Residential fire, safety and security monitoring using a sound monitoring screen saver

• US 7,477,142 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Original Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Inventors: Albert, David E., Albert, Kathryn Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/494,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/517, 340/539.26, 340/506, 340/539.11, 340/539.27, 340/573.1, 340/575, 340/825.19, 340/407.1, 381/56, 381/57, 705/2, 715/867, 128/920
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

Methods useful with conventional personal computers provide automatic response to an identified alarm sound by sending a notification signal via the Internet only when a special sound monitoring program is active.

Claims

1. A method for providing for alarm monitoring in a residence, comprising:

receiving at an Internet site a program load command from a conventional personal computer at a residence;

transmitting from the Internet site to the personal computer, in response to the program load command, an alarm sound monitoring program for installation on the personal computer; and

receiving at the Internet site an alarm indicating signal sent from the personal computer when the personal computer detects an alarm condition using the sound monitoring program and transmitting a notification signal from the Internet site in response.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the sound monitoring program is a screen saver program.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising providing a library of acoustic alarm signatures from which at least one standardized alarm sound is selected during initial setup.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the library of acoustic alarm signatures is provided in the sound monitoring program, on a disk and/or on a Web site downloadable to the personal computer.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the alarm sound monitoring program provides a learning mode during initial setup allowing the alarm sound to be activated, detected and identified as such.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the personal computer is selected from the group consisting of desk top computers, lap top computers, notebook computers, handheld personal computers, palm tops, pocket computers, personal digital assistants and smart phones.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the sound monitoring program is a screen saver program, initiated only during periods of computer user inactivity regarding input to the personal computer.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the alarm sound monitoring program includes digital acoustic signature recognition instructions comprising a technique selected from the group consisting of matched filtering, cross correlation, and neural networking.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein transmitting a notification signal from the Internet comprises communicating to a telecommunication number or e-mail address designated for the personal computer.