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US4258291A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Smoke alarm activated portable lamp

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1978-11-01
•
Granted: 1981-03-24
•
Expires: 1998-11-01
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Abstract

Abstract A smoke alarm activated portable light or lamp for providing emergency illumination in response to an alarm signal from a smoke alarm device includes a frequency selective microphone, several amplifier stages, a peak detector, an isolation or buffer stage, and a power stage comprising a pair of cascaded transistors and a light bulb. The lamp includes a bracket for positioning same in proximity to a smoke alarm and a switch which is closed upon removal of the lamp from the bracket. A power saving circuit includes a photoelectric cell and an amplifier and is operative to saturate or overdrive the first gain stage to override any signal from the microphone whereby the lamp is rendered unresponsive to the smoke alarm signal upon illumination of the photocell by daylight or artificial light.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert J. Scott
  • 👤 Bryant F. Craig

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 04:43
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08B; G08B7/00; G08B7/06; G08B7/062; G08B17/00; G08B17/10

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 102 words
A portable lamp activated by the sound signal of a smoke alarm comprising: (a) a frequency selective microphone; (b) a light bulb; (c) a battery; (d) circuit means interconnecting said microphone, light bulb, and battery and responsive to the sound signal of a smoke alarm device to effect illumination of said light bulb; (e) a portable housing with said microphone, light bulb, battery, and circuit means mounted thereon; and (f) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to thereby conserve battery power.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 102 words
A portable lamp activated by the sound signal of a smoke alarm comprising: (a) a frequency selective microphone; (b) a light bulb; (c) a battery; (d) circuit means interconnecting said microphone, light bulb, and battery and responsive to the sound signal of a smoke alarm device to effect illumination of said light bulb; (e) a portable housing with said microphone, light bulb, battery, and circuit means mounted thereon; and (f) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to thereby conserve battery power.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 1 including: a bracket removably retaining said lamp in spaced relation to an audible smoke alarm device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 56 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 2 including: (a) a normally closed (NC) switch connected to said circuit means and bypassing same to effect illumination of said light bulb in a closed condition of said NC switch; and (b) said NC switch being held in an open condition by positioning said housing in said bracket.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 89 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said light activated switch means includes: (a) light activated switch amplifier means operatively connected to said circuit means; (b) a photoelectric cell operatively connected to said amplifier means; (c) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell; and (d) said amplifier means having a disable signal at an output thereof in response to sufficient illumination of said photoelectric cell, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 100 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 4 wherein said circuit means includes microphone amplifier means having said microphone connected to an input thereof, said microphone providing a microphone signal to said microphone amplifier means in response to said sound signal and wherein: (a) said light activated switch means is connected to said input of said microphone amplifier means; and (b) said disable signal is operative to drive said microphone amplifier means into a saturated condition whereby said microphone signal is overridden and said circuit means is thereby rendered unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoelectric cell.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 143 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said light activated switch means includes: (a) a photoconductive cell; (b) a voltage divider network having said photoconductive cell connected therein, said network having current flow therethrough; (c) said network including a junction having a quiescent voltage in the absence of illumination of said photoconductive cell and having an activated voltage in response to illumination of said photoconductive cell; (d) light activated switch amplifier means having said junction connected to an input thereof and said circuit means connected to an output thereof; (e) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in response to said quiescent voltage; and (f) said amplifier means having a disable signal at the output thereof in response to said activated voltage, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoconductive cell.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 23 words
A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said circuit means includes a plurality of extremely low power consumption logic inverter circuits.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 177 words
In a sound activated illumination device including: sound activated illumination circuit means; a light bulb connected to and illuminated by said circuit means upon activation of same in response to a selected sound signal; and a portable housing enclosing said circuit means and bulb, the improvement comprising: (a) a battery enclosed in said housing, connected to said circuit means and said bulb, and providing operating power for said device; (b) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to conserve the power of said battery; (c) a bracket removably mounting said device in spaced relation to a smoke alarm device for activation by a sound signal from said smoke alarm device; (d) a normally closed (NC) switch connected to said circuit means and bypassing same to effect illumination of said light bulb in a closed condition of said NC switch; and (e) said NC switch being held in an open condition by positioning said housing in said bracket.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 177 words
In a sound activated illumination device including: sound activated illumination circuit means; a light bulb connected to and illuminated by said circuit means upon activation of same in response to a selected sound signal; and a portable housing enclosing said circuit means and bulb, the improvement comprising: (a) a battery enclosed in said housing, connected to said circuit means and said bulb, and providing operating power for said device; (b) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to conserve the power of said battery; (c) a bracket removably mounting said device in spaced relation to a smoke alarm device for activation by a sound signal from said smoke alarm device; (d) a normally closed (NC) switch connected to said circuit means and bypassing same to effect illumination of said light bulb in a closed condition of said NC switch; and (e) said NC switch being held in an open condition by positioning said housing in said bracket.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 91 words
A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said light activated switch means includes: (a) light activated switch amplifier means having an output connected to said circuit means; (b) a photoelectric cell operatively connected to said amplifier means; (c) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell; and (d) said amplifier means having a disable signal at an output thereof in response to sufficient illumination of said photoelectric cell, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 187 words
A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said circuit means includes a microphone connected to an input of a microphone amplifier means, said microphone providing a microphone signal to said microphone amplifier means in response to said sound signal, and wherein said light activated switch means includes: (a) a photoelectric cell; (b) a voltage divider network having said photoelectric cell connected therein, said network having current flow therethrough and having a junction; (c) said junction having a quiescent voltage in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell and having an activated voltage in response to illumination of said photoelectric cell; (d) light activated switch amplifier means having an input connected to said junction and an output operatively connected to said microphone amplifier means input; and (e) said light activated switch amplifier means having substantially no output signal in response to said quiescent voltage and having a disable signal being operative to drive said microphone amplifier means into a saturated condition whereby said microphone signal is overridden and said circuit means is thereby rendered unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoelectric cell.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1984-03-23 1984-09-22 1985-03-24 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1988-03-23 1988-09-22 1989-03-24 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1992-03-23 1992-09-22 1993-03-24 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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