Personal security alarm system

• US 5,264,828 A
• Filed: 10/23/1992
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parksafe Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Parksafe Incorporated
• Inventors: Bertone, Gregory, Fischman, Melvin K., Meiksin, Zvi H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US07/965,511
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539, 340/531, 340/506, 340/518, 340/525, 340/306, 340/307, 340/286.14, 340/825.06, 340/825.54
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A personal security alarm system which activates audible and visible alarms instantly at the location of an emergency, and simultaneously notifies security personnel of the existence and location of the emergency so that response to the call for help can be immediate. When a person is threatened, the person actuates a hand-held alarm actuator-transmitter by pressing a pushbutton. The signal is received by an area relay receiver which triggers an alarm at the location where the incident is occurring. At the same time the area relay receiver relays the state of emergency to a master computer which identifies the area relay receiver activated by the hand-held alarm actuator-transmitter. The master computer activates an annunciator and displays on a color video screen graphically and in print the floor plan or the site layout where the incident is occurring. A portable device is provided for resetting the portable alarm activator. This resetting device determines whether the portable alarm activator has been activated when the latter is inserted in the former in a predetermined direction, and deactivates the activated portable alarm activator when the latter in inserted in the former in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

Claims

1. A personal security alarm system comprising:

a portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency;

first and second pluralities of relay means, each relay means of said first and second pluralities of relay means stationed at a different location and outputting a signal having either of first and second binary values representing the state of the respective relay means, a signal having said first binary value being output in response to receipt of said first modulated radio-frequency signal having said predetermined frequency;

first and second section monitoring means respectively coupled to said first and second pluralities of relay means, the location of said first section monitoring means being different than the location of said second section monitoring means, said first section monitoring means serially outputting a first succession of signals corresponding to said signals from said first plurality of relay means and said second section monitoring means serially outputting a second succession of signals corresponding to said signals from said second plurality of relay means;

first and second data receiving means for respectively receiving and buffering said first and second successions of signals from said first and second section monitoring means, said first data receiving means outputting said signals of said first succession in parallel in response to a first enable signal and said second data receiving means outputting said signals of said second succession in parallel in response to a second enable signal;

first input/output interface means for outputting said first enable signal to said first data receiving means and then receiving said parallel signals of said first succession from said first data receiving means during a first time period, and outputting said second enable signal to said second data receiving means and then receiving said parallel signals of said second succession from said second data receiving means during a second time period different than said first time period, said first input/output interface means and said first and second data receiving means being parts of a first module; and

master computing means for outputting first and second selection signals to said first input/output interface means at different times,

wherein said master computing means receives said parallel signals of said first succession from said first input/output interface means in response to said first selection signal and receives said parallel signals of said second succession from said first input/output interface means in response to said second selection signal.

2. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, wherein said first input/output interface means outputs said first enable signal in response to said first selection signal and outputs said second enable signal in response to said second selection signal.

3. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

third and fourth pluralities of relay means, each relay means of said third and fourth pluralities of relay means outputting a signal having either of first and second binary values representing the state of the respective relay means, a signal having said first binary value being output in response to receipt of a radio-frequency signal having said first predetermined frequency;

third and fourth section monitoring means respectively coupled to said third and fourth pluralities of relay means, said third section monitoring means serially outputting a third succession of signals corresponding to said signals from said third plurality of relay means and said fourth section monitoring means serially outputting a fourth succession of signals corresponding to said signals from said fourth plurality of relay means;

third and fourth data receiving means for respectively receiving and buffering said third and fourth successions of signals from said third and fourth section monitoring means, said third data receiving means outputting said signals of said third succession in parallel in response to a third enable signal and said fourth data receiving means outputting said signals of said fourth succession in parallel in response to a fourth enable signal; and

second input/output interface means for outputting said third enable signal to said third data receiving means and then receiving said parallel signals of said third succession from said third data receiving means during a third time period different than said first and second time periods, and outputting said fourth enable signal to said fourth data receiving means and then receiving said parallel signals of said fourth succession from said fourth data receiving means during a fourth time period different than said first, second and third time periods, said second input/output interface means and said third and fourth data receiving means being parts of a second module,

wherein said master computing means outputs third and fourth selection signals to said second input/output interface means at different times, and receives said parallel signals of said third succession from said second input/output interface means in response to said third selection signal and receives said parallel signals of said fourth succession from said second input/output interface means in-response to said fourth selection signal.

4. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 3, wherein said second input/output interface means outputs said third enable signal in response to said third selection signal and outputs said fourth enable signal in response to said fourth selection signal.

5. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 4, wherein said selection signals comprise a first portion for selecting an input/output interface means and a second portion for selecting a section connected to said selected input/output interface means.

6. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, wherein each relay means of said first and second pluralities comprises means for resetting the state of the respective relay means so that a signal having said second binary value is output thereby, said master computing means comprises means for outputting an alarm reset signal, said first input/output interface means comprises means for transmitting said alarm reset signal to said first and second data receiving means, said first and second data receiving means respectively comprise means for transmitting said alarm reset signal from said first input/output interface means to said first and second section monitoring means, and said first and second section monitoring means respectively comprise means for transmitting said alarm reset signal from said first and second data receiving means to said first and second pluralities of relay means, whereby each relay means of said first and second pluralities is reset in response to said alarm reset signal.

7. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of means for generating an audio alarm signal, each audio alarm signal generating means generating an audio alarm signal in response to receipt an alarm signal from a corresponding relay means located in proximity thereto, each relay means outputting said alarm signal in response to receipt of a radio frequency signal having said predetermined frequency.

8. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising display means connected to said master computing means, said master computing means controlling said display means to display symbols identifying the location of a first relay means in response to said first relay means outputting a signal having said first binary value.

9. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, wherein said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency comprises bar code identification means attached to a surface thereof.

10. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising portable means for indicating the strength of said first modulated radio-frequency signal having said predetermined frequency being transmitted by said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency.

11. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising first portable means for resetting said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency and second portable means for resetting an activated relay means.

12. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a scanner module for reading said bar code identification means on said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency and outputting signals identifying said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency to said master computing means.

13. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a portable means for activating transmission of a second modulated radio-frequency signal having said predetermined frequency, each relay means of said first and second pluralities outputting a signal having said second binary value in response to receipt of said second modulated radio-frequency signal having said predetermined frequency.

14. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said relay means comprises transformer means for coupling said relay means to a power supply and back-up battery means for supplying power in the event of a failure of said power supply.

15. A personal security alarm system comprising:

a portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency;

first and second pluralities of relay means, each relay means of said first and second pluralities of relay means being stationed at a different location and being activated to output an alarm signal in response to receipt of said first modulated radio-frequency signal having said predetermined frequency;

first and second section monitoring means respectively coupled to said first and second pluralities of relay means, said first section monitoring means outputting any alarm signal from said first plurality of relay means and said second section monitoring means outputting any alarm signal from said second plurality of relay means;

first and second data receiving means for respectively receiving and buffering any alarm signal from said first and second section monitoring means, said first data receiving means outputting a first multi-bit signal consisting of a multiplicity of bits in parallel, said first multi-bit signal identifying which one of said first plurality of relay means output an alarm signal in response to a first enable signal and said second data receiving means outputting a second multi-bit signal consisting of a multiplicity of bits in parallel, said second multi-bit signal identifying which one of said second plurality of relay means output an alarm signal in response to a second enable signal;

means for scanning said outputs of said first and second data receiving means;

mean for identifying an relay means activated by said portable means for activating transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency; and

display means connected to said identifying means, said scanning means controlling said display means to display symbols identifying the location of said activated relay means in response to said activated relay means outputting an alarm signal.

16. The personal security alarm system as defined in claim 15, wherein said scanning means comprises input/output interface means for outputting said first enable signal to said first data receiving means and then receiving said parallel multi-bit signal from said first data receiving means during a first time period, and outputting said second enable signal to said second data receiving means and then receiving said parallel multi-bit signals from said second data receiving means during a second time period different than said first time period, and said identifying means comprises master computing means for outputting first and second selection signals to said input/output interface means at different times, wherein said master computing means receives said parallel multi-bit signals from said input/output interface means in response to said first selection signal and receives said parallel multi-bit signals from said first input/output interface means in response to said second selection signal.

17. A portable device for resetting a portable alarm activator, said portable alarm activator comprising a transmitter for transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency and means for activating said transmission of a first modulated radio-frequency signal having a predetermined frequency, comprising:

means for receiving said portable alarm activator;

means for determining whether said portable alarm activator has been activated, said determining means being effective only when said portable alarm activator is inserted in said receiving means in a predetermined direction; and

means for deactivating said activated portable alarm activator when said portable alarm activator is inserted in said receiving means in a direction opposite to said predetermined direction.

18. The portable resetting device as defined in claim 17, wherein said determining means comprises a phototransistor and said deactivating means comprises magnetic coupling means.