Security system

A method of monitoring a plurality of individual vehicles which are congregated together in a given security area, which method comprises:

• providing an individual vehicle security system for each individual vehicle, each individual vehicle security system comprising:
• (a) a plurality of sensor means, each sensor means being operatively mounted at the respective individual vehicle and structured to be actuated by the occurrence of a respective predetermined event associated with the respective individual vehicle;
• (b) a receiving means located at the respective individual vehicle;
• and
• (c) a slave transmitter means operatively coupled to the receiving means for the respective individual vehicle security system to receive an output signal from the receiving means of the respective individual vehicle security system;
• producing a encoded sensor signal upon the occurrence of the predetermined event for a respective sensor means such that the encoded sensor signal identifies the respective sensor means producing the encoded sensor signal and the respective individual vehicle with which the respective sensor means is associated;
• transmitting the thus produced encoded sensor signal through the atmosphere to the receiving means of each of the plurality of individual vehicle security systems;
• causing the receiving means for the respective individual vehicle security system to receive the transmitted encoded sensor signals from the plurality of sensor means of the respective individual vehicle security system as well as from sensor means of individual vehicle security systems for other individual vehicles in the given security area,
• causing the receiving means for the respective individual vehicle security system to recognize only encoded sensor signals transmitted by sensor means of the respective individual vehicle security systems;
• causing the receiving means for the respective individual security system to produce an output signal only upon receipt and recognition of an encoded sensor signal transmitted by a sensor means of the respective individual vehicle security system;
• causing the slave transmitter means of the respective individual vehicle security system to produce an encoded vehicle signal upon the receipt of an output signal from the receiving means of the respective individual vehicle security system such that the encoded vehicle signal identifies the respective sensor means producing the encoded sensor signal and the respective individual vehicle with which the respective sensor means is associated;
• transmitting the thus produced encoded vehicle signal through the atmosphere;
• receiving the thus transmitted encoded vehicle signal at a central unit;
• decoding the thus received encoded vehicle signal and providing a control signal in response thereto;
• actuating an alarm at the central unit in response to said control signal;
• recording the date, the time, an identification of the individual vehicle at which an encoded sensor signal was produced, and the type of sensor means which produced the encoded sensor signal;
• and
• if the thus actuated alarm is not deactivated within a predetermined period of time, dialing at least one preset telephone number and providing a recorded message when the first one of said at least one preset telephone number is answered, and if an acknowledgment of the recorded message is received, recording the time the recorded message was acknowledged.