Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular coupling link
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-08
2001-06-05
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular coupling link
C340S531000, C340S533000, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243010
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to security systems, and in particular to a method and apparatus for increasing the number of wireless devices/identification codes to which a wired or wireless security system will respond.
FIG. 1
illustrates a typical wired security system
10
of the prior art comprising a central control unit
12
, a central transceiver
14
, a console display/keypad
18
, a plurality of remote sensors
20
and local sensors
22
, a telephone dialer
24
and a siren
26
. The remote sensors
20
are hard-wired to the central transceiver
14
, which communicates with the central control unit
12
via a system bus
28
. The system bus
28
also links the central control unit
12
to the console display/keypad
18
. The central control unit
12
is connected to the telephone dialer
24
and the siren
26
via an auxiliary local bus
30
. The central control unit is also hardwired to the local sensors
22
. Despite a lack of wireless capability (i.e., wireless communication between components, especially between the remote sensors
20
and the central control unit
12
), this type of wired security system
10
prevails in a majority of commercial applications.
In contrast, a relatively recent innovation in security systems is a wireless security system
32
as illustrated in
FIG. 2
in which wireless remote sensors
21
communicate with a wireless central receiver
15
in order to report their status to the central control unit
12
. Wireless keys
34
, which are small remote control devices, have become popular for remote arming and disarming of the wireless security system
32
, as well as remote control of other devices via the wireless central receiver
15
and central control unit
12
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the conventional wireless security system
32
is substantially functionally the same as the wired security system
10
illustrated in
FIG. 1
, except that the wireless central receiver
15
, an optional wireless central transmitter
17
, and wireless remote sensors
21
have been substituted for their wired counterparts of FIG.
1
. In addition, the wireless key
34
transmits control messages to the wireless central receiver
15
. The wireless central receiver
15
transfers these control messages over the system bus
28
to the central control unit
12
, which performs an appropriate action or function. Such appropriate action may involve the initiation of an alarm condition that then sounds the siren
26
and causes the telephone dialer
24
to automatically dial an appropriate number such as the police station or firehouse. Substantially any change in status of the wireless security system
32
would be displayed to the user on the console display/keypad
18
.
One of the major advantages of a wireless security system is a reduction in installation time due to the fact that the wireless remote sensors
21
do not require wiring back to the wireless central receiver
15
. However, the local bus
30
and the system bus
28
must still be hard-wired and the wireless central receiver
15
. Wireless central transmitter
17
and console display/keypad
18
must be assigned unique system bus addresses to avoid contention on the shared system bus
28
. In a similar manner, an identification code for each of the wireless remote sensors
21
as well as the wireless key
34
must be “learned” by the central control unit
12
. The identification code
36
, as illustrated in
FIG. 6
, represents a portion of a radio frequency or wireless message
38
transmitted by each of the wireless remote sensors
21
and wireless key
34
, and is used to distinguish between them. The process of learning the identification codes (i.e. initializing the system) involves causing the wireless remote sensors
21
and the wireless key
34
to transmit their respective radio frequency message
38
while denoting the validity of the wireless message
38
received by depressing a button or buttons on the console display/keypad
18
, which also assigns a corresponding function to be performed upon receipt of each of the valid identification codes. The learning process results in the storage of a set of valid identification codes mapped to specific functions for each wireless remote sensor
21
and wireless key
34
of the wireless security system
32
in the central control unit
12
of the wireless security system of the prior art illustrated in FIG.
2
.
Despite the fact that the same identification code may be emitted by more than one wireless key (as found with automobile security systems where more than one wireless key provided to the purchaser of the automobile can control the security system), this is typically not the case with the majority of wireless security systems installed in commercial businesses and residential homes. Wireless keys
34
typically have two or more buttons which, although will emit the same identification code
34
upon being depressed, will emit different radio frequency messages differentiated in one or more status bits
40
. Therefore, a significant problem is encountered in providing sufficient storage space to maintain the complete set of valid identification and status information mapped to functions for a wireless security system of any reasonable size. This problem is compounded by the fact that existing central control units
12
found in wireless security systems include only a very limited storage area for this type of information. Furthermore, in the case of wired security systems
10
without wireless capability, such as that illustrated in
FIG. 1
, there is understandably no such storage whatsoever. This problem is not present in conventional wired systems because such systems are not required to respond to radio frequency messages.
One solution to this problem has been to replace existing security systems with a unit that includes the wireless central receiver
15
, wireless central transmitter
17
, console display/keypad
18
and central control unit
12
including a larger identification code storage area in one unit. Such a unit must be placed near an access way to the secured building in order to provide an auxiliary means for the user to arm or disarm the system upon entering or leaving the premises as a failsafe backup to the wireless key
34
. In addition, since the wireless central receiver is contained in the unit, the unit must be installed in a central location to facilitate adequate reception and transmission of radio frequency signals from the wireless remote sensors
21
and wireless key
34
. However, a significant disadvantage results in that the unit, due to its location near an access or entry way, becomes particularly susceptible to destruction by an intruder before it has an opportunity to initiate an alarm condition. For this reason, many professional security installers are unwilling to install such a unit, preferring to keep the central control unit
12
physically separate from the receiver, transmitter and console. Furthermore, many users choose not to reinstall an entirely new unit due to the associated cost.
Therefore, it would be advantageous if a practical and affordable solution to interfacing with existing security systems could be designed which would supplement a limited or nonexistent storage area for identification codes already located in the central control unit while maintaining adequate reception and transmission of wireless radio frequency signals.
The spread of wireless technology in the,manufacture of security systems has been delayed significantly due to consumers' preference for wired systems. This is partially due to the vast quantity of wired security systems
10
, such as that illustrated in
FIG. 1
, already in existence and partially due to various perceived disadvantages with wireless security systems, such as the need to replace batteries, poor reception and transmission of wireless signals, etc. Thus, the user having a wired security system
10
already installed without any wireless capability is not likely to install a wireless security system, even though
Addy Kenneth L.
Linford Karl
Barkume Anthony R.
Greenberg & Traurig, LLP
Pittway Corp.
Pope Daryl
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