Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specified housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-21
2001-08-07
Lee, Benjamin C. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specified housing
C340S693500, C340S693900, C340S693300, C340S692000, C340S691700, C340S815730, C340S815740, C340S384100, C340S391100, C340S396100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06271763
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Audible and audible-visible alarms are widely used, especially in commercial, office and institutional buildings, as elements of fire safety installations. Both audible and audible-visible alarms have a sound generator, such as a horn, bell or siren, and associated electronic circuitry for driving the sound generator. Audible-visible alarms have, in addition to the sound generator and its driving circuitry, a light source, which is universally a strobe lamp, and electronic circuitry for firing the lamp. It is well known, per se, to provide the sound generator and driving circuitry in the form of a circuit board module, which has input terminal connectors for connecting the module to signal wires that originate at a remote control unit. The control unit receives input signals from heat and smoke detectors and sets off alarms in selected zones that may become hazardous to building occupants as a result of a fire indicated by inputs from particular detectors. Similarly, strobe lamp firing circuits and the strobe light are commonly produced as circuit board electronic modules and strobe light units, the latter consisting of a mounting board and a light reflector and a strobe lamp or lamps mounted directly to the board.
Audible and audible-visible alarms are almost always mounted on walls using electrical backbones. Many previously known alarms have had mounting plates that serve as both mountings for the alarm modules and covers that conceal the modules. Because there are several sizes and configurations of backboxes in common use, the mounting plates have been produced in different sizes and configurations for use with the different styles of backboxes. Recently, the owner of the present invention has introduced alarms with universal mounting plates that have multiple sets of screw holes, each set being used with a different backbox style. The multiple screw holes make it desirable to have a cover, separate from the mounting plate on which the alarm module is mounted, to conceal the screw holes. The covers for the universal mounting plates snap on to the mounting plate and thus not only conceal the multiple screw holes and the screws but have no visible screws, which improves the appearance of the alarm as compared to mounting plates that also serve as covers and in which the screws are visible. The universal mounting plates and covers referred to above are described and shown in U.S patent application Ser. No. 08/524,865, filed Sep. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,467 which application is incorporated into the present specification for all purposes.
The strobe light units of audible-visible alarms must protrude from the front of a mounting plate or cover so that the light can propagate not only away from the wall but in
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directions parallel to the wall. Accordingly, the covers for the universal mounting plates have a hole, through which the strobe light unit can protrude from the mounting plate. Audible alarms have no protruding element, so a cover without a hole is provided. The need for different covers for audible and audible-visible alarms increases costs in the form of design and tooling expenses and inventory stocking and control. The possibility of mistakes in ordering and delivery can produce delays in installation. If an installer does not match the units and the covers at the job site, he or she will have to exchange the non-matching covers before the job can be completed. Meanwhile, the distributor who supplied the installer will probably have a mismatch in the stocks of units and covers. In a large job, the installer will have to allocate matching units and covers for each alarm site. Mismatches will result in lost time when the installer has to go to a storage location and correct a mismatch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to reduce the costs, possible mistakes and delays, and the inconveniences of making, stocking and selecting matched alarm units and covers. Another object is to provide audible and audible-visible alarms that are durable, easy to install and attractive in appearance.
The foregoing objects are attained, in accordance with the present invention, by an alarm assembly comprising an alarm unit selected from an audible alarm unit and an audible-visible alarm unit, and a decorative cover adapted for use interchangeably with the audible alarm unit and the audible-visible alarm unit and detachably connected to the selected alarm unit. The cover has a front wall, which has an opening for a strobe light unit, and side walls extending generally rearwardly from the front wall and defining a rear cavity containing the selected alarm unit.
The audible alarm unit with which the cover is used has a base member that is adapted to support a sound generating unit, i.e., a circuit board module having a sound generator and electronic circuitry for driving the sound generator. Sets of screw holes in selected positions in the base member provide for attaching the base member to electrical backboxes of different styles. A projecting wall portion on the base plate is receivable with a close peripheral clearance in the opening in the front wall of the cover, the projecting wall portion having a front surface contoured and configured to match contours and configurations of adjacent portions of the front surface of the front wall of the cover such that the front surface of the cover and the front surface of the projecting wall portion of the base of the audible alarm unit are visually unitary. More simply put, the projecting wall portion of the base member fills the opening in the cover in a manner that makes it look like the cover does not have an opening.
The audible-visible alarm unit with which the cover is used has a base member that is adapted to support a sound generating unit and a light generating unit that includes a strobe lamp unit having a mounting plate, a strobe lamp and a transparent strobe lamp cover. The base has screw holes in selected positions adapted to receive screws by which the audible-visible alarm unit is adapted to be attached to electrical backbones of different styles and a receptacle that is adapted to receive the strobe lamp unit. The receptacle is defined by peripheral walls that are receivable with a close peripheral clearance in the opening in the cover and project out from the front surface of the cover so as to enable light from the strobe lamp unit installed in the receptacle to be emitted laterally (parallel to a wall) and frontally (out from the wall) with respect to the front surface of the cover.
The interchangeable cover eliminates the need to design, tool up for, produce, catalog, stock, allocate and ship one cover for audible alarm units and another for audible-visible alarm units. The chances for mistakes and delays due to mismatches between covers and alarm units at the manufacturing, distributing and installing levels are eliminated. Inventory maintenance and control are simplified. At the job site, the installer does not have to select different covers for different alarms. After some or all of the alarms for the job are installed, the installer can take boxes of the covers around to the alarms and install any one of them on either of the alarm types. In some cases, however, installers may have to select and install covers that are of colors that match the colors of the alarm units.
The base member of either or both the audible alarm unit and the audible-visible alarm unit may have a front wall, from which the projecting wall portion projects as a raised protuberance, and side walls extending generally rearwardly from the front wall, the front wall and side walls forming a cavity that is adapted to receive the sound generating unit and, in the case of the audible-visible alarm unit, the light-generating unit in recessed relation with respect to rear edges of the side walls. Such a configuration locates the circuit boards, electronic components, and sound generator on the side of the base member that faces away from the cover and toward the backbox, so the base me
Lee Benjamin C.
Thomason Moser & Patterson LLP
Tong Kin-Wah
Wheelock Inc.
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