Telephone activated emergency light system

• US 5,012,507 A
• Filed: 03/06/1989
• Issued: 04/30/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raymond J. Kemp, Suzanne E. Leighton
• Original Assignee: Raymond J. Kemp, Suzanne E. Leighton
• Inventors: Kemp, Raymond J., Hawkins, Philip D., Leighton, Suzanne E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US07/318,840
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 379/36, 379/37, 379/38, 379/40, 379/45, 379/49, 379/51, 379/104, 379/105, 379/188, 379/199, 379/200, 379/354, 379/388, 379/396, 340/331, 340/332
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A system for speeding response time to a telephone request for emergency assistance. The system passively monitors all dialing from the particular premises and responds to dialing of predesignated emergency numbers by activating an indicator such as a strobe light or a flashing lamp visible at some distance from the premises to positively identify the location of the emergency and attract relief personnel arriving into the area.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the location of premises originating a distress telephone call by personnel responding to such call, comprising:

first means for continuously monitoring the dialing of telephone calls from the premises including discriminator means selectively responsive to the dialing of a particular sequence indicative of a distress call while ignoring all other dialing and switch means actuated upon such selective response, whereby indicator means may be enabled by said switch means for guiding personnel arriving into the general vicinity to the originating premises.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said first means comprises Touch Tone tone dialing decoder means and said discriminator means comprises logic means for comparing each telephone number sequence dialed at said premises with one or more preselected sequence assigned to assistance services thereby to detect distress calls.

3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising visual indicator means actuatable by said switch means.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said visual indicator is a flashing lamp.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said switch means once enabled for actuating said indicator means remains enabled until manually disabled.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising modular connector means for connecting said first means to an existing telephone set.

7. Apparatus for attracting emergency assistance personnel responding to a telephone call placed from a telephone set serving the originating premises, comprising:

decoder means for decoding all telephone number sequences dialed from said telephone set;

logic means associated with said decoder means for detecting the dialing of a predetermined digit sequence;

switch means actuated by said logic means responsive to said detection; and

lamp means visible exteriorly to said premises for attracting personnel responding to a telephone call placed as a result of dialing of said predetermined digit sequence.

8. Apparatus for attracting emergency assistance personnel responding to a telephone call placed from a telephone set serving the originating premises, comprising:

decoder means for decoding all telephone number sequences dialed from said telephone set;

logic means associated with said decoder means for detecting the dialing of a predetermined digit sequence;

switch means actuated by said logic means responsive to said detection;

lamp means visible exteriorly to said premises for attracting personnel responding to a telephone call placed as a result of dialing of said predetermined digit sequence; and

logic means for detecting a test digit sequence dialed from said telephone set and connected for enabling test indicator means for verifying proper operation of the apparatus.

9. Apparatus for attracting emergency assistance personnel responding to a telephone call placed from a telephone set serving the originating premises, comprising:

decoder means for converting telephone dialing input signals to a digital output;

counter means for accumulating an output count of digits converted by said decoder means in a particular dialing sequence;

logic gate means receiving both said digital output and said output count for delivering a gate output responsive only to a particular sequence of digits represented by said telephone dialing input signals;

switch means actuated by said gate output;

whereby external indicator means can be activated by said switch means for attracting emergency assistance personnel to said premises.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising means for disabling said logic gate means upon exceeding a preset count of said output count.

11. Monitoring apparatus useful for detecting a telephone request for emergency assistance dialed from a telephone set comprising:

Touch Tone tone dialing decoder means for converting dialing tones constituting a sequence of dialed digits generated by said set to a hexadecimal output, numeric decoder means for converting said hexadecimal output to first discrete outputs each representative of a particular digit, counter means having second discrete output totaling the number of digits converted in the sequence, a gate dedicated to each digit in a predesignated digit sequence, each said gate connected to selected ones of said first and second discrete outputs for setting a corresponding latch upon coincidence of the selected ouputs, said corresponding latches driving output gate means for actuating a switch responsive to setting of all said latches.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for sensing a voltage drop on telephone lines connected to said Touch Tone tone dialing decoder and for deriving a system reset pulse responsive to such drop thereby to reset said counter means.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising circuit means for disabling said counter for second discrete outputs in excess of a preset number to avoid false actuation of said switch.