Door bell answering system

• US 20040095254A1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Douglas D. Maruszczak
• Original Assignee: Douglas D. Maruszczak
• Inventors: Maruszczak, Douglas D.
• Application Number:
  US10/669,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095254A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/692
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A doorbell answering system includes is sensor to sense the presence of a visitor at an exterior panel. The system announces a message greeting to the visitor, asking the visitor to identify themselves. The visitor'"'"'s response is recorded by the exterior panel and played at an interior panel, allowing a resident to monitor the visitor'"'"'s response. The interior panel also records the visitor'"'"'s response for subsequent playback in a controlled manner via a control panel. The system may store multiple visitor messages, each identified by a date and time. During monitoring, the resident may open the door, ignore the visitor, or initiate a warning alarm, via two buttons provided at the interior panel. The resident may depress the two buttons, thereby sending a signal to the exterior panel to announce the warning alarm. In an example, the warning alarm is loud enough to cover an area, such as a neighborhood block, to ward off the visitor. The system also includes a safety light that may be activated when the sensor senses the visitor, to offer further protection to the resident.

Claims

1. A doorbell apparatus for mounting proximal to a door comprising:

a sensor for generating a signal in response to the presence of an individual at the door;

a first speaker for announcing a first audible event in response to the sensor'"'"'s signal;

a microphone for receiving a response to the first audible event from the individual;

a playback means for playing the response, the playback means having a monitoring mode and a controlled playback mode;

a storage means for storing the response;

a second speaker for announcing the stored response remotely from the microphone during the monitoring mode; and

a manually-controlled actuator for selectively announcing a second audible event at the first panel, in response to the announcing of the stored response.

2. The doorbell apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second audible event is a warning alarm.

3. The doorbell apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage means stores multiple responses to the first audible event.

4. The doorbell apparatus of claim 3, wherein the playback means further comprises a playback button, a forward button, and an erase button, for selectively accessing the multiple responses in the controlled playback mode.

5. The doorbell apparatus of claim 3, wherein the playback means includes an indicator indicating the number of responses recorded.

6. The doorbell apparatus of claim 3, wherein the storage means stores an identifier for each of the multiple responses.

7. The doorbell apparatus of claim 6, wherein the identifier is an audible time identifier.

8. The doorbell apparatus claim 1, further comprising:

a first panel including the sensor, the first speaker, and the microphone; and

a second panel including the playback means, the storage means, the second speaker, and the manually-controlled actuator.

9. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a light associated with the first panel, the light being activated in response to the signal from the sensor.

10. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first panel and the second panel are hard-wired to each other.

11. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first panel and the second panel are coupled together via a wireless link.

12. The doorbell apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second panel is powered by a power source for the first panel.

13. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first panel uses an internal power source.

14. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first panel uses an external power source.

15. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first panel further comprises a third speaker for announcing the second audible event, the third speaker having a coverage area large enough to announce the second audible event over an area of interest.

16. The doorbell apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second panel further comprises a microphone for recording the first audible event to be announced by the speaker.

17. The doorbell apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manually-controlled actuator comprises two buttons that are simultaneously depressed for actuation.

18. The doorbell apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memo record means.