Impact activated telephone method and apparatus

A method and apparatus for activating an emergency telephone mounted upon a structure, wherein the telephone is activated as a result of an impact by an object upon the structure causing the telephone to go off-hook active with immediate automatic connection to another telephone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 I. Field of the Invention
 This invention is in the general field of emergency telephones, alarms and
 monitoring systems and equipment;
 The invention is more particularly in the fields of emergency, ADA
 Compliant, and invalid telephones;
 The invention is even more particularly directed to the field of such
 telephones which are activated overtly, or covertly, by mere disturbing or
 jarring of the telephone directly or indirectly.
 II. Description of th Prior Art
 There are many emergency telephone systems and devices, too numerous to
 detail here. All heretofore available emergency telephone and monitoring
 systems require installation of elaborate telephone or other equipment and
 a reasonable degree of mental/physical coordination for the pressing of
 buttons, or the like
 The present invention requires only a minute ability to contact, or move, a
 telephone to activate emergency telephone transmission and/or monitor a
 location, give the location, and enable one at a distance from the
 location to know the location and obtain knowledge of activities at the
 location of the telephone or monitor. The manner in which the present
 invention works is that a telephone or the like is activated by means of
 an impact upon the telephone or some other article associated with the
 telephone in such manner that impact upon the article is communicated to
 the telephone.
 Except for my co-pending application for patent Ser. No. 09/085,328
 referred to above, there is no prior art known to me in this latter
 described field. In that sense, there is no prior art.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 There are many uses for emergency telephones, particularly ADA (Americans
 with Disabilities Act) compliant devices. Some examples of such uses are
 emergency telephones in elevators, emergency phone towers in public and
 remote areas, and the like. There are numerous other examples.
 Heretofore systems for satisfying these needs all require expensive
 installation of equipment and they all require that a person activating
 the device must have some reasonable muscular ability and coordination to
 reach and press an activating button, lift a receiver, or some other such
 direct action.
 One of the greatest deficiencies of the heretofore known emergency
 telephones is the inability of many permanently (or temporarily) disabled
 persons to activate such emergency telephones. For example, a perfectly
 healthy and able person in an area having an emergency telephone tower may
 fall an break a hip or suffer some other injury making it impossible to
 get to an upright position. Yet, such person may be able to crawl or drag
 himself or herself to the location of the emergency telephone tower only
 to be frustrated in attempts to get up to the telephone handset or
 activation button. With my present invention, such person need only to
 strike the tower to cause the emergency telephone to be activated. Then,
 such person may shout, or speak loudly enough to explain the predicament.
 Note that in this example the telephone may even be activated from a
 distance by a person who cannot even crawl to the tower by throwing a rock
 and hitting the tower from a distance.
 Another example would be a person (of which there are many) who cannot lift
 an arm and is confined to a motorized wheelchair which can be operated by
 various mechanisms (a head mounted control for example, or other
 mechanisms). Such a person may need to use an emergency telephone for
 various reasons, such as an elevator emergency telephone, or other
 emergency type telephone but cannot reach up to press a button or lift a
 handset. With my present invention, all such person would need to do would
 be to run the wheelchair into a structure (a wall, a pedestal, tower,
 etc.) where the telephone of this invention is mounted.
 One additional problem encountered with emergency telephone, particularly
 towers in remote locations and otherwise, is vandalism. My present
 invention will be a great deterrent to vandalism. If a vandal commences to
 vandalize an emergency telephone of this invention, the telephone and any
 auxiliary device such as a strobe light, siren, etc. will be activated.
 This will effectively bring authorities to the scene and will undoubtedly
 cause the vandal to make a rapid exit.
 I have accomplished this by inserting an impact activated arrangement into
 the telephone circuitry in such manner that the telephone is always ready
 to go to off-hook (activated) condition, except that the power circuit to
 the telephone is interrupted by means to turn the power on activated by an
 impact sensing arrangement which turns on the phone power and maintains it
 on until a reset arrangement is activated either manually or by an
 automatic timing arrangement.
 It is an object of this invention to provide an emergency telephone which
 can be activated by persons unable to press a button or lift a handset or
 the like;
 It is another object of this invention to provide an impact activated
 emergency (or non-emergency) telephone;
 Another object of this invention is to provide an impact activated
 telephone which may be activated by impact to another article with which
 such telephone is associated;
 Another object of this invention is to provide an emergency telephone which
 will be activated in case of vandalism;
 Another object of this invention is to provide such an impact activated
 telephone which may be activated by collision of an object activated by a
 disabled person.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Inventory of items identified by numeral:

Numeral Item
 10 customary emergency telephone tower
 11 strobe light
 12 emergency telephone
 13 base surface
 14 connection of tower to base
 16 telephone activation button
 18 telephone mounting area on tower
 20 handicapped individual
 22 individual's arm
 24 individual's finger
 30 wheelchair
 110 emergency telephone tower using this
 invention
 111 strobe light
 112 telephone of this invention
 113 base surface
 114 connection of tower to base
 118 telephone mounting within tower
 119 acoustic panel
 120 injured individual on base surface
 122 individual's arm
 124 individual's fist
 130 force of fist impact on tower
 140 latching relay set coil
 141 latching relay reset coil
 150 telephone line power
 151 first leg of telephone power
 152 second leg of telephone power through
 latching relay
 153 first power lead for set and reset coils
 154 second power lead for set and reset coils
 155 second leg of telephone power to latching
 relay
 156 second power lead to impact switch
 157 lead from impact switch to set coil
 158 second power lead to reset switch
 159 reset switch lead to reset coil
 160 impact switch
 170 reset switch
 180 normally open timer switch
 181 lead between two timers
 182 lead from latching relay to timer 180
 183 latching relay contact
 184 latching relay latch
 185 one segment of latching relay
 186 one segment of latching relay
 190 normally closed timer switch
 191 connection between timer and reset coil
 Examining FIG. 1, a customary emergency telephone tower 10 is shown mounted
 at 14 to a base surface 13. This mounting will normally be very strong and
 secure. The telephone tower will frequently have a strobe light 11 at the
 top. The strobe will usually activate upon activation of the telephone 12
 which is mounted within a mounting recess 18 in the tower. There will
 normally be a button or key 16 which must be manipulated in order to
 activate the phone.
 An invalid 20 is shown in wheelchair 30. The invalid is required to reach
 up with the invalid's arm 22 and use finger 24 to press or otherwise
 activate the telephone.
 If a person (invalid or not) has an impairment which limits the arm motion
 (a common occurrence) it will not be possible to activate the emergency
 telephone.
 There are many emergency telephones in other settings which basically
 operate in the same manner as that illustrated. Emergency telephones in
 elevators, dark corridors, basements, etc. all work in a similar manner,
 as do monitoring telephones for invalids confined to their homes and
 similar situations. If persons do not have proper control of their limbs
 it is very difficult, if not impossible, to use such telephones.
 FIG. 2 shows an emergency telephone tower utilizing a telephone of the
 present invention, suitable to practice the method of this invention. An
 emergency telephone tower 110, mounted to base surface 113 at 114 is
 shown. Strobe light or the like 111 is mounted to the top of the tower. An
 impact activated telephone 112 of this invention is mounted within the
 tower at 118. An acoustic panel 119 will allow sound to be received and
 transmitted from outside the tower.
 An injured person 120, unable to get up, has crawled, or dragged
 him/herself to the tower. Now the person need only to strike the tower
 with an arm 122 and fist 124. This striking will create a sufficient
 disturbance of the impact sensing device (switch) associated with the
 telephone to activate the telephone. The injured person will be able to
 shout or speak and be heard by one at the other end of the emergency phone
 connection.
 While I have illustrated striking the tower with a fist, many other methods
 could be used. A rock could be thrown against the tower, it could be run
 into by a wheelchair, it could be hit with a cane, it could be kicked,
 etc.
 The same basic telephone can be used in virtually limitless situations such
 as elevator telephones, cellar telephones, monitoring telephones, etc.
 FIG. 3 illustrates one circuit for accomplishing the impact activation of a
 telephone. The telephone 112 is powered by two legs of power 151 and 155
 of telephone line power 150 received through two of the wires of a regular
 modular telephone cord or otherwise. One, or both of the power legs will
 be interrupted, going first to an appropriate relay or latching relay. In
 the circuitry shown here, the 155 power leg is interrupted, going first to
 latching relay segment 186 which is normally open and will be closed by
 reason of an impact as described below in order for the telephone line
 power 155 to travel through the now closed latching relay segment to
 telephone 112 through lead 152.
 The telephone's handset has been always in an inactive condition (the power
 is not on) so that when the power reaches the telephone 112 it is
 immediately in a dial tone (off-hook active) condition. Using an automatic
 dial of the telephone a predetermined number can be dialed. Alternately, a
 hot shot dialer such as Viking Electronics of Hudson Wisconsin model
 K-1900-5 can be used. Thus, immediately upon power being supplied to the
 telephone it will dial the appropriate number or will connect
 automatically to a pre-set location as known to those skilled in the art.
 First power lead 151 is also connected at 153 to one pole of the set and
 reset coils 140 and 141 of the latching relay. Second power lead 154 is
 connected at 156 to impact switch 160, in turn connected at 157 to the
 second pole of the set coil 140. Second power lead 154 is also connected
 at 158 to momentary contact switch 170 through which power can be
 delivered to the second pole of reset coil 141.
 An auxiliary circuit 182 can activate normally open timer 180 after a
 predetermined time. This will in turn pass power through 181 to normally
 closed timer 190 which will open for a very short predetermined time in
 order for the reset coil to be activated momentarily to reset the latching
 relay for its next activation occurrence.
 The impact switch can be of different types and different sensitivities as
 known to those skilled in the art. I have found that mercury splash impact
 switches from Select Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, New York can be obtained
 in virtually any degree of sensitivity desired. For some uses a very
 sensitive impact switch may be desired. For example, an impact switch
 suitable to be used by a paraplegic may be so sensitive as to be activated
 by a tap of a persons head. On the other hand it may be desired to have an
 impact switch which requires a very deliberate force to assure against
 accidental activation, sensitive enough to activate in case of vandalism
 to the telephone or equipment with which it is associated.
 The action of jarring the telephone or an object with which it is
 associated will activate the impact switch 160, in turn activating the
 latching relay. This results in the telephone power activating the
 telephone. It will be noted that a second latch switch 185 is shown. This
 is shown since it is common for latching switches to be double pole double
 throw. The existence of the second latch switch makes it possible to also
 activate an independent alarm siren or other device if desired.
 Different telephones have different circuitry. Those skilled in the art
 understand this and will be able make variations depending upon the
 particular telephone being used. It may be required that a suitable
 resistance or the like be inserted in the power circuit to adjust the
 voltage. Also, due to polarization, it may be required that a bridge
 rectifier or the like be employed in the circuit. All of these details
 will be understood by those skilled in the art and can be easily applied
 to any particular telephone circuitry by those skilled in the art.
 It is important to understand that impact switches can be made extremely
 sensitive, requiring only the slightest movement to activate, or they can
 be made to require almost any required degree of shock to activate. For
 most uses a fairly sharp jolt, or jarring, may be desirable. This will
 avoid accidental and unintended activation such as could occur by someone
 accidentally bumping into a structure in which the telephone may be
 located. However, there are some important possible uses for extremely
 sensitive units. For example, sometimes persons who are mentally alert
 are, as a result of illness or accident, unable to move any part of their
 bodies with the exception of slight head and neck movement. In that case,
 an extremely sensitive unit could be placed very close to the person's
 head so that the person could activate the unit by a slight tap against
 the unit with the head.
 I have described a particular impact activated telephone system in this
 specification. It must be understood that other types of telephone, such
 as cellular telephones can be activated by impact according to the
 teaching of this specification.
 While the embodiments of this invention shown and described are fully
 capable of achieving the objects and advantages desired, such embodiments
 have been disclosed for purposed of illustration only, and not for
 purposes of limitation.