U.S. patent application number 09/767071 was filed with the patent office on 2002-07-25 for theft detection device.
Invention is credited to Mengrone, Deborah, Mengrone, Frank.
Application Number | 20020097152 09/767071 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25078385 |
Filed Date | 2002-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020097152 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mengrone, Frank ; et
al. |
July 25, 2002 |
Theft detection device
Abstract
A theft detection device, for warning a property owner that a
item of property such as an automobile, a child, or a personal item
has been brought beyond a predetermined acceptable distance,
comprising a plurality of transmitters and a receiver. Each
transmitter continuously transmits a unique signal. The receiver
monitors the signals from the transmitters, and determines when the
signal strength therefrom drops below a predetermined threshold
level or is missing altogether. When the property is moved from the
owner beyond an acceptable distance, the signal strength will drop
below the threshold level and will not be detected, indicating an
alert condition. Once an alert condition is established by the
receiver, a beeping unit is activated to provide an audible warning
to the owner that the property has been stolen, so that the
authorities can be immediately notified.
Inventors: |
Mengrone, Frank; (Staten
Island, NY) ; Mengrone, Deborah; (Staten Island,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Richard W. Goldstein
2071 Clove Road
Staten Island
NY
10304
US
|
Family ID: |
25078385 |
Appl. No.: |
09/767071 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/571 ;
340/539.1; 340/573.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B 21/0227 20130101;
B60R 25/1004 20130101; B60R 25/102 20130101; G08B 21/0247 20130101;
G08B 13/1427 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/571 ;
340/426; 340/573.1; 340/539 |
International
Class: |
G08B 013/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A theft detection system, for preventing the theft of a
plurality of items of property from an owner, comprising: a
plurality of distinct transmitters, each transmitter associated
with one of the items of property, each transmitter having a unique
signal and a predetermined acceptable distance that the receiver
should not exceed from the transmitter; and a receiver, for
separately monitoring and detecting the unique signals from each of
the transmitters and assuring that each unique signal exceeds a
threshold level, and for visually and audibly indicating when one
of the unique signals is not detected above the threshold level
which indicates that the transmitter has exceeded the acceptable
distance, the receiver has distinct visual indicators for each of
the transmitters for indicating to the owner which of the
transmitter has exceeded its acceptable distance, wherein the
acceptable distance for each transmitter is separately
settable.
2. The theft detection system as recited in claim 1, wherein each
transmitter transmits its unique signal at a constant interval.
3. The theft detection system as recited in claim 2, wherein the
acceptable distance for each transmitter is set by a distinct
sensitivity control which determines the threshold beneath which
the unique signal from that transmitter will not be detected.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES AND RELATED SUBJECT MATTER
[0001] The invention relates to subject matter contained in utility
application Ser. No. 09/454,781, filed in the United States Patent
Office on Dec. 3, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a theft detection device. More
particularly, the invention relates to a device for warning a
property owner when a car has been stolen, because the property has
exceeded a predetermined distance from the owner.
[0003] Police statistics indicate that millions of automobiles are
stolen every year. Auto owners generally seek to prevent car theft
through the use of alarms. Very frequently, the automobiles are
stolen right beneath their owner's noses.
[0004] Alarms are generally ineffective in preventing automobile
theft. A professional car thief can quickly bypass an automobile
alarm. However, most people ignore car alarms, believing them all
to be false alarms set off by owners who inadvertently trigger
them. Accordingly, many thieves will continue to steal a car, even
while the alarm sounds.
[0005] Accordingly, it has been well established that automobile
alarms are ineffective at preventing car theft. Other solutions
must be proposed in an attempt at combating auto theft.
[0006] Items of personal property are also stolen frequently each
year. In particular, laptop theft encourages thousands of briefcase
larceny incidents every year. Airports are a particularly popular
site for such thefts. Other than requiring that the owner pay
constant attention to such property, little can be done to prevent
such incidents or even warn the owner that the property has been
cleverly taken from the owner by a skilled thief.
[0007] Every year, abductions of young children number in the
thousands. Parents seek to prevent abductions mainly through
supervision and education.
[0008] Supervision seeks to deter would-be wrongdoers from
abducting children, since abductors would typically cower upon the
presence of an adult, and would fear the severe consequences if a
witness were to identify them.
[0009] Education seeks to prevent abductions by teaching children
not to talk to or accept a ride from strangers, to look for
identifiable landmarks if they are abducted, to learn their home
phone number or to dial "911" in an emergency, etc.
[0010] Neither supervision nor education is completely effective in
preventing all child abductions. Accordingly, further help is
needed to prevent abductions of children.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is an object of the invention to produce a automobile
theft prevention device which prevents auto theft, kidnapping, and
the wrongful taking of personal property. Accordingly, the theft
prevention device will warn a property owner when the automobile,
child, or personal property has traveled more than a predetermined
distance away from the owner.
[0012] It is a still further object of the invention that the
device is unobtrusive to the owner. Accordingly, the receiver of
the invention may be embodied in "beeper-like" housings.
[0013] It is a further object of the invention that the device
allows the proximity of several items of property to be monitored
simultaneously. Accordingly, the owner is alerted when any one of
these monitored items has been moved beyond an appropriate range,
and is informed which item has been moved beyond said range.
[0014] It is a still further object of the invention that the
appropriate proximity range for each of the monitored items may be
separately adjusted by the user.
[0015] The invention is a theft detection device, for warning a
property owner that a item of property such as an automobile, a
child, or a personal item has been brought beyond a predetermined
acceptable distance, comprising a plurality of transmitters and a
receiver. Each transmitter continuously transmits a unique signal.
The receiver monitors the signals from the transmitters, and
determines when the signal strength therefrom drops below a
predetermined threshold level or is missing altogether. When the
property is moved from the owner beyond an acceptable distance, the
signal strength will drop below the threshold level and will not be
detected, indicating an alert condition. Once an alert condition is
established by the receiver, a beeping unit is activated to provide
an audible warning to the owner that the property has been stolen,
so that the authorities can be immediately notified.
[0016] To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the
invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the
accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however,
that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are
contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the
scope of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like
reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as
follows.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating a
receiver suitable for use by a property owner, according to the
present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating a
transmitter, suitable for attachment to or within an automobile, a
child, or a personal item, according to the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a owner and automobile, wherein the owner
is wearing the receiver, and the automobile is equipped with the
transmitter.
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates multiple property items which each have a
transmitter, as well as a property owner wearing an embodiment of
the receiver equipped for monitoring the separate transmitters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a receiver 10 according to the present
invention. The receiver 10 has a housing 12, which may be
configured similar to that of a typical pager. The receiver 10 has
a beeping unit 14, for producing an audible warning when an alert
condition is established.
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a transmitter 20, which is associated
with an item of property. For simplicity sake, the term "property"
as used herein can refer to an automobile, an item of person
property such as a briefcase or luggage, or can even refer to
children or pets.
[0024] The transmitter is shown in FIG. 2 as being embodied in a
pager-like housing, so that it may be portable. Accordingly, the
transmitter 20 could be used with different types of property, and
with in different automobiles. Alternatively, when used with
automobiles, the transmitter 20 could be permanently installed in
the automobile, and hard-wired to the vehicle's electrical system,
so as to derive a constant source of power therefrom. Other
possible configurations and housings for the transmitter include,
but are not limited to watches, bracelets, animal collars, buckles
and even shoe heels.
[0025] In FIG. 3, an automobile 30 contains the transmitter 20, and
an owner 40 is wearing the receiver 10. At all times, the receiver
expects a continuous signal from the transmitter, and expects that
signal to be of a signal strength that exceeds a predetermined
threshold strength which would indicate an acceptable distance
between the owner and automobile has not been exceeded. The
acceptable distance might be set by the owner at a distance such as
one hundred twenty feet, or may be set as the average distance
between a parked automobile and the owner's apartment. The signal
preferably consists of a unique identifying signal transmitted at a
constant interval--for example, every three seconds.
[0026] When the automobile 30 is moved from the owner 40 by more
than the acceptable distance, the signal strength from the
transmitter 20 will drop below the threshold level so that the
identifying signal will not be detected, and an alert condition
will be established. In response to the alert condition, the
beeping unit 14 will be activated to warn the owner that the
automobile has been moved beyond the acceptable distance. In
response to the beeping signal, the automobile owner will know
conclusively that the automobile has been moved--since the distance
between an automobile and a stationary owner would not otherwise
vary. Accordingly, the owner can immediately alert the authorities
of the theft.
[0027] The device may be attached to an existing car alarm or,
alternatively, installed into an automobile in place of a car
alarm. Further, the device may be wired to a car battery in order
to maintain a constant signal to the owner of the automobile.
[0028] In the example provided in FIG. 3, the property monitored is
an automobile. However, as previously described, the same
principles would apply to the proximity monitoring of a child or
any item of personal property. Accordingly, in FIG. 4, a further
embodiment of the system is illustrated wherein separate
transmitters 20A, 20B, and 20C are attached to or located within an
automobile 30, a child 45 and a briefcase 50, respectively. The
receiver 10 is attached on the owner 40, as in the previous
embodiment. However, the receiver 10 has been modified to allow
separate monitoring of the distinct transmitters 20A, 20B, and
20C.
[0029] Each of the transmitters 20A, 20B, and 20C transmit a unique
identifying signal associated with that transmitter at a constant
interval. The receiver 10 monitors these signals, and determines
when one of the signals is missing. When one of the signals is
missing, an alert condition is indicated, causing an audible alarm
to sound. However, a unique visual alert is also provided to
indicate which of the transmitters has exceeded the predetermined
proximity. The unique visual alert comprises distinct indicating
lights 18A, 18B, and 18C, whose illumination indicates an alert
condition for transmitters 20A, 20B, and 20C respectively.
[0030] In addition, the acceptable distance can be set with a
distinct sensitivity controls 18A, 18B and 18C, which set the
acceptable distance for transmitters 20A, 20B, and 20C,
respectively. By controlling the sensitivity, each of the
sensitivity controls will vary the threshold by which that the
unique signal from its associated transmitter will not be detected
and thus will be deemed an alert condition. Apparent from the
illustration in FIG. 4, for transmitter 20A, its sensitivity
control 18A is set for long range reception, since it is acceptable
to have an automobile a considerable distance from the owner
without a theft situation existing. However for transmitter 20B,
its sensitivity control 18B is set for medium range, since it is
less acceptable to have a child wander such a distance, which might
indicate a kidnapping. Further, for transmitter 20C, its
sensitivity control is set for short range, because even a slight
distance between the briefcase and the owner tends to indicate a
theft.
[0031] In conclusion, herein is presented an theft protection
system which allows owners to safeguard their property by warning
the owner that their property has been unexpectedly moved an
unacceptable distance from said owner.
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