Distributed alarm system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRichard Dean Dettinger, Frederick Allyn Kulack
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention generally is directed to an alarm device that includes a network interface configured to receive an alarm control signal, an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target, and a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm. The processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions only after a presence of the target is detected proximate to the alarm device.
Claims27
An apparatus, comprising:
- an alarm device, comprising:
- a network interface configured to receive an alarm control signal;
- an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target;
- and
- a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm;
- and wherein the processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions only after a presence of the target is detected proximate to the alarm device.
A method of processing an alarm control signal in an alarm device, comprising:
- receiving an alarm control signal indicating that an alarm issuance to a target is requested;
- detecting whether the target is proximate to the alarm device in response to the receipt of the alarm control signal;
- and
- issuing an alarm to the target if the target is detected as being proximate to the alarm device.
A computer program for processing an alarm control signal in an alarm device embodied in a computer program, the computer program comprising:
- a code segment for receiving an alarm control signal indicating that an alarm issuance to a target is requested;
- and
- a code segment for detecting whether the target is proximate to the alarm device in response to the receipt of the alarm control signal.
A clustered alarm system, comprising:
- an alarm control signal origination device for originating an alarm control signal;
- a detector for detecting a target;
- and
- one or more alarm devices communicably linked to the alarm control signal origination device, each alarm device comprising:
- a network interface configured to receive the alarm control signal;
- an alarm interface for issuing an alarm to a target;
- and
- a processing unit which, upon receiving the alarm control signal, executes alarm issuing instructions causing the alarm interface to issue the alarm;
- and wherein the processing unit is configured to execute the alarm issuing instructions when the detector detects the target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.