Cordless phone system with integrated alarm and remote monitoring capability
A cordless telephone system provides home security. Each handset associated with the cordless telephone system detects an event, such as a noise level that exceeds a threshold noise level, smoke, carbon monoxide, intrusion or moisture level. If an event is detected the system initiates a telephone call through the base unit to an alert telephone number. When the telephone call to the alert telephone number is established, a message is played to provide notification of the event.
1. A cordless telephone system for notifying a home owner of a possible home security event in a home of the home owner, the cordless telephone system, comprising:
a base unit having a base unit memory configured to store an alert telephone number for a mobile telephone of the home owner; and
a plurality of handsets associated with the base unit, each handset having a digital signal processor configured to detect a noise level,
wherein during a home security mode of operation of the cordless telephone system, each of the plurality of handsets is configured to:
detect a noise level;
compare the detected noise level to a threshold noise level; and
in response to detecting that the noise level exceeds the threshold noise level, cause a call to be initiated to the mobile telephone of the home owner associated with the alert telephone number and a notification message to be presented to the home owner via the call to the mobile telephone, and wherein the notification message includes a location of a handset that has detected noise level that exceeds the threshold noise level.
2. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein the location associated with each of the one or more handsets is stored in the base unit memory.
3. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a motion detector in one or more of the handsets and base unit.
4. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a carbon monoxide detector in one or more of the handsets and base unit.
5. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a moisture detector in one or more of the handsets and base unit.
6. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a camera to record video or one or more snapshots of a room in which a handset or base unit detects a threshold noise level exceeded.
7. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more speakers through which a notification message can be played.
8. The cordless telephone system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one or more speakers is/are in one or more of the handsets and the base unit.
9. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the handsets comprises one or more of a motion detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a smoke detector and a moisture detector.
10. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein audio information is stored to the base unit memory when the threshold noise level is exceeded.
11. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein there is a plurality of threshold noise levels, each threshold noise level corresponding to a different time of day.
12. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a calibration mode of operation for calibrating the threshold noise level.
13. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , further comprising a configuration file, wherein the configuration file includes the alert telephone number.
14. The cordless telephone system of claim 13 , wherein the configuration file includes a location of each handset.
15. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein the handsets and/or the base station comprise a digital signal processor that is programmed to identify sounds emitted by at least one of a smoke detector and a CO detector.
16. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein the handsets and/or the base station comprise a digital signal processor that is programmed to identify sounds emitted by a moisture detector.
17. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein the handsets and/or the base station comprise a digital signal processor that is programmed to identify sounds emitted by an intrusion detector.
18. The cordless telephone system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the handsets and the base station further comprise at least one of a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a moisture detector and an intrusion detector.
19. A method for notifying a home owner of a possible home security event detected in a home of the home owner, the method, comprising:
placing a cordless telephone system in a home security mode of operation;
entering a phone number for a mobile telephone of the home owner into the cordless telephone system;
detecting an event in the home through a plurality of the handsets and the base station of the cordless telephone system that are positioned in various locations in the home, each handset including noise detection control circuitry and a speaker;
using the phone number to initiate a telephone call to the mobile telephone of the home owner upon one of the plurality of handsets detecting noise level exceeding a threshold noise level; and
presenting the home owner a notification message regarding the detected event via the initiated telephone call, wherein the notification message includes a location of a handset that has detected noise level that exceeds the threshold noise level.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is one of a noise level that exceeds the threshold noise level, an intrusion, smoke, carbon dioxide and moisture.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is a noise level that exceeds the threshold noise level, further comprising determining the threshold noise level by calibration.
22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising determining a plurality of threshold noise levels, each threshold noise level corresponding to a different time of day.
23. The method of claim 19 , further comprising storing the location corresponding to at least one handset of the cordless telephone system in a configuration file.
24. The method of claim 19 , wherein one or more of the base station and the handsets comprises a digital signal processor that identifies events based upon one or more of the following:
a noise level that exceeds a threshold noise level;
an audible sound characteristic of a smoke detector;
an audible sound characteristic of a carbon monoxide detectors;
an audible sound characteristic of an intrusion detector; and
an audible sound characteristic of a moisture detector.
25. The method of claim 21 , further comprising playing a message through a speaker at the determined location.
26. The method of claim 21 , further comprising storing video of the determined location.
27. The method of claim 21 , further comprising storing at least one photograph of the determined location.
28. The method of claim 19 , wherein the home owner may instruct the cordless phone system to directly alert an emergency service by entering a predetermined sequence of keypad entries.
29. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is a moisture detection.
30. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is a detection of carbon monoxide.
31. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is a detection of motion.
32. The method of claim 19 , wherein the event is an intrusion detection.