Plug-in type supervisory switch

• US 6,037,867 A
• Filed: 01/22/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pittway Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pittway Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Joseph, Rony K., Robillard, Scott E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/012,158
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/545.1, 340/548, 340/545.4, 340/549, 340/545.5, 340/545.6, 340/568.1, 340/568.2, 340/686.1, 340/687, 340/686.3, 340/686.4, 340/568.3 , 340/568.4, 340/572.3, 340/572.8, 340/686.2, 340/296, 200/61.93, 200/51.1
• US Class Current: 340/508
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1454 Circuit arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1463 Physical arrangements, e.g. housings devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags A45C13/18

Abstract

A device for supervising movable articles or objects has a supervising member which can be attached thereto. The device includes a connector disposed in a housing. The housing includes an aperture and a rotary blocking member positionable between the connector and the aperture of the housing. The supervising member is coupled to the connector. The blocking member prevents the supervising member from being recoupled to the connector after it has been removed from the housing. An alarm system is also provided. The alarm system includes ambient condition detectors in communication with a control unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the location of a selected member to which a monitoring element is attached, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a first connecting element carried by the housing;

a rotary blocking member, carried by the housing, and having a blocking position that blocks access to the connecting element wherein when the monitoring element, coupled to the first connecting element, is uncoupled therefrom in response to movement of the selected member from a first location, the blocking member moves to the blocking position interposed between the monitoring element and the first connecting element whereupon the monitoring element cannot be recoupled to the connecting element.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 which includes a biasing element wherein the blocking member is biased toward the blocking position.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the biasing element includes a metallic spring.

4. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the first connecting element is rigidly attached to the housing.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the housing is sealed and is substantially moisture resistant.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the housing has a removable cover and wherein the housing carries a cover position sensor.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the cover position sensor comprises a multi-state switch.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1 which includes a mounting bracket and a resilient coupling element for attaching the bracket to the housing.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the coupling element includes a tapered, deformable member positioned between the bracket and the housing.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the first connecting element has first and second contacts wherein the contacts are opened by coupling the monitoring element thereto.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the first connecting element has a portion in electrical contact with the monitoring element simultaneously when the first and second contacts are open.

12. An apparatus as in claim 11 which incudes a separate pair of conductors coupled to each of the first and second contacts whereby current can be passed through each of the first and second contacts irrespective of their closure state.

13. An apparatus as in claim 11 wherein removal of the monitoring element permits the first and second contacts to close simultaneously while breaking the electrical contact between the portion and the first connection.

14. An apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the monitoring element comprises a flexible conductive member.

15. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said blocking member is contained within said housing.

21. First and second devices as in claim 15 wherein said blocking member is contained within said housing.

16. First and second supervisory devices for monitoring the location of a selected member to which a monitoring element is attached, each supervisory device comprising:

a housing;

a first connecting element carried by the housing wherein the connecting element carries separable first and second contacts;

a blocking member, carried by the housing, and having a blocking position that blocks access to the connecting element wherein when the monitoring element, coupled to the first connecting element, is uncoupled therefrom in response to movement of the selected member from a first location, the blocking member moves to the blocking position whereupon the monitoring element can not be recoupled to the connecting element;

wherein the first contacts are coupled together in series so as to couple an electrical signal therethrough and wherein the second contacts are coupled together in series so as to couple another electrical signal therethrough.

17. First and second devices as in claim 16 wherein a respective monitoring element is coupled to a respective selected member wherein the monitoring elements are connected in series.

18. First and second devices as in claim 16 wherein the blocking member of each device is mounted for rotary movement.

19. First and second devices as in claim 16 wherein at least one of the electrical signals corresponds to a current flow.

20. First and second devices as in claim 16 wherein respective first and second contacts are part of a respective monitoring loop.

22. An apparatus for monitoring the location of a selected member, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a first connecting element carried by the housing;

a flexible, elongated monitoring element to be attached to the member and coupled to the connecting element;

a rotary blocking member, carried by the housing, and having a blocking position that blocks access to the connecting element wherein when the monitoring element is uncoupled therefrom in response to movement of the selected member from a first location, the blocking member moves to the blocking position interposed between the monitoring element and the first connecting element whereupon the monitoring element cannot be recoupled to the connecting element.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22 which includes a metallic biasing element wherein the blocking member is biased toward the blocking position.

24. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the first connecting element is rigidly attached to the housing.

25. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the housing is sealed and is substantially moisture resistant.

26. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the housing has a removable cover and wherein the housing carries a cover position sensor.

27. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the monitoring element has first and second ends, wherein one end is fixedly attached to the housing and the other end is removably coupled to the connecting element.

28. An apparatus as in claim 27 wherein the monitoring element includes at least one conductor which extends between the ends.

29. An apparatus as in claim 28 which includes at least first and second contacts carried on the connecting element.

30. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the monitoring element includes a conductor.

31. An apparatus as in claim 22 which incudes a mounting bracket and a resilient, tapered, coupling element for attaching the bracket to the housing.

32. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the first connecting element has first and second multi-state contacts wherein the contacts change state in response to coupling the monitoring element thereto.

33. An apparatus as in claim 32 wherein the first connecting element carries at least a third contact wherein the third contact engages the monitoring element simultaneously when the first and second contacts change state.

34. An apparatus as in claim 22 which includes a separate pair of conductors coupled to each of the first and second contacts whereby current can be passed through each of the first and second contacts irrespective of their state.

35. An apparatus as in claim 22 wherein said blocking member is contained within said housing.

36. An apparatus for monitoring the location of a selected member to which is attached a monitoring element, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a connector carried, at least in part, within the housing wherein the connector defines a coupling port for slidably and removably receiving a selected part of the monitoring element;

a blocking element carried within the housing and biased toward a blocking position wherein the selected part of the monitoring element, when inserted to a first location in the coupling port, inhibits movement of the blocking element to the blocking position and wherein when the selected part is moved from the first location to a displaced second location, the blocking element moves to the blocking position whereby the selected part is blocked from the first position.

37. An apparatus as in claim 36 wherein the connector carries at least one conductor in the housing for engagement with the selected part to form a conductive path and wherein disengagement of the conductor from the selected part breaks the conductive path.

38. An apparatus as in claim 36 wherein said blocking element is rotatably mounted within said housing and said movement of the blocking element is a rotational movement.

39. A method of supervising the location of an object comprising:

establishing a first location for the object;

coupling a monitoring element to the object;

moving a blocking member to a second location;

positioning a portion of the monitoring element to a monitoring position at a third location, adjacent to a selected part of the blocking member thereby indicating that the object is at the first location;

detecting movement of the portion of the monitoring element a preselected distance away from the third location;

moving the blocking element, in response to the detected movement, from the second location to a blocking location thereby inhibiting return movement of the portion of the monitoring element to the third location.

40. A method as in claim 39 wherein the movement comprises rotary movement.

41. A method as in claim 39 which includes providing a substantially closed region and positioning the blocking member therein.

42. A method as in claim 39 which includes applying a force to the blocking member to bias it to the second location.

43. A method as in claim 42 wherein the force causes rotation of the blocking member.