Message emitting device

• US 5,463,369 A
• Filed: 10/08/1993
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: George Lamping
• Original Assignee: George Lamping
• Inventors: Lamping, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US08/134,211
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 340/384.7, 340/384.1, 340/692, 340/468, 340/457, 340/457.1, 381/51, 280/801.1, 280/808, 297/482
• US Class Current: 340/384.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

The message emitting device comprises: a flexible sheet of material; sound emitting circuitry mounted to the sheet of material and comprising an electronic circuit which includes a sound synthesizer, a sound producing device and a power supply coupled together; a switching structure for actuating the electronic circuit; and structure for attaching the message emitting device to a living body or to structure adjacent a living body.

Claims

1. A message emitting device comprising:

a two ply flexible sheet of material shaped like and having a drawing on a front side thereof to look like a real or imaginary character;

sound emitting means mounted to said sheet between the plies and comprising an electronic circuit mounted to at least one of said plies which includes a sound synthesizer, sound producing means and a power supply coupled together for emitting a reminder message to a person wearing the device;

pressure sensitive switch means for actuating said electronic circuit; and

means for attaching said message emitting device to a belt or strap of a seat belt assembly for a human being.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said sheet of material includes a center panel portion and first and second side panel portions each hingedly connected at a foldline to said center panel portion.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein one of said side panel portions has first attachment means on a front side thereof so as to face rearwardly and outwardly when said panel section is folded behind a strip of material positioned behind said center panel portion and said other side panel portion has second attachment means on a rear side thereof such that said second attachment means will face forwardly against and in contact with said first attaching means when that side panel portion is folded behind the strip of material so that the first and second attaching means form said means for attaching said device to structure adjacent said living body and engage each other for fastening the message emitting device about the strip of material.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said sound synthesizer is a speech synthesizing chip.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said speech synthesizing chip comprises an oscillator, an address generator coupled to said oscillator, control and timing logic circuitry coupled to said address generator, a digital to analog converter coupled to said logic circuitry, and an output buffer circuit coupled to said converter.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said sound producing means comprises a buzzer for emitting different sounds.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein said sound producing means includes a speaker.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein two speech synthesizing chips are connected in parallel to extend desired voice sections.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein two speech synthesizing chips are connected in a cascade arrangement to extend the desired voice length in a serial manner.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said character is selected from the group consisting essentially of a sports character, a real character associated with safety and a fictional character associated with safety.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said pressure sensitive switch means is aligned with a drawing of an item on or carried by the character drawn on said front side of said device, such item being an item that one touches to engage said actuating means for actuating said message emitting device.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said item is selected from the group consisting essentially of a badge worn by an official or a ball held or carried by a sports character.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said message emitted by said device is a safety or instructional message.

14. The device of claim 1 being constructed and arranged to be mounted on a shoulder strap of the seat belt assembly.