Personal alarm system providing handsfree operation

• US 4,760,593 A
• Filed: 10/17/1986
• Issued: 07/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Lifeline Systems Company (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Devlin, Philip H., Armington, Robert M., Bially, Theodore, Shapiro, L. Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/920,240
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/38, 379/40, 379/41, 379/50, 379/51, 379/52, 379/70, 379/79, 379/106, 379/39, 379/388, 379/420
• US Class Current: 379/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A personal alarm system is disclosed which incorporates a speakerphone so as to permit substantially handsfree operation and remote activation. The system includes a speakerphone which interfaces to a subscriber station. The subscriber station in turn interfaces over a communications link to a central monitoring station which is operative to receive and analyze messages transmitted to the central monitoring station by the subscriber station. Following transmission of a message from the subscriber station to the central monitoring station, the central monitoring station may transmit a control signal to the subscriber station which causes the subscriber station to activate the speakerphone to permit verbal communication with a subscriber who may be immobilized and/or physically unable to initiate a telephone call or answer a telephone. The system further includes an automatic phone answering mode following the activation of a switch by a subscriber, a remote phone answering mode at the subscriber'"'"'s location, and remote message mode for informing a caller to stand by while the subscriber comes to the phone. In a particular system, some or all operating modes may be employed.

Claims

1. For use in an emergency response system which includes:

a subscriber station operative to communicate with a receiving station over a telephone communications link in response to an emergency condition and which provides via said telephone communications link a message including an indication of the emergency condition and the identity of said subscriber station;

a receiving station operative to receive said message from said subscriber station via the telephone communications link and operative to send an accept signal via the telephone communications link to said subscriber station indicating that the message has been received;

the improvement at the subscriber station comprising;

means operative in response to a ring signal for producing a first signal;

means responsive to user activation for producing a second signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said second signal for placing the subscriber station in an off-hook condition and for producing a representation of a wait message; and

means operative to send an electrical signal representative of the wait message to the calling party.

2. Apparatus for interfacing with a telephone network communications link, and operative to produce a wait message to a calling party while a user comes to the phone, comprising:

means responsive to a ring signal activation for producing a first signal;

means responsive to activation by said user for producing a second signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said second signal for placing the subscriber station in an off-hook condition and for producing a representation of said wait message; and

means operative to send an electrical signal representative of the wait message to the calling party.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said wait message is a tone signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said wait message is a voice signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 including means for activating a voice channel to permit voice communication between said user and said calling party.

6. Apparatus for interfacing with a telephone network communications link, said link providing a ring signal indicating that a calling party desires to establish a telephonic communication with a user, a dial tone signal indicating that the link is available for use, said apparatus comprising:

means responsive to said ring signal for producing a first signal;

means responsive to activation by said user for producing a second signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said second signal for placing said apparatus in an off hook condition and for producing a representation of a wait message;

means operative to send electrical signals representative of said wait message to said calling party;

means responsive to activation by said user for producing a third signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said third signal for producing an activation signal;

speakerphone means operative to send electrical signals representative of the voice of said user in the vicinity of said speakerphone over said communications link and operative to receive from said communications link electrical signals representative of the voice of said calling party and to convert said received electrical signals to audible signals; and

means coupling said speakerphone means to said telephone network communications link in response to said activation signal for providing voice communication over said communications link between said user and said calling party.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 including:

means coupled to said communication link for receiving said dial tone signal and for producing a deactivation signal in response thereto; and

means responsive to said deactivation signal for decoupling said speakerphone from said communications link.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 including:

means responsive to a predetermined number of ring signals to place said apparatus in an off hook condition to permit voice communication between said user and said calling party.

9. Apparatus for activating electrical equipment at a first location so as to make connection between said equipment and a telephone network communications link, said link producing a ring signal to indicate to a user that a calling party desires to establish a telephonic communication, a dial tone signal indicating that the link is available for use, said electrical equipment at said first location providing a wait message to said calling party while said user comes to the telephone, and for transmitting information bi-directionally between said first location and a second location, said apparatus comprising:

means associated with said electrical equipment dispoed at said first location and responsive to said ring signal for producing a first signal;

means responsive to activation by said user for producing a standby signal;

means associated with said equipment disposed at said first location operative to receive said standby signal and to produce, in response thereto, a second signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said second signal for placing said electrical equipment at said first location in an off-hook condition, for making electrical connection between said electrical equipment and the telephone network communications link, and for transmitting a representation of said wait message over said communication link;

means responsive to activation by said user for producing an output signal;

means associated with said electrical equipment disposed at said first location operative to receive said output signal and to produce, in response thereto, a third signal;

means responsive to the concurrent occurrence of said first signal and said third signal for producing an activation signal and for making electrical connection between said electrical equipment and said telephone network communications link; and

means responsive to said activation signal for communicating information over said telephone network.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said output signal and said standby signal are radio frequency signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said means responsive to said activation signal includes a telephone set.