Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-02
2001-11-13
Lefkowitz, Edward (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S604000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317050
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to alarm systems for alerting responsible adults if a child enters a body of water such as a swimming pool or the like.
Swimming pools in the yards of homes or other areas, as well as other bodies of water such as lakes, oceans, and the like, pose a significant risk to non-swimmers, particularly young children who may be unaware of the danger of entering a body of water. In view of this, various alarm systems have been proposed in the past to alert adults in the event that a young child or infant has entered the water. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,814 of Quinones describes a pool guard alarm in which a wrist band carrying a transmitter and a water immersion sensor is worn by children in a pool area. The water immersion sensor is arranged to deactivate the transmitter upon immersion of the device. Whenever the transmission is interrupted, whether due to immersion in water or due to battery failure or the like, a receiver will sense this condition and activate an alarm. One problem with this system is that the wrist band may easily be removed by the child, or accidentally slip off, and the child will then be unprotected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,169 describes another security system in which a portable transmitter is worn about the body of a child being monitored, and an alarm is activated if the signal from the transmitter is not received, for example as a result of the transmitter being submerged in water. The transmitter is worn on a belt around the child's waist. The system includes a series of transmitters and an associated receiver, so that more than one child or individual can be monitored simultaneously. Again, there is nothing to prevent the wearer from removing the belt and transmitter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved water entry alarm system and method.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a water entry alarm system is provided, which comprises at least one harness to be worn about the body of an individual to be protected, the harness having a strap for extending about the individual's waist, the strap having a first end having a first fastener unit and a second end having a second fastener unit for releasable connection to the first fastener unit to secure the strap around the wearer's waist, one of the fastener units having a power source which is a rechargeable battery and the other fastener unit having water sensor for sensing immersion in water and a transmitter connected to the sensor, and having an on condition in which a signal is transmitted and an off condition in which no signal is transmitted, the water sensor switching the transmitter to its off condition on detection of water, and the transmitter being in an off condition when disconnected from the fastener unit containing the power source, the harness being adapted such that it can only be removed from the individual's body by disconnecting the second fastener unit from the first fastener unit, whereby the transmitter is automatically switched off on removal of the harness from the individual's body, a remote receiver for receiving the signal transmitted from the transmitter, and an alarm unit connected to the receiver for activation in the event that the signal from the transmitter is interrupted.
In this system, the alarm is automatically activated if the wearer of the harness enters a body of water, and is also activated if the wearer removes the harness, disconnecting the transmitter from the power source, or if the battery or power source fails or if components fail. In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of harnesses are provided, each having a transmitter for transmitting a signal of different frequency from the other harnesses, and a corresponding number of receivers are provided, each responsive to a predetermined frequency signal from a particular harness. The alarm unit is connected to all of the receivers for producing an alarm if any one of the receivers does not receive its respective signal. In this way, a number of individuals, such as children at a pool party, can be monitored at once. Additionally, each receiver will have a visual alarm condition indicator, such as a light which is switched on or off if the signal for that receiver is lost. Thus, an adult can readily determine which of the transmitter signals has turned off when an alarm is heard, and look for the child wearing the harness associated with that particular transmitter.
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the harness has a waist strap with opposite ends carrying the first and second fastener units, a pair of shoulder straps secured between opposing portions of the waist strap for extending over the wearer's shoulders, and an auxiliary strap having a first end secured to the waist strap at a position opposite the fastener units, and a second end, a connector unit secured to the second end of the auxiliary strap, the connector unit having a first fastener for releasable connection to the first fastener unit, a second fastener for releasable connection to the second fastener unit, and a conductive linkage between the first and second fastener, whereby the first and second fastener units are mechanically connected via the connector unit and the power source and transmitter are electrically connected through the conductive linkage in the connector unit. The auxiliary strap is adapted to extend downwardly from the waist strap on one side of the wearer's body, down between the individual's legs, and back up on the opposite side of the wearer's body for connection in series between the two fastener units. This arrangement makes it impossible for the harness to be removed either deliberately or accidentally without detaching the fastener units from the connector unit, thereby shutting off power to the transmitter and causing the alarm to activate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a water entry alarm method is provided which comprises the steps of securing a harness about the body of an individual to be protected by securing a first fastener unit on the harness to a second fastener unit on the harness, thereby connecting a power source in the first fastener unit to a transmitter in the second fastener unit so that the transmitter emits a predetermined signal, connecting the transmitter to a water sensor in the second fastener unit so that the transmitter is switched off on detection of water by the water sensor, providing a remote receiver unit for detecting the signal emitted by the transmitter, and connecting the receiver unit to an alarm unit for emitting an alarm in the event that the signal from the transmitter is lost, whereby an alarm is activated automatically if an individual wearing the harness enters a body of water, if the harness is removed from the individual by disconnecting the first fastener unit from the second fastener unit, or if the power source fails.
The water entry alarm system and method of this invention is therefore an improvement over previous systems which would not necessarily activate an alarm if the transmitter was removed from about the body of the individual to be protected, either deliberately or accidentally. In this invention, the harness carrying the transmitter can only be removed if the transmitter is disconnected from its power source, which will also activate the alarm.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4549169 (1985-10-01), Moura et al.
patent: 5049859 (1991-09-01), Arnell
patent: 5091714 (1992-02-01), de Solminihac
patent: 5097254 (1992-03-01), Merrithew
patent: 5138300 (1992-08-01), Chance
patent: 5144285 (1992-09-01), Gore
patent: 5274359 (1993-12-01), Adams
patent: 5486814 (1996-01-01), Quinones
patent: 6157303 (2000-12-01), Bodie et al.
Brown Martin Haller & McClain LLP
Lefkowitz Edward
Pool Alarm Corporation
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