US 4,303,801 AGranted

Apparatus for monitoring and signalling system

AssigneeGTE Products Corporation

InventorsRichard W. Anderson, J. Edward Schlener

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Abstract

Apparatus for a monitoring and signalling system such as a home health care system. The monitoring and signalling system includes apparatus operative to monitor routine activities performed by an individual in his or her residence and to monitor operation of a user-actuated signalling device in an accident, disability or emergency situation. In the event the monitored activities of the individual are not performed over a prolonged period of time, or the individual actuates the signalling device, an alarm sequence is initiated. This alarm sequence, in a typical implementation, commences with a pre-alarm period (e.g., 1 minute) during which simultaneous steady audible and visual alarm indications are produced and during which the entire alarm sequence can be aborted by the individual. At the expiration of the first period, and in the absence of an aborting of the alarm sequence, an alarm communication is initiated with a centralized communications center during which the steady audible and visual alarm indications are changed to intermittent audible and visual alarm indications for informing the individual that communication with the center is in process. At the completion of the communication, the intermittent alarm indications are terminated thereby to provide a period of silence indicating that the communication was received by the center. An additional audible indication of the receipt of the communication may be provided to the individual by means of a telephone call from the center to the residence causing a telephone in the residence to ring.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a monitoring and signalling system, apparatus comprising:

first and second apparatus at first and second locations, respectively, and interconnected by a transmission medium for allowing bidirectional communication between the first and second apparatus;
said first apparatus at the first location comprising:
first means operative under prescribed circumstances to produce an alarm condition;
second means operative following an alarm condition produced by the first means to produce a first sensible alarm indication for a predetermined first interval of time;
third means operative following the predetermined first interval of time to initiate communication with the second apparatus at the second location over the transmission medium;
fourth means operative for the duration that the third means communicates with the second apparatus to produce a second sensible alarm indication distinguishable from the first sensible alarm indication and indicating that the third means is communicating with the second apparatus;
and
fifth means operative at the conclusion of the communication with the second apparatus to terminate the second sensible alarm indication produced by the fourth means thereby to provide a period of silence following the second sensible alarm indication indicating that the communication was received by the second apparatus;
and
said second apparatus at the second location comprising:
sixth means operative under operator control to communicate with the first apparatus over the transmission medium to provide an additional sensible indication at the first apparatus following the period of silence for indicating that the communication to the second apparatus was received by the second apparatus.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.