Portable alarm system that interfaces with an individual's personal radio

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a personal, portable alarm system that interfaces with an individual's portable radio and remote speaker/microphone to provide the individual with an audible indication that a radio signal has been received from a remote sensor that is indicative of an event being detected adjacent to the location of the remote sensor.

1 . A personal, portable alarm system comprising: 
 a housing;    a first interface, operatively associated with said housing, for providing connections to speaker and microphone channels of an individual's portable radio;    a second interface, operatively associated with said housing, for providing connections to an individual's remote speaker and a remote microphone;    a communication channel, located within said housing, that connects said first interface with said second interface so that when the individual's portable radio is active, the individual is able to hear communications received by the portable radio on the individual's remote speaker and to have oral communications that are spoken into the individual's remote microphone conveyed to the portable radio for transmission; and    alarm processing means, substantially located within said housing, for receiving a sensor radio signal from a remote sensor that indicates that an event has occurred adjacent to the location of the remote sensor, processing said sensor radio signal, and interjecting an alarm signal into said communication channel for transmission to an individual's remote speaker to audibly inform the individual that an event has occurred adjacent to the location of the remote sensor.    
     
     
         2 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means also interjects said alarm signal into said communication channel for transmission to the microphone channel of the individual's portable radio for broadcast to other radios that are tuned to receive signals from the individual's portable radio.    
     
     
         3 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means includes means for detecting if a signal initiating from one of an individual's remote microphone and an individual's portable radio is being conveyed over said communication channel.    
     
     
         4 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means includes means for storing an alarm signal if said means for detecting has detected a signal being conveyed over said communication channel.    
     
     
         5 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means includes means for causing alarm signal information retained in said means for storing to be interjected into said communication channel after said means for detecting no longer detects a signal on said communication channel.    
     
     
         6 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means includes means stopping the interjection of an alarm signal into said communication channel if said mean for detecting identifies a signal that is being received at either said first interface or said second interface.    
     
     
         7 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said alarm processing means includes means for allowing an individual to record an alarm message for a particular sensor.    
     
     
         8 . A personal, portable alarm system comprising: 
 a housing;    a first interface, operatively associated with said housing, for connecting to a speaker channel of an individual's portable radio;    a second interface, operatively associated with said housing, for connecting to an individual's remote speaker;    a speaker channel, located within said housing, that connects said first interface with said second interface so that when the individual's portable radio is active, the individual is able to hear communications received by the individual's portable radio on the individual's remote speaker; and    alarm processing means, substantially located within said housing, for receiving a sensor radio signal from a remote sensor that indicates that an event has occurred adjacent to the location of the remote sensor, processing said sensor radio signal, and interjecting a signal into said speaker channel for transmission to the individual individual's remote speaker to audibly inform the individual that an event has occurred adjacent to the location of the remote sensor.    
     
     
         9 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein: 
 said housing is about 3.8″ long, about 2.4″ wide, and 1″ thick.    
     
     
         10 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein: 
 said housing and any elements contained in said housing weigh than about 200 gm.    
     
     
         11 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 a portable, trip wire sensor.    
     
     
         12 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said portable, trip wire sensor is a portable, electromagnetic trip wire sensor.    
     
     
         13 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said portable, trip wire sensor weighs less than about 250 gm.    
     
     
         14 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 a portable motion sensor.    
     
     
         15 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein: 
 said portable motion sensor is about 1.5″ wide, about 4″ long, and about 1″ thick.    
     
     
         16 . A personal, portable alarm system, as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein: 
 said portable motion sensor weighs less than about 4 gm.