Telecommunications – Transmitter – Mobile or portable
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-29
2001-02-06
Le, Thanh Cong (Department: 2749)
Telecommunications
Transmitter
Mobile or portable
C455S128000, C455S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185410
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to switch devices. Specifically, the present invention is directed to an easily operable switch on a remote transmitter for use in a telephone number dialing system. The present invention is of particular value to those individuals who must rely on tactile sensing to activate the transmitter, either because they are unable to visually operate the transmitter or because they have become partially incapacitated.
Due to the high cost of in-patient health care for the physically incapacitated, the increasing expense of convalescent homes for the aged, and the desire of many such persons to be independent, the numbers of aged persons or those with fragile health who elect to live alone are becoming very large. The changing economics of society has also resulted in many young children being at home alone after school or when their parents are away at work. The lack of supervisory care for these people has lead to a potentially dangerous situation in the household.
In many crises or accidents, especially those in a household setting, one of the initial considerations is to alert an outside party to the situation in the household. This typically involves placing a telephone call to a local emergency response number such as the well-known 911 number or to a relative or neighbor for situations that are less urgent. Unfortunately, either due to injury or some other emergency related side-effects, the very young or very old when living alone may become physically unable to place a call for help, preventing help from arriving at an early stage. Moreover, incapacitated individuals may be unable to reach the telephone or they may be unable to dial the telephone even if they can reach it.
Numerous dialer systems have been devised over the years in which a preselected telephone number is dialed automatically in order to alert the dialed number of an emergency. Typically, these systems are activated with a small remote transmitter similar to a conventional garage door opener. The transmitter is typically worn by the user, either around the neck or on the wrist. The transmitters are activated by pressing a button or some other depression-activated device on the transmitter. Typically such transmitters only send signals while the switch remains depressed.
Ordinary switches or buttons, however, are not optimally suited for activating such a transmitter. In high stress situations, conventional switches or buttons may become too difficult to operate. A toggle switch, for example, requires two hands, one to hold the transmitter and the other to flip the switch. Ordinary push-button devices may be too small to locate or are activated for too brief a period of time to be effective. Such buttons are further susceptible to false operation when the wearer leans against an object or, in the case of a cardiac patient, turns over in bed.
Hence, an improved transmitter is needed which has a switch that is operable with one hand, requires minimal amounts of space, and cannot be operated by pressures incident to normal activities. Preferably, the device should be operable through tactile sensation alone, particularly when a person has fallen and is unable to visually guide their hand to activate the transmitter. Furthermore, the transmitter should provide visual cues that it has been activated and be simple enough that even young children can understand the type of motion needed to activate the transmitter. The improved transmitter could have a plurality of uses such as with hospital beds for alerting nurses of patient emergencies or as a triggering mechanism for an anti-theft system and thus is not confined to use in telephone-based systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides devices, systems, and methods for remotely contacting a controller. In particular, the present invention provides a remote transmitter that can withstand the rigors of day-to-day activity without falsely contacting or activating a controller such as a telephone dialing system. More particularly, the invention provides a remote transmitter having a switch that is actuatable through a user's tactile sensation and easily operable by the elderly and the very young.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a remote transmitter for use with a controller, such as a telephone base unit. The remote transmitter comprises a housing and a signal transmitter coupled to the housing and a sliding element for activating the signal transmitter. The sliding element which moves to a signal on position and activates the signal transmitter when said element is moved away from the center of the housing. The housing may have a linear path and the sliding element may translate along the path between a signal off position and the signal on position. The sliding element may also include a lip for engaging a plurality of notches along said linear path of the housing. Typically a user input is connected to the sliding element, and the input extends a sufficient distance from the housing to allow the user to locate and manipulate the user input through tactile sensing. When the user manipulates the input or the sliding element, the signal transmitter sends a transmission, typically a digitally coded signal, to a telephone and causes the dialing of a selected telephone number.
The user input of the present invention may comprise of a variety of different types of inputs so long as they provide an easily graspable object for the user. Typical examples of a user input include a flexible cord, a firm rod device, or perhaps even the housing molded to provide a contoured, ergonomic fit with the user's hand. Generally, the input is moved away from the center of the device to activate the signal transmitter.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a system using a remotely activated transmitters such as a system for remotely activating and dialing telephone numbers. In this embodiment, the system comprises a telephone base unit, a signal receiver on the base unit, and a remote transmitter having a signal transmitter and a user input for activating the signal transmitter to send signals to the signal receiver on the base unit. An automatic telephone number dialer on the telephone base unit can be activated by the signal receiver to dial a selected telephone number. The system also has an automatic message sender, which sends a prerecorded message to the selected telephone number, and a speakerphone on the base unit to provide two-way communication after the prerecorded message has been sent. Typically, a timer device on the base unit sets a fixed time period for two-way communication.
These and other embodiments of the present invention, as well as its advantages and features, are described in more detail in conjunction with the text below and attached figures.
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Chow Charles
Cong Le Thanh
Townsend and Townsend / and Crew LLP
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