The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 03, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 02, 1996
Joseph Lawrence Abita, Boyds, MD (US);
John Sadowsky, Columbia, MD (US);
Wolfger Schneider, Columbia, MD (US);
Robert W Massof, Uniontown, MD (US);
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (US);
Abstract
The device assists those who are visually handicapped and, in particular, warns blind or visually impaired travellers that they have entered a potentially dangerous area proximal to the edge of boarding platforms of the type typically found in public railway transit systems. An InfraRed Integrated Information System consists of an array of infrared transmitters and a portable detector/warning device to be held by the blind traveller. The transmitters create a beam of infrared light which bathes the section of the platform proximal to the platform edge. As the traveller moves into the region of the platform covered by the emission, the sensors in the warning device are activated and by audio, tactile or other stimuli alert the traveller of entry into the danger zone.