Other

Google Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Sunbeam Products, Inc.

Gary Jay Morris

John Lodewyk Loth

George Alan Richards

Michael J Welter

Low frequency alarm tones emitted by life safety devices are more like to notify sleeping children and the elderly. Disclosed herein is a life safety device equipped with a novel, compact, quarter-wave, folded resonant cavity which significantly increases the low frequency (400-700 Hz square wave) acoustic efficiency of an audio output transducer when the folded resonant cavity is acoustically coupled to the transducer forming an audio output apparatus. The folded resonant cavity is comprised of undulating, annular, acoustic passages to significantly reduce the length of the resonant cavity, thereby permitting the audio output apparatus to fit within the housing of conventional size life safety devices such as, but not limited to, residential and commercial smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. Battery powered embodiments of the audio output apparatus comprising a folded resonant cavity passed audibility tests for low frequency alarm tones in smoke alarms specified by UL217.

Life safety device having high acoustic efficiency

Low frequency alarm tones emitted by life safety devices are more likely to notify sleeping children and the elderly. Disclosed herein is a life safety device equipped with a novel, compact, circumferential resonant cavity which increases the low frequency (400-600 Hz square wave) acoustic efficiency of an audio output apparatus formed by acoustically coupling an audio output transducer to the resonant cavity.

Life safety device with compact circumferential acoustic resonator

Low frequency alarm tones emitted by life safety devices are more likely to notify sleeping children and the elderly. Disclosed herein is a life safety device equipped with a novel, compact, circumferential resonant cavity which increases the low frequency (400-600 Hz square wave) acoustic efficiency of an audio output apparatus formed by acoustically coupling an audio output transducer to the resonant cavity. The resonant cavity is a compact circumferential acoustic resonator with a captured mass of air within a ring shaped cavity significantly reducing the overall size of the resonator, thereby permitting the audio output apparatus to fit within the housing of conventional size life safety devices such as, but not limited to, residential and commercial smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. The compact resonator is an acoustic compliant cavity with internal passages transforming axial traveling sound waves to circumferentially traveling sound waves thereby yielding a very compact geometry.

Life safety device with folded resonant cavity for low frequency alarm tones

An environmental condition detector emits only safe, validated verbal messages recorded in a user's voice to help occupants of a building respond safely to sensed environmental conditions. The message emitted in the user's voice is generally a familiar voice to other building occupants to better capture their attention, and only certain, safe, user messages are validated for use thereby eliminating the chance that the user may unknowingly record an unsafe message to be emitted during a sensed environmental condition. The verbal message is recorded by a user and is analyzed through speech recognition to determine if the user-recorded message can be validated as containing safe content. A user-recorded message found to match manufacturer preprogrammed message content is validated and selected to be audibly emitted in the user's voice when an environmental condition is sensed. Various embodiments include single station units, interconnected units, or centrally controlled security systems.

Environmental condition detector with validated personalized verbal messages

Many people do not have a physical feeling for what normal and abnormal blood pressure levels mean in relation to the forces exerted on the heart and blood vessels. A blood pressure simulation apparatus provides human subjects a means to physically feel simulated blood pressure levels through tactile feedback. Both normal and abnormal blood pressure cycles are simulated. Interfacing of the apparatus to an electronic blood pressure monitor is provided.

Blood pressure simulation apparatus with tactile feedback

An ambient condition detector outputs an alarm comprising a tonal pattern comprising at least two distinctly different pitch tones in one embodiment of the invention. Another embodiment comprises a detector whereby a user can select a pitch tone to be output within a tonal pattern alarm when the detector senses an ambient condition. Options include verbal output to indicate the type of ambient condition sensed and/or the location of the detector sensing the ambient condition.

Ambient condition detector with variable pitch alarm

An ambient condition detector incorporates speech recognition circuitry for the receipt of verbal commands in a selected language. The commands can be used to initiate functions, such as tests of various components of the detector, or over-all detector operation. Test results can be reported audible, for example by tones, verbally or optically. Recognizable commands and messages can be pre-recorded and not user alterable. Other types of functions can be verbally initiated. Alternately, the user can expand upon the pre-recorded set of commands, or, can record a user specific set of commands.

Environmental condition detector with speech recognition

The pitch of tones within tonal patterns emitted by ambient condition detector units and systems in the alarm or testing state is not always optimum to be heard by a wide range of users. An ambient condition detector outputs an alarm comprising a tonal pattern whereby a user can select at least one pitch tone emitted within a tonal pattern alarm when the detector senses an ambient condition. Options include verbal output.

Ambient condition detector with selectable pitch alarm

The blood pressure level in humans is a vital health parameter, yet the vast majority of people do not have a physical feeling for what normal and abnormal blood pressure levels mean in relation to the forces exerted on the heart and blood vessels. A blood pressure simulation apparatus is described which provides human subjects a means to physically feel simulated blood pressure levels through a tactile interface. Both normal and abnormal blood pressure cycles are simulated. Interfacing of the apparatus to an electronic blood pressure monitor is provided.

Blood pressure simulation apparatus with tactile interface

An ambient condition detector includes a time delay function whereby a user initiates a functionality test of the detector and has time to move away from the vicinity of the detector before a potentially hearing damaging, audible report is issued from the detector under test. Multiple ways to set the time delay interval are included in the various embodiments. The sensors of the ambient condition detector may include fire sensors, smoke sensors, gas sensors, motion sensors, vibration sensors and multiple combinations of these sensors.

Ambient condition detector with time delayed function

Due to the presence of various environmental condition detectors in the home and businesses such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, natural gas detectors, etc., each having individual but similar sounding alarm patterns, it can be difficult for occupants of such dwellings to immediately determine the specific type of environmental condition that exists during an alarm condition. The present invention comprises an environmental condition detector using both tonal pattern alarms and pre-recorded voice messages to indicate information about the environmental condition being sensed. Single-station battery-powered and 120VAC detectors are described as are multiple-station interconnected 120 VAC powered detectors. The pre-recorded voice messages describe the type of environmental condition detected or the location of the environmental condition detector sensing the condition, or both, in addition to the tonal pattern alarm. Provisions are made for multi-lingual pre-recorded voice messages.

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Morgantown, WV, United States of America

Gary Jay Morris