Alarm system with interconnected alarm terminals

• US 5,940,474 A
• Filed: 09/21/1995
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jan Ruus
• Original Assignee: Jan Ruus
• Inventors: Ruus, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/531,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37-40, 379/42-45, 379/49-51, 379/201, 379/207, 379/269, 379/214, 379/247
• US Class Current: 379/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

An alarm installation comprises a central alarm station and a number of alarm units. The alarm units can send messages to the central alarm station and the central alarm station can send messages such as voice messages or recorded spoken messages to a number of alert units. All sending and receiving operations are preferably performed on the public telephone network. The alarm units contain at least one operating device and/or detector for an emergency situiation and will at the activation of such a device or detector send a message thereof to the central alarm station. The latter receives the message and will send a corresponding message, e.g. in the shape of a spoken message, to the different alert places. These different alert places can then be interconnected by the central alrm station in order to interchange information in regard of suitable measures to be made.

Claims

1. An alarm installation comprising

a central alarm station and

at least one alarm unit, which is placed at a location which is to be monitored, and

several alarm terminals, which are placed at a number of monitoring locations or turn-out response locations,

connection lines between both the alarm unit and the central alarm station, and between the central alarm station and the alarm terminals,

characterized by

means in the central alarm station for, upon reception of an alarm from the alarm unit through the connection lines, transmitting information thereof to alarm terminals, and

means in the central alarm station for, after the transmission of such information to alarm terminals, establishing interconnections between each one of these alarm terminals in order to transfer information between the alarm terminals.

2. An alarm installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the means in the central alarm station for establishing interconnections between alarm terminals comprise means for connection of the connection lines between the central alarm station and the alarm terminals with each other.

3. An alarm installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection lines between the central alarm station and the alarm terminals comprise lines in the public telephone network.

4. An alarm installation according to claim 3, characterized by means in the central alarm station for dialling alarm terminals and for establishing a connection with an alarm terminal on the public telephone network.

5. An alarm installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the means in the central alarm station for, upon reception of an alarm from an alarm unit, transmitting information thereof to alarm terminals through the connection lines, comprises means for storing, for this alarm unit, a list of those alarm terminals to which information shall be transmitted, to the effect that an alarm has been triggered in the alarm unit.

6. An ala installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the means in the central alarm station for storing a list of those alarm terminals, to which information is to be transmitted that an alarm has been triggered in the alarm unit, when an alarm is triggered in this alarm unit, are arranged to store for this alarm unit, also a secondary list of alarm terminals, not comprised in the alarm terminals included in the first mentioned list, with which connections can established after establishing connections with alarm terminals comprised in the first mentioned list.

7. An alarm installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the means in the central alarm station for transmitting, upon reception of an alarm from an alarm unit, through the connection lines information thereof to alarm terminals, comprise means for storing, for this alarm unit, a list of the telephone numbers of those alarm terminals, which are to be dialled and with which a connection is to be established on the public telephone network and to which information is to be transmitted that an alarm has been triggered in the alarm unit, when an alarm is triggered in this alarm unit.

8. An alarm installation according to claim 7, characterized in that the means for storing, for an alarm unit, a list of the telephone numbers of those alarm terminals, which are to be dialled and with which a connection is to be established on the public telephone network and to which information is to be transmitted that an alarm has been triggered in the alarm unit, when an alarm is triggered in this alarm unit, are arranged to store for this alarm unit also a secondary list of telephone numbers of alarm terminals, not comprised in the alarm terminals in the first mentioned list, which can be dialled and with which connections can be established after establishing interconnections of alarm terminals in the first mentioned list.

9. An alarm installation according to claim 8, characterized by means in the central alarm station comprises means for receiving number dialling signals obtained over a telephone connection established with the central alarm station.

10. An alarm installation according to claim 1, characterized by

means in the alarm terminals for acknowledging, to the central alarm station, information received on the connection line between the alarm terminal and the central alarm station, that an alarm has been triggered, and

means in the central alarm station for receiving and testing such acknowledgments from the alarm terminals.