Patent Publication Number: US-9852607-B1

Title: Personal alert device

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 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     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 alert devices and more particularly pertains to a new alert device for sending a panic signal and location coordinates. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing that defines an internal space. An inlet is positioned in a first end of the housing. The first end is configured to position between lips of a user. An outlet is positioned in the housing such that air passing from the inlet through the internal space and exiting through the outlet generates a whistling sound. A wall, coupled to the housing and positioned in the internal space, defines a compartment. An electronics module positioned in the compartment is configured to wirelessly communicate, to receive location coordinates, and to be activated by a user blowing air through the inlet. The housing emits the whistling sound and the electronics module is compelled to wirelessly communicate the panic signal and the location coordinates to at least one cellular phone and to emergency response personnel. 
     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 an isometric perspective view of a personal alert device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an in-use 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 6  thereof, a new alert 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 6 , the personal alert device  10  generally comprises a housing  12  that defines an internal space  14 . An inlet  16  is positioned in a first end  18  of the housing  12 . The first end  18  is configured to position between lips of a user. An outlet  20  is positioned in the housing  12 . The outlet  20  is positioned in the housing  12  such that air passing from the inlet  16  through the internal space  14  and exiting through the outlet  20  generates a whistling sound. 
     In one embodiment, the housing  12  is configured such that air passing from the inlet  16  through the internal space  14  and exiting through the outlet  20  generates a warning call of a blue jay. In another embodiment, the housing  12  is whistle shaped. In yet another embodiment, the housing  12  is bird shaped. In still yet another embodiment, the outlet  20  is positioned in a top  22  of the housing  12  substantially equally distant from the first end  18  and a second end  24  of the housing  12 . 
     A wall  26  is coupled to the housing  12  and is positioned in the internal space  14 . The wall  26  defines a compartment  28 . An electronics module  30  is coupled to the housing  12  and is positioned in the compartment  28 . The electronics module  30  is configured to wirelessly communicate. The electronics module  30  is configured to receive location coordinates of the user. In one embodiment, the electronics module  30  is configured to be activated by the user blowing air through the inlet  16 . The inlet  16  is configured for the user to blow air through the inlet  16  such that the housing  12  emits the whistling sound and the electronics module  30  is compelled to wirelessly communicate a panic signal and the location coordinates of the user to at least one cellular phone and to emergency response personnel. 
     In one embodiment, the electronics module  30  comprises a power module  32 , a microprocessor  34 , a receiver  36  and a transmitter  38 . The microprocessor  34  is operationally coupled to the power module  32 . The receiver  36  and the transmitter  38  are operationally coupled to the microprocessor  34 . The receiver  36  is global position system enabled. The receiver  36  is configured to receive the location coordinates of the user and to relay the location coordinates to the microprocessor  34 . The microprocessor  34  is positioned to compel the transmitter  38  to wirelessly communicate the panic signal and the location coordinates to the at least one cellular phone and to the emergency response personnel. In another embodiment, the power module  32  comprises at least one battery  40 . 
     A fastener  42  is coupled to the housing  12 . The fastener  42  is configured to couple the housing  12  to an article of the user, such as a keychain. In one embodiment, the fastener  42  comprises a knob  44  that is coupled to the second end  24  of the housing  12 . A penetration  46  is positioned through the knob  44 . A ring  48  is positioned through the penetration  46 . The ring  48  is configured to couple the housing  12  to the article of the user, such as a keychain. 
     In one embodiment, a switch  50  is coupled to the housing  12 . The switch  50  is operationally coupled to the electronics module  30 . The switch  50  is configured to send the panic signal to the electronics module  30 . The electronics module  30  is compelled to wirelessly communicate the panic signal and the location coordinates of the user to the at least one cellular phone and to the emergency response personnel. In another embodiment, the switch  50  is slidable from an inactive position to an active position. 
     In use, the inlet  16  is configured for the user to blow air through the inlet  16  such that the housing  12  emits the whistling sound and the microprocessor  34  is compelled to compel the transmitter  38  to wirelessly communicate the panic signal and the location coordinates to the at least one cellular phone and to the emergency response personnel. 
     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, assembly 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.