Alerting system with dual-address memory

Claim 2

In an alerting device that is responsive to a calling signal of the multi-address type to initiate an alerting signal which indicates address information contained in said calling signal, means including time interval measuring means responsive to said calling signal to provide said alerting signal for a predetermined time interval, said device including means to provide at least a first alerting signal of a first mode and a second alerting signal of a second mode, an alerting signal output, and signal mode selector means which is settable to select one of said modes for application to said alerting signal output, means to sense an address indicator in a calling signal and to provide an address-responsive output signal, address-responsive means to receive said address-responsive output signal and correspondingly to set said signal mode selector means to select said one of said modes, said time interval measuring means including means automatically to terminate said alerting signal after said predetermined time interval, alerting signal memory means, said time interval measuring means including means for setting said alerting signal memory means in a stored-page state upon automatically terminating said alerting signal, and recall means to institute operation of said device while said alerting signal memory means is in said stored-page state for again initiating said alerting signal in said selected mode.

Claim 3

Alerting device according to claim 1 wherein said first mode and said second mode are pulse trains having respectively "N" cycles and "m" cycles in said time interval, where n and m are different quantities.

Claim 4

Alerting device according to claim 2 having a master clock providing a clock frequency, and means to provide said pulse trains at respective sub-harmonics of said clock frequency.

Claim 5

Alerting device according to claim 3 wherein said time interval measuring means includes a binary counter under control of said clock to produce a prescribed number of output pulses constituting said time interval, said clock being coupled to said counter for control thereof.

Claim 6

An alerting device according to claim 1 having manually-operable reset means to terminate said alerting signal within said predetermined time interval, said manually-operable means having alternatively a reset state and a recall state into which said manually-operable means can be set, means coupling said manually-operable means to said time interval measuring means for terminating operation of said time interval measuring means and thereby terminating said alerting signal if said manually-operable means is operated when it is in said reset state, means coupling said manually-operable means to said time interval measuring means for initiating a time interval measuring cycle thereof and thereby initiating said alerting signal if said manually-operable means is operated when it is in said recall state, said time interval measuring means including means for setting said alerting signal memory means in said stored-page-state upon said time interval measuring means automatically terminating said alerting signal at the end of said predetermined time interval in the absence of operation of said manually operable means when the latter is in said reset state, and said alerting signal memory means being coupled to said manually operable means for setting said manually-operable means into said recall state when said alerting signal memory mens is set into said stored-page state, said manually-operable means in said recall state constituting said recall means to initiate operation of said device.

Claim 7

Alerting device according to claim 5 including calling signal memory means having an input coupled to said calling signal and an output coupled to said alerting signal memory means, said calling signal memory means having a first output state and a second output state and including means responsive to said calling signal to set said calling signal memory means from said first output state into said second output state, said calling signal memory means in said second output state putting said alerting signal memory means into a condition wherein the latter can be set into said stored-page-state.

Claim 8

Alerting device according to claim 6 including a coupling from said manually-operable means to said calling signal memory means for setting said calling signal memory means from said second output state into said first output state when said manually-operable means is operated while said manually-operable means is in said recall state.

Claim 9

Alerting device according to claim 7 including a coupling from said time interval measuring means to said alerting signal memory means for resetting said alerting signal memory means into a non-stored-page state after said manually-operable means is operated while the latter is in said recall state, said alerting signal memory means being coupled to said manually-operable means for setting said manually-operable means into said reset state when said alerting signal memory means is in said non-stored-page state.

Claim 10

Alerting device according to claim 5 having a master clock providing a clock frequency, said time interval measuring means coupled to said clock to generate first and second pulse trains at respective frequencies that are sub-harmonics of said clock frequency, said first and second pulse trains constituting said first mode and said second mode, respectively.

Claim 11

Alerting device according to claim 9 wherein said time interval measuring means includes a binary counter, under control of said clock, to produce a different prescribed number of output pulses in each of said modes, respectively, constituting said predetermined time interval, said clock being coupled to said counter for control thereof.

Claim 12

Alerting device according to claim 10 including gate means in the coupling between said clock and said counter, and means including said gate for selecting one or the other of said calling signal when said manually-operable means is in said reset state, and an operation of said manually-operable means when in said recall state for initiating a time-measuring cycle of said counter.

Claim 13

Alerting device according to claim 10 including an alert signal generator for providing an alert signal to a user in response to said alerting signal, and means under control of said signal mode selector means for selectively coupling one or the other of said modes of output pulses as said alerting signal to said alert signal generator.

Claim 14

Alerting device according to claim 10 wherein said manually-operable means when operated in said reset state terminate an operation of said binary counter prior to the end of said prescribed time interval.

Claim 15

Alerting device according to claim 1 including an alert signal generator for providing an alert signal to a user in response to said alerting signal, a coupling for said alerting signal via said signal mode selector means to said alert signal generator, and means to drive said generator in the selected one of said alerting signal modes.

Claim 16

Alerting device according to claim 14 including electromechanical transducer means, driver means therefor, clock means for supplying a continuous clock-frequency wave, means responsive to said continuous wave to generate first and second pulse trains in said time interval at respective first and second frequencies that are different subharmonics of said clock-frequency, and means coupling said signal mode selector means to said alert signal generator to apply a selected one of said pulse trains to said driver means, for driving said alert signal generator in said selected alerting signal mode.

Claim 17

In an alerting device according to claim 14 including a source of energizing power and means to apply said source to energize said device, means responsive to the application of said source to said alert signal generator to drive said generator in a unique mode that is different from either of said alerting signal modes.

Claim 18

Alerting device according to claim 16 including electromechanical transducer means, driver means therefor, clock means for supplying a continuous clock-frequency wave, means responsive to said continuous wave to generate first and second pulse trains at respective first and second frequencies that are different sub-harmonics of said clock frequency, means to couple said continuous wave to said driver means, means responsive to the application of said source to said alert signal generator to couple said continuous wave to said electromechanical transducer means for driving said alert signal generator in said unique mode, and means responsive to said alerting signal to couple a selected one of said pulse trains to said driver means for driving said alert signal generator in said selected alerting signal mode.