GB2263010A

GB2263010A - Musical audible alarm.

Info

Publication number: GB2263010A
Application number: GB9200094A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Lacy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-01-04
Filing date: 1992-01-04
Publication date: 1993-07-07
Also published as: GB9200094D0

Abstract

An audible alarm allows an operator to input a desired melody which is stored, and upon activation, a loudspeaker connected to the output of the alarm allows the melody to be played back one or more times. A melody that is significant to the user is likely to be noticed through high levels of background noise even though it might be faint and the recipient may not be actively listening for the melody at that moment. Furthermore, the ability of people to easily distinguish between large numbers of melodic sound sequences means that a uniquely recognisable melody can be stored in each alarm system, allowing them to recognise which system has been activated. The melody may be input via a detachable keypad or keyboard or from a separate storage device. <IMAGE>

Description

MUSICAL AlJDIBLEATARMS This invention relates to electronically generated musical sound sequences used as audible alarms.

Property related crime is on the increase and has reached epidemic proportions in the UK. Various steps are being taken by car and security device manufacturers to make these criminal acts more difficult ant one such device is the audible alarm. One cannot be in a city centre for long without being aware of a great variety of sounds that the currently available car alarms emit.

The reason for such variety is that everyone who owns property that is protected by audible alarms would like to know when their own property is being tampered with, and so a unique sound is desired. A problem is that manufacturers of alarms are running out of easily recognisable unique sounds1 and any individual alarm system is capable of emitting only a limited number of different sounds. The invention described herein relies on the use of sound and allows an almost infinite number of different sound sequences to be selected, any particular sequence can be instantly recognisable by the intended recipient. In additional to its use in the protection of property the current invention can be used wherever there is a requirement for an audible signal to attract attention.

This invention utilises the tact that people can recognise an enormous variety of sound sequences so long as the sequences are organised in a musical way. A musical sequence, or melody, is instantly recognisable even though the sequence of notes from which it is comprised may be quite long. One melody may differ from another by only a fcw notes but can then sound completely different. Furthermore, the mdody is not remembered as a collection of individual sounds but as a single entity, and is unlikely to be forgotten.

According to this invention there is provided an audible alarm comprising input means to allow an operator to input a desired melody to the alarm, storage means to store the melody, a loudspeaker connected to an output of the storage means and switching means to activate the alarm, wherein the input means comprises means for allowing the operator to compose the melody.

tXret'erably, the input means comprises a keyboard which may be in the form of a piano type keyboard or a calculator type keyboard.

The recognisable quality of melodies means that the "cocktail party effect" is a significant feature of the invention. This is a nance given to the ability nf people to discern sounds that are important to them and buried arnongst other, possibly louder, background noise. A typical situation would be hearing ones own name amongst the general conversation at a cocktail partv. 'l'his effect means that a particularly significant melodv is likely to be notlced through high levels of background noise even though it might be faint and the recipient may not be actively listening for the melodv at that moment.

The current invention makes use of the above principles by allowing melodies to be stored in an alarm system by the user, when the alarm is activated the inclody is plavcd back one or more times. The melody to be stored is entered one note at a time, and can be any sequence that sounds musical to the intended recipient of the alarm. 'l'he melody to be entered can be anvthing known to the user, so long as it is sufficlentlv unique as to be recognisable when the alarm Is activated.There are many thousands of melodies known as well as thousands yet to be composed, and so thcre will be no shortage of unique musical note iequ ncc-s. but if this did become a problem in a particular circumstance then a new melody could be stored in the system.

A specific embodiment of the invention as a household security alarm is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying circuit diagram, FtGURTh 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1 the alarm system comprises a musical sequence generator module -IC1 which is a UM3511A. It is configured here to operate in 'compose mode" only, the built-in repertoire of melodies is not used. IC1 is available as a ready made component and requires the addition of the following external components to function correctly: Cl Electrolytic capacitor, 4.7 Micro Farad.

K1 Resistance 7.5K Ohms, 0.25W.

R2 Resistance 1K Ohms, 0.25W.

The audio frequency output from IC1 appears otl pin 5 and is fed via P1, an output level adjustment, into the audio amplifier module Al, which is available as a standard component. The amplified electrical signal is then fed into a loudspeaker LS1, mounted in a protective box on an outside wall. Suitable electrical power for the device is provided by a standard mains power supply unit.The alarm activate input is connected to switches and contacts around the property to be protected in the usual manner, these are represented on the diagram by switches S2 to S4. K1 is a 16 contact membrane type keypad connected to IC1 to allow entry and replay of the melody. S1 is a momentary contact type switch, its function is to erase a previously stored melody in readiness for a new one to be entered.

To operate the unit the power supply unit is switched on, then the required melody is entered using keypad K1. As the notes are entered they are also output from the loudspeaker. Once a melody is entered it can be played back for checking by pressing the pair of contacts in keypad K1 which are connected between pins 13 and 14 of IC1, during this stage P1 can be adjusted so as to produce a low level output. When the melody is considered to be satisfactory the unit can be left with power applied, and P1 adjusted so as to allow a high level sound output when activated.

Switches S2 to 54 are also connected between pins 13 and 14 of IC1 and if any one of them closes, by an intruder opening a window for example, then the entered melody will be played. 'lMe melody will continue plaving as long as any of S2 to S4 remain closed.

Claims

1. An audible alarm comprising input means to allow an operator to input a desired melody to the alarm, storage means to store the melody, a loudspeaker connected to an output of the storage means and switching means to activate the alarm1 wherein the input means comprises means for allowinp, the operator to compose the melody.

2. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the stored melody can subsequently be altered if desired.

3. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the melody to be stored or altered is entered via a detachable musical keyboard.

4. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the melody to be stored or altered is entered via a detachable calculator style keypad.

5. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the new melody to be stored is entered from a separate storage device.

6. An audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claim wherein special musical effects such as vibrato and tremolo are used to further extend the number of different available alarm sounds.

7. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim 3 and Claim 4 and Claim S wherein the detachable melody entry module will only operate on one specific alarm unit1 preventing unauthorised tampering with the stored melody.

8. An audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claim wherein more than one sound can be simultaneously emitted.

9. An audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the unit is supplied to the user with one or more example tunes alrcady stored, the intention being for the user to alter the tilde before use.

10. An audible alarm as claimed in any preccding claim wherein more than otle output transducer is used.

11. An audible alarm as claimed in Claim 10 wherein tlle output transducers are designed for separate audio frequency ranges and an electrical network is used to direct the electrical output signals to the most efficient transducer.

12. All audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claitll wherein the siored melody will keep repeating until the alarm unit is disabled.

13. An audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claim wherein several melodics can be stored and the one selected to be played conveys some specific prc-arratlecd message to the recipient.

14. An audible alarm as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the alarm can be connected an existing nonemusical alarm system to convcrt it to a musical alarm system.

15. An audible alarm substantially as described herein with reference to FICtJRi 1.