating a second higher-level intensity alarm to alert said surrounding area if said first alarm has not been deactivated within a predetermined time following its activation.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising activating a third alarm connected to a residential alarm system and capable of sending an emergency signal through a telephone network, said third alarm activated if the second alarm has not been deactivated within a predetermined time following its activation.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said third alarm further comprises an audio alarm of louder intensity than said second high-level alarm.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising activating an illumination device to alert a large surrounding area of the location of the swimming pool with someone in danger, said illumination device activated in conjunction with said third alarm.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising providing an alarm sound distinctive from car alarms and home alarms.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising alerting neighbors of the presence of a detection apparatus in the swimming pool.

20. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising providing two modes of operation:

standby and watch, watch mode when detecting intrusion into the pool and standby mode while people are swimming safely in the pool.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising exiting watch mode and entering standby mode after the stop mechanism has been activated.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising exiting standby mode and entering watch mode a predetermined amount of time after a presence is no longer detected in the swimming pool.