METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING DATA AND INDICATING ROOM STATUS

• US 3,810,096 A
• Filed: 09/14/1972
• Issued: 05/07/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James H. Beggs, Jules M. Kabat
• Original Assignee: James H. Beggs, Jules M. Kabat
• Inventors: Kabat, Jules M., Beggs, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US05/289,134
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 340/147R,150,310
• US Class Current: 340/534
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5425 improving S/N by matching impedance, noise reduction, gain control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5487 cables
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5495 having measurements and testing channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form

Abstract

A method and system for transmitting data and indicating room status has a transmitter and a receiver utilizing the neutral and ground lines of a conventional AC room power line as a communications link. The transmitter sends coded signals through a wall outlet via the neutral and ground to the receiver and computer where it may be stored for eventual use. Transformers are bypassed from the secondary to the primary in the power distribution system. Data terminals provide a means for selectively displaying the received information as it relates to room status or alarm conditions. Additionally, status boards may be utilized with the received and stored data to visually display room status and conditions for front desk, housekeeping operations or supervisory stations. The method of transmitting data and indicating room status includes the steps of ENCODING INFORMATION RELATING TO A ROOM NUMBER AND STATUS, TRANSMITTING SAID ENCODED INFORMATION ON AN AC power line using the neutral and ground of same, RECEIVING SAID TRANSMITTED INFORMATION, AND INDICATING THE STATUS OF SAID ROOM.

Claims

1. A transmitter for a room status and control system, said transmitter comprising means for encoding digital data, a power cord, said power cord operable to interconnect said transmitter to a AC power line, and means for initiating the transmission of said encoded digital data on said transmitter through said power cord and onto the neutral and ground of said power line.

2. A method of transmitting data and indicating room status in a potentially electrically noisy environment such as a hotel, office building, apartment complex or hospital, said method including the steps of encoding information relating to a room number and status of said room or occupant thereof, transmitting said encoded information on an AC power line associated with a building structure having the room with said status therein using the neutral and ground of said AC power line, receiving said transmitted information, and indicating tHe status of said room.

3. The combination as in claim 2 including the step of storing said received information prior to indicating said status of said room.

4. The combination as in claim 2 including the step of visually displaying the total number of rooms having preselected status conditions, said status conditions having one or more characteristics.

5. The combination as in claim 4 including the step of visually displaying the numbers of said rooms having a preselected status condition.

6. The combination as in claim 5 including the step of displaying said room numbers in sequential order that correspond to one or more status.

7. The combination as in claim 3 including the steps of visually displaying the total number of rooms having a preselected status condition, and visually displaying the numbers of said rooms having certain status conditions.

8. The combination as in claim 3 including the step of recirculating at least a portion of said transmitted information when said information is stored.

9. A system as in claim 2 wherein said status information corresponds to fire or burglar alarm conditions.

10. A system for transmitting and indicating status of rooms or areas or occupants therein in a building or building complex, said system comprising a transmitter being capable of transmitting signal information on the neutral and ground of a power line associated with said building or building complex, said signal information containing data relating to a room or area designation status of said room or area or occupant thereof, a receiver means receiving said signal information, said signal information having been transmitted at least partly on said neutral and ground of said power line, and means for indicating the status of said room or area or occupant thereof corresponding to the transmitted signal information.

11. The combination as in claim 10 wherein said transmitter includes a means for encoding a plurality of status conditions for each room or area, and means associated with said receiver for correlating and retrieving data pertaining to preselected status conditions and to thereby cause said indicating means to indicate only said rooms having a preselected status.

12. A combination as in claim 10 wherein said transmitter includes a means for encoding a plurality of status conditions for each room or area, and memory means associated with said receiver for storing data corresponding to said room status, and means for correlating and retrieving data from said memory means to thereby cause said indicating means to indicate only said rooms having said preselected status.

13. The combination as in claim 10 wherein said system includes a memory means associated with said receiver for storing information corresponding to said room status.

14. The combination as in claim 13 wherein said memory means includes a plurality of recirculating shift registers, said shift registers having two sections, one of said sections representing data and the other of said sections representing address, a data register, said data register capable of storing the address of a preselected data word read out of said data section of said recirculating shift registers, a data comparator interconnected between the address section of said shift registers and the data register, said data comparator having an output when the data in the address section of said shift registers corresponds to the data in the data register thereby indicating that a data field of the recirculating shift register is a correct field for read out or updating.

15. The combination as in claim 14 including a means for subdividing said data fields into smaller fields which can be independently updated or read out.