US2971186A - Central warning burglar alarm system - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 7, 1961 'r. RlPEPl 2,971,186

CENTRAL WARNING BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM Filed June 30, 1959 INVENTOR 1 a/vy [Qunzmg BY 9 2 M ATTORNEYS United States CENTRAL WARNING BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM Tony Ripepi, 771 Clairton Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed June so, 1959, Ser. No. 824,048

1 Claim. (Cl. 340-276) limited its use to commercial institutions of considerable size. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a system of this type in which no special operating personnel are needed, and in fact in which the local police ICC in general the apparatus associated with the central sta-J tion, as at a police office or other constantly manned headquarters, while numeral 12 indicates a typical subscribers premises and the equipment provided for them. Numeral 16 indicates as a whole a specially reliable source of alarm battery potential, independent of the power lines to the subscribers premises, so that the system cannot be disabled merely by tampering with the house mains.

A conductor 18 leads from the one side of the protected battery 20 and this may be a leased telephone line headquarters can readily provide the desired alert supervision. It is also an aim of the invention to provide a system in which the electrical supply can be obtained from a secure source, such as a telephone company line at or near the subscribers premises to prevent any interference with the system by disconnection or failure of the power company supply to the protected premises. Still another object of the invention is to provide a system of the foregoing general type in which the subscriber can select either over-all protection, as would be desired during night times or when the-establishment isnot open for business, or select a limited degree of daytime protection so that all or certain doors,.windows and the like (or certain parts of the premises) can be used freely during daytime or operating hours, while continuing to provide for an intentional alarm or call for help in case of a robbery or other occurrence when the premises are manned.

Briefly, the invention provides for the above objects by a system in which a central station, which may be located at police headquarters, is provided with a signal or. alarm lamp for each of theprotected premises, arranged to be illuminated when a control circuit extending to that subscribers premises is interrupted, as by the opening of a normally closed window or door switch, or by the operation of other means for sensing the presence of an intruder. The central station thus includes a relay of the self-locking type for each subscriber, a warning lamp energized when the relay becomes deenergized, and a common audible signal such as a bell, to elert the attendant when any of the alarm circuits is opened. A switch to interrupt the bell circuit, when the attendant has taken the desired action on any particular alarm circuit, prevents unnecessary continuance of this signal. The central station also provides a reset switch for each subscriber, to restore the self-locking relay when the proper action has been taken after an alarm, but this switch will not reset the relay unless the protected premises have again been made secure. Finally, the invention provides for a day-night selector switch, preferably one operable only by a key furnished to authorized personnel, so that the door and window or other circuit can be conditioned to prevent unintended alarms during open hours, but such that an intentional alarm can still be given as form a concealed switch at cashiers or managers location if or the like from a nearby central oflice of the telephone facility, to each subscribers station such as 12 and the other, side of the battery is returned to the central sta tion as, indicated at terminal 22. At each subscribers station, the battery conductor 18, or branch thereof, passes in series through a plurality of normally-closed switches or contacts 24, arranged to be opened when anyouter door, window, vault or the *like is opened; These may also be contacts of a relay controlled by'any intruder-sensing circuit or equipment, as at 25. A 'sepa-f rate normally-closed switch 26 is also provided for mami al operation, to summon help when required by the sub scriber. This switch, which may be'duplicated by other series-connected switches, will usually' be placed at'the' a business establish ment is the subscriber. 1

Open of any of the switches 24, 25, or 26 will thus open the circuit from conductor 18 to the central ofiice 10, there being oneof these batteryreturnconductorssuch as 28, for each subscriber. At the central station, a signal device is provided for each line, these being dis 'posed in individual compartments of the central equipment 10, only one of which is shown. The device thus connected to the battery return line 28 from subscriber station 12 passes via a current limiting resistance 32 to the coil of a relay 34 and thence through a normallyopen reset push-button switch 36. When the system is in operating condition, relay 34 will stay energized, and its moving contact spring 38 will contact the make contact 40, completing a holding circuit for the relay coil to battery lead 22. The other set of contacts indicated at 44 will hold open a common alarm circuit as to bell 46, closure of this circuit at any relay serving only to call the operators attention to the fact that some one of the alarm circuits has been opened.

When the battery return circuit 28 from any subscribers station is opened, the corresponding relay 34 is de-energized, and the common bell 46 warns the operator that attention is required. Also, the moving contact spring 38 supplies current to a signal lamp 48 individual to each subscribers portion of the central equipment, the transformer 50 then lighting that signal lamp, which stays lit to identify the subscriber. After the operator or other attendant identifies the line and has dispatched police aid or the like to the subscriber, he can attempt to restore the relay 34 to energized condition by pressing switch 36. However, the relay will not be energized and restored unless the interruption of the current path through subscribers battery return conduct-or 28 has been cured, or by the closing of the lock switch 52 (to be de- Patented Feb. 749st Numeral 52 designates a lock-type switch, conveniently.

disposed at each subscribers premises, which when unlocked: places a short circuit around the door, window or other access, controlled or intruder-sensing switches.

24,25, to permit free use of these devices when desired, as during business hours. It may, in fact, be connected to short out only a part of the switches, for example,

those controlled by the main entrance, and public roomsv leavingthe cellar space or other doors and. windows still protected. It willalso generally not short out the manual;

call button switch 26, so that the alarm system will stillprotect all parts of the premises as desired. The proprietor or manager, furnished with a key for lock switch 52,

is, thus enabled to restore the. entire system to fully protected condition, as at the close of business each day.

As is typical of series alarm systems which are well,

known, any interruption of the battery supply conductor will result in the giving of an alarm at the central oflice, making it diflicult for burglars or the like to interfere with operation of the system. Tampering with or failure of this circuit will alert the central station personnel to the exact location involved. A battery within the protected premises can also be used. False alarms due to power outages in a large area, are thus. prevented. A stand-by battery 56 may obviously also be provided.

In order to prevent continual ringing of the common alarm bell 46 after an alert has, been attended to, its. circuit from that particular relay only may be interrupted as by a toggle switch S4 associatedwith each subscribers terminating equipment. This leaves the alarm bell operative in case a. subsequent alarm is received from a different station. Toggle switch 54 will be restored to its closed condition after the operator has succeeded in resetting-the relay responsible for the giving of the alarm.

To avoid dependence of the alarm system on continuity of. the electric power service to transformer 50 at the central: supervisory station, a well known change-over system 58 may be provided to substitute local battery for the transformer whenever power failure allows the relay 62 to become de-energized. Lamp 64 may be provided to signal operativeness of the station power supply circuit.

It will be obvious to those skilled in this field that since the alarm can be given by the opening of any pair of contacts at the protected premises, it is largely immaterial whether such are arranged to be opened upon the violation of adoor, window or like closure, or are arranged to be opened by the action of some device for sensing merely thepresence of an intruder, as byradiant energy, body capacity or the like. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any particular type of intrusionsensing device or mechanism, nor to the details of the exemplary installation as described herein, except to the extent required by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An alarm system for protected premises, comprising a central station equipment and at least one. subscriber premises equipment, such subscriber premises equipment including a normally-closed series circuit including switch contacts of which at least some are arranged for opening the circuit upon intrusion of th Premises, and. lock switch means at the subscriber premises for selectively shorting out some of said switch contacts to disable. a

part of them; a protected current source disposed. wholly away from said central station equipment and connected.

to one Side; of said, series circuit; and alarm apparatus at said central station for such premises, said alarm, ap-

paratus including a current-sensing relay supplied at. one, terminal with operating current from, the series circuit.

of the. subscriber premises, a signal controlled by said relay-for signalling the de-energization of said relay,. and.

a, reset switch associated with each relay and connected solely from the other terminal of said relay to the other terminal of the currentsource for the subscriber premises.

References Cited in the file of thisv patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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