Alarm enhancing protective cover for safety instruments with optional calibration chamber

• US 9,064,386 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Scientific Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Industrial Scientific Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Won, Tae-yeon, Day, Brad, Hughes, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/933,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20140091939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 340/696.6, 340/540, 340/632, 361/600, 361/679.01, 73/10.6, 73/232.1, 181/187, 181/191
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0006 Calibrating gas analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/00 Audible signalling systems; Audible personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/20 Reflecting arrangements G10K11/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/22 Mountings; Casings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks

Abstract

Methods and systems to redirect the audible and visible signals from alarms on a portable safety device. A cover (10) cooperates with a portable safety device (50) to define a sound chamber (12) that amplifies audible warning signals. A visual alarm guide (14) also is provided. A calibration adapter (500) affords quick and simple bump testing and calibration of the portable safety device.

Claims

1. An alarm enhancing protective cover for a portable safety device, said safety device having a case that defines a front face and at least two side faces that are connected to the perimeter of the front face, said front face including a port for the speaker of an audible alarm, said alarm enhancing protective cover comprising:

a front panel having a sound redirecting surface; and

side panels that are connected to the perimeter of the front panel, said side panels cooperating with said front panel to define a cavity, the front face and at least a portion of said side faces of the case of said portable safety device being receivable in said cavity, at least one of said side panels having structure for removably engaging respective side faces of the case of the portable safety device such that, at times when said side panels engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device, the front panel of said cover, including said sound redirecting surface, is disposed apart from the front face of the cover of the portable safety device to define a sound chamber between the front panel of said cover and the front face of said case, at least one of said side panels at least partially defining an exit opening for said sound chamber with sound being output from the exit opening in response to sound being input to the sound chamber through the port of the front face of said case.

2. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein said front panel partially defines said exit opening such that said at least one side panel and said front panel cooperate to define said exit opening with said exit opening being located adjacent to said sound redirecting surface.

3. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein said sound chamber amplifies sound in the frequency range of 2000 Hertz to 4500 Hertz at the exit opening in response to sound input to the sound chamber through the port of the front face of said casing.

4. The protective cover of claim 3 wherein the redirecting surface of said front panel is located in said sound chamber oppositely from the speaker port of the front face of said case.

5. The protective cover of claim 4 wherein the redirecting surface of said front panel defines a surface that is sloped at an angle with respect to the front face of said case such that said front panel redirects sound entering the sound chamber toward the exit opening of said front panel.

6. The protective cover of claim 5 wherein said redirecting surface redirects sound in a direction that is lateral with respect to the front face of the case of the portable safety device.

7. The protective cover of claim 3 wherein said structure for removably engaging respective side faces of the cover of the portable safety device comprises detent members.

8. The protective cover of claim 3 wherein said structure for removably engaging respective side faces of the cover of the portable safety device comprises fasteners.

9. The protective cover of claim 3 wherein, at times when said side panels of said cover engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device, the front panel of said cover is disposed apart from the front face of the cover to define a gap therebetween of at least 0.5 mm.

10. The protective cover of claim 3 wherein, at times when said side panels of said cover engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device, the side panels of said cover are disposed apart from respective side faces of the cover to define a gap therebetween of at least 0.5 mm.

11. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said sound chamber has an internal volume of about 2.7 cm³ to 3.3 cm³.

12. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said sound chamber exit opening defines an opening area of 1.05 cm² to 1.35 cm².

13. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said redirecting surface of the front panel defines a surface that is oriented at an angle of 40°

to 50°

with respect to the front face of the case of the safety device.

14. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said sound chamber amplifies the sound output from the audible alarm of the portable safety device by about 10 to 12%.

15. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3 wherein said portable safety device further includes an optical alarm, said cover further comprising:

at least one surface that reflects visible light, said light reflecting surface being located on the front panel at a position that is illuminated by the output of said visible alarm on said portable safety device, said light reflecting surface being sloped at an angle with respect to the incidence of light from said optical alarm such that said light reflecting surface of said front panel redirects light from the optical alarm on the portable safety device.

16. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 15, wherein said light reflecting surface of the front panel defines an angle of 40°

to 50°

with respect to the front face of the case of said portable safety device.

17. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 15, wherein said light reflecting surface of the front panel is a mirrored surface.

18. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said protective cover is comprised of high-impact molded material.

19. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said cover has at least one opening that permits access to at least one of a button, a viewing screen, a sensor, a light and an access point that are located on the portable safety device at times when said side panels of the cover engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device.

20. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 19, wherein said sensor located on the portable safety device is a gas sensor.

21. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, wherein said portable safety device is a portable gas monitor.

22. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 3, further comprising:

a calibration adapter that has side walls and a gas inlet port, the side walls of said calibration adapter being adapted to removeably engage a front portion of said protective cover, said calibration adapter covering the exit opening in said cover at times when the side walls of said calibration adaptor engage said protective cover, said calibration adapter cooperating with said case of said portable safety device at times when said side panels engage the respective sides of the case of portable safety device and with said protective cover at times when said side walls engage the protective cover to define a calibration chamber.

23. The alarm enhancing protective cover of claim 22, wherein said calibration chamber is in communication with a gas sensor in the portable safety device.

24. A method of amplifying an alarm on a portable safety device, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching an alarm enhancing protective cover to a portable safety device that includes an audible alarm having a speaker port that is located on a front face of the portable safety device, wherein said protective cover includes a front panel that has a sound redirecting surface and side panels that are connected to the perimeter of the front panel, said side panels cooperating with said front panel to define a cavity, the front face and at least a portion of said side faces of the case of said portable safety device being receivable in said cavity, the side panels having structure for removably engaging respective side faces of the case of the portable safety device such that, at times when said side panels engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device, the front panel of said cover, including said sound redirecting surface, is disposed apart from the front face of the case of the portable safety device to define a sound chamber between the front panel of said cover and the front face of said case at least one of said side panels at least partially defining an exit opening to said sound chamber; and

providing sound to said sound chamber through the port in the front face of said case to generate an amplified sound at the exit opening.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said sound chamber provides amplified sound in the frequency range of between 2000 Hertz and 4500 Hertz.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of redirecting the sound provided to said sound chamber from the port in the front face of said case from a location that is opposite from the speaker port.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the sound is redirected at an angle with respect to the front face of the portable safety device such that said front panel redirects sound from the speaker on the portable safety device in a lateral direction with respect to the front face of the case of the portable safety device.

28. The method of amplifying an alarm on a portable safety device of claim 24, wherein said sound chamber amplifies the sound output from the audible alarm on the portable safety device by about 10 to 12%.

29. A method to improve the effectiveness of a portable safety device, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching an alarm enhancing protective cover to a portable safety device that includes an audible alarm having a speaker port that is located on a front face of the portable safety device, wherein said protective cover includes a front panel that has a sound redirecting surface and side panels that are connected to the perimeter of the front panel, said side panels cooperating with said front panel to define a cavity, the front face and at least a portion of said side faces of the case of said portable safety device being receivable in said cavity, the side panels having structure for removably engaging respective side faces of the case of the portable safety device such that, at times when said side panels engage the respective sides of the case of the portable safety device, the front panel of said cover, including said sound redirecting surface, is disposed apart from the front face of the case of the portable safety device to define a sound chamber between the front panel of said cover and the front face of said case at least one of said side panels at least partially defining an exit opening to said sound chamber;

attaching a calibration adapter to a front portion of the alarm enhancing protective cover, said calibration adapter having a gas inlet port and side walls that are adapted to removeably engage a front portion of said protective cover to cover the exit opening said protective cover at times when the side walls of said calibration adaptor engage said protective cover, said calibration adapter cooperating with said cover of said portable safety device at times when said side panels engage the respective sides of the portable safety device and with said protective cover at times when said side walls engage the protective cover to define a calibration chamber that is in communication with said gas inlet port;

injecting gas having at least one constituent of known concentration into the calibration chamber through said gas inlet port; and

determining the accuracy of the portable safety device with respect to the at least one constituent gas of known concentration.

30. The method to improve the effectiveness of a portable safety device of claim 29, further comprising:

verifying that the audible alarm on the portable safety device is activated when said at least one constituent gas of known concentration is greater than a threshold concentration required to trigger the audible alarm of the portable safety device.

31. The method to improve the effectiveness of a portable safety device of claim 29, further comprising:

determining if an output reading from the portable safety device is consistent with the known concentration of the gas; and

calibrating at least one gas sensor within the portable safety device so that the measurement of the gas concentration by the portable safety device corresponds to the known concentration of the gas.

32. The method of calibrating a portable safety device of claim 31, wherein said calibrating step comprises adjusting the output of the at least one gas sensor to correspond to the known concentration of the gas.