Child's personal security assistant

A child's personal security assistant is intended for use during house fires, and assists rescuers in finding children trapped or hidden within the house, also providing information about the child to assist in medical treatment after rescue. The device is in the form of a stylized miniature fire hydrant, and has a dual function as a clock, intended to be located on a night stand alongside the child's bed. The device includes a stand powered by house current, and a body mated with the stand, both physically and electrically. A timer is located on the body, with a readout visible from the front. A row of strobe lights are located on the outside top of the body, as is a flashlight. The body also contains a sonic alarm located within. The body is powered by re-chargeable electrical batteries located within the body, which are constantly charged by the house-current when the body is connected to the stand. When the body is removed from the stand the timer is activated, as are the lights and sonic alarm. The device further includes a storage compartment within the body where biographic information of the child who owns the device is kept.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to personal security devices, and more specifically 
to such devices used to assist firemen, rescuers, and emergency medical 
personnel in finding and assisting young children who have been trapped in 
house fires. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is intended to assist fire fighting personnel and 
emergency medical personnel in locating and assisting children in the wake 
of a house fire. A review of the prior art discloses many personal 
security devices intended to alert people in the event of a fire. The 
present invention, however, is used not to alert people to the onset of a 
fire, but rather to assist others, such as firefighters and EMTs, in 
coming to the assistance of those children caught in a fire. 
Through personal experience of the inventor, who is a firefighter, it has 
been found that children, especially young children, tend to hide when an 
emergency occurs. Typically, children will seek the shelter of a closet, 
not realizing that the closet will ultimately not protect them from a 
fire. To the contrary, historically, the tendency of children to seen 
shelter within the house, rather than leaving the house, has prevented 
firefighters from locating them. 
The current invention will assist firefighters in locating children in 
house fires. The child must first be taught to pick up the device and keep 
it with him at all times. It contains both audible and visible alarms, 
which are self-activating when the device is picked up by the child. These 
alarms help lead rescuers to the child, wherever he might be within the 
house. Furthermore, the invention includes a timer, which indicates the 
time elapsed from when the device was picked up. This time approximates 
time since the fire was first noticed by the child using the invention, 
and is important after rescue, since it indicates how long the child may 
have been exposed to smoke, etc. 
The device also contains a storage compartment, or container, in which 
biographic data, and medical history data are stored, for use by both 
firefighters and by medical personnel after rescue is accomplished. 
Information, such as the name and age of the child, drugs to which the 
child is allergic, and the child's pre-existing medical conditions may be 
essential to appropriate treatment of the child. Under emergency 
conditions, when the child is injured after rescue, as a result of burns, 
smoke inhalation, or the like, the availability of such information may 
save the child's life. 
The present invention is a dual-function device. It serves as an attractive 
clock in the form of an anthropomorphic fire hydrant, which children will 
find appealing. It sits on its base on a night stand next to the child's 
bed. When removed from its base, however, the timer is initialized, as are 
the visible and audible alarms. Radio-frequency (RF) alarms may also be 
included. The child, who has previously been taught to pick up the device 
in case of fire, and to keep it with him, thus signals the firefighters as 
to his whereabouts, even if the child is not visible. 
The visible alarms consist of strobe lights, which will enable rescuers to 
see the device even when the area is filled with thick smoke. The audible 
alarm, typically beeping at short intervals with a characteristic sound, 
will likewise direct rescuers to the child in distress, even if the child 
is out of sight. 
The device also contains a flashlight mounted on the top of the hydrant. 
This enables the child to find his way about the house, in the case where 
it is dark and he is unable to find a light switch, or in cases where the 
electrical power to the house is shut down. 
It is contemplated that when this invention is widely available, 
firefighters and other rescue personnel will be informed about the device 
and its operation, and will be able to quickly recognize the signals the 
device produces. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is a general object of the invention to provide a device to assist 
rescuers in locating children within a house under emergency 
circumstances. It is a further object of the invention to provide rescuers 
with personal, biographic, and medical information regarding the child 
after rescue, to comfort the child, and to assist in medical treatment. 
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a child's personal security 
assistant includes a stand and a body removeably mated with the stand, and 
connected electrically to it. The body include a front, a timer located on 
the body, with a readout visible from the front, electrical storage means 
located within the body, and one or more switchable strobe lights located 
on the outside of the body, and powered by the storage means. The body 
also contains a switchable sonic alarm located within the body and powered 
by the storage means as well as means to detect removal of the body from 
the stand. Finally means are provided to communicate the removal to the 
timer, strobe lights, and sonic alarm, and switching them on as a result. 
According to a second aspect of the invention, the device also includes a 
switchable flashlight, and means to communicate to the flashlight the 
removal of the device from its base, switching it on as a result. 
According a third aspect of the invention, the base further includes plug 
means to electrically connect it to normal house current, charging means, 
and electrically conductive means to allow the charging means to charge 
the storage means. 
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the timer is an electrical 
timer, and the readout is an electronic readout. 
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the device further includes 
storage means within the body where personal information of the child who 
owns the device may be kept. 
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the device also includes a 
lighted handle. 
According to a seventh aspect of the invention a clock is mounted in the 
front of the body. 
According to a final aspect of the invention, the electrical means to power 
the clock and lighted handle are from the house current when the body is 
mated to the base, and from the power source when said body is not mated 
to the base.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The invention may be understood by first referring to FIG. 1, which depicts 
the invention in its first preferred embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the 
invention is seen to have the general appearance of a miniature, 
old-fashioned fire hydrant. Such an appearance helps condition the child 
to regard fire-fighting equipment as familiar and non-threatening. 
The invention includes a base 2, and a body 4, which, under normal 
circumstances, are mated together, the body resting on the base. The base 
contains an electrical cord 6, which plugs into a normal home electrical 
utility outlet. This base contains a battery charger (not shown), and 
mates with the body through a pair of recessed electrical contacts (also 
not shown). These contacts are made in such a way as to prevent accidental 
electrical shocks to the children using the invention, typically by 
recessing the contacts. 
Although the battery charger may be located in the body, it is clearly 
preferable for the charger to be in the base, both to minimize the weight 
of the body, which will be carried by the child in case of fire, and to 
reduce shock hazard. Shock is reduced because, when the charger is in the 
base, the output transmitted to the body is a low, DC voltage 
corresponding to that of the battery. 
The body contains a number of elements important to the use of the 
invention. First, there is the timer 8, which is activated when the body 
is removed from the base, and reset when the body is returned to the base. 
The timer has an electronic display, typically an illuminated LCD display, 
which can display up to 999 minutes. A clock 17 is located above the 
timer. 
Next, the body includes a number of strobe lights 10 arranged symmetrically 
around the exterior of the hydrant. These strobe lights provide a visual 
aid to help rescuers locate the child holding onto the device. They 
provide short bursts of high illumination, and will thus be visible even 
in dense smoke, and despite the bright lights which may accompany rescue 
operations. 
In the center of the top of the hydrant which forms the body there is a 
flashlight bulb and reflector 12. The flashlight, like the strobe light, 
will be automatically switched on when the body is removed from the stand. 
The flash light is used by the child in case the house is dark when the 
fire begins. Often, electrical power will fail with the onset of a fire, 
and the house may be in darkness before the flames allow the occupants to 
see clearly. 
Within the body, but not shown in FIG. 1 is an audible alarm. This alarm is 
important if the child is in an area not within the line of sight of the 
rescuer. It is a signal to the rescuer that a child is still trapped 
inside the burning house. This is especially important in the case when 
the child has sought shelter in a closet, bathroom, or other room other 
than the bedroom where the child usually sleeps. 
The nature of the audible alarm is to produce short, high volume bursts of 
sound. This not only is distinctive, and therefore, easy to find, but it 
also prevents excessive drain on the battery. Likewise, strobe lights 
produce less of a battery drain, with higher illumination, then 
non-intermittent lights. 
Within the bottom area of the body there is a storage compartment, whose 
cover 15 appears in the bottom plan view depicted in FIG. 4, and in which 
the child's parents will have place biographical and medical information 
concerning the child. This information includes, name, age, allergies, 
medical problems, etc., which information may be critically needed by 
medical rescuers who need to provide emergency help. The information is 
even more important if the rescued child is not conscious, or is unable to 
communicate because of physical or psychological trauma. 
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the entrance to the battery storage 
compartment is accessed by the same cover 15 in which the biographical 
data is stored. 
The body also contains a lighted handle 14, which helps the child locate 
the device while still on its base, since the strobe lights and flashlight 
will not be set off until the body is removed. The light in the handle may 
go off when the body is removed from the base, so as to conserve 
electricity. In the first preferred embodiment, the handle is powered 
directly from the house current, but is not connected to the battery 
within the body. 
Non-electrical means may also be used for the handle after the body is 
removed from the base. These include chemical means, triggered by a 
physical rupture of a membrane separating two different chemicals, whose 
combination results in the generation of light, a well known effect. 
The battery must be of a high-capacity, rechargeable type, and one which 
avoids overcharging, since the charger will be constantly activated when 
the body is mounted on its base. The battery should be able to keep the 
strobe light, timer, and audible alarm running for several hours without 
needing to be recharged. 
It should be emphasized that other types of alarms may be included in this 
device, including RF alarms which are activated simultaneously with 
activation of the other alarms. These are considered to be of secondary 
importance, however, since they require corresponding receivers on the 
part of the rescuers, which may not be readily available when needed. 
It will be apparent that improvements and modifications may be made within 
the purview of the invention without departing from the scope of the 
invention defined in the appended claims.