Patent ID: 6731200
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G08B

Abstract:
In a multiple-room building, where a plurality of rooms are each connected by a doorway to a common corridor, a system for indicating the status of one of said rooms comprising selecting means allowing an occupant of said one of said rooms to select a message to be conveyed to a recipient in said common corridor, said selecting means accessible to the occupant within the interior of said one of said rooms, and indicating means electrically connected to said selecting means for indicating the message selected by the occupant to the recipient when said message is selected, said indicating means viewable by the recipient from said common corridor; wherein said selecting means comprises a switch assembly mounted within said one of said rooms, said switch assembly comprising a switch switchable between an â€œoffâ€  position and an â€œonâ€  position, said switch â€œonâ€  position representing said occupant's selection of a particular pre-determined message, said switch assembly comprising means for indicating to said occupant the message associated with said â€œonâ€  position; and wherein said indicating means comprises an indicating assembly mounted in said common corridor, said indicating assembly comprising a message indicator corresponding to said switch â€œonâ€  position such that when a switch â€œonâ€  position is selected by said occupant, said corresponding message indicator indicates the predetermined message intended to be conveyed by the occupant to a recipient wherein said selecting means comprises a plurality of switches, each switch being switchable between an â€œoffâ€  position and an â€œonâ€  position, said â€œonâ€  position representing a particular pre-determined message desired to be conveyed to the recipient; and wherein said indicating assembly comprises a message indicator corresponding to each said switch â€œonâ€  position such that when a switch â€œonâ€  position is selected by said occupant, said corresponding message indicator indicates the predetermined message intended to be conveyed by the occupant to a recipient.