Emergency radio alerting and message transmitting system directable to selected classes and numbers of receivers

• US 4,956,875 A
• Filed: 07/05/1988
• Issued: 09/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Warning Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Com Ser Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Minteer, William B., Bernard, William B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Ralph
• Application Number:
  US07/215,011
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 455/13, 455/11, 455/227, 455/228, 455/53, 455/54, 455/49, 455/12, 455/31, 455/32, 455/38, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48
• US Class Current: 455/13.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast

Abstract

An emergency radio alerting and warning system comprising an FM transmitter having first and second encoding means, the first encoding means enabling the selection of all receivers in a given location, and the second encoder to enable broadcasting to be made to particular receivers in the selected location. The transmitter broadcasting signals with the encoded signals being followed by signals to cause audible alarms being sounded at the receivers so encoded, and then causing the messages being over loudspeakers at the selected receivers. The FM receivers being receptive but inactive until an encoded signal specific to that receiver being received, and then fully activating the receiver to sound an audible alarm to alert persons in the vicinity, and then to have the message broadcast. Timing means are present to terminate any message to the receiver after a given period unless extended by repetition of the coded signal by the transmitter.

Claims

1. In an emergency radio alerting and warning system directable to selected classes and numbers of receivers, the system comprising at least one FM radio transmitter for broadcasting modulated signals in a selected FM band and a plurality of cooperating FM radio receivers energized at all times and tuned for receiving broadcast signals in the selected FM band and each receiver having an audio circuit functioning in response to the modulated signals, the improvement comprising a plurality of encoders in the FM transmitter, at least one encoder settable to generate a first series of signal pulses which when broadcast and received by the FM receivers and demodulated will activate the audio circuit in a large selected group of the plurality of FM receivers, at least one other encoder in the transmitter for generating another series of signal pulses that when demodulated will fully activate only selected ones of a smaller number of the plurality of FM receivers, whereby alerting and warning messages may be transmitted from the FM transmitter and received only by the fully activated selected FM receivers, and means in the FM transmitter for generating alerting and warning modulating signals which upon reception by the FM receivers that are fully activated will cause warning means associated with the FM receivers to alert anyone in the vicinity that an emergency situation has arisen, and message means in the FM transmitter for broadcasting a message in the FM band only to the selected fully activated FM receivers, and means in the FM transmitter for so modulating the FM band as to broadcast in sequence a series of encoded pulses for fully activating selected FM receivers, the alerting and warning signals, and finally an audio message, and timer means in each receiver in each FM receiver operable upon receipt by a decoder of a coded signal pulse to activate audio circuit for a selected brief period and at the end of this period the timer means inactivates the audio circuit.

2. The emergency radio alerting and warning system of claim 1, wherein the FM transmitter includes timer means associated with the encoders so as to repeat the series of coded pulses at timed intervals within the short period of time of the of the timer means in the FM receivers whereby to maintain the audio circuit in the activated FM receivers in a prolonged fully activated state.

3. The emergency radio warning and alerting system of claim 1, wherein the FM receiver comprises a relatively low frequency oscillator capable of producing electrical oscillations of the order of one kHz and a microphone to be used in broadcasting messages, circuit means for connecting the output of the oscillator and the microphone into FM band output of the transmitter, and switch means for enabling the oscillator and the microphone to be connectable alternatively into the circuit means, whereby in an activated audio circuit in an FM receiver the audio circuit can be first energized by the relatively low frequency oscillation signals from the oscillator so as to produce a loud penetrating sound in the vicinity of the FM receiver and thus to alert and warn anyone nearby that an emergency message over the loudspeaker thereof would follow.

4. The emergency radio warning and alerting system of claim 1, wherein the FM receiver has visual signal means associated with the audio circuit and the output circuit of the decoding means, and means energizable by the activation of the audio circuit of the FM receiver cause the visual means to show that the FM receiver has been activated, and manually resettable means associated with the visual signal means to cause the visual signal means to cease such showing.