Small-sized alarm device

• US 5,712,623 A
• Filed: 10/30/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Niimi, Masazumi, Sano, Takashi, Kumai, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/550,362
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 340/545, 340/522, 340/521, 340/546, 340/551, 340/552, 340/553, 340/554, 340/565, 340/566, 340/567, 340/562, 340/561, 364/706, 364/708.1, 364/705.01, 364/705.05
• US Class Current: 340/565
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/26 by proximity of an intruder causing variation in capacitance or inductance of a circuit

Abstract

A small-sized alarm device is hung on a doorknob to emit an alarm sound upon detecting that a human body contacts or approaches the doorknob. The alarm device has data processor, such as a calculator and the like, in addition to an alarm and an electro-optic display for displaying data processed by the data processor and information related to the operation of the alarm. To the alarm device is rotatably mounted a hanging member for hanging the alarm device on a doorknob. The hanging member is fit into the case of the alarm device when in not use or is erected from the case when the alarm device is hung on the doorknob.

Claims

1. A small-sized alarm device comprising:

a case;

a substantially U-shaped hanging member, two ends of the U-shaped hanging member being rotatably mounted to said case, the hanging member having an opening which is to be hanged on a doorknob; and

an alarm, installed in said case, for emitting an alarm sound upon detecting, via said hanging member, that a human body contacts or approaches said doorknob,

said case comprising a fitting section into which said hanging member is fit, the fitting section provided in a given surface of said case,

said hanging member being fitted into said fitting section so that the hanging member aligns with the given surface when the alarm device is carried and being rotated by about 180°

around the two ends so that the opening is erected from said case in order to hang on said doorknob, the length of said hanging member being not longer than the length of said case.

2. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein said case comprises a battery container covered with a movable battery cover, said battery cover being prevented by said hanging member from moving when said hanging member is fit into said fitting section of said case.

3. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein said case comprises hooks for fixing said hanging member when said hanging member is fit into said fitting section.

4. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein said case comprises a slit into which a part of said hanging member is inserted when it is erected from said case to thereby control the position of said hanging member.

5. The alarm device according to claim 1, further comprising a electro-optic display for displaying information relating to said alarm.

6. The alarm device according to claim 1, in which said case comprises:

a keyboard for inputting data; and

a display for displaying the data input by said keyboard.

7. The alarm device according to claim 6, in which said display is provided at a surface opposite to the given surface of said case.

8. A small-sized alarm device comprising:

a case;

an electrically conductive hanging member for hanging said case on a doorknob;

an electrically conductive coil electrically connected to said hanging member;

an alarm, installed in said case, for emitting an alarm sound upon detecting contact or approach of a human body, the alarm comprising;

an oscillator circuit electrically connected to said hanging member and said coil, said oscillator circuit varying its output when a human body contacts or approaches said doorknob or said coil vibrates;

a detector for detecting, via said hanging member, contact with or approach to said doorknob by a human body or the vibration of a door due to contact with said door by a human body in response to an output of said oscillator circuit; and

an alarm sound emitter for emitting an alarm sound when said detector detects that a human body is contacting or approaching said doorknob or the door is vibrating;

a data processor, installed in said case, for processing data; and

an electro-optic display, mounted on said case, for displaying said data processed by said data processor and information relating to the operation of said alarm.

9. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said data processor comprises timekeeping device for obtaining current time data, which is displayed on said electro-optic display.

10. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said data processor comprises a currency converter for converting an amount of money in the currency of a first country into an amount of money in the currency of a second country, converted money data being displayed on said electro-optic display.

11. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said alarm comprises a switch for starting or stopping the operation of said alarm, and said information relating to the operation of said alarm is information as to whether said alarm is in operation or not.

12. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said alarm comprises a switch for starting the operation of said alarm, controller for starting the operation of said alarm after a lapse of a predetermined period of time from the operation of said switch, and counter for counting the remainder of the time from the operation of said switch to the start of the operation of said alarm, and said information relating to the operation of said alarm is information about the remainder of the time.

13. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said alarm comprises a sound volume setting device for setting the volume of said alarm sound, and said information relating to the operation of said alarm is the volume of said alarm sound set by said sound volume setting device.

14. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said alarm comprises a controller for, when the contact or approach of a human body is detected, causing a warning sound to be emitted for a predetermined period of time and then causing an alarm sound greater in volume than said warning sound to be emitted.

15. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said case comprises a body on which said electro-optic display is mounted and a cover openably mounted to said body, said cover being formed with a window for exposing said electro-optic display.

16. The alarm device according to claim 8, wherein said data processor comprises a keyboard with a numeric keypad for entering numeric data and arithmetic function keys for entering arithmetic functions, and calculation means for performing calculations based on numeric data and arithmetic functions entered from said keyboard, the result of the calculations being displayed on said electro-optic display.

17. The alarm device according to claim 16, wherein said case comprises a body on which said electro-optic display and said keyboard are mounted and a cover openably mounted to said body, said cover covering said keyboard when closed and being formed with a windows for exposing said electro-optic display when closed.

18. The alarm device according to claim 8, further comprising a hanging member for hanging said case on a doorknob, said hanging member being rotatably mounted to said case, and wherein said case comprises a fitting section into which said hanging member is fit, said hanging member being erected in order to hang on said doorknob and fit into said fitting section of said case when not in use.

19. The alarm device according to claim 18, wherein said case comprises a battery container covered with a movable battery cover, said battery cover being prevented by said hanging member from moving when said hanging member is fit into said fitting section of said case.

20. A small-sized alarm device comprising:

a case;

a keyboard mounted on said case and having a numeric keypad for entering numeric data and arithmetic function keys for entering arithmetic functions;

a calculator, installed in said case, for performing calculations based on numeric data and arithmetic functions entered from said keyboard;

a display, mounted on said case, for displaying the results of calculations performed by said calculator;

an electrically conductive hanging member for hanging said case on a doorknob;

an electrically conductive coil electrically connected to said hanging member;

an oscillator circuit installed in said case and electrically connected to said hanging member and said coil, said oscillator circuit varying its output when a human body contacts or approaches said doorknob or said coil vibrates;

a detector, installed in said case, for detecting, via said hanging member, contact with or approach to said doorknob by a human body or the vibration of a door due to contact with said door by a human body in response to an output of said oscillator circuit; and

an alarm sound emitter, installed in said case, for emitting an alarm sound when said detector detects that a human body is contacting or approaching said doorknob or the door is vibrating.

21. The alarm device according to claim 20, further comprising a hanging member for hanging said case on a doorknob, said hanging member being rotatably mounted to said case, and wherein said case comprises a depressed portion into which said hanging member is fit, said hanging member being erected in order to hang on said doorknob and fit into said depressed portion of said case when not in use.

22. The alarm device according to claim 20, further comprising a display controller for causing said display to display information relating to the operation of said alarm.

23. The alarm device according to claim 20, wherein said case comprises an openable cover which covers said keyboard when closed, said cover being formed with a window for exposing said display when closed.

24. A small-sized alarm device comprising:

a case;

an electrically conductive hanging member for hanging said case on a doorknob;

an electrically conductive coil electrically connected to said hanging member;

an oscillator circuit installed in said case and electrically connected to said hanging member and said coil, said oscillator circuit varying its output when a human body contacts or approaches said doorknob or said coil vibrates;

a detector, installed in said case, for detecting, via said hanging member, contact with or approach to said doorknob by a human body or the vibration of a door due to contact with said door by a human body in response to an output of said oscillator circuit; and

a alarm sound emitter, installed in said case, for emitting an alarm sound when said detecting detects that a human body is contacting or approaching said doorknob or the door is vibrating.

25. The alarm device according to claim 24, wherein said detector detects whether the human body is contacting or approaching said doorknob or whether the door is vibrating from variations in the amplitude of an output signal of said oscillator.

26. The alarm device according to claim 24, wherein said coil has one end fixed and the other end made swingable.

27. The alarm device according to claim 24, wherein said coil is installed in said case.

28. The alarm device according to claim 24, further comprising an electro-optic display for displaying information relating to the operation of said alarm sound emitter.