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US 12,471,855 B2Granted
Personal alarm apparatus, system, and method
OwnerAvinash Raghu Nanisettyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A personal alarm system including a sound-detecting transmitter and a pressure-detecting receiver capable of generating a local stimulus generated by the receiver and at the receiver's location once a signal indicative of a detected sound is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver while the receiver is detecting whether or not pressure is present.
Claims20
A personal alarm apparatus comprising:
- a sound source, the sound source settable to a time to produce a sound transmission as a sound signal;
- a transmitter configured for placement adjacent the sound source, the transmitter comprising at least one sound-detecting sensor calibrated to (i) detect sound signals based upon at least one attribute associated with the sound signal, (ii) ignore sound signals without the at least one attribute associated with the sound signal, and (iii) receive the sound signal from the sound source upon detection of the at least one attribute, and control circuitry configured to transmit a detected sound transmission;
- a receiver, the receiver being remote from the transmitter and configured for placement adjacent a sleeping aid to which a user will apply force, the receiver comprising at least one force-detecting sensor, at least one stimulus-generator, and control circuitry;
- wherein upon detection by the transmitter of the sound signal from the sound source by the at least one sound-detecting sensor, the transmitter control circuitry transmits the detected sound transmission to the receiver;
- wherein when the receiver control circuitry (i) receives the detected sound transmission and (ii) detects applied force from at least one body part of the user on the sleeping aid via the at least one pressure-detecting sensor within a predetermined period of time, a local stimulus is generated by the at least one stimulus-generator adjacent the sleeping aid;
- wherein active operation of the at least one force-detecting sensor is conditioned by reception of the detected sound transmission by the receiver control circuitry, reception of the detected sound transmission initializing active operation of at least one force-detecting sensor to detect applied force from at least one body part of the user upon the sleeping aid;
- and
- wherein the receiver control circuitry transmits a signal to the sound source to increase the volume of the sound signal when the at least one pressure-detecting sensor continuously detects applied force from the at least one body part of the user on the sleeping aid.
5 more elements
A method for generating a personal alarm, comprising:
- setting a sound source to a time to produce a sound transmission as a sound signal:
- calibrating at least one sound-detecting sensor of a transmitter to (i) detect sound signals based upon at least one attribute associated with the sound signal, and (ii) ignore sound signals without the at least one attribute associated with the sound signal;
- placing the transmitter adjacent the sound source, the transmitter further comprising control circuitry;
- placing a receiver remote from the transmitter and adjacent a sleeping aid to which a user will apply force, the receiver comprising at least one force-detecting sensor, at least one stimulus-generator, and control circuitry;
- detecting, by the at least one sound-detecting sensor of the transmitter, the at least one attribute associated with the sound signal produced by the sound source;
- receiving the sound signal from the sound source via the at least one sound-detecting sensor based upon calibration of the at least one sound-detecting sensor;
- via the transmitter control circuitry:
- (i) processing the sound signal, (ii) generating detected sound data, and (iii) transmitting, from the transmitter to the receiver, a detected sound transmission based on the generated detected sound data;
- via the receiver control circuitry:
- (i) receiving the transmitted detected sound transmission, (ii) processing data associated with the transmitted detected sound transmission, and (iii) generating a receiver-side sound indicator;
- activating the at least one force-detecting sensor into an operational state based upon receiving the transmitted detected sound transmission reception at the receiver control circuitry, aid;
- detecting, via the at least one force-detecting sensor, a force applied to the sleeping aid by at least one body part of the user, and, via the receiver control circuitry:
- (i) processing the detected force, and (ii) generating a receiver-side force indicator;
- generating, via the at least one stimulus-generator, a local stimulus adjacent the sleeping aid when the receiver-side sound indicator and the receiver-side force indicator occur within a predetermined time period of one another;
- and
- upon continued detection of the force applied to the sleeping aid by at least one body part of the user by the at least one force-detecting sensor, transmitting, via the receiver control circuitry, a signal to the sound source to increase the volume of the sound signal.
13 more elements
An article of manufacture for a personal alarm system configured to be used adjacent a sleeping aid on which a user will apply force, the article of manufacture comprising:
- a first non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of a transmitter having stored thereon first machine-readable code, wherein the first machine-readable code defines operations to be performed by a first processor of the transmitter to cause the first processor to:
- calibrate at least one sound-detecting sensor of the transmitter to detect sound signals based upon at least one attribute associated with a sound signal;
- calibrate at least one sound-detecting sensor of the transmitter to ignore sound signals without the at least one attribute associated with the sound signal;
- detect the sound signal from a sound source adjacent the transmitter via at least one sound-detecting sensor of the transmitter;
- receive the sound signal via the at least one sound-detecting sensor of the transmitter according to the calibration of the at least one sound-detecting sensor;
- process the sound signal;
- generate detected sound data;
- transmit, from the transmitter to a receiver, a detected sound transmission based on the generated detected sound data;
- a second non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of a receiver being remote from the transmitter, the receiver having stored thereon second machine-readable code, wherein the second machine-readable code defines operations to be performed by a second processor of the receiver to cause the second processor to:
- receive the transmitted detected sound transmission;
- process data associated with the transmitted detected sound transmission;
- generate a receiver-side sound indicator;
- detect, via at least one force-detecting sensor of the receiver, a force applied to the sleeping aid by at least one body part of the user;
- process data based on the detected force;
- generate a receiver-side force indicator;
- transmit, upon continued detection of the force applied to the sleeping aid by at least one body part of the user by the at least one force-detecting sensor, a signal to the sound source to increase the volume of the sound signal;
- wherein when the receiver-side sound indicator and the receiver-side force indicator are each generated within a predetermined time period of one another, and generate, via a stimulus-generator of the receiver, a local stimulus adjacent the sleeping aid;
- and
- wherein active operation of at least one force-detecting sensor to detect applied force from at least one body part of the user is initiated by way of reception of the detected sound transmission by the receiver control circuitry aid.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.