Security system for a metallic enclosure

• US 5,729,199 A
• Filed: 06/06/1996
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Consolidated Graphics Incorporated (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Consolidated Graphics Incorporated (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Cooper, Michael N., Hoffer, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LA, ANH V
• Application Number:
  US08/656,932
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/545, 340/426, 340/691, 340/539, 341/176, 364/423.098
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1001 Alarm systems associated with another car fitting or mechanism, e.g. door lock or knob, pedals features related to the general power supply B60R25/1018
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1025 preventing jamming or interference of said signal

Abstract

A system for monitoring the occurrence of an event occurring with respect to an essentially metallic enclosure such as a truck body, e.g., the unwarranted opening of a locked door to the enclosure, which comprises a detector within the enclosure which senses the occurrence of the event and radiates a spread spectrum signal which is readily received by an external module mobile relative to the enclosure, so that the enclosure, at any time during its active life, may be externally interrogated to ascertain whether any such event has occurred, the enclosure optionally also containing a separate unit which records the spread spectrum signals for subsequent display and analysis, whereby the security status of the enclosure may be externally monitored at will, thereby to indicate whether or not the enclosure has been tampered with and, optionally, its security history--when and how frequently the event has occurred--may be retrieved.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the occurrence of an event occurring with respect to an essentially metallic enclosure and adversely affecting the security of said enclosure which comprises means for detecting the occurrence of said event, means within said enclosure operatively connected to said detector means for producing a radiation signal of the spread spectrum type indicative of the occurrence and/or non-occurrence of said event, and means outside said enclosure for receiving said signal through the air and providing an indication in the event that the status of said signal reveals that the security of said enclosure is in question.

2. The system of claim 1, in which said signal receiving means provides an indication if (a) said signal reveals that said event has occurred, or (b) if no effective signal is received.

3. In the system of either of claims 1 or 2, means within said enclosure separate from said signal producing means for receiving said signal through the air and recording data corresponding to said signal for subsequent recapture.

4. The system of either of claims 1 or 2, in which said signal includes an indication of the number of times said event has occurred and in which said means outside said enclosure produces a sensible output identifying said number.

5. In a system of claim 4, means within said enclosure separate from said signal producing means for receiving said signal through the air and recording data corresponding to said signal for subsequent recapture.

6. The system of either of claims 1 or 2, in which said signal includes identification of the time of day when said event has occurred, and in which said means outside said enclosure produces a sensible output identifying said time of day.

7. The system of claim 1, in which said signal producing means produces a sensible signal every predetermined period of time whether said event has occurred or not, the signal differing depending upon whether said event has occurred or not.

8. The system of claim 7, in which said predetermined period of time is of a given magnitude when said event has not occurred and a lesser magnitude when said event has occurred.

9. The system of either of claims 7 or 8, in which said signal includes an indication of the number of times said event has occurred and in which said means outside said enclosure produces a sensible output identifying said number.

10. The system of either of claims 1 or 2, in which said spread spectrum radiation band is between about 902 and 928 MHz.

11. A system of claim 10, in which said signal producing means produces a sensible signal every predetermined period of time whether said event has occurred or not, the signal differing depending upon whether said event has occurred or not.