Abstract:
A smoke alarm system specifically designed to detect smoke near a kitchen stove includes a transmitter assembly having a smoke detection device housed within an enclosure which hangs upon an oven door handle or other such appendage. The transmitter assembly further comprises a transmitter module that generates a wireless signal upon detection of smoke and transmits the signal to a remote receiver. When activated by the signal from the transmitter assembly, the receiver assembly produces sound and illumination type alarms, thereby warning occupants of smoke that is emanating from the stove, and the need to take immediate corrective action.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/738,656, filed Dec. 18, 2012, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates a smoke alarm system specifically designed to detect smoke in or around the surrounding area of a kitchen stove/oven which includes a smoke detector housed within an enclosure that suspends from an oven door handle or other such appendage. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As any home owner will attest, security is an area of primary concern. Due to the fact that people tend to place a high value on their property and personal safety, the marketplace has responded with a variety of products that are intended to protect one&#39;s life and property. Perhaps the most common of these products is the smoke alarm. While such devices work with smoke that is generated anywhere in a home, such smoke often originates in the kitchen from food cooking on, or in the stove. Many valuable seconds can be lost before such smoke is detected at smoke detectors located a distance away. By then, smoke has permeated throughout the kitchen, and may even develop into a full fire. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which smoke generated from cooking on a stove can be detected as soon as possible in order to avoid the problems as described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention in providing a smoke alarm system specifically designed to detect smoke near a kitchen stove and/or oven which includes a smoke detector housed within an enclosure that hangs upon an oven door handle or other such appendage. The smoke detector further comprises a transmitter that generates a wireless signal upon detection of smoke and transmits the signal to a remote receiver located nearby. When activated, the receiver produces sound and illumination type alarms, thereby warning occupants of the presence of smoke, and the need to take immediate corrective action. The development of the present invention prevents the all too common occurrence of burned food, or kitchen fires that originate at a kitchen stove or oven, in a manner that is not only easy and effective, but much safer and quicker than remote smoke detectors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front environmental view of a stove-mounted smoke alarm system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side environmental view of a transmitter assembly portion  20  of the stove-mounted smoke alarm system  10  depicting attachment to an oven handle  11 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 3  is an electrical block diagram of the stove-mounted smoke alarm system  10 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  stove-mounted smoke alarm system 
               11  oven handle 
               12  table 
               13  stove 
               20  transmitter assembly 
               21  battery 
               22  activation/reset switch 
               23  smoke detector 
               24  transmitter module 
               25  transmitter antenna 
               26  housing 
               27  transmitter hanger 
               28  vent aperture 
               30  signal 
               40  receiver assembly 
               41  AC power supply 
               42  receiver antenna 
               43  speaker 
               44  indicator lamp 
               45  receiver reset switch 
               46  receiver housing 
               47  receiver module 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 3 . However, the invention is not limited to the specifically described embodiment. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention. Any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. While only one particular configuration is shown and described that is for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The present invention describes a smoke alarm system (herein described as the “system”)  10 , which provides a means for detecting excessive smoke being emitted from foodstuffs within a kitchen heating/cooking/baking device  13 . It should be appreciated that any of a variety of known kitchen heating/cooking/baking devices are considered herein, but for simplicity will be referred to throughout as a “stove”  13 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , environmental views of the system  10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, are disclosed. The system  10  comprises a transmitter assembly  20  and a receiver assembly  40 . The transmitter assembly  20  includes a protective dome-shaped hollow plastic body or housing  26  and is preferably fastened to an oven handle portion  11  of the stove  13  or other suitable protruding member via a transmitter hanger  27 . The transmitter hanger  27  includes an inverted “U”-shaped appendage being integral to a rear surface of the housing  26 ; however, it is understood that other methods of attaching the transmitter hanger  27  may be provided such as adhesives, magnets, locking devices or the like. 
     The protective transmitter housing  26  of the transmitter assembly  20  includes internal electrical and electronic portions. Within the transmitter housing  26 , a power source provides the operative power for the transmitter assembly  20  and may take the form of a battery  21  as shown in the Figs. Also included within the transmitter housing  26  is a smoke detecting device  23 , and a signal transmitter module  24 . An external activation/reset switch  22  is provided for the on and off activation/deactivation of the transmitter assembly  20 , the communication testing with the receiver assembly  40 , and silencing of the system  10 . If a smoke emitting event occurs, the smoke detecting device  23  within the transmitter assembly  20  detects the presence of the smoke as it passes from the ambient environment into the transmitter housing  20  through a plurality of equally-spaced external vent aperture portions  28  arranged in a circular pattern around the transmitter housing  26 . The smoke detecting device  23  causes the transmitter module  24  to initiate the transmission of a wireless signal  30  to the remotely located receiver assembly  40 . 
     The receiver assembly  40  receives the signal  30 , and in turn generates audio and visual alarms to alert an occupant such as a cook, or other occupant, of smoke having been detected. The receiver assembly  40  provides a receiver housing  46  preferably being an aesthetic rectangular shape. It is envisioned that the receiver assembly  40  would be located in an area where the occupant is located, placed for example upon a flat surface such as upon a table  12  or other similar surface, to effectively alert the occupant. The transmitter assembly  20  and the receiver assembly  40  are envisioned to be introduced in various colors and patterns and fabricated from durable and heat resistant plastic and metal materials. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an electrical block diagram of the system  10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The transmitter assembly  20  comprises a battery  21 , an activation/reset switch  22 , a smoke detector  23 , and a transmitter module  24 . The battery  21  is envisioned to be a disposable or rechargeable user-replaceable battery which supplies current capable of starting, stopping, and resetting the electronic portions of the system  10 . The activation/reset switch  22  is preferably a pushbutton-type switching device, yet other similar devices may be utilized without limiting the scope of the invention. The smoke detector  23  is mounted internally within the transmitter assembly  20  being aligned with the aforementioned vent apertures  28 . The smoke detector  23  includes a conventional smoke detection element such as photoelectric, ionization, rate-of-rise, or similar element type, having corresponding smoke detection circuitry. The transmitter module  24  preferably generates a radio frequency (RF) type signal  30  upon detection of the smoke. The signal  30  is broadcast through a transmitter antenna  25 , which may be of a type located fully within the transmitter housing  26  or may extend outwardly. The signal  30  is received by the remote receiver assembly  40  positioned at a desired location. 
     The receiver assembly  40  is enclosed within a receiver housing  46  and utilizes an AC power source  41  to provide power to a receiver module  47 , a speaker  43 , an indicator lamp  44 , and a receiver reset switch  45 . The AC power source  41  is envisioned to be a common 110-volt plug and power cord which utilizes a standard household electrical outlet. The receiver antenna  42  is preferably mounted upon a top surface of the receiver housing  46  along with the speaker  43  and the lamp  44 . The receiver antenna  42  may be an external “rabbit-ears” type or internal type antenna. The receiver antenna  42  accepts the signal  30  from the transmitter module  24  and passes it to the receiver module  47  which in turn activates the speaker  43  to generate an audible alarm and also illuminates the indicator  44 , thereby further alerting the occupant of a hazardous smoke situation in the vicinity of the stove  13 . The indicator  44  is preferably a light-emitting diode (LED) type device or may utilize an equivalent current illumination technology. The receiver reset switch  45  is provided for the on and off activation/deactivation of the receiver assembly  40  and also provides a reset to the speaker  43  and indicator  44  following activation. The reset switch  45  is preferably a pushbutton-type switching device, yet other similar devices may be utilized without limiting the scope of the invention. 
     In operation, when the smoke detector  23  detects smoke in the vicinity of the stove  13 , the transmitter module  24  transmits the signal  30 . The receiver module  47  receives the signal  30  and utilizes the speaker  43  and indicator  44  to alert the occupant. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the system  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The method of installing and utilizing the system  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the apparatus  10 ; installing a fresh battery  21  within the transmitter assembly  20 ; fastening the transmitter hanger portion  27  of the transmitter assembly  20  to a desired portion of the stove  13  such as an oven handle  11 ; placing the receiver assembly  40  at a desired location such as upon a table  12 ; activating the transmitter assembly  20  via the activation/reset switch  22 ; powering up the receiver assembly  40  by plugging into an AC power supply  41 ; activating the receiver assembly  40  by pressing the receiver/reset switch  45 ; performing a cooking task within the stove  13  in a normal manner; detecting smoke in an automatic manner via the smoke detector  23  and enabling the transmitter module  24  to transmit a wireless signal  30 ; enabling the receiver antenna  42  to receive the signal  30  and in turn alert a nearby occupant via audible and visual alarms from the respective speaker  43  and indicator  44 ; and, preventing and occurrence of burned food, or a possible kitchen fire originating from a kitchen stove  13 , afforded a user of the present invention  10 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.