Abstract:
An annunciator device operable to record and store a message can be disposed in close proximity to a user for playback of the message if the user becomes incapacitated or otherwise unable to respond. The annunciator device includes an actuator or button to initiate recording or playback of the message. A mode selector switch determines whether recording or playback will occur. Once recorded, the message is stored in a memory and can be broadcast to others by triggering the actuator to initiate playback. The stored message can contain information such as name, address, medical conditions, persons to contact, and other information which may assist emergency personnel, bystanders, and others in providing appropriate care and attention should the user become incapacitated or unable to respond.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/128,319, filed Apr. 8, 1999, entitled “Miniature Message Module,” the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Medical profile information storage apparatus and methods are known which retain information pertinent to emergency care should the need arise. Such information includes name, address, persons to contact, allergies, medications, and other medical conditions and alerts which may be helpful to emergency personnel, bystanders, and others in providing appropriate care. Several prior art systems and methods are known which are typically employed to store such medical profile information. An “emergency contact” sheet is often kept on file by an employer, school, or other institution affiliated with an individual. “Medic alert” bracelets are often worn to indicate particular medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, by having a message printed thereon. Active transmission devices allow a victim to send a signal or voice message to a remote receiving station from which assistance can be dispatched. 
     Typical prior art apparatus and methods, however, may not be adequate to provide timely, accurate, and sufficient information in a medical emergency. An information sheet kept on file may not be readily accessible if the victim is off site, and is prone to staleness. A bracelet may not be seen by a care provider, and is limited in the amount of information that can be printed thereon. A user must be coherent to activate a transmission device, and these devices may be forgotten by a user altogether and therefore not within the user&#39;s control. 
     It would be beneficial, therefore, to provide a system which can be stored or worn in close proximity to a user, which can store a message having a sufficient quantity of information about a victim, to allow the message to be readily recalled by assisting personnel even if the user is passive, to maintain the message throughout prolonged periods of non-use, and which can be easily updated as pertinent information changes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An annunciator device operable to record and store a message can be disposed in close proximity to a user for playback of the message if the user becomes incapacitated or otherwise unable to respond. The annunciator device includes an actuator or button to initiate recording or playback of the message. A mode selector switch determines whether recording or playback will occur. Once recorded, the message is stored in a memory and can be broadcast to others by triggering the actuator to initiate playback. The stored message can contain information such as name, address, medical conditions, persons to contact, and other information which may assist emergency personnel, bystanders, and others in providing appropriate care and attention should the user become incapacitated or unable to respond. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a circuit board layout of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a flowchart depicting the operation of the invention as defined herein; 
     FIG. 4 a  shows an identification badge housing embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 b  shows a credit card housing embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 c  shows a bracelet housing embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 d  shows a clip-on housing embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 e  shows an ID card and chain housing embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 f  shows an armband housing embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 g  shows a wristwatch housing embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A description of preferred embodiments of the invention follows. A personal annunciator device can be adapted to be stored in a variety of housings for recall by assisting personnel. A message can be recorded by a user, stored in a battery maintained memory in the annunciator device, and recalled by pressing a button, or actuator, to initiate playback of the message. A mode selector determines whether record or playback will occur, and prevents unintended erasing of the message. The message can be of various lengths, depending on the size of the memory, and is replayed as necessary by the assisting personnel by repressing the button. In a preferred embodiment, the memory is an EEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read-only memory), providing longevity of the message and tolerance to battery failure. The device can be worn by a user in a predetermined manner, such as behind a badge or ID card, so that emergency personnel are informed as to how to retrieve the message. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of the invention as defined herein is shown. A memory  10 , such as an EEPROM, stores a message which can be replayed on demand. An output element  12 , such as a speaker, broadcasts the message to assisting personnel. A processor  14  retrieves the message from the memory  10  and sends it to the output element  12 . An input element  16 , such as a microphone, is used to record the message by receiving a message spoken by a user and sending it to the processor  14  for storage in the memory  10 . An actuator  18 , such as a momentary contact button or switch, commences record or broadcast playback of the message as determined by a mode selector  20 . The mode selector  20  has at least two positions to indicate whether record or playback is to occur when the actuator is pressed. The memory is maintained by a power supply  22 , such as one or two batteries, and is resilient to momentary fluctuation in power, as occurs when the batteries are changed. In a preferred embodiment, only one battery is needed to maintain the memory and the second battery is a backup. 
     FIG. 2 shows a circuit board layout of the annunciator device  30 . A circuit board  32  is used to mount a memory  10 , a processor  14 , a microphone  36 , and a mode selector switch  38 . An actuator button  34  is connected to the circuit board and is depressed to start the record and playback operations. The mode selector switch  38  determines whether a record or playback operation will be initiated by the actuator button  34 . The processor  10  stores and retrieves the message from memory, depending on the position of the mode selector switch  38 . During a record operation, a message spoken by a user is received by the microphone  36 , and converted into annunciator signals. The annunciator signals are received by the processor  14  and stored in the memory  10 . The circuit is powered and the memory  10  maintained by batteries  40 . During a playback operation, the annunciator signals are retrieved from the memory  10  by the processor  14  and sent to a speaker  42 . The speaker  42  receives the annunciator signals and produces the audible message. Also included on the circuit board is a record indicator LED  44 , which is illuminated during a record operation to indicate that the memory  10  is being overwritten. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the sequence performed by a user to provide a message using the annunciator device will be described. In an initial state, the mode selector switch is in a record position, as shown at step  100 . A record signal is sent from the user by depressing the actuator button, as depicted at step  102 . A message spoken by a user is received as a captured signal by the microphone, as shown at step  104 . The captured signal is transformed into annunciator signals by the microphone, as disclosed at step  106 . The annunciator signals are sent to the processor, as depicted at step  108 . The processor stores the annunciator signals in memory, as shown at step  110 . After recording the message, the user switches the mode selector switch to the playback position, as depicted in step  112 . The signals are maintained in the memory by the power supply until a message is to be recalled or recorded over, as disclosed at step  114 . The user may elect to re-record the message and overwrite the memory with a new message, as shown at step  116 . If a user decides to re-record the message, the mode selector switch is changed from the playback position to the record position, as shown at step  118 . A record signal is sent from a user by depressing the actuator button, and operation continues from step  102  as described above. 
     The message is maintained in memory while the mode selector switch is in the playback position. The actuator button is depressed to send an actuator signal to the processor, as shown at step  120 . The processor retrieves the annunciator signals from the memory and sends them to the speaker, as depicted in step  122 . At step  124 , the speaker produces an audible signal from the annunciator signals to broadcast the message. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the annunciator device is adapted to be disposed in close proximity to the user, such as on their person or in a pocket or object attached thereto. Users engaged in high-risk field operations, such as law enforcement and firefighting personnel, are likely to need assistance at a remote location. As described above, in such a context timely access to an “emergency contact” sheet may not be feasible. The annunciator device is attached to a badge carried by the user, or contained in a housing which includes both the badge and the annunciator device. In this manner, emergency personnel providing assistance are informed that the annunciator device is located with the badge of the user. 
     The annunciator device is adapted to be contained in a variety of housings, as shown in FIGS. 4 a - 4   g . In FIG. 4 a , a badge housing as described above is shown. The badge housing  50  includes a cavity  52  adapted to contain the annunciator device  30 . A cover  54  is hingedly attached to the housing, and can be fastened to the face  56  of the housing by any suitable means, such as via hook-and-loop fasteners. The actuator button  44  is accessible from the front of the housing  50  when the cover  54  is opened. The speaker  42  is also positioned so as to provide clear audible signals. The mode selector switch  38  is recessed in the cavity  52  so as to prevent accidental record operation and erasure of the annunciator signals in the memory. 
     In FIG. 4 b , a credit card housing  58  is shown. The actuator button  44 , mode selector switch  38 , and speaker  42  are accessible from a first side of the card  58 . The mode selector switch  38  may be recessed to avoid accidental record operation. FIG. 4 c  shows a bracelet housing  60  which can be worn around the wrist of a user. FIG. 4 d  depicts a resilient clip housing  62 . A resilient clip  64  allows attachment to any suitable surface, such as a belt, pocket, or handbag. Further, a resilient clip could be attached to the badge housing of FIG. 4 a . A card chain housing  66  is shown in FIG. 4 e . Employers often issue ID cards to allow appropriate access around the employer&#39;s site via a card reader disposed adjacent to an entryway or door. Employees often carry ID cards on a chain around the neck for convenient access to the card readers. FIG. 4 f  shows an armband housing  68  for wearing the annunciator device on the upper arm. FIG. 4 g  shows a wristwatch housing  70  having a display window  72  to show the time of day. 
     Alternate embodiments of the annunciator device provide other housings to suit a particular context. Configurations other than the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 2 allow the annunciator device to be disposed in any suitable housing. Alternate embodiments include messages directed to retail sales, allowing a customer to initiate broadcast of a message from a device in close proximity to a retail product. In a further embodiment the annunciator device can be carried by children for identification should they become lost. In another embodiment, the memory is an analog EEPROM, which provides enhanced memory longevity and resilience to voltage fluctuation, such as from battery changes, which can cause memory cell lockup compromising the annunciator signals. A further embodiment disposes a protective coating, such as a water resistant rubber or plastic sheet, over the circuit board to provide resistance to moisture and submersion. 
     While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.