METHODS AND APPARATUS NOTIFYING A USER OF THE OPERATING CONDITION OF A REMOTELY LOCATED HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE

摘要

Sounds, alarms or other indications of conditions of potential interest that are produced by appliances and other household devices are detected by one or more sensors to trigger a notification signal that is sent to a remotely located user. The signals produced by the sensors are advantageously compared with a database of signals representing conditions of potential interest produced by known appliances and devices, producing the appropriate notification signal when a match is found. Notifications may be relayed to one or more selected users only when predetermined conditions are satisfied.

主权项

1. A method of notifying a user when a sound in the household indicates a condition of potential interest to the user comprising, in combination, the steps of:
employing one or more sensors to convert ambient sounds into an output signal, transmitting the output signal to a remotely located comparison unit, comparing, in the comparison unit, the output signal to a searchable database of stored control sounds by comparing identification values that represent the output signal to identification values that are in the searchable database, each of which is associated in the searchable database with status identifying information and notification parameters, the stored control sounds related to household sounds, and the notification parameters specifying conditions related to the determination of whether to issue notifications, and producing an alert notification indication when the output signal matches one of the stored control sounds and when the conditions in the notification parameters for the matching stored control sounds are satisfied.