Stand alone smoke detector unit with SMS messaging

• US 8,610,587 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smoke Alarm Monitoring, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Direct Connect 911 LLC
• Inventors: Tropper, Dovid
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, ZHEN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/112,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 340/531, 340/539, 340/628, 340/693.6, D10/106.2, 455/404.1, 379/37, 379/40, 379/90.01
• US Class Current: 340/628
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A smoke detector unit with built-in global system for mobile communications (GSM) to effect short message service (SMS) with an end user, and short message service (SMS), data transmission or email, with a central station monitoring (CSM) Events such as low battery condition and excessive smoke detection are reported to the CSM or end user via SMS or email. The unit may be reprogrammed via SMS remotely. The unit may be checked for connectivity between the unit and the CSM or end user via SMS remotely.

Claims

1. A device to report an alarm condition, comprising:

a housing;

a detector within the housing, the detector being configured and arranged to detect a concentration that exceeds a threshold value and to generate an alarm condition signal indicative of an alarm condition in which the detected concentration exceeds the threshold value; and

a global system for mobile communications (GSM) module within the housing, the GSM module being configured and arranged to report the alarm condition via a short message service (SMS) as a message containing a selection from a group consisting of a contact identification (ID) format and an SMS header, the detector and the GSM module being configured and arranged so that the detector transmits the generated alarm condition signal to the GSM module;

means for detecting a diminished power level that is less than a full power level for powering the GSM module;

power level detector means for generating a further signal indicative of the detected diminished power level, the GSM module being configured to receive the generated further signal for transmitting a corresponding signal via the SMS; and

setting means within the housing that is responsive to receipt of remotely sent instructions via the SMS to change a setting of at least one of the contact ID format and the SMS header by replacing the at least one of the contact ID format and the SMS header with a substitute.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the GSM module is configured and arranged to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the message via the SMS and to transmit the message again via an alternative messaging service in response to passage of a time period after transmitting the message via the SMS provided the acknowledgement of receipt signal fails to be received during the passage of the time period.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing contains batteries to power the GSM module.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said power level detector means constitutes means for detecting battery power of the batteries reaching the diminished power level that is less than the full power and generating a low battery signal indicative of the battery power reaching the diminished power level as the generated further signal.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the GSM module is programmable, further comprising an illumination circuitry that includes a light emitting diode (LED), alarm sound circuitry that includes a speaker, the alarm sound circuitry being configured to initiate an alarm sound through the speaker upon detection of the concentration exceeding the threshold value and the illumination circuitry being configured to trigger illumination of the LED in a particular color to flash, the illumination circuitry also being configured to trigger illumination of the LED in a color different from the particular color during programming of the GSM by sending signals via the SMS.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an illumination circuitry that includes a light emitting diode (LED), alarm sound circuitry that includes a speaker, the alarm sound circuitry being configured to initiate an alarm sound through the speaker upon detection of the concentration exceeding the threshold value and the illumination circuitry being configured to trigger illumination of the LED in a particular color to flash, the alarm circuitry including an alarm shut off switch accessible from outside the housing by a user to silence the alarm sound upon actuation of the alarm shut off switch by the user, the GSM module being responsive to the actuation of the shut off switch to report the silencing of the alarm sound from actuation of the alarm shut off switch in a message via the SMS.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the GSM module transmits a signal via the SMS in response to an incoming signal to confirm connectivity.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing retains inside a subscriber identify module (SIM) card that interacts with the GSM module.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the detector is a smoke detector that detects the concentration that exceeds the threshold value, the concentration that is detected being that of smoke.

10. A method of readying a device to report an alarm condition, comprising:

arranging within a housing a detector that detects a concentration that exceeds a threshold value and generates an alarm condition signal indicative of an alarm condition in which the detected concentration exceeds the threshold value;

arranging within the housing a global system for mobile communications (GSM) module that reports the alarm condition via a short message service (SMS) as a message containing a selection from a group consisting of a contact identification (ID) format and an SMS header, the detector transmitting the generated alarm condition signal to the GSM module;

detecting a diminished power level that is less than the full power level for powering the GSM module;

generating a further signal indicative of the detected diminished power level, the GSM module being responsive to the generated further signal for transmitting a corresponding signal via the SMS; and

changing a setting of at least one of the contact ID format and the SMS header of the GSM module in response to receipt via the SMS of remotely sent instructions by replacing the at least one of the contact ID format and the SMS header with a substitute.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a message via the SMS and transmitting the message via an alternative messaging service in response to passage of a time period after transmitting the message via the SMS provided an acknowledgement of receipt signal fails to be received during the passage of time period.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising powering the GSM module with batteries within the housing.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising arranging an illumination circuitry within the housing that includes a light emitting diode (LED), arranging an alarm sound circuitry within the housing that includes a speaker, the alarm sound circuitry being configured to initiate an alarm sound through the speaker upon detection of the concentration exceeding the threshold value and the illumination circuitry being configured to trigger illumination of the LED in a particular color to flash, programming the GSM module, triggering illumination of the LED by the illumination circuitry in a color different from the particular color during the programming of the GSM module by sending signals via the SMS.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising arranging an illumination circuitry within the housing that includes a light emitting diode (LED), arranging alarm sound circuitry within the housing that includes a speaker, the alarm sound circuitry being configured to initiate an alarm sound through the speaker upon detection of the concentration exceeding the threshold value and the illumination circuitry being configured to trigger illumination of the LED in a particular color to flash, the alarm circuitry including an alarm shut off switch accessible from outside the housing by a user to silence the alarm sound upon actuation of the alarm shut off switch by the user, the GSM module being responsive to the actuation of the shut off switch to report the silencing of the alarm sound from actuation of the alarm shut off switch in a message via the SMS.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a signal from the GSM module via the SMS in response to an incoming signal to confirm connectivity.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising holding by a holder within the housing a subscriber identify module (SIM) card that interacts with the GSM module.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting detects battery power reaching the diminished power level that is less than full power, the generated further signal constituting a low battery signal indicative of the battery power reaching the diminished power level.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising inserting a mount bracket within the housing and securing the housing to a ceiling and locking the housing to the mount bracket by rotating the housing relative to the mount bracket.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the detector is a smoke detector that detects the concentration that exceeds the threshold value, the concentration that is detected being that of smoke.