Patent Description:
Alarm systems, such as fire alarm systems, typically include a plurality of notification appliances, such as horn/strobe units, that are installed throughout a monitored building and are configured to be activated upon the detection of an alarm condition, such as the presence of fire or smoke. Occupants of the building may thereby be notified of a potentially hazardous condition and may evacuate the building or take other action before being harmed. It is therefore critically important that notification appliances of alarm systems always be in good working order.

Governmental entities may require that notification appliances, and particularly those of fire alarm systems, be tested and/or inspected periodically to verify that such appliances are operating properly and have not been physically compromised in some way (e.g. painted over, loosened from a mounting, etc.). Such testing and inspection are typically performed by one or more designated inspectors who walk through an entire monitored building and physically visit each and every notification appliance installed therein. The inspectors may visually inspect each appliance and may activate each appliance for a predetermined amount of time to verify functionality. The inspectors may thereafter manually note their observations to create a record of the inspection.

Because testing and physically inspecting notification appliances can be time-consuming and may require visiting areas of a building that are not readily accessible, it is not uncommon for inspectors to take certain shortcuts, or to be suspected of taking shortcuts. For example, an inspector might avoid testing and inspecting notification appliances that are inconveniently located or that the inspector deems to be of lessor importance than others (e.g. appliances that are located in less populated areas of a building).

A further shortcoming associated with traditional physical testing and inspection methods is that there is no convenient way to keep track of which notification appliances have been tested and inspected and which have not. Inspectors must generally devise manual, ad hoc or procedural methods for dealing with this issue. Such manual tracking methods can be highly complex and cumbersome, especially if numerous inspectors are involved and/or if the testing and inspection of a system must be performed over a number of days. Moreover, such methods are susceptible to a certain level of inconsistency that is naturally attendant with any complex, manual task of this type, which may result in some devices being tested and inspected more than once or, worse, may result some devices not being tested and inspected at all.

Yet another shortcoming associated with traditional physical testing and inspection methods is that notification appliances can be very difficult to find, especially in large buildings in which appliances may be installed in obscure or out-of-the-way locations. This may result in a significant amount of time being spent backtracking through a building to search for "stray" notification appliances that were missed on a first pass, and/or may lead to notification appliances being completely neglected by accident.

<CIT> is directed to methods and apparatuses for monitoring incipient hyper-sensitivity of any detector station in an alarm system comprising a plurality of detector stations in a spur loop-ring between an alarm unit and an end-of-line unit.

<CIT> is directed to methods and apparatuses for providing authenticated tests of life safety equipment having components including a control panel and sensors, wherein the life safety equipment requires testing according to a fire code.

In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide inspectors and other interested parties with convenient means for verifying that each and every notification appliance in an alarm system has been tested and physically inspected. It would further be advantageous to provide convenient means for keeping track of which notification appliances in an alarm system have been tested and inspected and which have not. It would further be advantageous to provide convenient means for allowing inspectors to easily find notification appliances in a building. In accordance with the present disclosure, methods for inspecting and testing notification appliances in alarm systems are disclosed.

Methods for inspecting and testing notification appliances in accordance with the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The disclosed methods, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the methods described herein may be implemented in virtually any type of alarm or monitoring system, including, but not limited to, fire alarm systems, burglar alarm systems, surveillance systems, air quality monitoring systems, inventory monitoring systems, etc., or any combination thereof, such as may be provided for detecting an alarm event (e.g. a security breach) or a warning condition (e.g. an elevated temperature) in a building, structure, enclosure, or area. Many other applications are contemplated and may be implemented without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. All such applications are collectively referred to herein as "alarm systems.

Referring to <FIG>, an exemplary alarm system <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure is shown. The alarm system <NUM> may include a plurality of notification appliances <NUM> that are be installed throughout a monitored structure and connected to one or more alarm panels <NUM>. Each notification appliance <NUM> is associated with a unique address within the alarm system <NUM> for facilitating identification thereof by the alarm panel <NUM> and enabling selective routing of command/control signals from the alarm panel <NUM> to each notification appliance <NUM>. The notification appliances <NUM> may be configured to provide notification of an alarm condition within the structure, such as may be detected by one or more initiating devices (not shown) in the alarm system <NUM>. The notification appliances <NUM> shown in <FIG> are strobe/horn units, but it is contemplated that other varieties of notification appliances, such as sirens, bells, buzzers, etc., may additionally or alternatively be implemented in the alarm system <NUM> in a similar manner. For the sake of convenience and clarity, only three notification appliances <NUM> are shown, but it is to be understood that the alarm system may include many additional notification appliances <NUM> without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The exemplary alarm system <NUM> may also include a workstation <NUM>, such as a personal computer (PC) or server, which is operatively connected to the alarm panel <NUM>. The workstation <NUM> may be loaded with one or more software applications that provide human operators of the system <NUM> with a user interface <NUM> for monitoring and controlling certain aspects of the alarm system <NUM>. For example, the user interface <NUM> may allow an operator to observe the functional status of the notification appliances <NUM>, and to activate, deactivate, test, inspect, or otherwise exert control over the notification appliances <NUM> as further described below. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the workstation <NUM> and user interface <NUM> may be entirely omitted from the alarm system <NUM>, and that an operator may activate, deactivate, test, inspect, observe the functional status of, or otherwise exert control over the notification appliances <NUM> via the alarm panel <NUM>.

Each of the notification appliances <NUM> is equipped with one or more verification indicia <NUM>. The verification indicia <NUM> may be configured to be activated in response to a command signal from the alarm panel <NUM> or workstation <NUM>, such as may be sent when the alarm system <NUM> is placed in an "inspection mode" or a "test mode" as further described below. The verification indicia <NUM> may include any type of visual indicia that are capable of being activated in response to an electrical signal, including, but not limited to, light emitting diodes (LEDs), incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent light bulbs, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), strobes, and the like. Such visual indicia <NUM> may be prominently located on the exteriors of the notification appliances <NUM>. The verification indicia <NUM> may additionally or alternatively include any type of audible indicia that are capable of being activated in response to an electrical signal, including, but not limited to, sirens, horns, bells, buzzers, and the like.

Each of the notification appliances <NUM> may further be provided with a manually actuated input device <NUM>, such as a switch or a button. The input devices <NUM> may be configured such that actuation of an input device <NUM> may cause a previously activated verification indicium <NUM> of a respective notification appliance <NUM> to be deactivated, and may further cause the respective notification appliance <NUM> to be activated (e.g. to strobe and sound) for a predefined amount of time (e.g. <NUM> seconds) for allowing an inspector to determine whether the appliance <NUM> is operating properly. The purpose and operation of the input devices <NUM> will be described in greater detail below within the context of the disclosed inspection and testing methods.

The input devices <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be magnetic switches that are actuated by waving a magnetic key <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) in close proximity thereto. Such magnetic keys <NUM> may be made available to a designated system inspector or group of designated system inspectors, and may further be encoded with identifying information, although this is not critical. Limiting access to the input devices <NUM> in this manner is advantageous because it prevents unauthorized individuals from interfering with the inspection and testing of the alarm system <NUM>. However, it is contemplated that various other types of input devices <NUM> may additionally or alternatively be implemented without departing from the present disclosure. For example, it is contemplated that the input devices <NUM> may be simple buttons or switches that can be actuated by any individual.

Referring to <FIG>, a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for inspecting and testing the notification appliances <NUM> of the alarm system <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure is shown. Such method will now be described in detail in conjunction with the schematic representations of the alarm system <NUM> shown in <FIG><NUM>.

At a first step <NUM> of the exemplary method, an inspector may place the system <NUM> in an "inspection mode" if the inspector wishes to conduct only a physical inspection of the notification appliances <NUM>. Alternatively, if the inspector wishes to conduct a physical inspection and a functional test of the notification appliances <NUM>, the inspector may place the system in a "test mode". Either mode may be initiated by making an appropriate selection in the user interface <NUM> or at the alarm panel <NUM>, such as by selecting an "INSPECTION MODE" or "TEST MODE" option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. If the "test mode" is selected, the inspector may further be provided with an option to initiate a "self-test" of the alarm system (further described below). Initiating either the "inspection mode" or the "test mode" may cause the verification indicia <NUM> of every notification appliance <NUM> to be activated, as also shown in <FIG>. The present invention is directed to the method where the inspection mode is selected.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector visits a first of the notification appliances <NUM> and performs a physical inspection thereof as shown in <FIG> (physical inspection of the rightmost notification appliance <NUM> is indicated by the eyeglasses). During such inspection, the inspector determines whether the physical state of the notification appliance <NUM> has been compromised in any way. For example, the inspector may determine whether the notification appliance <NUM> has been painted over, whether it has come loose from a mounting on a wall or a ceiling, or whether the housing of the notification appliance <NUM> has been damaged. The inspector may make note of observations made during such inspection, including whether the notification appliance <NUM> should be repaired or replaced.

After the inspector has completed his or her physical inspection of the first notification appliance <NUM>, the inspector, at step <NUM> of the exemplary method, actuates the input device <NUM> of the notification appliance <NUM>. For example, the inspector may wave a magnetic key <NUM> (described above) in close proximity to the input device <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Actuating the input device <NUM> thusly may result in several actions being performed automatically.

First, the verification indicium <NUM> on the notification appliance <NUM> is extinguished, thereby indicating to subsequent observers (e.g. other inspectors) that the notification appliance <NUM> has been inspected. The notification indicia <NUM> therefore allow inspectors to avoid accidental multiple inspections of a notification appliance <NUM>, such as may occur if an inspector does not know that an appliance has already been tested. The notification indicia <NUM> further allow inspectors to avoid accidental non-inspection of a notification appliance <NUM>, such as may occur if an inspector believes that an appliance has already been tested when it in-fact has not.

A second action that is performed upon actuation of the input device <NUM> is that the inspected notification appliance <NUM> transmits a verification signal to the alarm panel <NUM> as indicated by the dashed arrow in <FIG>. Upon receiving such verification signal, the alarm panel <NUM> records the unique address of the inspected notification appliance <NUM>, and records the date and time when the verification signal was received. The alarm panel <NUM> further records a unique identification number associated with the magnetic key <NUM> that was used to actuate the input device <NUM> if such information was captured by the notification appliance <NUM> and conveyed by the verification signal. By collecting such information, the alarm panel <NUM> creates and stores a record of when and by whom the notification appliance <NUM> was inspected. Such a record may subsequently be reviewed by interested parties, and may provide confirmation that a particular notification appliance <NUM> was in-fact physically inspected. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the above-described the functions of receiving the verification signal, creating an inspection record, as well as all other command, control, and storage functions described below, may instead be performed by the workstation <NUM>.

If the alarm system <NUM> was placed in the "test mode" in step <NUM> above, the inspected notification appliance <NUM> (i.e. the rightmost notification appliance in <FIG>) may, at step <NUM> of the exemplary method, perform a third action upon actuation of the input device <NUM> in addition to extinguishing its verification indicium <NUM> and transmitting a verification signal to the alarm panel <NUM>. Particularly, the notification appliance may perform a functional test by activating its notification features <NUM> (such test will not be performed if the alarm <NUM> was placed in the "inspection mode" in step <NUM> above). For example, the notification appliance <NUM> may flash its strobe and/or sound its horn for a predefined amount of time (e.g. <NUM> seconds) as shown in <FIG>. Of course, the particular type of functional test performed will depend on the particular type of notification appliance <NUM> being tested.

The functional test may allow the inspector to determine whether the notification appliance <NUM> is able to operate as intended (e.g. at a sufficient volume or brightness). Upon completion of the test, the inspector may make note of observations made during the functional test, including whether the notification appliance <NUM> is in need of repair or replacement. Additionally, the verification signal transmitted to the alarm panel <NUM> (described above) may include information indicating that a functional test was performed, and such information may be entered into the inspection record (described above).

It is contemplated that one or more of the notification appliances <NUM> may be equipped with a so-called "self-test" feature which enables a notification appliance <NUM> to automatically evaluate its own functionality. For example, such a notification appliance <NUM> may include one or more sensors (not shown), such as a microphone, sound detector, camera, photo eye, light detector, etc., located adjacent the appliance's notification features <NUM> (e.g. strobes, horns, sirens, etc.). Upon initiating a self-test of a properly equipped notification appliance <NUM>, such as by actuating the input device <NUM> as in step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the notification appliance <NUM> may activate its notification features <NUM> to perform a functional test as described above. While the functional test is being performed, the sensor(s) of the notification appliance <NUM> may measure the output of the appliance's notification features <NUM>. The measured output may then be compared to predefined values to determine whether the notification appliance <NUM> is functioning properly. Such comparison may be performed by the notification appliance <NUM> itself or by the alarm panel <NUM> or workstation <NUM>, and the results of the self-test may be automatically entered into the inspection record (described above) created by the alarm panel <NUM>. The inspector is thereby relieved from having to observe and manually record the results of the functional test.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector proceeds to the other notification appliances <NUM> in the alarm system <NUM> and may sequentially inspect each appliance in in the manner described in steps <NUM> and <NUM> above (i.e. if the alarm system <NUM> is in the "inspection mode") as shown in <FIG>, or may sequentially inspect and test (manually test or self-test) each appliance in the manner described in steps <NUM>-<NUM> above (i.e. if the alarm system <NUM> is in the "inspection mode") as shown in <FIG>. Particularly, the inspector may physically inspect each remaining notification appliance <NUM> and may actuate the input device <NUM> of each appliance, thereby extinguishing each verification indium <NUM>, causing each notification appliance <NUM> to perform a functional test (i.e. if the alarm system <NUM> is in the "test mode"), and transmit a verification signal to the alarm panel <NUM>. A full inspection and functional test record for the entire alarm system <NUM> may thereby be created and stored by the alarm panel <NUM> in the manner described above.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may, at any time after an inspection/test of the alarm system <NUM> has begun and before such inspection/test has been ended, return to the alarm panel <NUM> (or, optionally, the workstation <NUM>) and suspend the inspection/test, such as by selecting a "SUSPEND" or similarly labeled option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Suspending the inspection/test of the alarm system <NUM> in this manner causes the verification indicia <NUM> of any notification appliances <NUM> that have not yet been physically inspected/tested to be extinguished, and may cause the alarm system <NUM> to return to normal operation. Each notification appliance <NUM> in the alarm system <NUM> may further record, such in onboard memory, the state that it was in (i.e. inspected/tested or not inspected/tested) upon suspension of the inspection/test. Alternatively or additionally, it is contemplated that the alarm panel <NUM> records the unique addresses of the notification appliances <NUM> that have not yet been inspected/tested.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may return to the alarm panel <NUM> (or, optionally, the workstation <NUM>) at some later time and resumes the inspection/test that was suspended in step <NUM>, such as by selecting a "RESUME" or similarly labeled option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Resuming the inspection/test of the alarm system <NUM> in this manner places the alarm system <NUM> back in the mode (i.e. inspection or test) it was in prior to suspension of the inspection/test, and the verification indicia <NUM> of any notification appliances <NUM> that were not inspected/tested prior to suspension of the inspection/test (e.g. the leftmost notification appliance <NUM> in <FIG>) are illuminated, thereby allowing the inspector to easily determine which notification appliances <NUM> must still be inspected/tested. The inspector is thereby relieved from having to manually maintain his or her own records of which appliances were/were not inspected/tested prior to the suspension. This suspend/resume feature of the alarm system <NUM> may be useful in cases where inspection/testing of the alarm system <NUM> must be performed over a number of days and returned to normal operation overnight, or where inspection/testing is unexpectedly interrupted for some reason.

Referring to <FIG>, a flow diagram illustrating a second exemplary method for inspecting and testing the notification appliances <NUM> of the alarm system <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure is shown. Such method will now be described in detail in conjunction with the schematic representations of the alarm system <NUM> shown in <FIG>. It should be noted that the above-described verification indicia <NUM> are not shown in <FIG> because such indicia are not employed in this method and may therefore be entirely omitted from the alarm system <NUM>.

At a first step <NUM> of the exemplary method, an inspector may place the system <NUM> in an "active inspection mode," such as by selecting an "ACTIVE INSPECTION MODE" or similarly labeled option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Initiating this mode may cause all of the notification features <NUM> (e.g. strobes, horns, sirens, etc.) of every notification appliance <NUM> to be activated, as also shown in <FIG>.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may visit a first of the notification appliances <NUM> and may perform an inspection thereof as shown in <FIG> (inspection of the rightmost notification appliance <NUM> is indicated by the eyeglasses). During such inspection, the inspector may determine whether the physical state of the notification appliance <NUM> has been compromised in any way. For example, the inspector may determine whether the notification appliance <NUM> has been painted over, whether it has come loose from a mounting on a wall or a ceiling, or whether the housing of the notification appliance <NUM> has been damaged. The inspector may further observe the active notification features <NUM> of the notification appliance <NUM> and may determine whether such features are operating properly. Alternatively (i.e. instead of the inspector determining whether the notification features <NUM> are operating properly), it is contemplated that the notification appliance <NUM> may perform a self-test (described above) upon activation of the notification features <NUM> in step <NUM>, wherein the results of such self-test are recorded by the alarm panel <NUM>. The inspector may make note of observations that were made during the inspection, including whether the notification appliance <NUM> should be repaired or replaced.

After the inspector has completed his or her inspection of the first notification appliance <NUM>, the inspector may, at step <NUM> of the exemplary method, actuate the input device <NUM> of the notification appliance <NUM>. For example, the inspector may wave a magnetic key <NUM> (described above) in close proximity to the input device <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Actuating the input device <NUM> thusly may result in several actions being performed automatically.

First, the notification features <NUM> of the notification appliance <NUM> may be deactivated, thereby indicating to subsequent observers (e.g. other inspectors) that the notification appliance <NUM> has been inspected. The notification features <NUM> therefore allow inspectors to avoid accidental multiple inspections of a notification appliance <NUM>, such as may occur if an inspector does not know that an appliance has already been tested. The notification features <NUM> further allow inspectors to avoid accidental non-inspection of a notification appliance <NUM>, such as may occur if an inspector believes that an appliance has already been tested when it in-fact has not.

A second action that may be performed upon actuation of the input device <NUM> is that the inspected notification appliance <NUM> transmits a verification signal to the alarm panel 14as indicated by the dashed arrow in <FIG>. Upon receiving such verification signal, the alarm panel <NUM> records the unique address of the inspected notification appliance <NUM>, and also records the date and time when the verification signal was received. The alarm panel <NUM> further records a unique identification number associated with the magnetic key <NUM> that was used to actuate the input device <NUM> if such information was captured by the notification appliance <NUM> and conveyed by the verification signal. By collecting such information, the alarm panel <NUM> may create and store a record of when and by whom the notification appliance <NUM> was inspected. Such a record may subsequently be reviewed by interested parties, and may provide confirmation that a particular notification appliance <NUM> was in-fact inspected.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may proceed to the other notification appliances <NUM> in the alarm system <NUM> and sequentially inspect each appliance in the manner described in steps <NUM>-<NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. Particularly, the inspector may inspect each remaining notification appliance <NUM> and may actuate the input device <NUM> of each appliance, thereby extinguishing each notification feature <NUM> and causing each notification appliance <NUM> to transmit a verification signal to the alarm panel <NUM>. A full inspection record for the entire alarm system <NUM> may thereby be created and stored by the alarm panel <NUM> in the manner described above.

A benefit of the exemplary method described in steps <NUM>-<NUM> is that, by virtue of all of the notification features <NUM> of the notification appliances <NUM> being activated at the beginning of the inspection, the notification appliances <NUM> are very easy to find and are unlikely to be missed during the course of inspection. For example, an inspector may use the sound of an active horn to guide him or her to an uninspected notification appliance. Moreover, the building or area in which the alarm system <NUM> is installed may generally not be completely quiet until all of the notification appliances <NUM> have been inspected and their notification features <NUM> deactivated. The exemplary method thereby mitigates the chances of incomplete inspections.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may, at any time after an inspection of the alarm system <NUM> has begun and before such inspection has been ended, return to the alarm panel <NUM> (or, optionally, the workstation <NUM>) and suspend the inspection, such as by selecting a "SUSPEND" or similarly labeled option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Suspending the inspection of the alarm system <NUM> in this manner causes the alarm panel <NUM> to deactivate the notification features <NUM> of any notification appliances <NUM> that have not yet been inspected, and causes the alarm system <NUM> to return to normal operation. Each notification appliance <NUM> in the alarm system <NUM> may further record, such in onboard memory, the state that it was in (i.e. inspected/tested or not inspected/tested) upon suspension of the inspection/test. The alarm panel <NUM> records the unique addresses of the notification appliances <NUM> that have not yet been inspected/tested.

At step <NUM> of the exemplary method, the inspector may return to the alarm panel <NUM> (or, optionally, the workstation <NUM>) at some later time and may resume the inspection that was suspended in step <NUM>, such as by selecting a "RESUME" or similarly labeled option in a menu or sub-menu of the alarm panel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Resuming the inspection of the alarm system <NUM> in this manner may place the alarm system <NUM> back in the "active inspection mode" it was in prior to suspension of the inspection. The alarm panel <NUM> may further activate the notification features <NUM> of any notification appliances <NUM> that were not inspected prior to suspension of the inspection (e.g. the leftmost notification appliance <NUM> in <FIG>), thereby allowing the inspector to easily determine which notification appliances <NUM> must still be inspected without requiring the inspector to manually maintain his or her own records of inspection. This suspend/resume feature of the alarm system <NUM> may be useful in cases where inspection of the alarm system <NUM> must be performed over a number of days and returned to normal operation at night, or where inspection is unexpectedly interrupted for some reason.

The methods described herein thus provide inspectors and other interested parties with convenient means for verifying that each and every notification appliance in an alarm system has been tested and physically inspected. The system and methods described herein further provide convenient means for keeping track of which notification appliances in an alarm system have been tested and inspected and which have not. Still further, the system and methods described herein provide convenient means for allowing inspectors to easily find notification appliances in building or area.

While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

The various embodiments or components described above may be implemented as part of one or more computer systems. Such a computer system may include a computer, an input device, a display unit and an interface, for example, for accessing the Internet. The computer may include a microprocessor. The microprocessor may be connected to a communication bus. The computer may also include memories. The memories may include Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). The computer system further may include a storage device, which may be a hard disk drive or a removable storage drive such as a floppy disk drive, optical disk drive, and the like. The storage device may also be other similar means for loading computer programs or other instructions into the computer system.

As used herein, the term "computer" may include any processor-based or microprocessor-based system including systems using microcontrollers, reduced instruction set circuits (RISCs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), logic circuits, and any other circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described herein. The above examples are exemplary only, and are thus not intended to limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the term "computer.

The computer system executes a set of instructions that are stored in one or more storage elements, in order to process input data. The storage elements may also store data or other information as desired or needed. The storage element may be in the form of an information source or a physical memory element within the processing machine.

The set of instructions may include various commands that instruct the computer as a processing machine to perform specific operations such as the methods and processes of the various embodiments of the invention. The set of instructions may be in the form of a software program. The software may be in various forms such as system software or application software. Further, the software may be in the form of a collection of separate programs, a program module within a larger program or a portion of a program module. The software also may include modular programming in the form of object-oriented programming. The processing of input data by the processing machine may be in response to user commands, or in response to results of previous processing, or in response to a request made by another processing machine.

Claim 1:
A method for inspecting notification appliances (<NUM>) in an alarm system connected to an alarm panel (<NUM>), the method comprising:
placing the alarm system in an inspection mode to perform an inspection on each of the notification appliances in the alarm system, whereby a verification indicium on each notification appliance being inspected is activated;
performing the inspection of the notification appliances;
suspending the inspection before all of the notification appliances in the alarm system have been inspected, whereby the verification indicia of all of the uninspected notification appliances are deactivated, addresses associated with each of the uninspected notification appliances are stored, and the alarm system is returned to normal operation;
resuming the inspection of the notification appliances, whereby the alarm system is again placed in the inspection mode and the verification indicia of all of the uninspected notification appliances are reactivated;
wherein the inspection performed on a notification appliance comprises:
performing a physical inspection and actuating an input device (<NUM>) on the notification appliance in the alarm system, whereby the verification indicium on the notification appliance is deactivated upon actuation of the input device;
transmitting a verification signal from the notification appliance upon activation of the input device;
upon receiving the verification signal, the alarm panel records a unique address of the notification appliance, and also records the date and time when the verification signal was received; and
the alarm panel further records a unique identification number associated with a magnetic key (<NUM>) that was used to actuate the input device.