APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF BURGLARY

Abstract: Apparatus for the prevention of burglary, comprising a housing containing a cassette recorder with means for plugging into the mains or connecting with a battery system, and provided with an endless cassette tape on which a day program of sounds which are substantially produced in the daytime by living creatures and objects has been recorded and/or with an endless cassette tape on which a night program composed of sounds are substantially produced at night by living creatures and objects has been recorded, and means for connecting the device with one or more amplifiers, provided with one or more loudspeakers.

Description: " ' If Apparatus for the prevention of burglary The invention relates to an apparatus for the prevention of burglary i buildings such as dwelling houses, offices and the like. Various apparatus are known for signaling attempts at burglary and burglaries, 5 which produce alarm signals under certain circumstances. Thus, for instance, the opening of a protected door or window may trigger off a sound or light source or a silent alarm through the breaking of an electric contact, the interruption of an infrared ray or the generatio of vibrations. Such protective apparatus are only energised by actions 10 of the burglar himself when he has embarked upon his attempt at burglar or when the burglary has been committed. Also, it has been found that a number of apparatus may give a false alarm on account of the setting being faulty, inaccurate ior even too precise, which must be considered a drawback. Moreover, such apparatus involve great expense in 15 acquisition and installation. it is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is free from the abovementioned drawbacks and which, in addition, has such a terrifying effect on potential burglars that they will abandon their attempt at burglary. To this end, the apparatus, consists of a bo 20 or housing, containing a cassette recorder with means for plugging into the mains or connecting with a battery system and provided with an endless cassette tape, on which a day program composed of sounds which a substantially produced in the daytime by living creatures and objects has been recorded and/or an endless- cassette tape with a recording of a 25 night program of sounds which are substantially produced at night by mm living creatures and objects, and means for connecting the apparatus wi one or more amplifiers provided with one or more loudspeakers. The * sounds of the day program derive from footsteps, a telephone which rings, is picked up and answered, the opening and closing of doors, the 30 use of an electric shaver, the flushing of a toilet bowl, a working vacuum cleaner, a washing machine in operation, the washing of dishes and cutlery, the running of a faucet, the use of simple tools such as a OMPI hammer or electric drill, and so forth. The sounds of the night program derive from footsteps, the opening and closing of doors, the flushing of a toilet bowl, the crying of a child, followed by sounds suggesting that the child is being looked after, a hacking or gasping cough, and so forth. The sounds for both the day and night program may have been recorded singly and one after the other or together and at the same time. The day program has a maximum playing ti of 60 minutes, at the end of which it is started afresh and repeated, whilst the night program has a maximum playing time of 30 minutes, at the end of which it, too, is started anew and repeated. There is no limit to the number of repetitions possible. The endless tape contains eight tracks divided into 4 2 for stereo or four tracks divided into 4 1 for mono reproduction. The switchover from the day to the night program takes place automatically, for instance by means of a time switch or a light-sensitive cell. Both the day and the night sound program may be recorded on a single tape, e.g. the day program on tracks 1 and 2, and the night program on tracks 3 and 4. When the house is going to be left unattended the apparatus is switche on by plugging the input into the mains, and connecting the output to a amplifier provided with one or more loudspeakers, preferably in stereophonic arrangement. Preferably the apparatus is provided with a light-sensitive cell in ord to switch the recorder from the day program to the night program when darkness sets in, and back to the day program on sunrise. However, in a simpler and cheaper embodiment the apparatus is provided with a simple handswitch to select the desired sound program. OM WIp In a more sophisticated embodiment the recorder may be provided with ~ switching program so that various parts of the sound program are ™% reproduced by different loudspeakers placed at some strategic points i the house to be protected. 5 A less expensive embodiment of the invention enables the use of detachable, separate cassette tapes, one with a day program and one wi a night program, which have to be inserted into the apparatus by hand, depending on the intended period of use. V

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for the prevention of burglary, comprising a housing containing a cassette recorder with means for plugging into the mains or connecting with a battery system, and provided with an endless cassette tape on which a day program of sounds which are substantially produced in the daytime by living creatures and objects has been recorded and/or with an endless cassette tape on which a night program composed of sounds are substantially produce at night by living creatures and objects has been recorded, and means for connecting the device with one or more amplifiers, provided with one or more loudspeakers. 2. An apparatus for the prevention of burglary according to claim 1, characterised in that the sounds of the day program derive from footsteps, a telephone which rings, is picked up and answered, the opening and closing of doors, the use of an electric shaver, the flushing of a toilet bowl, a working vacuum cleaner, a washing machine in operation, the washing of dishes and cutlery, the running of a faucet, the use of simple tools such as a hammer or a electric drill, and so forth. 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the sound of the night program derive from footsteps, the opening and closin of doors, the flushing of a toilet bowl, the crying of a child followed by sounds suggesting that the child is being looked after a hacking or gasping cough, and so forth. 4. An apparatus according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterised in that the sounds for both the day and the night program have been recorded singly and one after the other or together and simultaneously. 5. An apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that t * program has a maximum playing time of 60 minutes, at the end of ^ which it is started afresh and repeated. 6. An apparatus according to claims 1 and 3, characterised in that t 5 night program has a maximum playing time of 30 minutes, at the en of which it is started anew and repeated. 7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the endless tape contains eight tracks divided into 4 x 2 for stereo or four tracks divided into 4 x 1 f 10 mono reproduction. 8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is provided with a light sensitive cell order to switch the recorder from the day program to the night program when darkness sets in, and back to the day program on 15 sunrise. 9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is provided with a switching program so that various parts of the sound program are reproduced by differen loudspeakers placed at some strategic points in the house to be 20 protected. 10. A cassette with a tape on which various sounds commonly observed in dwelling houses have been recorded with the obvious intention that it shall be used in an apparatus according to any one of the ~t preceding claims.

Inventors: HEIJBOER GERARDUS CORNELIS JAC, HEIJBOER, GERARDUS, CORNELIS, JACOBUS
Applicants: HEIJBOER GERARDUS CORNELIS JAC, HEIJBOER, GERARDUS, CORNELIS, JACOBUS
Application year: 1982
Main classification: G08B15
IPC codes: G08B15