GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM EQUIPPED HAZARD DETECTOR AND A SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING HAZARD ALERTS THEREBY

• US 20140313044A1
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jonathan Thompson, Latonya Slack
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Thompson, Latonya Slack
• Inventors: Thompson, Jonathan, Slack, Latonya
• Granted Patent: US 9,251,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations

Abstract

The present invention relates to detectors of hazardous environmental conditions (e.g., smoke, gas, motion). Specifically, the invention relates to a hazard detector configured to transmit and/or receive information related to hazardous environmental conditions based at least in part on the location of the hazard detector as identified through one or more location based service means (e.g., global positioning systems (GPS), cellular triangulation, Internet IP geolocation).

Claims

1. A hazard detector communicatively connected to one or more computing devices, said hazard detector comprising:

a power source;

a plurality of hazard detection means, wherein said plurality of hazard detection means are selected from the group consisting of;

a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a heat detector, a motion sensor, a video camera, a glass break sensor, a microphone, a Geiger counter and a water sensor, wherein said plurality of hazard detectors are configured to transmit, receive, and process information related to hazardous environmental conditions to and from said one or more computing devices;

an alert means configured to provide a perceptible alert to individuals in proximity of the hazard detector;

a geolocation means configured to identify the geographic location of the hazard detector;

a secondary location component comprising one or more of an accelerometer, a level device, or an altimeter; and

a control interface incorporating an interaction means selected from the group comprising a keyboard, a touchscreen, a voice recognition device and a wireless connection to a remote computing device, wherein said control interface provides said individuals in proximity of the hazard detector the ability to provide additional information about said hazardous environmental conditions by interacting with said interaction means of said control interface, including providing confirmation of the existence of said hazardous environmental condition and wherein the control interface further allows for individuals in proximity of the hazard detector to cause the hazard detector to perform a plurality of actions selected from the group comprising;

disarming one of said plurality of hazard detection means, adding a hazard detection means to said plurality of hazard detection means, removing a hazard detection means from said plurality of hazard detection means, requesting aid, checking status of said hazard detector and checking status of said power source;

wherein at least one of said one or more computing devices is a hazard detection and alert system configured to receive and transmit hazard information to one or more hazard detectors based on the location of said hazard detectors,

wherein said hazard detection and alert system is communicatively connected to a third party system that provides environmental hazard information, and is configured to receive information from said third party system.

2. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein said geolocation means is provided by a global positioning system.

3. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein said geolocation means is provided by cellular signal triangulation.

4. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein said alert means is one or more alert means selected from the group comprising, speakers, video displays, LEDs, warning lights, strobe lights, force feedback devices, electro stimulation devices and tone generators.

5. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein said connection to one or more computers is one or more of the following:

a satellite enabled connection, a cellular connection, a wireless connection, or a wired connection.

6. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein said power source comprises one or more power sources selected from the group comprising an AC power source, a DC power source, a battery powered power source, and a solar power source.

7. The hazard detection means of the hazard detector of claim 1 configured to detect the presence of one or more types of hazards.

8. The hazard detector of claim 7, wherein said hazard detection means is selected from the group comprising a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a heat detector, a motion sensor, a video camera, a glass break sensor, a microphone, a Geiger counter and a water sensor.

20. The hazard detector of claim 4, wherein the alert means comprises at least one visually perceptible alert means and one audibly perceptible alert means configured to provide alerts in sequence to inform the individuals in the proximity of the type and nature of the hazardous environmental conditions.

9. (canceled)

10. A method for providing hazard detection, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a hazard alert at a remote hazard detection and alert system;

identifying a geographic location of said hazard alert;

retrieving a list comprising identifiers for one or more hazard detectors in said geographic location;

transmitting an alert to said one or more hazard detectors, based at least in part on said hazard alert;

receiving information from said one or more hazard detectors about the veracity of an environmental hazard, wherein said veracity of said environmental hazard is provided to the remote hazard detection and alert system via a control interface on each of said one or more hazard detectors, wherein each control interface incorporates an interaction means selected from the group comprising a keyboard, a touchscreen, a voice recognition device and a wireless connection to a remote computing device, wherein said control interface provides individuals in proximity of the hazard detector the ability to provide additional information about said hazardous environmental conditions by interacting with said interaction means of said control interface, including providing confirmation of the existence of said hazardous environmental condition and wherein the control interface further allows for individuals in proximity of the hazard detector to cause the hazard detector to perform one or more actions selected from the group comprising;

disarming one of said plurality of hazard detection means, adding a hazard detection means to said plurality of hazard detection means, removing a hazard detection means from said plurality of hazard detection means, requesting aid, checking status of said hazard detector and checking status of said power source;

alerting people in the geographic location of the environmental hazard via said hazard detectors, wherein said alert comprises one or more of the following;

confirmation of a hazard alert, an appropriate escape route, time until rescue/emergency personnel arrive and information about how to mitigate harmful environmental effects of the environmental hazard.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said hazard alert is received from a third party alert system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said hazard alert is received from a first hazard detector.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said geographic location comprises a geographic area impacted by said hazard alert.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of generating alerts at each of said one or more hazard detectors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said alerts are perceptible to individuals in the proximity of the one or more hazard detectors

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving a response from one or more of said one or more hazard detectors at said remote hazard detection and alert system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said response is a request for emergency assistance.

18. A hazard detection system, comprising:

a hazard detector communicatively connected to one or more computing devices and configured to transmit and/or receive information related to hazardous environmental conditions to and from said one or more computing devices, said hazard detector comprising;

a power source,

a plurality of hazard detection means selected from the group consisting of;

a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a heat detector, a motion sensor, a video camera, a glass break sensor, a microphone, a Geiger counter and a water sensor, wherein said plurality of hazard detectors are configured to transmit, receive, and process information related to hazardous environmental conditions to and from said one or more computing devices,

an alert means configured to provide a perceptible alert to individuals in proximity of the hazard detector, and

a geolocation means configured to identify a geographic location of the hazard detector;

a control interface incorporating an interaction means selected from the group comprising a keyboard, a touchscreen, a voice recognition device and a wireless connection to a remote computing device, wherein said control interface provides said individuals in proximity of the hazard detector the ability to provide additional information about said hazardous environmental conditions by interacting with said interaction means of said control interface, including providing confirmation of the existence of said hazardous environmental condition and wherein the control interface further allows for individuals in proximity of the hazard detector to cause the hazard detector to perform one or more actions selected from the group comprising;

disarming one of said plurality of hazard detection means, adding a hazard detection means to said plurality of hazard detection means, removing a hazard detection means from said plurality of hazard detection means, requesting aid, modifying alert means, checking status of said hazard detector and checking status of said power source;

a remote hazard detection and alert system configured to receive and transmit hazard information to one or more hazard detectors based on the location of said hazard detectors,

wherein said remote hazard detection and alert system is communicatively connected with a third party alert system, and

wherein said remote hazard detection and alert system comprises a plurality of alert types that can be transmitted to said alert means in order to direct said alert means to effect provision of said perceptible alert.

19. The hazard detection system of claim 18, wherein said remote hazard detection and alert system contains data identifying alert means types present in each of said one or more hazard detectors and transmits warnings to said one or more hazard detectors based on said alert means types.