ELECTRONIC REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE UTILIZING MODULATED TRANSMISSION OF MAGNETICALLY RECORDED SIGNALS FILTERED IN A RECEIVER

• US 3,688,268 A
• Filed: 08/10/1970
• Issued: 08/29/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Claude A. Bedjai, Pierre N. Antoine
• Original Assignee: Claude A. Bedjai, Pierre N. Antoine
• Inventors: Bedjai, Claude A., Antoine, Pierre N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/062,443
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 340/147R,147P,339,224,221,224 235/61.7B,61.11D,61.12M 179/1.2R,1.2Z,1.2S 346/33MC 325/37 343/225 222/2
• US Class Current: 340/5.28
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/221 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B67D7/224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

The device is operable to activate, and maintain activated for a predetermined time period, a consumer-controlled apparatus, such as a goods dispensing apparatus. The device includes a selfcontained signalling unit in the form of a lightweight, easily portable, cassette type magnetic tape reproducing unit in which a tape is wound from a supply reel to a take-up reel responsive to actuation of a start button. A series of coded signals are recorded along a predetermined length of the tape and correspond to programmed information, and the tape may have two tracks. A respective pick-up or reading head is associated with each track and is connected to a respective radio signal transmitter. After the tape passes the reading heads, it passes beneath an erase head and a filter head which, respectively, erase the recorded information and erase all random noises and spurious signals. The radio signal transmitters are high frequency transmitters which are crystal controlled as to their respective frequencies, and the information from the reading heads is supplied as low frequency modulations to the transmitted high frequency signals. A receiving unit includes respective receivers each tuned to one of the two transmitters and each followed by a respective modulator and a respective selective filter. The currents from the two filters operate associated relays which are operable to close switches in an activating circuit for the controlled apparatus, and to maintain the switches closed as long as signals are received by the receiver.

Claims

1. An electronic remote control device operable to activate, for a predetermined maximum time period, a consumer-controlled dispensing apparatus, said device comprising, in combination, a self-contained hand-transportable signalling unit in the form of a sealed compact cassette-type tape recorder, arranged for operation by a consumer, and containing tuned radio signal transmitter means, means storing a series of coded signals having a series length corresponding to said maximum time period and constituting a programmed information, signal transducer means cooperable, when activated, with said storing means to supply the coded signals to said transmitter means for transmission thereby as radio signals, and manually operable control means selectively actuable to activate said storing and transducer means to supply said coded signals to said transmitter means for a selected time period limited to the length of said maximum time period;

and stationary receiving means at said apparatus, tuned to said transmitter means to receive said radio signals, having means, iNcluding selective filter means, operable to check the received radio signals for agreement with the code of programmed information, and means operable, responsive to such agreement, to close an activating circuit for said apparatus for only the duration of the received radio signals.

2. An electronic remote control device, as claimed in claim 1, in which said storing means includes a motor driven magnetic tape unit controlled by an externally accessible starting button and including a supply reel, a take-up reel and a length of magnetic tape wound on said supply reel for rewinding on said take-up reel;

said tape having said series of coded signals recorded thereon;

magnetic head reproducing means operatively associated with said tape and connected to said transmitter means;

the coded signals recorded on said tape being coded in low frequency; and

erase head means cooperable with said tape downstream, in the direction of movement of said tape, from said reproducing head means, and operable to erase the recorded information from said tape after the recorded information has been read out by said reproducing head means;

said predetermined maximum time period length being set by the length of said tape having said series of coded signals recorded thereon.

3. An electronic remote control device, as claimed in claim 2, in which said tuned radio signal transmitter means comprises at least one crystal-controlled high frequency transmitter tuned to a predetermined wave length;

said receiving means including at least one receiver tuned to the high frequency broadcast by a transmitter of said signalling unit.

4. An electronic remote control device, as claimed in claim 2, said tape having two sound tracks thereon;

two reading heads, each cooperable with a respective track to transduce the low frequency signals read on the track and supply the same to said transmitter means;

said transmitter means comprising two crystal-controlled high frequency transmitters, each connected to a respective reading head;

the low frequency signals from each reading head being supplied as modulations to the high frequency carrier waves of the associated transmitter;

said receiving means comprising two high frequency receivers each tuned to the carrier frequency of a respective high frequency transmitter and constructed and arranged to detect and demodulate the low frequency signals carried by the respective high frequency carrier;

said selective filter means comprising a pair of selective filters each connected to a respective high frequency receiver and each tuned to the frequency of the respective low frequency signals;

said means operable to close an activating circuit for said apparatus comprising two relays, each connected to the output of a respective filter, and each controlling a respective switch in said activating circuit.