Cell phone personal safety alarm

• US 9,451,061 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erik N. Hagenstad
• Original Assignee: Erik N. Hagenstad
• Inventors: Hagenstad, Erik N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorowar, Golam
• Application Number:
  US13/851,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20130260825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/426.18, 340/436, 340/5.72, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/540, 340/521, 340/531, 340/501, 370/278, 370/338, 370/352, 370/493, 370/522, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/564, 455/456.3, 455/556.1, 455/550.1, 455/557
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/004 using portable personal devices hand-held or body-worn self-defence devices using repellent gases or chemicals F41H9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

The cell phone personal safety alarm is a cell phone having a panic alarm button on the back of the phone that activates the alarm when pressed. An alarm shield prevents accidental push of the button and is flipped open to expose the button. Activating the alarm causes a loud alarm tone or siren to sound and red and blue lights or other visual alarm displays to flash. Front and rear cameras transmit live video to an online secure database, where it is recorded to preserve evidence. Front and rear lights may be included for night or low-light level video. An e-911 call is made to notify law enforcement and provide the location of the emergency via the phone'"'"'s integral global positing system (GPS). In another embodiment, the device is a retrofitting case for existing cell phones that would be able to achieve the same results.

Claims

1. A cell phone personal safety alarm comprising:

a two-part shell case, the two-part shell case having a first portion and a second portion, the two-part shell case having a bottom integrally formed with four side walls extending upward therefrom to create an interior volume, the two-part shell case further including an opening operable to provide access to a cell phone secured within the two-part case, said first portion and said second portion configurable to longitudinally couple together so as to facilitate surroundable mounting of a cell phone, said bottom having an inner surface and an exterior surface, said interior surface adjacent the interior volume;

an emergency alert button disposed on said exterior surface of said bottom of the two-part shell case;

an emergency alert button guard disposed proximate the emergency alert button, the emergency alert button guard having a first end and a second end, the emergency alert button guard being hingedly secured to the exterior surface of said bottom, said emergency alert button guard having a first position and a second position;

flashing lights disposed on the four sidewalls of the case opposite the interior volume;

a switch disposed on one of the four side walls, the switch activating the flashing lights;

a port connection on the case adapted for connecting the two-part case to a cell phone disposed within the interior volume, the cell phone having a GPS receiver, a camera, a microphone, an autodialer and a speaker; and

wherein the emergency alert button guard activates an audio alarm on the speaker of the cell phone subsequent the emergency alert button guard being moved to said second position.

2. The cell phone personal safety alarm according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the two-part shell case includes a perimeter edge that includes two slots formed therein.

3. The cell phone personal safety alarm according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the two-part shell case includes a perimeter edge that includes two tabs formed therein that are operable to journal into said two slots when said first portion and said second portion are operably coupled together.

4. The cell phone personal safety alarm according to claim 3, wherein the flashing lights disposed on the four sidewalls are organized in pairs and are operable to display a first color and a second color.

5. The cell phone personal safety alarm according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the emergency alert guard button shield includes a rounded perimeter edge.