Security alarm with remote triggering device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6831559
  • Patent Number
    6,831,559
  • Date Filed
    Monday, February 24, 2003
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 14, 2004
    21 years ago
Abstract
A security alarm with a wired remote triggering device consists of a triggering switch with two spring blades and a flexible sleeve tube holding both spring blades together. The security alarm with a strap is hung on the doorknob inside a door or placed inside a drawer, and the triggering device is set up from outside of the door or the drawer by pulling off the flexible sleeve tube. The two spring blades will thus be clipped in a gap between the door and its frame to keep the alarm circuitry open. When any unauthorized person opens the door or the drawer, the triggering device will fall off from the gap; thus the two spring blades will automatically open to keep the alarm circuitry in close status so as to activate the alarm, so the theft deterrent purpose is consequently achieve.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a security alarm with a wired remote triggering device with a flexible tube sleeve, more particularly, a security alarm configured inside the door or the drawer can be set up from outside of the door or the drawer.




2. Description of the Related Art




The crime rate escalates rapidly in accordance with the improved living standards, and civilians currently are unable to fully count on the law enforcement to protect their lives and property, thus security alarms and systems become popular products in the market. There are various door alarms in the market, but they still have some problems with their performances and functions.




Refer to FIG.


11


and

FIG. 12

for the conventional security alarm with wired remote triggering device. The alarm is hung on a doorknob (b) inside a door, and the two spring blades (a


11


, a


12


) of the triggering device (a


1


) are first clipped together with our fingers to keep the alarm circuit in “open” status, then two spring blades (a


11


, a


12


) are carefully inserted in the gap (e) between the door (c) and its frame (d) to set up the alarm (a) from inside of the door. When any unauthorized person opens the door, the triggering device (a


1


) will subsequently fall off, and the two spring blades (a


11


, a


12


) will spring open to trigger the alarm.




Said security alarm can only be set up from inside of the door, and the problem appears when the user is leaving the perimeter and wishes to set the alarm from outside of the door to arm the perimeter against any intruder.




Refer to

FIG. 13

for the static sensor security alarm (f). An external conductive wire loop (f


1


) is hung on the metal doorknob (b


1


, b


2


) as the sensor detecting the change of the static charges when said alarm is in armed condition. Since both metal doorknobs (b


1


, b


2


) are electrically connected by metal parts of the door lock, the static charges will change when any metal part of the door lock is in contact with any conductive object, e.g., a human hand. When the security alarm (f) detects the potential deference from the doorknob (b


1


) through the conductive wire loop (f


1


), the alarm (f) will be triggered instantly.




The detecting sensitivity of said alarm is often affected by the following factors:




1. Ambient temperature and humidity: Since the temperature and humidity will easily change the electric charges stored in the door lock; thus the potential difference of the doorknobs (b


1


, b


2


) is not stable. In other words, the detecting accuracy of said alarm (f) is affected by the ambient temperature and humidity.




2. Material of the door lock and doorknobs (b


1


, b


2


): Material composition of the lock and doorknobs (b


1


, b


2


) determines the electric conductivity of the metal parts, and the coating material on the doorknob sometimes might be an insulating material.




In view of the description above, the detecting sensitivity of said security alarm (f) is affected by those factors. Said security alarm (f) thus includes the function of sensitivity adjustment to deal with aforesaid problems, but false alarm or malfunction still frequently exist due to user's failure to optimize the sensitivity; thus such function is apparently not a user-friendly design.




In

FIG. 14

, it shows a security alarm (g) with the magnetic switch. The embodiment shown in the diagram consists of a magnet (g


1


) fixed to the frame (d) and an alarm device (g


2


) fixed to the door (c) near the magnetic field of the magnet (g


1


). When said security alarm is armed with the door (c) closed, the magnet (g


1


) will hold the magnetic switch inside the alarm device (g


2


) to keep the alarm circuit in “open” status. When the door (c) is opened, the alarm device (g


2


) will be moved away from the magnet (g


1


), and the alarm circuit will be switched to “close” status and thus trigger the alarm.




Installation of said security alarm is easy, but flaws and problems still exists as follows:




1. It has an inharmonic look on the surface of the door or window in some users' eyes. As the double-sided adhesive tape is often used for installation, and the adhesive residue will remain on the door or window when the security alarm is removed, thus removing the adhesive residue becomes necessary and laborious. Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape may automatically peel off after a period of time, which may accidentally cause the alarm to be triggered or disarmed.




2. The sensitivity of magnetic switch will be affected by the gap between the alarm device (g


2


) and the magnet (g


1


), and if said gap is enlarged, the normal operation of the security alarm will thus be affected.




3. The magnet (g


1


) may be degaussed after a period of time, which may cause the false alarm or malfunction of the security alarm (g).




In view of the descriptions above, the existing security alarms for doors or windows still have functional problems or flaws pending review and improvement.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of this invention is to provide a security alarm with an extra function, which can be set up from outside of the door (or the drawer) by implementing a flexible sleeve tube while the conventional security alarm can only be set up from inside of the door.




To achieve the aforesaid function, the main concept of this invention is to implement the flexible sleeve tube to hold together the two spring blades of the wired triggering device to keep the alarm circuit in “open” status; wherein:




The spring blades are connected to the same lead of the wire in the triggering device as shown in FIG.


4


. The alarm circuit will be switched to “closed” status to trigger the alarm when two spring blades sprang open, and the alarm circuit will be kept in “open” status if the two spring blades are held together by the flexible sleeve tube.




As the two spring blades are very thin and flexible, they can be inserted into the tiny gap between the door and doorframe without any problem of shutting the door. When any unauthorized person opens the door or the window, the wired triggering device will fall off and the two spring blades will spring open to trigger the alarm instantly. Said alarm of prior art can only be configured from inside of the door.




Besides the aforesaid functions, the present invention implements a flexible sleeve tube of a proper length to hold the two spring blades together in the gap between the door and doorframe or the desk and drawer, and the flexible sleeve tube can be pulled off from outside of the door or drawer to set up the security alarm after the door or drawer is closed.




Said alarm configuration can be applied to door, drawer or window easily with wired remote triggering device and the flexible sleeve tube to prevent unintended triggering of the alarm; moreover the present invention provides the function to set up the security alarm from outside of the door or drawer, which surpass its prior art by a very simple structure.




Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Other features and advantages of the present invention are detailed in the following preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:





FIG. 1

is a perspective diagram of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a perspective diagram of the wired remote triggering device being inserted into the gap between the door and doorframe of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional diagram of the flexible sleeve tube of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional diagram of the wired remote triggering device of the present invention with the alarm circuit open.





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional diagram of the wired remote triggering device of the present invention with the alarm circuit closed.





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional diagram of the wired remote triggering device and the flexible sleeve tube of the present invention inserted in the gap between the door and doorframe.





FIG. 7

is a perspective diagram of the wired remote triggering device being inserted into the gap between the door and doorframe with the flexible sleeve tube pulled off according to the present invention.





FIG. 8

is a cross-sectional diagram of the wired remote triggering device being inserted into the gap between the door and doorframe with the flexible sleeve tube pulled off according to the present invention.





FIG. 9

is an illustrative diagram of the wired remote triggering device fallen off from the gap between the door and doorframe triggering the alarm according to the present invention.





FIG. 10

is a diagram of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 11

is a perspective diagram of a structure of the first prior art in use.





FIG. 12

is a cross-sectional diagram of a structure of the first prior art in use.





FIG. 13

is a perspective diagram of a structure of the second prior art in use.





FIG. 14

is a perspective diagram of a structure of the third prior art in use.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




To make it easier for the examiner to understand the objective of the present invention, its structure, innovative features and performance, we describe the preferred embodiment along with the drawings for detailed description of the invention. In the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, elements are indicated by the same reference numerals through out the disclosure.




Refer to

FIG. 1

for the structure of the present invention, which comprises a security alarm device


10


and a wired remote triggering device


20


, and the functional relation between the devices is described as follows:




The security alarm device


10


comprises an alarm circuitry inside, which can be activated or deactivated by a wired remote triggering device. (The alarm circuitry is an know art and not a part of the present invention; thus not described herein.) The security alarm can also incorporate a strobe light


101


to have the dual functions of portable alarm and lighting device.




The wired remote triggering device


20


is fixed to the security alarm


10


by wire or detachable from the security alarm


10


, and it is to control the activation or deactivation of the alarm circuitry, wherein, in the preferred embodiment, the wired remote triggering device


20


has a plug


22


on one terminal of a wire


21


for connecting same to the security alarm and one triggering switch


23


comprising two spring blades


24


,


25


on the other terminal of the wire


21


. The two spring blades


24


,


25


are held together by a flexible sleeve tube


26


of a proper length as shown in FIG.


2


and

FIG. 4

; said flexible sleeve tube


26


is made of PVC or other polymer resins, and said flexible sleeve tube


26


can be attached to a proper grip


26




a


shown in

FIG. 3

for user to pull easily. Refer to FIG.


4


and

FIG. 5

, one terminal of the wire


21


is connected to the security alarm


10


and the other terminal of the wire


21


is connected to and the 2 electrodes


27


,


28


inside the triggering switch


23


, wherein the spring blade


24


is connected to electrode


27


, so the spring blade


25


between electrode


27


and electrode


28


becomes a remote switch for the security alarm


10


. In the wired remote triggering device


20


, when the spring blades


24


,


25


are released, the circuitry of the wired remote triggering device


20


will be in “closed” status, which will trigger the alarm circuitry of the security alarm


10


, but when the spring blades


24


,


25


are held together, the circuitry of the wired remote triggering device


20


will be in “open” status, which will not trigger the alarm circuitry of the security alarm.




To be more specific with the circuitry of the wired remote triggering device


20


, the structure of this device is described as follows:




Two copper electrodes


27


,


28


are installed inside the triggering switch


23


and connected respectively to the positive and negative end of the wire


21


. The spring blades


24


,


25


are either connected at one common end or made of one piece of the spring blade, and the spring blade


24


is normally connected to the copper electrode


27


. When both spring blades


24


,


25


are held together and inserted into the flexible sleeve tube


26


, the circuitry between spring blade


25


and copper electrode


28


will be kept in “open” status. When the flexible sleeve tube is pulled off, the spring blades


24


,


25


are released to keep two copper electrodes


27


,


28


in “closed” status to activate the security alarm


10


.




The primary feature of the present invention is to set up the alarm from outside of the door or drawer by implement the wired remote triggering device


20


. Refer to

FIG. 2

for the preferred embodiment on a door, wherein, the security alarm


10


is first hung on the inside doorknob


100




a


with a strap


11


, then use the flexible sleeve tube


26


to hold the two spring blades


24


,


25


. The user can use one hand to hold the rear end of the flexible sleeve tube


26


and put it aside the edge of the door, then carefully guide it into the gap


32


between the door


30


and doorframe


31


and assure the edge


29


of the triggering device is immediately behind the door; meanwhile the user can use the other hand to hold the doorknob


100




b


to shut the door, so the two spring blades


24


,


25


and the flexible sleeve tube


26


are clipped in the gap


32


between the door


30


and doorframe


31


(as shown in FIG.


6


). Because the edge


29


of the triggering device is left behind the door


30


against the gap


32


, the flexible sleeve tube


26


can be easily pulled off from the gap


32


(as shown in FIG.


8


). The set up of the security alarm is completed from outside of the door, and if the door


30


is opened (as shown in

FIG. 9

) after the set up, the two spring blades


24


,


25


will be released and activate the alarm.




The same configuration can be applied to the desk and drawer storing valuables or important office documents (as shown in FIG.


10


). The security alarm


10


is first placed in the drawer


41


of the desk


40


, then manipulate the wired remote triggering device


20


along with the two spring blades


24


,


25


and the flexible sleeve tube


26


in a similar manner described above. When the two spring blades


24


,


25


and the flexible sleeve tube


26


are well clipped in the gap


32


between the desk


40


and the drawer


41


when the drawer


41


is closed, pull off the flexible sleeve tube


26


from the gap


32


to set up the security alarm from outside of the drawer


41


.




The structure and operation of the present invention are described as above. In the design of the present invention, the two spring blades and the flexible sleeve tube are very thin, so they can be clipped in the gap between the door and doorframe or the desk and drawer without any problem of closing the door or drawer normally or any inconvenience of pulling off the flexible sleeve tube. In other words, the present invention preserves the functions of conventional security alarm with new improvement. If the time delay switch is integrated into the security alarm, the user can turn off the security alarm in a timely manner after the door is opened, and such function is to avoid embarrassing disturbance to the neighbors and thus increase the convenience and advantage of the security alarm. The present invention is to implement a simple tool to increase the functional flexibility and improve the inconvenience of the prior art without modifying the structure of the security alarm or any significant cost. The following analysis for different security alarms is provided for the examiner's reference.




























FEATURES

















SET UP





SET UP









FROM




FOR THE




FROM




RATE







OUTSIDE




SECURITY




INSIDE




OF







SECURITY




OF THE




OF DESK




OF THE




FALSE




DISHARMONIZING






ALARMS




DOOR




DRAWER




DOOR




ALARM




LOOK









The Present




Yes




Yes




Yes




Low




No






Invention






Conventional




No




No




Yes




Low




No






Security






Alarm with






Spring Blades






Static Sensor




Yes




No




Yes




High




No






Security Alarm






Security Alarm




Yes




No




Yes




High




Yes






with Magnetic






Switch














The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A security alarm with a wired remote triggering device comprising:a security alarm with alarm circuitry inside; a wired remote triggering device connected to said security alarm for activating or deactivating said alarm circuitry and being set up from outside of a door or a drawer to keep said security alarm in an armed status, said wired remote triggering device having a triggering switch disposed on one end of a wire, said triggering switch having two spring blades so that by releasing or contacting of said two spring blades, said alarm circuitry of said security alarm is triggered or not; and a flexible sleeve tube into which both of the spring blades are removably inserted, said spring blades along with said flexible sleeve tube are clipped in a gap between a door and its doorframe or a desk and its drawer, then said flexible sleeve tube is pulled off from outside of a door or a drawer to set up said security alarm.
  • 2. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 1, wherein the rear end of said flexible sleeve tube is attached to a grip.
  • 3. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 1, wherein the flexible sleeve tube has a cylindrical portion into which the spring blades are inserted.
  • 4. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 3, wherein the flexible sleeve tube further has a grip adjacent to the cylindrical portion, the grip and cylindrical portion being longitudinally aligned.
  • 5. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 4, wherein the flexible sleeve tube is made of PVC or other polymer resins.
  • 6. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 1, wherein the flexible sleeve tube is made of PVC or other polymer resins.
  • 7. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 1, wherein the flexible sleeve tube has a grip adjacent to the cylindrical portion, the grip being exposed on an outside of the door or desk when closed and being removable whereafter the triggering switch is armed.
  • 8. The security alarm with a wired remote triggering device of claim 7, wherein the flexible sleeve tube is made of PVC or other polymer resins.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number Name Date Kind
4225857 Frank Sep 1980 A
4688023 McGill et al. Aug 1987 A
5097253 Eschbach et al. Mar 1992 A