IP Library Granted Patent US 11,783,686
Granted Patent B2
US 11,783,686 · App. 17/459,402 · Granted Oct 10, 2023

Security / automation system control panel with removable back speaker

Inventor: Ross Werner (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
G08B13/19682G01D5/24G01D18/00G05B19/042G06F3/0487G06F3/16G06F21/629G08B3/10G08B17/117G08B19/00G08B25/10G08B29/10H04B17/318H04B17/364H04B17/382H04B17/391H04M1/64H04N7/183H04N7/188H04N23/57H04R29/00H04W72/30H04W84/02H04W84/18G05B2219/25257G06V40/172
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,783,686
App. No.
17/459,402
Granted
Oct 10, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Example implementations include a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium comprising first broadcasting, by at least one primary speaker of a control panel, a first sound toward a front or a side of the control panel; and second broadcasting, concurrently with the first broadcasting, by a removable back speaker that is removably attachable to a back side of the control panel, a second sound toward the back side of the control panel. In some aspects, the removable back speaker is configured as a stand for placing the control panel on a flat surface.

Claims (40)

1. A method comprising:

detecting an alarm condition by a control panel of a fire detection system of a premises;

first broadcasting, by at least one primary speaker of the control panel responsive to detecting the alarm condition, a first fire alarm sound toward a front or a side of the control panel; and

second broadcasting, concurrently with the first broadcasting, by a removable back speaker that is removably attachable to a back side of the control panel, a second fire alarm sound toward the back side of the control panel.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, and one or more microphones in the control panel to communicate with a user through voice commands and corresponding responses.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reporting the alarm condition by the control panel to a monitoring center.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising using a cellular interface of the control panel to establish a two-way voice call between the control panel and the monitoring center, subsequent to reporting the alarm condition to the monitoring center.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising using the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, and one or more microphones in the control panel for the two-way voice call between the monitoring center and a user.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising using a cellular interface of the control panel to establish a two-way video call between the control panel and the monitoring center, subsequent to reporting the alarm condition to the monitoring center.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising using the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, one or more microphones in the control panel, and a forward-facing camera in the control panel for the two-way video call between the monitoring center and a user.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removable back speaker is configured as a stand for placing the control panel on a flat surface.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the alarm condition comprises detecting a fire event by the control panel of the fire detection system of the premises, based on detecting, by one or more microphones in the control panel, a temporal-three pattern of a smoke detector alarm and/or a temporal-four pattern of a carbon monoxide detector alarm.

10. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein detecting the alarm condition comprises detecting a fire event by the control panel of the fire detection system of the premises;

wherein first broadcasting of the first fire alarm sound comprises voice annunciating the fire event by the at least one primary speaker of the control panel; and

wherein second broadcasting the second fire alarm sound comprises voice annunciating the fire event by the removable back speaker that is removably attachable to the back side of the control panel.

11. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein detecting the alarm condition comprises detecting a fire event by the control panel of the fire detection system of the premises;

wherein first broadcasting of the first fire alarm sound comprises voice annunciating the fire event by the at least one primary speaker of the control panel; and

wherein second broadcasting the second fire alarm sound comprises providing, by the removable back speaker, a bass augmentation sound for the voice annunciating provided by the at least one primary speaker of the control panel.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to:

detect an alarm condition by a control panel of a fire detection system of a premises;

first broadcast, by at least one primary speaker of the control panel responsive to detecting the alarm condition, a first fire alarm sound toward a front or a side of the control panel; and

second broadcast, concurrently with the first broadcast, by a removable back speaker that is removably attachable to a back side of the control panel, a second fire alarm sound toward the back side of the control panel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to use the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, and one or more microphones in the control panel to communicate with a user through voice commands and corresponding responses.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to report the alarm condition by the control panel to a monitoring center.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to use a cellular interface of the control panel to establish a two-way voice call between the control panel and the monitoring center, subsequent to reporting the alarm condition to the monitoring center.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to use the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, and one or more microphones in the control panel for the two-way voice call between the monitoring center and a user.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to use a cellular interface of the control panel to establish a two-way video call between the control panel and the monitoring center, subsequent to reporting the alarm condition to the monitoring center.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to use the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, one or more microphones in the control panel, and a forward-facing camera in the control panel for the two-way video call between the monitoring center and a user.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the removable back speaker is configured as a stand for placing the control panel on a flat surface.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor that, when executed, cause to the processor to:

detect an alarm condition by a control panel of a fire detection system of a premises;

first broadcast, by at least one primary speaker of the control panel responsive to detecting the alarm condition, a first fire alarm sound toward a front or a side of the control panel; and

second broadcast, concurrently with the first broadcast, by a removable back speaker that is removably attachable to a back side of the control panel, a second fire alarm sound toward the back side of the control panel.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to use the at least one primary speaker, the removable back speaker, and one or more microphones in the control panel to communicate with a user through voice commands and corresponding responses.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to report the alarm condition by the control panel to a monitoring center.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to use a cellular interface of the control panel to establish a two-way voice call between the control panel and the monitoring center.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2022
From: WERNER, ROSS
To: JOHNSON CONTROLS TYCO IP HOLDINGS LLP
Reel/Frame 059995/0903 →
Cited By (3)
US 12,347,291 US 12,361,807 US 12,387,591