Method and apparatus for securing a site utilizing a security apparatus in cooperation with telephone systems

Claim 1

A security apparatus for use in at least one structure, with a plurality of rooms defined therein and with a telephone exchange system located therein, said telephone exchange system having (a) a plurality of telephones distributed throughout said plurality of rooms of said at least one structure and (b) telephone lines linking together said telephone exchange, for providing a security communication system for a plurality of system-authorized individuals located throughout said at least one structure, comprising: a plurality of portable transmitters, which are issued to said plurality of system-authorized individuals in accordance with a transmitter issuance schema which identifies particular ones of said plurality of system-authorized individuals of particular transmitters, and which may be utilized to transmit a wireless alarm signal in response to actuation of an alarm condition switch; a plurality of receivers which are located in said at least one structure within particular ones of said plurality of rooms in accordance with a receiver distribution schema, each of said plurality of receivers being electrically coupled between a particular one of said plurality of telephones and said telephone lines and which automatically initiate at least one telephone communication within said telephone exchange system in response to detection of a wireless alarm signal; a receiver programming apparatus including: (a) a data input interface; (b) a display; (c) a programmable controller; and (d) a wireless transmission system; wherein said programmable controller includes program instructions for providing an operations menu with a plurality of receiver interactions, which may be viewed at said display; wherein said receiver interaction options include at least one of the following: (a) a dialog confirmation interaction which causes a particular one of said plurality of receivers to produce a human-perceptible indication that a wireless communication link has been established; (b) a unit identification interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to assign a unique identification indicator to a particular one of said plurality of receivers; (c) a data interchange interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to initiate data transfer from a particular one of said plurality of receivers over a selected hardware data bus; and (d) a telephone number programming interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to define a particular telephone number which is automatically dialed by a particular one of said plurality of receivers when said at least one telephone communication is initiated.

Claim 3

A method of providing security for a plurality of system-authorized individuals for use in at least one structure with a plurality of rooms defined therein and with a telephone exchange system located therein said telephone exchange system having (a) a plurality of telephones distributed throughout said plurality of rooms of said at least one structure and (b) telephone lines linking together said telephone exchange, with said plurality of system-authorized individuals being located throughout said at least one structure, comprising the method steps of: providing a plurality of portable transmitters which may be utilized to transmit a wireless alarm signal in response to actuation of an alarm condition switch; issuing said plurality of portable transmitters to said plurality of system-authorized individuals in accordance with a transmitter issuance schema which identifies particular ones of said plurality of system-authorized individuals to particular transmitters; providing a plurality of receivers; locating said plurality of receivers in said at least one structure within particular ones of said plurality of rooms in accordance with a receiver distribution schema, each of said plurality of receivers being electrically coupled between a particular one of said plurality of telephones and said telephone lines; automatically initiating at least one telephone communication with said telephone exchange system in response to detection of a wireless alarm signal; providing a receiver programming apparatus including; (a) a data input interface; (b) a display; (c) a programmable controller; and (d) a wireless transmission system; wherein said programmable controller includes program instructions for providing an operations menu with a plurality of receiver interaction options, which may be viewed at said display; wherein said receiver interaction options include at least one of the following: (a) a dialog confirmation interaction which causes a particular one of said plurality of receivers to produce a human-perceptible indication that a wireless communication link has been established; (b) a unit identification interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to assign a unique identification indicator to a particular one of said plurality of receivers; (c) a data interchange interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to initiate data transfer from a plurality of receivers over a selected hardware data bus; and (d) a telephone number programming interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to define a particular telephone number which is automatically dialed by a particular one of said plurality of receivers when said at least one telephone communication is initiated.

Claim 4

A method of providing security for a plurality of system-authorized individuals for use in at least one structure with a plurality of rooms defined therein and with a telephone exchange system located therein said telephone exchange system having (a) a plurality of telephones distributed throughout said plurality of rooms of said at least one structure and (b) telephone lines linking together said telephone exchange, with said plurality of system-authorized individuals being located throughout said at least one structure, comprising the method steps of: providing a plurality of portable transmitters which may be utilized to transmit a wireless alarm signal in response to actuation of an alarm condition switch; issuing said plurality of portable transmitters to said plurality of system-authorized individuals in accordance with a transmitter issuance schema which identifies particular ones of said plurality of system-authorized individuals to particular transmitters; providing a plurality of receivers; locating said plurality of receivers in said at least one structure within particular ones of said plurality of rooms in accordance with a receiver distribution schema, each of said plurality of receivers being electrically coupled between a particular one of said plurality of telephones and said telephone lines; automatically initiating at least one telephone communication with said telephone exchange system in response to detection of a wireless alarm signal; providing a receiver programming apparatus including; (a) a data input interface; (b) a display; (c) a programmable controller; and (d) a wireless transmission system; wherein said programmable controller includes program instructions for providing an operations menu with a plurality of receiver interaction options, which may be viewed at said display; wherein said receiver interaction options include at least one of the following: (a) a dialog confirmation interaction which causes a particular one of said plurality of receivers to produce a human-perceptible indication that a wireless communication link has been established; (b) a unit identification interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to assign a unique identification indicator to a particular one of said plurality of receivers; (c) a data interchange interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to initiate data transfer from a plurality of receivers over a selected hardware data bus; and (d) a telephone number programming interaction during which said data input interface is utilized to define a particular telephone number which is automatically dialed by a particular one of said plurality of receivers when said at least one telephone communication is initiated.