Method for arming a security system

• US 6,137,402 A
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pittway Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Marino, Francis C.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/261,984
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426, 340/506, 340/507, 340/511, 340/517, 340/529, 340/539, 340/587, 340/825.06, 340/541
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of arming a security system comprising one or more send-only RF sensor. The method comprises the steps of receiving a request to arm the system from a keypad, determining if a faulted status exists in the receiver/controller, if a faulted status does exist, then changing the faulted status to a restored status, and arming the security system when there are no faulted statuses in the receiver/controller.

Claims

1. In a security system comprising one or more sensors, said sensors transmitting RF signals, said RF signals including fault messages and restore messages, and an RF receiver/controller for receiving and processing said fault and restore messages to provide a faulted status or a restored status for each sensor;

a method of arming said security system comprising the steps of;

a) receiving a request from a user to arm the system,

b) determining if a faulted status exists in the receiver/controller, at the time the receiver/controller received the request to arm the system,

c) if a faulted status exists at the time the receiver/controller received the request to arm the system, then automatically changing said faulted status to a restored status without requiring the detection of a restore message from a sensor, and

d) arming said security system when there are no faulted statuses in the receiver/controller.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the repeating of steps b and c until there is no faulted statuses in the receiver/controller.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a motion detector.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a glass break detector.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a shock sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a wireless key fob.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a panic pendant.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of automatically changing said faulted status to a restored status without requiring the detection of a restore message from a sensor is only carried out if the faulted status is associated with a motion detector.

9. A security system comprising:

a) a sensor device comprising;

i) sensor means for detecting a fault condition in an area of interest, and

ii) means for transmitting an RF signal from said sensor means in response to detecting said fault condition, said RF signal containing a fault message upon fault condition detection, and said RF signal containing a restore message upon detection of cessation of said fault condition, and

b) a receiver/controller comprising;

i) means for receiving said RF signal,

ii) means for processing said RF signal to provide a faulted status in response to a fault message and a restored status in response to a restore message,

iii) means for receiving a request from a user to arm the security system,

iv) means for determining if a faulted status exists,

v) means for automatically changing said faulted status to a restored status when said faulted status exists at the time a request to arm is received, and

vi) means for arming said security system when there is no faulted status.

10. The security system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of sensor devices.

11. The security system of claim 9 wherein said sensor device is a motion detector.

12. The security system of claim 9 wherein said sensor device is a glass break detector.

13. The security system of claim 9 wherein said sensor device is a shock sensor.

14. The security system of claim 9 wherein said sensor device is a wireless key fob.

15. The security system of claim 9 wherein said sensor device is a panic pendant.

16. The security system of claim 9 further comprising means for determining if an existing faulted status is associated with a motion detector and wherein said means for automatically changing said faulted status to a restore status only changes said faulted status to a restore status when said faulted status is determined to be from a motion detector.