Patent ID: 7796024

Claim:
An alert system for hearing and/or visually impaired persons that provides audio muting, audible alert annunciation and video text overlay on and of external and remote competing sound sources, the system comprising: (a) a telephone ring and off-hook detector device wherein an alerting signal is sent by an actuator to an input of an integrated programmable controller by either hardwired or wireless transmission; (b) a receiver for receiving an actuator alerting signal from an external doorbell device, wherein said alerting signal is sent to an input of an integrated programmable controller by either hardwired or wireless transmission; (c) an external auxiliary device receiving an actuator alerting signal that is sent to an input of an integrated programmable controller by either hardwired or wireless transmission; (d) a series of programmable variable time delay mechanism independently associated with all input and output signals of said system; (e) an output switching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller; (f) an audio output switching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller; (f) a video output switching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller; (g) an Ethernet output switching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller; (h) an infrared output switching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller; (i) a closed loop power latching mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller and to said output switching mechanism; (j) an integrated programmable controller termination mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller and said output switching mechanism, wherein said output switching mechanism selectively provides outputs of: text overlay on top of an existing video display device signal; replacement of an audio signal with audible annunciation describing an alert condition; visual alert devices; audio alert devices; mechanical alert devices; and combinations thereof; and (k) an external actuator identification mechanism connected to said integrated programmable controller with a series of programmable variable time delay mechanism and to said output and isolation mechanism.