HOTEL/MOTEL ROOM STATUS SYSTEM

• US 3,742,141 A
• Filed: 10/19/1970
• Issued: 06/26/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert H. Duncan, Thomas P. Miller
• Original Assignee: Robert H. Duncan, Thomas P. Miller
• Inventors: Duncan, Robert H., Miller, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US05/081,988
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2,2A,2DP,42,9K,2R 340/311,312,313,286,153
• US Class Current: 379/102.01
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

An electronic circuit is assigned to each room, in a hotel or motel, and selectively operated from a central control desk to light a lamp assigned to the corresponding room and thereby indicate whether it is vacant or rented. Various interruption rates may be used cause the lamp to flash in different manners, depending upon the current status of the room (i.e. unmade, being cleaned, or ready for occupancy). The electronic circuit may also be connected into computers or advance reservation systems in order to automate billing, room assignment, maintenance, and servicing.

Claims

1. A hotel/motel room status system comprising electronic circuit means individually assigned to each room monitored by said system, means At a central location for controlling said electronic circuit means to indicate one element of the room status, control means in each of said rooms for indicating another element of the room status, means including at least one wire associated with the monitored room for connectng said monitored room'"'"''"'"'s electronic circuit means to said control means in said room, means at said central location for selectively setting said electronic circuit means to indicate the occupancy/vacancy status of said room, means comprising said one wire extending from said room to said electronic circuit means for selectively modifying said indication according to whether the room is or is not made up, said one wire being one of at least a pair of telephone wires associated with a telephone switchboard and extending between said room and switchboard and said electronic circuit means used for carrying telephone voice signals to a telephone in a room, and call control means associated with said system for precluding the initiation of outgoing calls from said room over said telephone wire while at all times enabling, without interruption, the receipt of incoming calls to said room over said telephone wire.

2. The status system of claim 1 wherein said call control means comprises a relay having contacts for opening and closing said telephone wire, said relay being controlled by said means at the central location, and means responsive to a call to said room for shunting said relay if it is then operated.

3. The status system of claim 1 wherein said one element of room status is the vacancy or rented status of said room and the other element of said room status is the made or unmade status of the room, said status being signaled via said telephone wire.

4. The status system of claim 3 and means for precluding the change of a vacancy status indication prior to the transmission of a signal indicating a clean room from the room control means.

5. The status system of claim 1 and a single lamp individually assigned to each room, said means at a central location comprising means for lighting said lamp in a first distinctive manner when a room is vacated, said means in said room comprising means for lighting said lamp in a second distinctive means for indicating whether said room is or is not occupied and for indicating when the room is or is not cleaned.

6. The status system of claim 5 wherein said means for lighting said lamp in said first distinctive manner comprises means for flashing said lamp at a rate of 60 IPM when the assigned room is vacant, and said means for lighting said lamp in said second distinctive manner comprises means for flashing said lamp at a rate of 120 IPM while the room is being made up, for lighting the lamp in a steady manner after the room is made up if said room is unoccupied, or for leaving said lamp unlit after the room is made up if the room is unoccupied.

7. The status system of claim 1 and means for coupling said telephone wire to an automatic reservation circuit, and means for sending said room status signals over said telephone wire to said automatic reservation circuit means.

8. The status systems of claim 7 wherein there are a plurality of said room control means and of said central location control means, and switching means interposed between said telephone wire and said plurality of central location control means for selectively connecting any room to any central location control means or said automatic reservation circuit means.

9. A method of monitoring the status of hotel/motel rooms through use of an in-house telephone system including a telephone switching means at a central location, room telephones, and telephone lines extending between the rooms and the switching means at the central location, comprisng the steps of:

a. setting an empty room control indicator means when an assigned room is vacated, b. signaling said indicator means over a telephone line, effectively connected at all times and without interruption between a room telephone and said switching means at the central location in the hotel/motel telephone system, while said assigned room containing said telephone is being cleaned, and c. changing aid signal over said telephone line after said room has been cleaned.

10. The method of claim 9 and the added step of:

d. sending another signal from a room over said telephone line to indicate whether that room is occupied.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein steps (b) and (c) comprise the added step of placing a magnet over and removing the magnet from the housing of a telephone in order to signal over said telephone line.

12. The method of claim 11 and the added step of moving said magnet over said housing in one way to send one kind of signal over said telephone line and moving said magnet another way to send another kind of signal over said line.

13. The status system of claim 1 wherein the control means in each room comprises at least one reed contact and a magnet positioned over said reed contact.

14. The status system of claim 13 wherein said one wire is a telephone line, there being a plurality of said reed contacts inside the housing of a telephone set connected to said telephone line, said magnet fitting over the housing of said telephone, and means responsive to peeling said magnet away from said housing for operating said contacts in one sequence to send one sequence of signals over said line and responsive to a removal of said magnet from said housing in a sliding motion for operating said contacts in another sequence to send signals in a different sequence over said line.