Method for sending an alarm to persons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10198931-B2
Application number	US-201615745202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method sends an alarm to persons (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5), who are located in an area of a warning device (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), as a function of request signals (S1, S2) of at least one alarm source (10, 11). Each warning device specifies current countdowns (S1C1, S1C2, S1C3, S1C4, S1C5, S2C1, S2C2, S2C3, S2C4, S2C5) for each alarm source. When a request signal is sent by one of the alarm sources, the corresponding countdowns of all warning devices that receive the request signal are started. The warning device, with a countdown that has come to an end, sends an alarm signal (S1A1, S1A2, S1A3, S1A4, S1A5, S2A1, S2A2, S2A3, S2A4, S2A5). A manual acceptance of the sent alarm signal by a person, who is located in the area of the warning device that sends the alarm signal, ends the started countdowns of the other warning devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of sending an alarm, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of warning devices with countdown timers having different lengths;
generating an alarm request signal; each of the plurality of warning devices receiving the alarm request signal;
the each of the plurality of warning devices starting their respective countdown timers when the alarm request signal is received;
the each warning device generating an alarm signal when a respective countdown has finished;
the each of the plurality of warning devices being configured to selectively take responsibility for the alarm request signal;
each of the plurality of warning devices stopping their respective countdown timers when one warning device takes responsibility for the alarm request signal.

2. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: providing at least one of the warning devices as a portable wireless warning device; and one person carrying the portable wireless warning device.

3. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: one of the plurality of warning devices manually rejecting the alarm signal; reducing the length of another one of the countdown timers after the one warning device performs said manually rejecting of the alarm signal.

4. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , wherein: the length of the countdown timer of one of the plurality of warning devices equals zero.

5. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: providing a plurality of alarm sources, each of the plurality of alarm sources being configured to generate an alarm request signal with a code identifying the respective one of the plurality of alarm sources.

6. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 5 , wherein: the plurality of alarm sources and the plurality of warning devices communicate each exclusively with one alarm management server.

7. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: providing an alarm source; determining a position of the each warning device relative to the alarm source; setting a length of each of the countdown timers as a function of the position of the respective warning device relative to the alarm source.

8. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: providing an alarm source; determining a distance of the each warning device relative to the alarm source; setting a length of each of the countdown timers as a function of the distance of the respective warning device relative to the alarm source.

9. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising: updating the length of each of the plurality of countdown timers is in real-time or in a timed manner.

10. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 5 , wherein: the plurality of warning devices include a plurality of different types of warning devices; the length of each of the plurality of countdown timers is dependent upon the respective type of the warning device.

11. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising: configuring each of the plurality of warning devices to indicate availability; setting the lengths of the countdown timers dependent upon the availability of the each of the plurality of warning devices.

12. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 11 , further comprising: one of the plurality of warning devices taking responsibility for the alarm request signal; indicating that the one of the plurality of warning devices is unavailable for a defined time period after said taking responsibility for the alarm request signal.

13. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: starting a safety countdown with said generating of the alarm request signal, a length of said safety countdown being longer than the length of the plurality of countdown timers; generating another alarm request signal when the safety countdown has finished.

14. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: providing a plurality of alarm sources; selectively assigning each of the plurality of warning devices to one of the plurality of alarm sources; selectively setting a length of the countdown timers of each of the plurality of warning devices dependent upon the alarm source that the respective warning device is assigned to.

15. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 9 , wherein further comprising: setting an availability of one of the plurality of warning devices; updating a length of each of the countdown timers based on the availability of the one of the plurality of warning devices.

16. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 9 , wherein further comprising: one of the plurality of warning devices taking responsibility for the alarm request signal; indicating that the one of the plurality of warning devices is unavailable for a defined time period after said taking responsibility for the alarm request signal; updating a length of each of the countdown timers based on the unavailability of the one of the plurality of warning devices.

17. A method of sending an alarm in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising: selectively setting a length of the countdown timers of the each of the plurality of warning devices depending on a characteristic of a respective warning device.

Assignees

• Draegerwerk Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Bernutz Marco
• Landwehr Birger

Classifications

• G08B21/02

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• G16H40/20

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title

• G08B25/006

  Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title