Gte Products Corporation

Gte Sylvania Incorporated

Gte Laboratories Incorporated

Richard W Anderson

J Edward Schlener

Alfred I Bottner

Robert J Fahey

Martin L Resnick

Frederick F Bodenrader

James L Pettee

William R McClellan

Housing for an automatic telephone alarm system

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.

Apparatus for monitoring and signalling system

Apparatus for a monitoring and signalling system such as a home health car system includes a first sensor operative to monitor the entry and exit of an individual from a room (such as a bathroom), and other sensors operative to monitor usage of appliances such as lamps, televisions, refrigerators and telephones. Each sensor, upon monitoring an associated activity, produces and applies a signal to a microprocessor and causes an activity timer in the microprocessor to be set to either a first time period of about 1-2 hours (for an entry into the room) or a second time period of about 8-10 hours (for an exit from the room or for use of an appliance). The activity timer cycles through its associated time period and initiates an alarm sequence at the expiration of the time period for indicating a lack of activity. Thus, if an individual who has entered the room does not exit within the 1-2 hour period, or an appliance is not used for a period of 8-10 hours, an alarm sequence is initiated. In accordance with the present invention, the microprocessor operates to examine signals from the sensors and once the activity timer has been set to the 1-2 hour period by virtue of a first individual entering the room to prevent the timer from being set to the 8-10 hour period by virtue of use of an appliance by another individual while the first individual is in the room.

Monitoring and signalling system including apparatus for processing and

A monitoring and signalling system including a remote control unit in the residence of an individual and a centralized communication center interconnected with the remote control unit by a telephone network. A plurality of sensors are located within the residence and operate to monitor the occurrence of particular activities performed by the individual and to produce signals in response to monitoring the occurrence of the activities. A microprocessor in the remote control unit receives and processes signals produced by the sensors and accumulates sensor activity data representing a running tally of the number of times each sensor has monitored its associated activity. The microprocessor is also able to detect a prolonged lack of activity and to initiate an alarm sequence during which steady audible and visual alarm indications are provided in a pre-alarm period and followed by intermittent audible and visual alarm indications while an alarm communication is established and completed with the centralized communications center. The microprocessor is also able on a daily basis to initiate a self-check communication during which the sensor activity data corresponding to the various sensors is transmitted to the centralized communications center and processed to identify any sensor which failed to monitor an associated activity since the last self-check operation.

Monitoring and signalling system

A small, portable lightweight, water-resistant, manually-operated signalling device. The signalling device includes a signalling assembly fully enclosed within a pair of hermetically sealed housings. The signalling assembly includes a signalling circuit and a pressure sensitive switch adapted, when depressed, to actuate the signalling circuit. One of the housings includes a recessed, flat, semi-rigid deflective wall having an indentation formed therein and in physical contact with the pressure sensitive switch. The indentation is capable of being manually depressed and, when depressed, to transmit the pressure applied to the indentation to the switch, thereby operating the signalling circuit. The indentation and the switch are arranged with respect to each other so that depression of the switch and actuation of the signalling circuit can only occur in response to pressure being applied to the indentation. The signalling device further includes a shock-absorbing rim formed at the perimeter of the housing having the indentation therein for minimizing the possibility of unintentional or accidental operation of the signalling device by virtue of the signalling device coming into physical contact with a surface or object, as by dropping the signalling device.

Signalling device

A back-lighted display arrangement including a soft, compressible opaque light baffle sandwiched between a lamp assembly and a display panel. The light baffle has a grid-like configuration defining a plurality of compartments each of which is arranged to receive a different one of a plurality of lamps supported by the lamp assembly and to direct light emitted by the lamp onto a different one of a plurality of display areas of the display panel. The light baffle establishes a positive light-tight seal between the baffle and the lamp assembly and display panel for preventing light in one compartment from escaping into an adjacent compartment.

Back-lighted display arrangement

A washable, stretchable, flexible, vinyl fabric cover for enclosing an adjustable arm assembly as used in a hospital or nursing home for supporting a television receiver for viewing by a patient. The adjustable arm assembly with which the fabric cover may be used includes forward and rearward pairs of elongated arms pivotally connected at adjacent ends thereof to a central pivot plate arrangement and at opposite ends thereof to front and rear pivot plate arrangements, respectively. The fabric cover of the invention includes first and second generally-flat, generally-rectangular, elongated flexible cover sections and a flat connecting sheet joining corresponding first ends of the first and second cover sections, the opposite ends of the cover sections being cup-like in configuration. The flat connecting sheet joining the first ends of the first and second cover sections has a central section of the same material as the cover sections and first and second end sections of a stretchable material attached to the central section and to the first ends of the first and second cover sections, respectively. The first and second cover sections further include slide fasteners, in the form of zippers, along the edges of the sections. The first and second cover sections are made initially to generally respectively overlie the forward and rearward pairs of arms, which are preferably in horizontal positions at this time, and the cup-like end portion of the second section is arranged to cup around the rear pivot plate arrangement. The first cover section is then pulled in a direction away from the second cover section until the cup-like end portion of the first cover section is able to tightly grip around the front pivot plate arrangement. The flat connecting sheet joining the first and second cover sections generally overlies the central pivot plate arrangement at this time. The edges of the first and second cover sections of the fabric cover are joined together to enclose the arm assembly by use of the zippers provided at these edges.

Growing community of inventors

Reading, MA, United States of America

Richard W Anderson