Patent Publication Number: US-2018043776-A1

Title: Breathalyzer System

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIE THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     (g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to breathalyzer devices and more particularly pertains to a new breathalyzer device for inhibiting a vehicle from being driven when a user&#39;s blood alcohol concentration is above a legal limit. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has an ignition. A receiver is concealed within the vehicle and the receiver is electrically coupled to the ignition. The receiver selectively actuates the ignition. A breathalyzer unit is provided. The breathalyzer unit is in electrical communication with the receiver. The breathalyzer unit may be breathed through thereby facilitating the breathalyzer unit to determine a blood alcohol concentration. The receiver actuates the ignition when the breathalyzer unit determines the blood alcohol concentration is below a legal limit. Thus, the vehicle may be driven. The receiver inhibits the ignition from being actuated when the breathalyzer unit determines the blood alcohol concentration is above the legal limit. Thus, the vehicle is inhibited from being driven. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a breathalyzer unit of a breathalyzer system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of breathalyzer unit of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a back phantom view of a breathalyzer unit of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new breathalyzer device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the breathalyzer system  10  generally comprises a vehicle  12  that has an ignition  14 . The vehicle  12  may be a passenger vehicle  12  or the like. A receiver  16  is provided and the receiver  16  is concealed within the vehicle  12 . Thus, the receiver  16  is protected from tampering. The receiver  16  is electrically coupled to the ignition  14  and the receiver  16  selectively actuates the ignition  14 . The receiver  16  may be a radio frequency receiver  16  or the like. 
     A breathalyzer unit  18  is provided. The breathalyzer unit  18  may be carried on a key ring or the like. The breathalyzer unit  18  is in electrical communication with the receiver  16 . The breathalyzer unit  18  may be breathed through thereby facilitating the breathalyzer unit  18  to determine a blood alcohol concentration of a user. 
     The receiver  16  actuates the ignition  14  when the breathalyzer unit  18  determines the blood alcohol concentration is below a legal limit. Thus, the vehicle  12  may be driven. The receiver  16  inhibits the ignition  14  from being actuated when the breathalyzer unit  18  determines the blood alcohol concentration is above the legal limit. Thus, the vehicle  12  is inhibited from being driven. The legal limit may be a legal limit as determined by a state in which the vehicle  12  is registered. 
     The breathalyzer unit  18  comprises a housing  20  that has a front wall  22 , a back wall  24  and a peripheral wall  26  extending therebetween. The peripheral wall  26  has a top side  28  and a bottom side  30 . The front wall  22  has a plurality of first slots  32  extending into an interior of the housing  20 . Each of the first slots  32  may facilitate breath of the user to pass into the housing  20 . 
     The peripheral wall  26  has a plurality of second slots  34  extending into an interior of the housing  20 . Each of the second slots  34  is in fluid communication with each of the first slots  32 . Thus, each of the second slots  34  facilitates the breath to exit the housing  20 . Each of the first slots  32  may be positioned closer to the top side  28  of the housing  20  than the bottom side  30  of the housing  20 . Each of the second slots  34  may be positioned on the top side  28  of the housing  20 . 
     The front wall  22  has a recess  36  extending toward the back wall  24 . The recess  36  may extend substantially between the top side  28  and the bottom side  30 . The housing  20  has an aperture  38  extending through the front wall  22  and the back wall  24 . The aperture  38  may receive the key ring thereby facilitating the housing  20  to be carried. 
     A processor  40  is provided. The processor  40  is positioned within the housing  20 . The processor  40  selectively generates a drive sequence. The processor  40  may be an electronic processor  40  or the like. 
     A breathalyzer  42  is provided and the breathalyzer  42  is positioned within the housing  20 . The breathalyzer  42  is electrically coupled to the processor  40 . The breathalyzer  42  is in fluid communication between each of the first slots  32  and each of the second slots  34 . Thus, the breathalyzer  42  may determine the blood alcohol concentration of the breath. The processor  40  generates the drive sequence when the breathalyzer  42  determines the blood alcohol concentration of the breath is below the legal limit. The breathalyzer  42  may be an electronic breathalyzer  42  or the like. 
     A display  44  is positioned on the front wall  22  of the housing  20  and the display  44  may be observed. The display  44  is electrically coupled to the processor  40  and the display  44  may display  44  the blood alcohol concentration of the breath. The display  44  may be positioned between the recess  36  and the first slots  32 . Moreover, the display  44  may be an LED display  44  or the like. 
     A transmitter  46  is provided and the transmitter  46  is positioned within the housing  20 . The transmitter  46  is electrically coupled to the processor  40 . The transmitter  46  is in electrical communication with the receiver  16 . The transmitter  46  transmits the drive sequence to the receiver  16 . Thus, the receiver  16  actuates the ignition  14  when the receiver  16  receives the drive sequence. 
     A plurality of buttons  48  is provided. Each of the buttons  48  is coupled to the front wall  22  of the housing  20  and each of the buttons  48  may be manipulated. Each of the buttons  48  is electrically coupled to the processor  40 . Moreover, each of the buttons  48  controls operational parameters of the vehicle  12 . Each of the buttons  48  is positioned within the recess  36 . 
     The plurality of buttons  48  may include a first button  50 , a second button  52  and a third button  54 . Moreover, the plurality of buttons  48  may be vertically distributed in the recess  36 . The second button  52  may have a circular shape. Each of said first button  50  and the second button  52  may have a curved edge  56 . The curved edge  56  corresponding to each of the first  50  and second  52  buttons may be substantially coextensive with the second button  52 . 
     Each of the first  50  and second  52  buttons may have an exposed surface  58 . Indicia  60  may be printed on the exposed surface  58  corresponding to each of the first  50  and second  52  buttons. The indicia  60  corresponding to the first button  50  may be an image of an unlocked padlock. The indicia  60  corresponding to the third button  54  may be an image of an open trunk of a vehicle. The first button  50  may unlock doors of the vehicle  12  when the first button  50  is manipulated. The third button  54  may open a trunk of the vehicle  12  when the third button  54  is manipulated. The second button  52  may turn the breathalyzer  42  on. 
     A power supply  62  is provided. The power supply  62  is positioned within the housing  20 . The power supply  62  is electrically coupled to the processor  40 . The power supply  62  comprises at least one battery  64 . 
     In use, the second button  52  is manipulated to turn the breathalyzer  42  on. The housing  20  is manipulated to position the first slots  32  to receive the breath. The user breathes through the first slots  32 . The breathalyzer  42  determines the blood alcohol concentration of the user&#39;s breath. 
     The processor  40  generates the drive sequence when the blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit. Thus, the receiver  16  actuates the ignition  14  and the vehicle  12  may be driven. The processor  40  does not generate the drive sequence when the blood alcohol concentration is above the legal limit. Thus, the receiver  16  does not actuate the ignition  14  and the vehicle  12  is inhibited from being driven. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, system and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.