System of communications to alert police personnel of trouble on expressways

• US 4,117,404 A
• Filed: 07/25/1975
• Issued: 09/26/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Traffic Safety Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Traffic Safety Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Marshall, Arthur N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bookbinder, Marc E.
• Application Number:
  US05/599,118
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 325/16, 325/51, 325/53, 325/55, 325/64, 325/111, 325/112, 325/117, 325/118, 325/312, 325/1, 340/31-33, 340/416, 340/224
• US Class Current: 340/291
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A system involving transmitters adapted for mounting on trucks, buses, etc. and capable of energizing at least one transceiver along a highway which in turn sends a signal to a police control station to enable truck drivers to report a disabled vehicle and its general location; vandalism being avoided by mounting the transceivers on the top of light poles on expressways.

Claims

1. A method of notifying a control station for summoning assistance to motorists or vehicles in distress on a highway by an occupant of an approved vehicle, the steps of:

moving the approved vehicle along said highway having predeterminedly spaced transceivers therealong;

actuating a unit on said approved vehicle by an occupant of the approved vehicle when a motorist or vehicle in distress is observed by said occupant to transmit a signaling condition of said unit indicative of the distress situation and of the approved vehicle identification which continues for a predetermined period of time sufficient for said vehicle to pass a said transceiver based on the distance between said transceivers;

signaling by said occupant to the distressed motorist on passing that help is being sent for;

continuing movement of the approved vehicle along said highway until said approved vehicle passes a said transceiver;

receiving said transmitted signaling condition at the said transceiver when said approved vehicle is in range of said transceiver;

responding by the said transceiver automatically to said signaling condition of said unit; and

transmitting by said passed transceiver said signaling condition and the passed transceiver'"'"'s location automatically to the control station for further handling to bring assistance to the motorist in distress.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 and wherein said unit which is actuated to produce said signaling condition is a transmitter which sends out a coded signal which continues for a predetermined period of time.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 and wherein said transmitting by said transceiver includes an identification of the up or down stream direction of the trouble from the transceiver requiring assistance.