Remote control apparatus for a property protection device

Apparatus for remotely controlling a protection device associated with a property, said device being capable of enablement and disablement with respect to the protection of said property, said apparatus comprising

• (a) remote control means comprising
• (1) means for generating control signals, said generating means being reprogrammable to generate modified control signals;
• (2) activating means for reprogramming said generating means to generate said modified control signals;
• (3) means for transmitting said control signals;
• (b) protection device enabling-disabling means comprising
• (1) means for receiving said transmitted control signals;
• (2) means operatively connected to said receiving means for decoding said received signals and disabling said protection device when said decoding means is receiving a valid control signal and enabling said protection device when a valid control signal is not being received, said decoding means being reprogrammable so that receipt of a modified control signal is required by the decoding means to disable said protection device;
• (3) means for automatically reprogramming said decoding means in response to the enablement of said protection device;
• whereby, after said protection device has been enabled, said activating means must reprogram said generating means to generate a modified control signal before said device can be disabled by said remote control means.

Apparatus for enabling or disabling a property protection device by remote control, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a portable remote control unit comprising
• (1) an encoder programmable to generate at least one control signal, said encoder being reprogrammable to generate at least one modified control signal;
• (2) means for switching said encoder between said programmed and said reprogrammed states, said encoder switching means being manually activatable;
• (3) means operatively connected to said encoder for transmitting said signals generated by said encoder, said transmitting means being capable of effectively transmitting said signals for only a relatively limited distance;
• (b) protection device enabling-disabling means comprising:
• (1) means for receiving said transmitted signals, said receiving means being capable of effectively receiving said signals only when said portable remote control unit is less than said distance from said receiving means;
• (2) a decoder operatively connected to said receiving means for disabling said protection device when a valid signal is being received by said decoder and enabling said protection device in response to a valid signal not being received, said decoder being programmed to accept only a control signal as valid and also being reprogrammable to accept only a modified control signal as valid;
• (3) means for switching said decoder between said programmed and reprogrammed states, said decoder switching means automatically switching said decoder to said reprogrammed state in response to enablement of said protection device and automatically switching said decoder to said programmed state in response to disablement of said protection device,
• whereby, after said protection device has been enabled in response to said portable unit being carried a sufficient distance away from said receiving means, said encoder switching means must be manually activated to reprogram said encoder to generate a modified control signal to disable said protection device when said portable unit has been carried back to within said distance of said receiving means.

Remote control apparatus for automatically controlling a protection device associated with a property, said device being capable of switching switching between at least two states with respect to the protection of said property, said remote control apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for generating at least one control signal for controlling the state of said protection device;
• (b) means for transmitting said signal, said transmitting means being portable and having a range substantially limiting the distance said signal can be transmitted;
• (c) means for receiving said signal, said receiving means responsive to said signal to switch said device to a first state when said signal has been received and to a second state when said signal has not been received for a preselected time interval;
• and
• (d) means for detecting the presence of at least one person inside said property, said detecting means being responsive to said presence to prevent said receiving means from switching said device between said first and second states while said person is inside said property,
• whereby said device is in said first state when said transmitting means is within said range of said receiving means and said device is in said second state when said transmitting means is outside said range of said receiving means and no person is inside said property.

Remote control apparatus for automatically controlling a protection device associated with a property, said device being capable of switching between at least two states with respect to the protection of said property, said remote control apparatus comprising:

• (a) encoding means for producing a signal comprising identification information for controlling the state of said protection device, said encoding means being adapted for operation from an electrical energy source, said encoding means for continuously generating a series of said signals each said signal having a predetermined time duration and each signal being separated in time from the previous signal in the series by a predetermined time interval, said signal duration being relatively short compared to said time interval;
• (b) means for transmitting said signal, said transmitting means being portable and having a range substantially limiting the distance said signal can be transmitted;
• (c) means for receiving said signal, said receiving means responsive to said signal to switch said device to a first state when said signal has been received and to a second state when said signal has been received for a preselected time interval, said receiving means comprising decoding means responsive to said identification information to switch said protection device to said first state only when said signal is being received;
• whereby said device is in said first state when said transmitting means is within said range of said receiving means and said device is in said second state when said transmitting means is outside said range of said receiving means and the energy consumed by said encoding means is reduced.

Remote control apparatus for automatically controlling a protection device associated with a motor vehicle, the operation of said vehicle being controlled by placing a key into a keyway means, said device being capable of switching between at least two states with respect to the protection of said property, said remote control apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for generating at least one control signal for controlling the state of said protection device;
• (b) means for transmitting said signal, said transmitting means being portable and having a range substantially limiting the distance said signal can be transmitted;
• (c) means for receiving said signal, said receiving means responsive to said signal to switch said device to a first state when said signal has been received and to a second state when said signal has not been received for a preselected time interval;
• and
• (d) means for disabling said receiving means in response to said key means being placed in said keyway means, whereby said device is in said first state when said transmitting means is within said range of said receiving means and said device is in said second state when said transmitting means is outside said range of said receiving means and said receiving means is prevented from switching said device between said first and second states when said key means is placed in said keyway means.