School bus alarm system
First Claim
1. A monitor for ensuring that passengers are not confined in a bus comprising a motor and being controlled from a driver'"'"'s seat for a driver located at the front of the bus, said monitor comprising:
- alarm means for providing an alarm commencing after a predetermined delay period initiated in response to the motor of the bus being shut off, unless said alarm means is manually disabled, andmanually actuable cutoff switch means for selectively disabling said alarm means, said cutoff switch means being disposed at a location in the bus that is inaccessible from the driver'"'"'s seat;
wherein said alarm means comprises a first timer for determining said predetermined delay period;
wherein said alarm means further comprises a second timer for intermittently operating said alarm.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A monitor system for ensuring that passengers have exited a vehicle such as a school bus is activated when the ignition of the vehicle is shut off. A buzzer sounds in response to ignition shut off, alerting the driver to disable the alarm system. If he does not do so within a predetermined period of time an alarm is actuated. A switch for disabling the alarm system is located at the rear of the bus to require the driver to walk to the rear of the bus to disable the alarm. This, in turn, requires the driver to observe whether or not any children remain in the bus.
45 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A monitor for ensuring that passengers are not confined in a bus comprising a motor and being controlled from a driver'"'"'s seat for a driver located at the front of the bus, said monitor comprising:
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alarm means for providing an alarm commencing after a predetermined delay period initiated in response to the motor of the bus being shut off, unless said alarm means is manually disabled, and manually actuable cutoff switch means for selectively disabling said alarm means, said cutoff switch means being disposed at a location in the bus that is inaccessible from the driver'"'"'s seat; wherein said alarm means comprises a first timer for determining said predetermined delay period; wherein said alarm means further comprises a second timer for intermittently operating said alarm. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. In a bus having a passenger compartment with a front end and a rear end separated by plural rows of passenger seats, and a driver'"'"'s seat for a bus driver located at the front end along with an on-off ignition switch for actuating-deactuating, respectively, an engine, and wherein the rear end of the bus is only accessible to the driver when the driver moves from the driver'"'"'s seat and passes the rows of passenger seats, a warning system for prompting the driver to check for passengers remaining in the passenger seats after the ignition switch has been turned off, said system comprising:
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a manually actuable cutoff switch disposed at the rear of the bus, said cutoff switch having first and second positions; a timer actuable in response to the ignition switch being turned off when said cutoff switch is in said first position for establishing a predetermined time interval; an alarm circuit responsive to said timer for providing an alarm signal upon termination of said predetermined time interval; and alarm means responsive to said alarm signal for providing an alarm indication; wherein said cutoff switch in said second position disables said timer, both during and after said predetermined time interval, to inhibit said alarm signal from said alarm circuit; whereby, to inhibit said alarm indication, the driver must move to the rear of the bus, past the rows of passenger seats, and switch the cutoff switch to said second position. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for prompting the driver of a bus to confirm that all passengers have exited the bus before the bus is locked and stored, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) in response to shutting off the bus engine, automatically initiating a time interval of predetermined duration; (b) upon completion of said time interval, activating an alarm; (c) permitting said alarm to be manually inhibited by actuation of a cutoff switch located at the rear of the bus and inaccessible from the driver'"'"'s seat, to prematurely terminate said time interval when said cutoff switch is actuated before said time interval is completed, or to deactuate said alarm when said cutoff switch is actuated after activation of said alarm; whereby, the driver of the bus is required to proceed to the rear of the bus and thereby pass all of the passenger seats to prevent or terminate activation of said alarm. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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Specification