Musical door chime preferably also combined with a clock for annunciating the time

• US 4,326,276 A
• Filed: 12/04/1979
• Issued: 04/20/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NuTone Inc. (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: Scovill, Inc.
• Inventors: Scott, Waller M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US06/100,163
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/12, 368/75, 368/250, 368/251, 368/272, 368/273, 340/384 R, 340/384 E, 340/545, 84/1.01, 84/1.03
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 21/02 Regular striking mechanisms giving the full hour, half hour or quarter hour electrically operating striking mechanism G04C21/06
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 47/00 Time-pieces combined with other articles which do not interfere with the running or the time-keeping of the time-piece clockwork cases for special purposes G04B37/12; clocks with magnifying glass built in the face G04B39/00; time-pieces in which parts or cases produce special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects, G04B45/00, particularly with inscriptions or pictures moved by hand G04B45/003, with specially shaped cases or parts G04B45/0069; combination of writing or drawing implements with devices for indicating time B43K29/087; combined with cameras, projectors, or photographic printing apparatus G03B29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/351 Spint bell, i.e. mimicking bells, e.g. cow-bells bells in general G10K1/06

Abstract

A musical door chime which includes a repertoire of musical tunes one of which is played when a door pushbutton, preferably the front door pushbutton, is actuated. The musical tune which is played may be selected by means of a keyboard connected to a microprocessor. Digitally encoded representations of the notes of each musical tune are stored in a memory. Each digitally encoded musical note is read from memory by the microprocessor and converted by the microprocessor into a squarewave having the frequency and the duration of the note. The microprocessor is connected to a note strike and decay circuit which is preferably connected in series with an active audio filter circuit for translating the squarewave into a sinusoidal output for energizing a loudspeaker so that relatively high quality audible tones are heard when the musical tune is played. Preferably, a two-note musical tune is played when a rear door pushbutton is actuated, and a fixed single musical note is played when a side door pushbutton is actuated. The musical door chime is preferably also combined with a visual display driven by the microprocessor for indicating the time of day. The time is preferably annunciated every quarter hour by means of musical notes. A multi-frequency tone is played for the hour strike. The keyboard serves various other control functions in addition to selecting the musical tune to be played.

Claims

1. A musical door chime comprising:

at least one selectively actuable door pushbutton;

a keyboard including a plurality of code entry keys;

a memory for storing digitally encoded representations of the frequency and the duration of each musical note for a plurality of musical tunes;

a tone generation means connected to said at least one door pushbutton, keyboard, and memory and responsive to actuation of said at least one door pushbutton for converting each said digitally encoded musical note representation for one of said musical tunes selected by entering a code by means of said keyboard into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of each said musical not for said selected musical tune; and

circuit means connected to said tone generation means and responsive to each said squarewave for playing a sound of each said musical note for said selected musical tune.

2. The musical door chime in claim 1 further including a reset circuit responsive to connection of said musical door chime to a power source when said musical door chime is installed and after power is restored following a power outage for preselecting one of said musical tunes, another one of said musical tunes being selectable by means of said keyboard.

3. The musical door chime in claim 1 or 2 wherein said keyboard includes a PROGRAM key, selection keys, and a TUNE TEST key which are sequentially depressed for selecting one of said musical tunes.

4. The musical door chime in claim 3 wherein said keyboard further includes a SHORT TUNE key which is sequentially depressed after said selection keys and prior to said TUNE TEST key for selecting a shorter length version of said selected musical tune.

5. The musical door chime in claim 1 wherein said keyboard includes a CHIME ON key and a CHIME OFF key which may be selectively depressed for respectively enabling and inhibiting said tone generation means.

6. The musical door chime in claim 1 further comprising a front door pushbutton, a rear door pushbutton, and a side door pushbutton and wherein said memory additionally stores digitally encoded representations of the frequency and the duration of each musical note for a fixed two-note musical tune and of a fixed single musical note and wherein said tone generation means is responsive to actuation of said front door pushbutton for converting each said digitally encoded musical note representation for said selected musical tune into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of each said musical note for said selected musical tune and is further responsive to actuation of one of said side and rear door pushbuttons for converting each said digitally encoded musical note representation for said fixed two-note musical tune into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of each said musical not for said two-note musical tune and is also responsive to actuation of the other of said side and rear door pushbuttons for converting said digitally encoded musical note representation for said fixed single musical note into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of said fixed single musical note and wherein said circuit means is responsive to said squarewaves for playing a sound of each said musical note for said selected musical tune in response to actuation of said front door pushbutton, for playing a sound of each said musical note for said fixed two-note musical tune in response to actuation of one of said side and rear door pushbuttons, and for playing a sound of said fixed single musical note in response to actuation of the other of said side and rear door pushbuttons.

7. The musical door chime in claim 3 wherein said TUNE TEST key may be depressed for causing each said musical note for said one musical tune to be played.

8. The musical door chime in claim 1 wherein said tone generation means comprises a microprocessor executing a timed-loop tone generation subroutine for generating said squarewave frequency and executing a timed-loop duration subroutine for determining said squarewave duration of each said musical note for said selected musical tune.

9. The musical door chime in claim 1 or 8 further comprising clock means connected to said tone generation means for indicating the time of day and wherein said memory additionally stores a digitally encoded representation of the frequency and the duration of at least one additional musical note and wherein said tone generation means is controlled by said clock means for converting said digitally encoded musical note representation for said at least one additional musical note into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of said at least one additional musical note for periodically annunciating the time.

10. The musical door chime in claim 9 wherein said keyboard includes a PROGRAM key, selection keys, and a SET TIME key which are sequentially depressed for initially setting the correct time of day.

11. The musical door chime in claim 9 wherein said keyboard includes a 1/4 HR key, a 1/2 HR key, and an HR key, one of which is depressed for selecting said periodic annunciation of the time.

12. The musical door chime in claim 9 wherein said keyboard includes a STRIKE ON key and a STRIKE OFF key which may be selectively depressed for respectively enabling and inhibiting said tone generation means for controlling whether or not said tone generation means converts said digitally encoded musical note representation for said at least one additional musical note into a squarewave having said frequency and said duration of said at least one additional musical note for periodically annunciating the time.

13. The musical door chime in claim 1 wherein said circuit means includes a note strike and decay circuit series-connected with an active audio filter circuit for shaping each said squarewave into a sinewave for playing a pleasing sound of each said musical note for said selected musical tune.

14. The musical door chime of claim 1 which further comprises a swept frequency tone generation means which cooperates with said tone generation means for generating at least one swept frequency tone.