Radio activated personal infrared distress beacon
First Claim
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1. An emergency message system for activating and detecting an emergency distress signal, said system comprising:
- a radio receiver for receiving message information being transmitted on a radio frequency communications channel and containing a selective call address,a message storage device responsive to the selective call address for effecting the storing of the received message information,a signaling device for generating a coded infrared distress signal conveying a message corresponding to the received message information, anda locator device for locating and detecting said distress signal and decoding said message conveyed by said distress signal;
said radio receiver, said message storage device and said signaling device being housed in a first portable unit adapted to be carried by a person, and said locator device being housed in a second portable unit adapted to be carried in a mobile vehicle capable of transporting said locator device to varying locations from which said distress signal may be observed.
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Abstract
A personal infrared beacon unit capable of being worn as an adornment of clothing, incorporated into a part of a person'"'"'s attire, or embodied within a personal pager, a cellular phone or a 2-way data device. The beacon unit may be in communication with an established network and may be activated externally by a locator signal, or internally by activation of an emergency button. Upon activation, the beacon unit emits coded timed infrared bursts in coherent beams, and when the beams are detected, they may be decoded visually or with a decoding device to provide the identity and location of the user.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An emergency message system for activating and detecting an emergency distress signal, said system comprising:
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a radio receiver for receiving message information being transmitted on a radio frequency communications channel and containing a selective call address, a message storage device responsive to the selective call address for effecting the storing of the received message information, a signaling device for generating a coded infrared distress signal conveying a message corresponding to the received message information, and a locator device for locating and detecting said distress signal and decoding said message conveyed by said distress signal; said radio receiver, said message storage device and said signaling device being housed in a first portable unit adapted to be carried by a person, and said locator device being housed in a second portable unit adapted to be carried in a mobile vehicle capable of transporting said locator device to varying locations from which said distress signal may be observed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of activating and detecting an emergency distress signal, said method comprising steps of:
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receiving a locator signal at a radio receiver; verifying the addressee of said locator signal; storing the locator signal in a message storage device; causing a portable signaling device to emit a distress signal comprising a coded infrared message in response to said locator signal and detecting said coded infrared message with a locator device adapted to decode said coded infrared message carried by a mobile vehicle capable of transporting said locator device to varying locations from which said distress signal may be observed; said radio receiver, said message storage device and said signaling device being housed in a first portable unit adapted to be carried by a person, and said locator device being housed in a second portable unit adapted to be carried by the mobile vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification