Toilet annunciator

• US 6,937,155 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jodie L. Ballard
• Original Assignee: Jodie L. Ballard
• Inventors: Ballard, Jodie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US10/364,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20040155779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/693, 340/692, 340/691.1, 340/604, 340/605, 340/602, 340/566, 340/618, 340/623, 200/DIG.41, 200/DIG.40, 200/182, 200/190, 200/185, 200/61.04, 200/61.05, 200/61.06, 200/61.07
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

An annunciating apparatus comprises a toilet tank containing water and an electrical circuit within an enclosure. Extending upwardly from the enclosure, an arm terminates with a hook engaging the toilet tank for suspending the enclosure in a position just below the toilet tank. The electrical circuit provides a source of electricity, an activating circuit, a sound producing circuit, a sound selecting circuit, an amplifying circuit and a speaker. This circuit is enabled for producing a selected sound from the speaker when the toilet tank is flushed. Two modes are possible; one where the sound is initiated by the water in the tank dropping during flush, and the second when a selected flush related sound is picked up.

Claims

1. An annunciating apparatus comprising in combination:

a toilet tank containing water;

an electrical circuit within an enclosure; and

, extending upwardly from the enclosure, a rigid arm providing a hook engaging the toilet tank and terminating within the toilet tank with a microphone;

the enclosure suspended from the rigid arm external to the toilet tank, the electrical circuit providing a source of electricity, an activating circuit, a sound producing circuit, an amplifying circuit and a speaker, the activating, producing, and amplifying circuits engaged with the speaker for enabling sound output through the speaker when the toilet tank is flushed, the rigid arm enabled for carrying an activating signal from the microphone inside the toilet tank to the enclosure, whereby, the microphone is isolated from sounds outside of the toilet tank.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuit further provides a sound selecting circuit providing selection of any one of a plurality of sounds where such sounds are stored in at least one solid state memory device.