Silenceable speaker with pre-announce tone detection

• US 6,307,482 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Security Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Le Bel, Vincent Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/687,154
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 340/691.8, 340/692, 340/693.4, 340/309.3, 340/630, 340/521, 340/326, 340/628, 340/309.11, 340/311.2, 340/384.5, 340/384.7, 381/82, 381/77
• US Class Current: 340/691.8
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

An alarm signaling device (5) operable to produce an alarm signal and, possibly, communicate emergency announcements when triggered by a signal from a central alarm control panel. The alarm includes a speaker or other sound producing device and a silencing circuit (14) that can be engaged by a person in the room to temporarily disable the speaker. The silencing circuit includes a timing circuit (30) and a switch (32) consisting of a pair of touch contacts (38, 40) that are activated by body resistance. The timing circuit (30) is operable to automatically re-enable the speaker after a predetermined time period has been measured. Furthermore, though the speaker has been silenced by the silencing circuitry (14), a reactivation circuit (15) continues to receive and process signals in order to identify a re-enablement signal by its particular frequency and duration. Once the re-enablement signal has been identified, the reactivation circuit (15) automatically overrides the silencing circuit (14) so that alarm signals or emergency announcements may be communicated.

Claims

1. A silenceable communication system receiving signals from a signal source, the silenceable communication system comprising:

a sound producing device coupled with driver circuitry, the driver circuitry receiving the signals, the sound producing device being operable in combination with the driver circuitry to produce sound in response to the signals;

a silencing circuit coupled with the driver circuitry and operable to temporarily decouple the sound producing device from the driver circuitry such that no sound is produced by the sound producing device, the silencing circuit comprising

an input device operable to provide input;

a timing circuit operable in response to the input to produce a de-activation signal for decoupling the sound producing device from the driver circuitry such that no sound is produced by the sound producing device, the timing circuit being further operable to measure a pre-established period of time and then produce a reactivation signal for re-coupling the sound producing device to the driver circuitry; and

a latch operable in response to the de-activation signal to decouple the sound producing device from the driver circuitry, and in response to the reactivation signal to re-couple the sound producing device to the driver circuitry; and

a reactivation circuit coupled to the silencing circuit and operable to re-couple the sound producing device with the driver circuitry upon receipt and identification of a pre-announce signal sent by the signal source, the pre-announce signal having at least one particular identifying characteristic, the reactivation circuit comprising circuitry operable to identify the pre-announce signal by its particular identifying characteristic.

2. The silenceable communication system of claim 1, the sound producing device being a speaker.

3. The silenceable communication system of claim 1, the input device being a switch.

4. The silenceable communication system of claim 3, the switch comprising a pair of spaced-apart contacts operable to trigger the timing circuit when the contacts are closed, as by the fingers of a person simultaneously touching both contacts.

5. The silenceable communication system of claim 1, the timing circuit comprising an oscillator and a counter.

6. The silenceable communication system of claim 1, the particular identifying characteristics of the pre-announce signal being a particular identifying frequency and a particular identifying duration, the reactivation circuitry being operable to provide the reactivation signal to the latch when the pre-announce signal is identified, the reactivation circuitry comprising:

a filter operable to pass only those signals having the particular identifying frequency of the pre-announce signal; and

a timer operable to pass only those signals having the particular identifying duration of the pre-announce signal.

7. A silenceable alarm coupled to a control panel, the control panel being operable to provide signals to the silenceable alarm, the silenceable alarm comprising:

a sound producing device coupled with driver circuitry, the driver circuitry receiving the signals, the sound producing device being operable in combination with the driver circuitry to produce sound in response to the audio signals;

a silencing circuit coupled with the driver circuitry and operable to temporarily decouple the sound producing device from the driver circuitry such that no sound is produced by the sound producing device; and

a reactivation circuit coupled to the silencing circuit and operable to re-couple the sound producing device with the driver circuitry upon receipt of a pre-announce signal having at least one particular identifying characteristic.

8. The silenceable alarm of claim 7, the sound producing device being a speaker.

9. The silenceable alarm of claim 7, the silenceable alarm being powered only by the signals provided by the control panel.

10. The silenceable alarm of claim 7, the silencing circuit comprising:

an input device operable to provide input;

a timing circuit operable in response to the input to produce a de-activation signal for decoupling the sound producing device from the driver circuitry such that no sound is produced by the sound producing device, the timing circuit being further operable to measure a pre-established period of time and then produce a reactivation signal for re-coupling the sound producing device to the driver circuitry; and

a latch operable in response to the de-activation signal to decouple the sound producing device from driver circuitry, and in response to the reactivation signal to re-couple the sound producing device to the driver circuitry.

11. The alarm of claim 10, the input device being a switch comprising a pair of spaced-apart contacts operable to trigger the timing circuit when the contacts are closed, as by the fingers of a person simultaneously touching both contacts.

12. The alarm of claim 10, the input device being a membrane switch comprising an integrated resistive button and light emitting diode.

13. The silenceable alarm of claim 7, the reactivation circuitry being operable to receive and identify the pre-announce signal, the pre-announce signal having a particular identifying frequency and a particular identifying duration, and to provide the reactivation signal to the latch when the pre-announce signal is identified, the reactivation circuitry comprising:

a filter operable to pass only those signals having the particular identifying frequency of the pre-announce signal; and

a timer operable to pass only those signals having the particular identifying duration of the pre-announce signal.

14. The alarm of claim 13, the particular identifying frequency being 915 Hz.

15. The alarm of claim 13, the particular identifying frequency being 2 KHz.

16. The alarm of claim 13, the particular identifying duration being between 1.5 and 2 seconds.