Baby car seat alarm system

• US 20070057799A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Debra Sommese, Joseph Monzo, William Timm
• Inventors: Sommese, Debra, Timm, William, Monzo, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,348,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• 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 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A system and method to warn that a child has been left unattended in the vehicle for a pre-set period of time after the ignition has been turned off. The system includes a sensing device to detect if a child is in the infant seat, an ignition detection device to detect that the ignition has been turned off, a timing microprocessor device to time the pre-set period of time and to generate an alarm and a page, a prerecorded voice message and speaker, a reset button to reset the timing of the pre-set period of time if desired by the caregiver, and an FM antenna with a manual page button.

Claims

1. An apparatus and system to operate as a warning system for detecting a child left unattended for a pre-set period of time in a car seat in a vehicle which has been turned off. Such apparatus is comprising:

means for detecting the presence of an occupant within the infant/booster seat within a vehicle;

means for detecting a state of a vehicle'"'"'s ignition system;

means for generating an alarm signal and a page when the detection means detects the presence of an occupant within the car seat, and the means for detecting the state of the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system detects the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system has been turned from an “

on”

state to an “

off”

state, and the timing processor control means times that the 96 second pre-set period of time has elapsed;

electrical power means for supplying the electrical power to the control means an alarm responsive to the alarm signal;

recordable voice and siren module responsive to the timing processor control;

a sound card and speakers to generate the alarm;

a pager control system to generate the page;

2 pagers to receive the page if within ⅓

of a mile from the pager control system in the vehicle;

an FM transmitter antenna with a manual page button and a status LED to blink when the system is powered;

a reset push switch to signal the timing processor control to restart the timing of the pre-set period of time.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the presence of an occupant comprises an occupant sensor located within the infant seat.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the status of the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system comprises a power relay to enable or disable the system.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for generating an alarm and a page comprises a timing processor control and a relay output to a sound card and a paging system.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for sounding the alarm comprises a speaker.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for generating a page comprises a pager control and an FM transmitter antenna.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for receiving a page comprises a pager.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for generating a manual page comprises a manual page button on the FM transmitter antenna.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for resetting the system timer comprises a reset push switch connected to the timing processor control.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means for a timing processor control allows for the timing of the factory pre-set time period of 96 seconds. The pre-set time period is variable only during the manufacturing process.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means for a recordable voice module allows a voice message to be played as the alarm. The factory set voice message is the sound of a baby crying. The voice message is variable at any time and can be re-recorded by the user.