Home weather emergency warning system

• US 5,949,851 A
• Filed: 05/28/1998
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shannon R. Mahaffey
• Original Assignee: Shannon R. Mahaffey
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Shannon R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/086,442
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37-51, 379/110.01, 340/601, 340/602, 455/66, 455/556, 455/555
• US Class Current: 379/48
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A severe weather warning system is provided including an indicator mechanism adapted for providing an indication of a weather disturbance upon the receipt thereof. A modem has an outlet port connected to a conventional phone and an inlet port connected to a telecommunication network. During use, the modem has a first mode of operation for allowing the transfer of audio signals between the inlet port and the outlet port and a second mode of operation for when a weather disturbance is detected. Next provided is control circuitry adapted for transmitting to the indicator means the indication of a weather disturbance. Finally, a central control base includes a source of weather data for supplying a geographical location of a weather disturbance and a description of the weather disturbance, a subscriber database having stored therein a plurality of phone numbers of users and further the geographical location thereof, a modem adapted for calling a phone number, and a computer adapted to effect the transmission of the indication of a weather disturbance by the indicator means upon the detection of a weather disturbance by the source of weather data. Such phone number corresponds to a user residing within a geographical location wherein a weather disturbance is present as indicated by the source of weather data.

Claims

1. A severe weather warning system comprising, in combination:

a housing;

a display situated on the housing for depicting alphanumeric data representative of a visual warning message upon the receipt thereof;

a speaker situated on the housing for sounding audio signals representative of an audio warning message upon the receipt thereof;

a modem situated within the housing and having an outlet port connected to a conventional phone and an inlet port connected to a telecommunication network, the modem having a first mode of operation for allowing the transfer of audio signals between the inlet port and the outlet port and a second mode of operation for receiving data from the inlet port upon the receipt of an activation signal;

read only memory situated within the housing for storing alphanumeric data representative of visual warning messages and audio signals representative of audio warning messages, each warning message having a binary code associated therewith, wherein each warning message corresponds to a specific set of instructions and a type of weather disturbance;

control circuitry situated within the housing and connected to the display, speaker, modem, and read only memory, the control circuitry adapted for transmitting audio signals and alphanumeric data to the speaker and display, respectively which correspond to binary codes received by the modem; and

a central control base including a source of weather data for supplying a geographical location of a weather disturbance and a description of the weather disturbance, a subscriber database having stored therein a plurality of phone numbers of users and further the geographical location thereof, a modem adapted for calling a phone number and transmitting an activation signal followed by binary codes upon the receipt thereof, and a computer connected between the source of weather data, subscriber database, and modem, the computer adapted to transmit to the modem an activation signal, a phone number and binary codes upon the detection of a weather disturbance by the source of weather data, wherein the phone number corresponds to a user residing within a geographical location wherein a weather disturbance is present as indicated by the source of weather data and further wherein the binary codes corresponds to warning messages associated with the description of the weather disturbance as indicated by the source of weather data.

2. A severe weather warning system comprising:

a housing;

an indicator means on the housing for providing an indication of a weather disturbance upon the receipt thereof;

a modem situated within the housing and having an outlet port connected to a conventional phone and an inlet port connected to a telecommunication network, the modem having a first mode of operation for allowing the transfer of audio signals between the inlet port and the outlet port and a second mode of operation for when a weather disturbance is detected;

control circuitry situated within the housing and connected to the display, speaker, and modem, the control circuitry adapted for effecting the transmission from the indicator means the indication of a weather disturbance when a weather disturbance is detected; and

a central control base including a source of weather data for supplying a geographical location of a weather disturbance and a description of the weather disturbance, a subscriber database having stored therein a plurality of phone numbers of users and further the geographical location thereof, a modem adapted for calling a phone number, and a computer connected between the source of weather data, subscriber database, and modem, the computer adapted to effect the transmission of the indication of a weather disturbance by the indicator means upon the detection of a weather disturbance by the source of weather data, wherein the phone number corresponds to a user residing within a geographical location and further wherein a weather disturbance is present as indicated by the source of weather data.

3. A severe weather warning system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the indicator means includes a display situated on the housing for depicting the indication of a weather disturbance which takes the form of alphanumeric data representative of a visual warning message upon the receipt thereof.

4. A severe weather warning system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the indicator means includes a speaker situated on the housing for sounding the indication of a weather disturbance which takes the form of audio signals representative of an audio warning message upon the receipt thereof.

5. A severe weather warning system as set forth in claim 2 and further including read only memory situated within the housing for storing a plurality of indications of various weather disturbances, each indication of a weather disturbance having a binary code associated therewith, wherein the computer is adapted to transmit the binary code from the modem connected thereto such that the control circuitry effects the transmission of the indication of a weather disturbance to the indicator means.