US 6,388,572 B1Granted

Selectively positional intruder alarm for sliding windows and doors

OwnerAnnie L. Salterinventor

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Abstract

A portable selectively positional intruder alarm for sliding windows and doors is installed in a window or door frame with its longitudinal axis parallel to a sliding window sash or door at a selected distance therefrom to provide security while allowing the window to be partially open for ventilation and will emit an alarm either when the window or door is opened further or when the device is removed from the window or door frame. The device has a telescoping tubular housing with end plugs at each end. One end plug is fixed to the housing and the other is slidably mounted in the end of the housing. The end plugs are removably held against the opposed tracks of the sliding window sash or sliding door by the force of a compression spring within the housing. An alarm circuit disposed in the outer tube includes a battery, an audio transducer, a normally-open switch, a normally-closed switch, and may also include a visual alarm and battery condition indicator. An actuator pin on the movable frame surface of the sliding window sash or door engages the normally-open switch upon movement of the frame surface a distance toward the housing such that the partially open or fully closed window sash or door may be opened a distance less than the selected distance for ventilation without sounding the alarm and, upon further opening the window sash or door a distance approximate to the selected distance, the alarm is activated. The sliding end plug is engaged with the normally-closed switch when the device is installed in the track and, when the device is removed, is disengaged to activate the alarm.

A selectively positional alarm device for sliding windows and doors, comprising:

an elongate telescoping tubular housing having a longitudinal axis and including a hollow outer tube having a first end and a second end, and an inner tube having a first end and a second end, said first end of said inner tube being slidably received in said first end of said outer tube, said second end of said inner tube extending from said first end of said outer tube;
a first end plug fixed to said second end of said inner tube, and a second end plug slidably mounted in said second end of said outer tube, each said plug having an outer end sized and shaped to be received in a track of a sliding window sash or sliding door;
a compression spring disposed within said outer and inner tubes to urge them into an opposed extended position such that said end plugs are removably held against said track only by the force of said compression spring;
an alarm circuit disposed in said outer tube including a battery, an audio transducer electrically connected with said battery, and a normally-open switch located in said outer tube having normally-open contacts connected between said audio transducer and said battery;
said tubular housing positioned a selected distance from a frame surface of said sliding window sash or sliding door in either a partially open position or fully closed position with its said longitudinal axis parallel to the plane of said frame surface;
and
actuator means disposed between the frame surface of said sliding window sash or sliding door and said normally-open switch to close said contacts and connect said battery with said audio transducer upon movement of said frame surface a distance toward said housing such that said partially open or fully closed sliding window sash or sliding door may be opened a distance less than said selected distance for ventilation without sounding the audible alarm, and upon further opening said window sash or door a distance approximate to said selected distance said audio transducer sounds an audible alarm.

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Abstract

Claims8