Integrated alarm and touch tone telephone system

• US 4,791,658 A
• Filed: 07/09/1986
• Issued: 12/13/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fire Burglary Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Barry D. Schweiger, Theodore Simon
• Inventors: Berg, George P., Weston, Lance, Simon, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): George, Keith E.
• Application Number:
  US06/883,709
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 174/2 A, 174/2 AM, 174/2 BC, 174/5 R, 174/5 P, 174/27 G, 174/40, 174/70, 174/77, 174/99 A, 379/32, 379/33, 379/39-44, 379/51, 379/77, 379/102, 379/104-107, 379/159, 379/176, 379/320, 379/324, 379/413
• US Class Current: 379/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A microprocessor controlled integrated alarm and touch tone telephone system which allows the alarm system to be accessed, programmed, and reported upon through a touch tone telephone, either locally or remotely. Under most circumstances, the telephones on the premises can be operated in a normal manner. However, the alarm system selectively monitors the telephone activities for coded touch tone instructions specifically for the alarm system, and responds thereto by issuing synthesized voice reports on the status of the alarm system. A touch tone decoder circuit decodes dialed touch tones, such that the telephone can be utilized similar to a normal keyboard panel to access and control the alarm system. An internal power supply is provided for the telephone for supplying electrical power thereto independently of the outside telephone lines which normally supply power, in the event the outside telephone lines are inoperative. A ring detector circuit is provided for detecting the presence of a ring voltage across the outside telephone lines, and the microprocessor is responsive to a detected ring voltage to disconnect the telephone from the internal power supply and connect it to the outside telephone lines for normal ringing and usage of the telephone. The microprocessor counts the number of rings by which the telephone is being contacted by an off-premises telephone, and after a given number of rings, answers the telephone to allow the user of the off-premises telephone to dial touch tone encoded instructions into the integrated system and to receive voice synthesized reports therefrom.

Claims

1. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone comprising:

a. an on-premises Touch Tone telephone for the premises for connection by on-premises telephone lines to outside telephone lines during normal usage of the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, with the integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system being coupled by on-premises telephone lines to the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, and to the outside telephone lines;

b. a security system for detecting an alarm condition at the premises, such as an unauthorized intrusion or a fire, with the integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system being coupled to said security system for monitoring the status thereof;

c. a speech synthesizer for audibly reporting over the on-premises Touch Tone telephone or over the outside telephone lines on the condition of the security system;

d. a Touch Tone decoder means, coupled by on-premises telephone lines to the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, and to the outside telephone lines, for decoding telephone Touch Tones which are received thereby, to allow a Touch Tone telephone, either the on-premises Touch Tone telephone or other Touch Tone telephones coupled over the outside telephone lines, to be utilized to access and control the security system;

e. a ring detector means for detecting the presence of a ring signal across the outside telephone lines;

f. an off-hook detecting means for detecting an off-hook condition of the on-premises telephone which is indicated by a flow of current to the on-premises telephone;

g. an internal power supply for the on-premises telephone for supplying electrical power thereto independently of the outside telephone lines;

h. an internal power supply switching means for connecting the on-premises telephone to either the internal power supply or to the outside telephone lines;

i. a control means for the integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system, said control means controlling said internal power supply switching means to couple the on-premises Touch Tone telephone to the internal power supply during the periods of nonusage of the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, and being responsive to said ring detector means and said off-hook detecting means to control said internal power supply switching means to connect the on-premises Touch Tone telephone to the outside telephone lines in response to said ring detector means detecting the presence of a ring signal across the outside telephone lines, and also in response to said off-hook detecting means detecting an off-hook condition of the on-premises telephone, said control means further including means for detecting inoperative outside telephone lines, said means for detecting inoperative outside telephone lines utilizing said off-hook detecting means for monitoring the connection of the on-premises telephone to the outside telephone lines for continued current flow through the on-premises telephone after connection to the outside telephone lines, indicating operative outside telephone lines, with the lack of continued current flow indicating inoperative outside telephone lines, and the integrated system being responsive to inoperative outside telephone lines to disconnect the on-premises telephone from the outside telephone lines and reconnect it to the internal power supply.

4. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 1, further including a synthesized speech and Touch Tone transfer transformer and a synthesized speech and Touch Tone transfer transformer switching means, controlled by said control means, for connecting said Touch Tone and synthesized speech transfer transformer across the outside telephone lines to allow Touch Tone input signals to be transferred from the outside telephone lines to said Touch Tone decoder means, and to allow synthesized speech reports to be transferred from said speech synthesizer to the outside telephone lines.

5. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 1, said control means including a processor coupled to said alarm system, said speech synthesizer, said ring detector means, said Touch Tone decoder means, said off-hook detecting means, and said internal power supply switching means.

6. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 1, further including a plurality of auxiliary relays for auxiliary systems to be operated by the integrated system in dependence upon the received Touch Tone encoded input instructions.

7. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 1, said voice synthesizer including a PROM circuit which is selectively programmed to reflect the particular premises protected by the security system, such that the synthesized voice reports can be programmed to describe particular attributes of the premises in the audible reports.

2. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 20, further including a telephone answering machine coupled to said outside telephone lines, and a switch means for said telephone answering machine, operable by said control means, to disconnect the telephone answering machine to prevent it from recording Touch Tone messages and synthesized voice reports.

3. An integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone, as claimed in claim 2, said control means counting the number of ring signals received over the outside telephone lines by which the on-premises telephone is being contacted by an off-premises telephone, and then, after counting a given number of rings, answering the on-premises telephone by actuating a switching means to allow the user of the off-premises telephone to dial Touch Tone encoded instructions into the integrated system and receive voice synthesized reports from the integrated system, and said control means, upon receiving a Touch Tone encoded instruction to disconnect the telephone answering machine, actuating said answering machine switch means to disconnect the answering machine to prevent it from recording Touch Tone instructions and synthesized voice reports.

8. A combined security and Touch Tone telephone system for a premises which allows the security system to be accessed through a Touch Tone telephone comprising:

a. an on-premises Touch Tone telephone for the premises for connection by on-premises telephone lines to outside telephone lines during normal usage of the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, with the integrated security and Touch Tone telephone system being coupled by on-premises telephone lines to the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, and to the outside telephone lines;

b. a security system for detecting an alarm condition at the premises, such as an unauthorized intrusion or a fire, with the combined security and Touch Tone telephone system being coupled to said security system for monitoring the status thereof;

c. a telephone answering machine connectable to the outside telephone lines, and a switch means for disconnecting the telephone answering machine from the outside telephone lines;

d. a Touch Tone decoder means, coupled by on-premises telephone lines to the on-premises Touch Tone telephone, and to the outside telephone lines, for decoding telephone Touch Tones which are received thereby, to allow a Touch Tone telephone, either the on-premise Touch Tone telephone or other Touch Tone telephones coupled over the outside telephone lines, to be utilized to access and control the security system;

e. a ring detector means for detecting the presence of a ring signal across the outside telephone lines;

f. a control means for the combined security and Touch Tone telephone system, said control means being coupled and responsive to said Touch Tone decoder means and also to said ring detector means, and said control means counting the number of ring signals received over the outside telephone lines by which the on-premises telephone is being contacted by an other Touch Tone telephone coupled over the outside telephone lines, and then, after counting a first given number of rings, answering the on-premises telephone by actuating a switching means to allow the user of the other Touch Tone telephone to dial Touch Tone encoded instructions into the integrated system, said telephone answering machine being set to answer the on-premises telephone after a second given number of rings, less that said first given number of rings, and said control means, upon receiving a Touch Tone encoded instruction to disconnect the telephone answering machine, actuating said answering machine switch means to disconnect the telephone answering machine to prevent it from recording signals.