Patent Publication Number: US-2016231710-A1

Title: Cause and Effect Sound Emitting Alarm Clock

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This US nonprovisional utility patent application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 61/992,785 filed May 13, 2014 which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to alarm clocks and more especially to alarm clocks that emit cause and effect related sounds. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Alarm clocks are widely used and are available in a variety of types and models. Such clocks typically have a singular default sound option which functions as the alarm sound which will emit from the alarm clock at a predetermined user selectable time. Further such alarm clocks typically have a “snooze” button or option and an “off” button or option, which when selected or activated causes the clock to cease emitting the alarm sound. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an alarm clock which emits cause and effect related sounds. In a preferred embodiment, the alarm clock provides for a user selectable “alarm sound” for instance a “duck quacking” alarm sound, and a corresponding “terminating sound” such as a “boom and splash” terminating sound, so as to simulate the sound of a shotgun blast and a duck falling into water in response to terminating a “duck quacking” alarm sound. In practice, using the alarm clock a user selects an alarm sound and an alarm time and then goes to sleep. Upon arrival of the predetermined time, the alarm sound emits from the alarm clock waking the user. The user then turns the alarm off causing a terminating sound, which corresponds to the alarm sound, and more especially to a sound associated with the termination of the alarm sound, to emit from the alarm clock. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a trimetric view of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. 
     Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are included to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. 
     In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention in reviewing the drawing accompanying the specification, a feature table is provided below. It is noted that like features are like numbered throughout all of the figures. 
     
       
         
           
               
            
               
                   
               
               
                 FEATURE TABLE 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 # 
                 Feature 
                 # 
                 Feature 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 10 
                 Cause and effect sound emitting 
                 12 
                 On/Off volume control dial 
               
               
                   
                 alarm clock 
               
               
                 14 
                 Alarm type selector dial 
                 16 
                 Time display 
               
               
                 18 
                 Speaker 
                 20 
                 Alarm time selection button 
               
               
                 22 
                 Snooze bar 
                 24 
                 Alarm activation button 
               
               
                 26 
                 Alarm status display 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Referring now to the drawing, a first embodiment of the invention is a cause and effect sound emitting alarm clock  10  (CESEAC) which is similar to a conventional alarm clock (see Appx A) except that CESEAC  10  is adapted to emit an “alarm sound” and a corresponding “terminating sound”. CESEAC  10  preferably includes an On/Off and volume control dial  12 , an alarm type selector dial  14 , a time display  16 , a speaker  18 , an alarm time selection button  20 , a snooze bar  22 , an alarm activation button  24 , and an alarm status display  26 . 
     CESEAC  10  preferably includes multiple alarm sounds from which a user may select, each of such alarm sounds having a corresponding terminating sound. Once an alarm is selected, an image or icon corresponding to the alarm (e.g. an image of a flying duck for a “Ducks” alarm), along with the alarm status (e.g. armed or not armed), is preferably displayed by alarm status display  26 . Further, CESEAC  10  may also have user definable alarm sounds and terminating sounds that the user may for instance electronically input into CESEAC  10 . Each terminating sound is adapted to correspond to the respective alarm sound, and more especially to correspond to a termination of the respective alarm sound. Non-limiting examples of alarm sounds and corresponding terminating sound are for instance providing in the following “Alarm Table”. 
     
       
         
           
               
            
               
                   
               
               
                 ALARM TABLE 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Alarm Name 
                 Alarm sound 
                 Terminating sound 
                 Implied action if any 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Ducks 
                 Ducks quacking 
                 Boom and splash 
                 The quacking ducks are shot 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 and fall into water 
               
               
                 Clock 
                 Alarm clock ringing 
                 Hammer smashing an 
                 The alarm clock is struck 
               
               
                   
                   
                 alarm clock 
                 with a hammer 
               
               
                 Fire 
                 Fire alarm sounding 
                 Water spraying from a 
                 The fire is extinguished by 
               
               
                   
                   
                 fire hose 
                 spraying water from a fire 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 hose onto the fire 
               
               
                 Beethoven 
                 Beethoven&#39;s 5 th   
                 Applause 
                 An audience applauds the 
               
               
                   
                 symphony 
                   
                 symphony 
               
               
                 1812 
                 Tchaikovsky&#39;s 1812 
                 Fireworks and cannon 
                 Fireworks are lit and a 
               
               
                   
                 overture 
                 fire 
                 cannons are fired 
               
               
                 Engine 
                 Engine turning over 
                 Engine start and rev 
                 The engine is started and is 
               
               
                   
                 attempting to start 
                   
                 revving 
               
               
                 Fishing 
                 Fishing reel rotating 
                 Splash of water and 
                 The fish is caught and landed 
               
               
                   
                 and fishing line paying 
                 fish flopping on boat 
                 in a boat 
               
               
                   
                 out and reeling back in 
                 deck 
               
               
                 Fly 
                 Fly buzzing 
                 Swatting 
                 The fly is smashed by 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 swatting the fly with a fly 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 swatter. 
               
               
                 Crash 
                 Skidding of tires 
                 Crash sound 
                 A skidding vehicle crashes 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 into an object 
               
               
                 User1 
                 A first user defined 
                 A first user defined 
                 A user defined termination 
               
               
                   
                 alarm sound 
                 terminating sound 
                 action that corresponds to the 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 termination of the user 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 defined alarm sound 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In practice, to use CESEAC  10   a  user selects an alarm name and time, arms the alarm, and then goes to sleep or performs another function wherein the user desires an alarm to go off at a predetermined time. Upon arrival of the predetermined time, the alarm sound emits from the alarm clock waking or alerting the user. The user then turns the alarm off causing a terminating sound, which corresponds to the alarm sound and more especially to a sound associated with the termination of the alarm sound, to emit from CESEAC  10  for preferably a brief period of time. CESEAC  10  further preferably includes a “snooze” function in which case when the snooze function is actuated, the terminating sound emits briefly but at repeating intervals until the user turns off the alarm (cancels the alarm). In the case of a user defined alarm, CESEAC  10  is adapted such that a user is able to upload to CESEAC  10 , one or more user defined alarms having corresponding alarm sounds and terminating sounds. 
     In an alternate second embodiment, the invention is provided as provided as a software program and more especially as a mobile application or “app” (see Appx B). The second embodiment of the invention, when loaded onto a smartphone (see Appx C), a smartwatch (see Appx D), a tablet computer (see Appx E) or like (preferably mobile) computing device, causes the computing device to function substantially according to the described first embodiment of the invention. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.