Emergency communication system

• US 3,914,692 A
• Filed: 08/29/1973
• Issued: 10/21/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Monitoring Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: George C. Seaborn Jr
• Inventors: Seaborn, George C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Application Number:
  US05/392,498
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 325/16,53,55,64,111,113,117,361 340/312,313,314,224
• US Class Current: 455/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

The specification discloses an emergency communication system which includes a portable unit for being carried by a wearer. The portable unit includes a radio transmitter and receiver and is operable to selectively transmit and receive coded radio signals. A console is operable to receive the coded radio signals transmitted from the portable unit and in response thereto for transmitting an emergency signal via a leased telephone line to a remote central station. The central station receives the emergency signals and implements a call for assistance and generates an acknowledge signal. The console receives the acknowledge signal and transmits a coded acknowledge signal to the portable unit. The portable unit receives the coded acknowledge signal and operates a vibrator to notify the wearer that assistance is being provided. Switches are provided on the console which may be actuated by the wearer during a predetermined time period after generation of the acknowledge signal, in order to cancel the summoning of assistance by the central station.

Claims

1. An emergency communication system comprising:

a portable unit for being carried by a wearer, an alarm in said unit and having an alarm switch for being activated by the wearer to transmit alarm radio waves to a remote location, a console at said remote location for receiving said alarm radio waves and for transmitting a request for assistance signal to a central office and acknowledge radio waves to said portable unit indicating that assistance has been summoned, a first switch on said console which cancels the transmission of the request for assistance signal if said first switch is actuated by the wearer within a predetermined time period after actuation of said alarm, means in said portable unit for receiving said acknowledge radio waves and for physically notifying the wearer that said predetermined time period has expired without said first switch being actuated and that assistance has been summoned, and a second switch on said consOle for preventing transmission of additional request for assistance signals if said second switch is actuated within a predetermined interval after assistance has arrived.

2. The emergency communication system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a vibrator for vibrating against the body of the wearer to indicate that assistance has been summoned.