Warning system for child left unattended in vehicle

• US 7,714,737 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Morningstar
• Original Assignee: James Morningstar
• Inventors: Morningstar, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US11/835,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 340/667, 340/522, 340/457.1, 340/425.5, 340/309.16, 340/438, 340/439, 180/271, 180/272, 180/734, 180/374
• US Class Current: 340/667
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2812 for securing the child to the child seat
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A warning system for notifying another person when a child is left in a child safety seat. The system recognizes a child in a child safety seat by either a pressure pad or a secured child seat lap belt. The system is activated by the release of the driver'"'"'s seat belt. Should a child remain in the seat when the driver'"'"'s seat belt is disengaged, the system alarms notifying the driver of such. The alarm would include a calm audio output such as a lullaby, a song, or a story. The system can be integrated into the OEM features to provide an alert escalation process using a local alert, a vehicle alert, a wireless alert and ultimately a 911 alert.

Claims

1. A child attendant warning system, said child attendant warning system comprising:

a child detection apparatus, wherein said child detection apparatus identifies when a child is positioned in a child safety seat;

a power source for operating said child attendant warning system;

a driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor which indicates when the driver'"'"'s seat belt is engaged and disengaged, and

at least one of a circuit and a microprocessor containing detection logic, wherein said at least one of a circuit and logic detects when said driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor indicates the driver'"'"'s seat belt is disengaged and when said child detection apparatus detects a child, said child attendant warning system provides a notification.

2. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein said notification is a calm audio output.

3. The child attendant warning system of claim 2, wherein said notification further comprising at least one of an interior/exterior light control and a remote notification apparatus.

4. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein said notification is via an interior/exterior light control.

5. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein said notification is via remote notification.

6. The child attendant warning system of claim 5, wherein said remote notification is at least one of a text message, a page, and a voice message.

7. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein said child detection apparatus is at least one of a pressure sensitive pad and a child safety seat belt status detection sensor.

8. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein said child detection apparatus is adaptable to monitor a plurality of child safety seats.

9. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, the system further comprising a driver'"'"'s seat belt sensing cable having a connector for mating to a factory installed connector wherein the factory installed connector is in signal communication with a factory installed driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor.

10. The child attendant warning system of claim 1, wherein the driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor is an aftermarket sensor which is secured to at least one of a driver'"'"'s seat belt latch plate assembly and a driver'"'"'s seat belt buckle assembly.

11. A child attendant warning system, said child attendant warning system comprising:

a child detection apparatus, wherein said child detection apparatus identifies when a child is positioned in a child safety seat;

a power source for operating said child attendant warning system;

a driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor which indicates when the driver'"'"'s seat belt is engaged and disengaged, and

at least one of a circuit and a microprocessor containing detection logic, wherein said at least one of a circuit and logic detects when said driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor indicates the driver'"'"'s seat belt is disengaged and when said child detection apparatus detects a child, said child attendant warning system provides a notification via a calm audio output.

12. The child attendant warning system of claim 11, wherein said driver'"'"'s presence monitoring sensor identifies at least one of the state of an ignition switch and a person sitting on a driver'"'"'s seat.

13. The child attendant warning system of claim 11, wherein said notification further comprising at least one of an interior/exterior light control and a remote notification apparatus.

14. The child attendant warning system of claim 11, further comprising an audio file storage medium.

15. The child attendant warning system of claim 11, further comprising at least one of an audio file storage transfer and an audio file recorder.

16. A child attendant warning system, said child attendant warning system comprising:

a child detection apparatus, wherein said child detection apparatus identifies when a child is positioned in a child safety seat;

a power source for operating said child attendant warning system;

a driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor which indicates when the driver'"'"'s seat belt is engaged and disengaged,

at least one of a circuit and a microprocessor containing detection logic, wherein said at least one of a circuit and logic detects when said driver'"'"'s seat belt monitoring sensor indicates the driver'"'"'s seat belt is disengaged and when said child detection apparatus detects a child, said child attendant warning system provides a notification, and

wherein said notification includes a calm audio output and a external notification.

17. The child attendant warning system of claim 16, wherein said external notification comprising a notification selected from a group consisting of:

at least one of an interior/exterior light control and

a remote notification apparatus.

18. The child attendant warning system of claim 16, further comprising an audio file storage medium.

19. The child attendant warning system of claim 16, further comprising at least one of an audio file storage transfer and an audio file recorder.

20. The child attendant warning system of claim 16, wherein said external notification is via a remote notification.

21. The child attendant warning system of claim 20, wherein said remote notification is at least one of a text message, a page, and a voice message.

22. The child attendant warning system of claim 16, wherein said child detection apparatus is at least one of a pressure sensitive pad and a child safety seat belt status detection sensor.