Environmental condition detector with audible alarm and voice identifier
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Abstract
Due to the presence of various environmental condition detectors in the home and businesses such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, natural gas detectors, etc., each having individual but similar sounding alarm patterns, it can be difficult for occupants of such dwellings to immediately determine the specific type of environmental condition that exists during an alarm condition. The present invention comprises an environmental condition detector using both tonal pattern alarms and pre-recorded voice messages to indicate information about the environmental condition being sensed. Single-station battery-powered and 120 VAC detectors are described as are multiple-station interconnected 120 VAC powered detectors. The pre-recorded voice messages describe the type of environmental condition detected or the location of the environmental condition detector sensing the condition, or both, in addition to the tonal pattern alarm. Provisions are made for multi-lingual pre-recorded voice messages.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1-21. -21. (cancelled)
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22. An ambient condition detector comprising:
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first and second, ambient condition sensors;
control electronics coupled to the sensors wherein the electronics emits at least two, different, unalterable pre-established alarm indicating tonal, output patterns wherein each pattern includes predetermined silent intervals and each is associated with a respective one of the sensors;
voice output circuitry, coupled to the electronics, wherein the voice circuitry can output at least two different user unalterable, verbal alarm output messages wherein each of the messages is associated with a respective one of the tonal output patterns and verbalizes the respective alarm type and wherein the control electronics, in response to a detected alarm condition, outputs an audio representation of a respective one of the tonal patterns and an interleaved respective verbal alarm type message in a respective silent interval;
wherein each tonal output pattern defines groups of substantially identical output tones with constant intragroup spacing of a first amount and constant intergroup spacing of a second amount wherein the second amount is at least two times greater than the first amount; and
a common housing for the sensors, the electronics and the output circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An ambient condition detector comprising:
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a fire sensor and a gas sensor;
control electronics coupled to the sensors wherein the electronics emits at least first and second, different, unalterable alarm indicating tonal, output patterns wherein each pattern includes groups of spaced apart tones separated by longer intergroup silent intervals and wherein each output pattern is associated with a respective one of the sensors;
voice output circuitry, coupled to the electronics, wherein the voice circuitry includes at least two pre-established, user unalterable, verbal alarm output messages wherein each of the messages is associated with a respective one of the tonal output patterns and verbalizes the respective alarm type and wherein the control electronics, in response to a detected alarm condition, outputs an audio representation of a respective one of the tonal patterns and an interleaved respective verbal alarm type message in a respective intergroup silent interval;
wherein the first tonal output pattern, associated with the fire sensor, comprises a selected number of tones in each group with intragroup tonal spacing less than 50% of the respective intergroup silent interval and wherein the second tonal output pattern, associated with the gas sensor, comprises a greater number of tones in each group than the selected number of tones; and
a common housing for the sensors, the electronics and the output circuitry.
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31. An ambient condition detector comprising:
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at least one ambient condition sensor;
control electronics coupled to the at least one sensor wherein the electronics emits at least one, unalterable pre-established alarm indicating tonal, output pattern, the pattern includes groups of substantially identical output tones with constant intragroup spacing of a first amount and constant intergroup spacing of a second amount wherein the second amount is at least two times greater than the first amount;
voice output circuitry, coupled to the electronics, where the voice circuitry can output at least one user unalterable, verbal alarm output message and wherein the control electronics, in response to a detected alarm condition, repetitively outputs an audio representation of a tonal pattern and an interleaved repetitive verbal alarm type message in respective intergroup spacings;
an audio transducer coupled to the voice output circuitry which emits only verbal alarm output messages; and
a common housing for the sensor, the electronics, the output circuitry and the audio transducer. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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Specification