Smoke detector testing
Contents
1. FIG 1 T Sd Pee ate LE 1 iia Smoke eS Power detector source 110 l 210 Test circuit 122 130 l N U S Patent Jun 18 2013 Sheet 2 of 5 US 8 466 800 B1 Computing device 370 530 B 530 C U S Patent Jun 18 2013 Sheet 3 of 5 US 8 466 800 B1 410 Attach testing device to smoke detector 420 Shine light onto testing device using remote control detect light at testing device 430 Trigger test circuit actuate rod on testing device rod pushes testing button on smoke detector to test smoke detector 440 Testing device generates data pertaining to test 450 Provide data to remote control 460 Remote control receives and stores data 470 Provide data to computing device for 480 storage display analysis etc Detach testing FIG 4 device from 400 smoke detector S O U S Patent Jun 18 2013 Sheet 4 of 5 US 8 466 800 B1 610 Attach testing devices to smoke detectors 620 Shine light onto one of the testing devices using remote control detect light at testing device 630 Trigger test circuit actuate rod on testing device rod pushes testing button on smoke detector to test smoke detector 640 Testing device generates data pertaining to test including unique ID 650 Provide data to remote control 660 Remote control receives and stores data 670 Provide data to computing device for 680 storage display analysis etc Detach testing FIG 6 de2. 610 testing devices may be attached to smoke detectors one testing device to each smoke detector Each testing device may be removable and may have a unique ID At 620 a user may shine a light such as IR light onto one of the testing devices using a remote control to test associated smoke detector The testing device may detect the light At 630 the test circuit of the associated smoke detector may be triggered responsive to the testing device detecting the IR light In an implementation the testing device s rod may be actuated and may push the smoke detector s testing button thereby testing the smoke detector At 640 responsive to the test the testing device may gen erate data such as an ID results e g pass or fail and date and time of testing and provide the data to the remote control at 650 The remote control may store the data at 660 in associ ated internal or external storage and or may provide the data to a computing device at 670 for subsequent storage display analysis etc In an implementation the data may be provided directly to the computing device from the testing device At any time shown at 680 one or more of the testing devices may be detached from their associated smoke detectors Exemplary Computing Arrangement FIG 7 shows an exemplary computing environment in which example embodiments and aspects may be imple mented The computing system environment is only one example of a suitable computing envir
3. may be disposed on associated smoke detec US 8 466 800 B1 5 tors 510A through 510N respectively Each testing device may have a unique ID that may be stored in storage associated with the testing device A remote control 550 may activate any one of the testing devices 530A 530N at a particular time by providing IR light 555 to the testing device thereby testing the smoke detector associated with that testing device The remote control 550 may be able to activate each of the testing devices 530A 530N In an implementation the same IR e g frequency duration etc may be used to activate each of the testing devices 530A 530N A computing device 570 either integrated with the remote control 550 or separate from the remote control 550 may be in communication with the remote control 550 and may receive and store data associated with the tests of the smoke detectors 510A 510N Each testing device may send its ID to the remote control 550 and or the computing device 570 along with the data The ID along with the associated data may be stored by the remote control 550 and or the computing device 570 After receiving the data from the remote control 550 and or the testing device s 530A 530N the computing device 570 may use tools applications and aggregators for example to store analyze and or display the data FIG 6 is an operational flow of another implementation of a method 600 that may be used for smoke detector testing At
4. 01 Assistant Examiner James Yang 52 U S Cl 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Brooks Cameron amp TSEC etc 340 636 1 340 500 340 628 Huebsch PLLC 58 Field of Classification Search USPC nia 340 500 540 603 627 628 633 ABSTRACT 340 634 A testing device is provided that may be attachable and See application file for complete search history detachable from a smoke detector The testing device may have a rod that pushes a testing button on the smoke detector 56 References Cited The testing device may have a light detector which will actu U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 827 244 A 5 1989 Bellavia et al 340 514 4 827 444 A 5 1989 Akiyama et al 4 870 394 A 9 1989 Corl etal wee 340 630 4 901 056 A 2 1990 Bellavia etal 340 514 4 954 816 A 9 1990 Mattison 5 140 269 A 8 1992 Champlin oo 324 433 5 283 816 A 2 1994 Gomez Diaz 5 594 410 A 1 1997 Lucas et al ate the rod to push the testing button if the light from an appropriate remote control or other light source is directed onto it in order to verify that the smoke detector is operating properly without manually pushing the testing button The testing device may store a unique identifier ID and generate and transmit data pertaining to results of the testing of the smoke detector 21 Claims 5 Drawing Sheets 137 130 139 a iO U S Patent Jun 18 2013 Sheet 1 of 5 US 8 466 800 B1 137 130 139 110
5. any other machine readable storage medium wherein when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine such as a computer the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presently disclosed subject matter In the case of program code execution on programmable computers the computing device generally includes a processor a storage medium readable by the pro cessor including volatile and non volatile memory and or storage elements at least one input device and at least one output device One or more programs may implement or utilize the pro cesses described in connection with the presently disclosed subject matter e g through the use of an application pro gramming interface API reusable controls or the like Such programs may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system However the program s can be imple mented in assembly or machine language if desired In any case the language may be a compiled or interpreted language and it may be combined with hardware implementations Although exemplary embodiments may refer to utilizing aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or more stand alone computer systems the subject matter is not so limited but rather may be implemented in connection with any computing environment such as a net work or distributed computing environment Still further aspects of the pres
6. block diagram of another implementation of a system that may be used for smoke detector testing FIG 4 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method that may be used for smoke detector testing FIG 5 is a block diagram of another implementation of a system that may be used for smoke detector testing FIG 6 is an operational flow of another implementation of a method that may be used for smoke detector testing and FIG 7 is a block diagram of an example computing envi ronment in which example embodiments and aspects may be implemented DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG 1 is a block diagram of an implementation of a system 100 that may be used for smoke detector testing A smoke detector 110 is provided and may be any conventional smoke detector such as a residential or business smoke detector that is powered by batteries or is wired into the circuitry of the residence or business Although the illustrative embodiments described herein describe the testing of a smoke detector any type of detector or alarm device may be tested such as a fire detector a heat detector and a carbon monoxide detector It is contemplated that any type of detector with a test circuit or testing button may be used with the example embodiments and aspects described herein Generally for example the smoke detector 110 may have a circular plastic housing 111 with a front side 112 and a rear side 113 The housing 111 has in the region of the front side the
7. on the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 2 The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices has a unique identifier 3 The method of claim 2 further comprising generating a first data set at the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors the first data set comprising the unique identifier of the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices and the result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 4 The method of claim 3 further comprising storing the first data set 5 The method of claim 4 wherein storing the first data set comprises storing the first data set at a remote control or a computing device 6 The method of claim 5 further comprising detecting light at a second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices in response detecting the light at the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices test ing a second one of the associated plurality of preexist ing detectors associated with the second one of the plu rality of physically detachable testing devices generating a second data set at the second one of the plu rality of physically detachable testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the second one of the associa
8. IG 7 FIG 4 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method 400 that may be used for smoke detector testing At 410 a testing device that is removable may be attached to a smoke detector At 420 a user may shine a light such as IR light onto the testing device using a remote control or other light source and the testing device may detect the light Upon receiving the light the testing device may cause a test circuit of the smoke detector to be triggered at 430 In an implemen tation a rod of the testing device may be actuated at 430 and the rod may push the testing button thereby testing the smoke detector At 440 the testing device may generate data pertaining to the test such as results e g pass or fail and date and time of testing and provide the data to the remote control at 450 The remote control may be in a mode to receive data e g a program mode and may receive and store the data at 460 in associated internal or external storage and or may provide the data to a computing device at 470 for subsequent storage display analysis etc In an implementation the testing device may provide the data directly to the computing device At any time shown at 480 the testing device may be detached from the smoke detector e g by the user FIG 5 is a block diagram of another implementation of a system 500 that may be used for smoke detector testing Multiple testing devices 530A through 530N where N may be any number
9. US008466800B1 a2 United States Patent 10 Patent No US 8 466 800 B1 Billman 45 Date of Patent Jun 18 2013 54 SMOKE DETECTOR TESTING 5 905 438 A 5 1999 Weiss et al 6 140 269 A 10 2000 Hoshi oe 504 131 A 6 172 612 Bl 1 2001 Odachowski 75 Inventor rad Jay Billman San Antonio TX 6 288 637 BL 9 2001 Thomas et al u 340 506 US 6 838 988 B2 1 2005 Lennartz et al 340 539 26 7 397 359 B2 7 2008 Sparacino 73 Assignee United Services Automobile 2006 0229108 A1 10 2006 Cehelnik 455 569 1 Association USAA San Antonio TX 2007 0080819 Al 4 2007 Marks et al US 2008 0291036 Al 11 2008 Richmond 2009 0174562 A1 7 2009 Jacobus et al 340 636 1 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this OTHER PUBLICATIONS patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 743 days First Alert User s Manual Remote Flashlight Test Smoke Alarm with Silence Feature SA88B SA88C amp Remote Flashlight Test Smoke 21 Appl No 12 247 417 Alarm with Silence Feature and 2 Year Extended Life Battery SA89B SA89C 22 Filed Oct 8 2008 First Alert User s Manual Smoke and Fire Alarm Remote Flashlight Test Smoke Alarm amp Remote Flashlight Test Smoke Alarm with Related U S Application Data Escape Light Feature models SA90B SA150B 62 eee of application No 12 139 901 filed on Jun cited by examiner 51 Int Cl Primary Examiner Brian Zimmerman GO8B 21 00 2006
10. as receiving IR light 355 from a remote control 350 In an implementation the presence of any IR light e g for a predetermined amount of time such as at least one second may trigger the testing device 130 to test the smoke detector 110 Alternatively or additionally a certain frequency of IR light may trigger the testing device 130 to test the smoke detector 110 The remote control 350 may be an IR enabled device such as one of the IR remote controls described above Alterna tively or additionally the remote control 350 may be inte grated within a mobile device such as a mobile phone per sonal digital assistant PDA or a handheld computing device It is contemplated that any light source that provides IR light may be used as the remote control 350 In an implementation the remote control 350 may be inte grated within or in communication with a computing device 370 such as a personal computer PC a mobile phone PDA or handheld computing device for example The remote con trol 350 and or the computing device 370 may collect data pertaining to the testing of the smoke detector 110 with the testing device 130 In an implementation the remote control 350 may receive data from the testing device 130 and may provide some or all of the data to the computing device 370 The remote control 350 and or the computing device 370 may store analyze and or display the collected data An example computing device is described with respect to F
11. ble testing devices and provide the second data set to the remote control or the computing device 14 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the light comprises infrared light generated by a remote control or a computing device 15 A detector testing system comprising at least one subsystem that detects light at a first one of a plurality of physically detachable testing devices wherein each of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices is powered by an associated one of a plurality of preexisting detectors and at least one subsystem that tests in response to the detected light a first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices by remotely caus ing a rod on the first one of the plurality of physically jak 5 20 25 35 40 10 detachable testing devices to be actuated to push a test ing button on the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 16 The system ofclaim 15 wherein each ofthe plurality of physically detachable testing devices has a unique identifier 17 The system ofclaim 16 further comprising at least one subsystem that generates a first data set at the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors the first data set co
12. e The testing device 130 may comprise an electronic switch 232 and a physical e g mechanical switch 235 The electronic switch 232 may com prise the light detector 137 and may comprise a light detecting diode or an infrared IR sensitive phototransistor for example The electronic switch 232 may actuate the physical switch 235 comprising the rod 135 for example to push the testing button 115 on the smoke detector 110 The electronic switch 232 may be activated by a light source 250 such as an IR light source In an alternative implementation when IR light is present the electronic switch 232 may act as an electronic trigger that charges a test circuit 122 in the smoke detector 110 bypassing the testing button 115 In such a scenario the physical switch 235 may not be used A remote control may act as the light source 250 and may provide IR light to the testing device 130 A remote control is an electronic device typically powered by batteries that is used for the remote operation of a machine Commonly remote controls are used to issue commands from a distance to televisions or other consumer electronics such as stereo systems and video players Remote controls for these devices are usually small wireless handheld objects with an array of buttons for adjusting various settings such as channel track number and volume Remote controls may be single channel single function one button or multi channel normal multi function Man
13. ently disclosed subject matter may be implemented in or across a plurality of processing chips or devices and storage may similarly be effected across a plu rality of devices Such devices might include PCs network servers and handheld devices for example Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and or methodological acts it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above Rather the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims The invention claimed is 1 A detector testing method comprising physically attaching a plurality of physically detachable testing devices to an associated plurality of preexisting detectors wherein each of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices is powered by an associated one of the plurality of preexisting detectors 30 40 45 50 55 60 8 detecting light at a first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices and in response to detecting the light testing a first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the first one of the plurality of physically detach able testing devices by remotely causing a rod on the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices to be actuated to push a testing button
14. ify that the smoke detector is working properly Such detection circuitry usually includes a manually operable push button switch for the pur pose of initiating the detector test function Some smoke detectors include an integrated photosensor A control beam of incident electromagnetic energy can be provided from a remotely located portable source such as a flashlight Directing the beam of radiant energy from the flashlight against the smoke detector s photosensor causes the smoke detector to initiate a test sequence SUMMARY A testing device is provided that may be attachable and detachable from a smoke detector The testing device may have a rod that pushes a testing button on the smoke detector The testing device may have a light detector which will actu ate the rod to push the testing button if the light from an appropriate remote control or other light source is directed onto it in order to verify that the smoke detector is operating properly without manually pushing the testing button The testing device may store a unique identifier ID and generate and transmit data pertaining to results of the testing of the smoke detector In an implementation the testing device may receive infra red IR light from a remote control The IR light may trigger the testing device to test the smoke detector In an implementation the remote control may be an IR enabled device The remote control may be integrated within a mobile device such a
15. ller a processor one or program modules and or storage shown collectively as 139 that may be appropriately configured to perform such func tionality For example the testing device 130 may detect the alarm that results from the testing button 115 being pushed if the smoke detector 110 is operating properly The testing device 130 may record whether or not an alarm was detected pursuant to a test along with a date and time for example Such data may be provided to a remote control and or a computing device as described further herein The testing device 130 may be adapted to fit on any type of smoke detector as a flat pack with probes installed between the connection points of the testing button 115 or as an extending piece for example that may be mounted on the smoke detector 110 over the testing button 115 or in proxim ity of the testing button 115 The testing device 130 may be attached to the casing of the smoke detector 110 by a user using an adhesive or other mechanical means and or hard ware for example The testing device 130 may be detached or otherwise removed from the smoke detector 110 by the user at any time In an implementation the testing device may be powered by the smoke detector 110 or may be powered by batteries FIG 2 is a diagram of an implementation of a smoke detector testing system 200 The smoke detector 110 is con nected to a power source 210 such as an alternating current or direct current voltage sourc
16. mprising the unique identifier of the first one of the plurality of physically detach able testing devices and the result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 18 The system of claim 17 further comprising at least one subsystem that stores the first data set 19 The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one sub system that stores the first data set comprises at least one subsystem that stores the first data set at a remote control or a computing device 20 The system of claim 19 further comprising at least one subsystem that detects light at a second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices at least one subsystem that tests in response to the light detected at the second on of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices a second one of the associ ated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices at least one subsystem that generates a second data set at the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the second one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the second one of the plurality of physi cally detachable testing devices and at least one subsystem that provides the second data set to the remote control or the computing device 21 The system of claim 15 wherein the light comprises i
17. nfrared light generated by a remote control or a computing device
18. onment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality Numerous other general purpose or special purpose com puting system environments or configurations may be used Examples of well known computing systems environments and or configurations that may be suitable for use include but are not limited to PCs server computers handheld or laptop devices multiprocessor systems microprocessor based sys tems network PCs minicomputers mainframe computers embedded systems distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices and the like Computer executable instructions such as program mod ules being executed by a computer may be used Generally program modules include routines programs objects com ponents data structures etc that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types Distributed comput 0 an 5 35 40 45 50 55 6 ing environments may be used where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a commu nications network or other data transmission medium In a distributed computing environment program modules and other data may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices With reference to FIG 7 an exemplary system for imple menting aspects described herein includes a computing device such as computing device 700 In its mo
19. ovable storage 710 are all examples of computer storage media Computer storage media include but are not limited to RAM ROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory EEPROM flash memory or other memory technology CD ROM digital ver satile disks DVD or other optical storage magnetic cas settes magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other mag netic storage devices or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing device 700 Any such computer storage media may be part of computing device 700 Computing device 700 may also contain communication connection s 712 that allow the computing device 700 to communicate with other devices Communication connec tion s 712 is an example of communication media Commu nication media typically embody computer readable instruc tions data structures program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and include any information delivery media The term modulated data signal means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal By way of example and not limitation communication media include wired media such as a wired network or direct wired connection and wireless media such as acoustic radio frequency RF infra red and other wireless media The term computer readable media a
20. reof a plurality of slots 116 which permit the entry of smoke heat and the like into the housing 111 and permit an audible alarm sound generated by the smoke detector to leave the housing 111 In approximately the middle of the front side of the housing 111 is a push to test button 115 referred to herein as a testing button which can be manually pushed to trigger an alarm via a test circuit 122 shown in FIG 2 in order to verify that the smoke detector 110 is operating prop erly Near the testing button 115 may be an operating light emitting diode LED 119 which may periodically flash to indicate the smoke detector 110 is operating A testing device 130 is separate from the smoke detector 110 and is removable such that the testing device 130 may be attachable and detachable from the smoke detector 110 The testing device 130 may have a rod 135 that pushes the testing button 115 The testing device 130 may have a light detector 137 which will actuate the rod 135 to push the testing button 115 if the light from an appropriate remote control or other light source is directed onto it in order to verify that the smoke detector 110 is operating properly without manually pushing the testing button 115 US 8 466 800 B1 3 The testing device 130 may store a unique identifier ID and generate and transmit data pertaining to results of the testing of the smoke detector In an implementation the test ing device 130 may comprise a contro
21. s a mobile phone personal digital assistant PDA or a handheld computing device In an implementation the remote control may be integrated within or in communication with a computing device such as a personal computer PC a mobile phone PDA or handheld computing device The remote control and or the computing device may collect store analyze and or display data per taining to the testing of the smoke detector with the testing device This summary is provided to introduce a selection of con cepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description This summary is not intended to 30 35 40 45 50 65 2 identify key features or essential features of the claimed sub ject matter nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings For the purpose of illustrating the embodiments there are shown in the drawings example constructions of the embodiments however the embodiments are not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed In the drawings FIG 1 is a block diagram of an implementation ofa system that may be used for smoke detector testing FIG 2 is a diagram of an implementation of a smoke detector testing system FIG 3 is a
22. s used herein includes both storage media and com munication media Computing device 700 may also have input device s 714 such as a keyboard mouse pen voice input device touch input device etc Output device s 716 such as a display US 8 466 800 B1 7 speakers printer etc may also be included All these devices are well known in the art and need not be discussed at length here Computing device 700 may be one of a plurality of com puting devices 700 inter connected by a network As may be appreciated the network may be any appropriate network each computing device 700 may be connected thereto by way of communication connection s 712 in any appropriate man ner and each computing device 700 may communicate with one or more of the other computing devices 700 in the net work in any appropriate manner For example the network may be a wired or wireless network within an organization or home or the like and may include a direct or indirect coupling to an external network such as the Internet or the like It should be understood that the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or software or where appropriate with a combina tion of both Thus the methods and apparatus of the presently disclosed subject matter or certain aspects or portions thereof may take the form of program code 1 e instructions embodied in tangible media such as floppy diskettes CD ROMs hard drives or
23. st basic con figuration computing device 700 typically includes at least one processing unit 702 and system memory 704 Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device system memory 704 may be volatile such as random access memory RAM non volatile such as read only memory ROM flash memory etc or some combination ofthe two This most basic configuration is illustrated in FIG 7 by dashed line 706 Computing device 700 may have additional features and or functionality For example computing device 700 may include additional storage removable and or non removable including but not limited to magnetic or optical disks or tape Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG 7 by removable storage 708 and non removable storage 710 Computing device 700 typically includes a variety of com puter readable media Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 700 and include both volatile and non volatile media and removable and non removable media By way of example and not limitation computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media Computer storage media include volatile and non volatile and removable and non removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions data structures program modules or other data System memory 704 removable stor age 708 and non rem
24. ted plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices and providing the second data set to the remote control or the computing device 7 The method of claim 1 wherein the light comprises infrared light generated by a remote control or a computing device 8 A non transitory computer readable medium compris ing computer readable instructions for detector testing said computer readable instructions comprising instructions that detect light at a first one of a plurality of physically detach able testing devices wherein each of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices is powered by an associated one of a plurality of preexisting detectors and in response to the light detected test a first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the first one of the plurality of physically detach able testing devices by remotely causing a rod on the first one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices to be actuated to push a testing button on the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 9 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices has a unique identifier 10 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions that generate a first data set at the first one of the pluralit
25. vice s from 000 smoke detector s D O U S Patent 706 System Memory Volatile Non Volatile Jun 18 2013 Sheet 5 of 5 US 8 466 800 B1 700 Removable Storage 708 Non Removable Storage 710 Processing Output Device s Unit 702 716 Input Device s 714 Communication Connection s 712 FIG 7 US 8 466 800 B1 1 SMOKE DETECTOR TESTING CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a divisional patent application of U S patent application Ser No 12 139 901 filed Jun 16 2008 the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by refer ence herein Further this application is related by subject matter to that disclosed in the following commonly assigned application the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein U S patent application Ser No 12 247 405 filed concurrently herewith and entitled SMOKE DETEC TOR TESTING BACKGROUND A smoke detector is a device that detects smoke and issues an alarm to alert nearby people that there is a potential fire Because smoke rises most smoke detectors are mounted on the ceiling or on a wall near the ceiling Virtually all modern smoke detectors come equipped with a test button that acti vates a test function The purpose of the test function is to provide a means to test the power supply and or the associated detection circuitry prior to actual smoke having been detected Such testing is may be used to ver
26. y of physically detach able testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors the first data set comprising the unique identifier of the first one of US 8 466 800 B1 9 the plurality of physically detachable testing devices and the result of testing the first one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors 11 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions that store the first data set 12 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions that store the first data set comprise instructions that store the first data set at a remote control or a computing device 13 The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising instructions that detect light at a second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices in response to the light detected at the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices test a second one of the associated plurality of preexisting detectors associated with the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices generate a second data set at the second one of the plurality of physically detachable testing devices pertaining to a result of testing the second one of the associated plural ity of preexisting detectors associated with the second one of the plurality of physically detacha
27. y remote controls communicate to their respective devices via IR signals A near infrared diode may be used to emit a beam of light that reaches the device Such a remote control may be used to emit a beam of light towards to the testing device 130 A 940 nm wavelength LED is typical although any wavelength s of IR may be used A universal remote is a remote control that can be pro grammed to operate various brands of one or more types of consumer electronics devices Some universal remotes allow the user to program in new control codes to the remote con trol Many remote controls sold with various electronic 0 a 5 25 30 40 45 55 4 devices include universal remote capabilities for other types of devices which allow the remote control to control other devices beyond the device it came with IR learning remotes can learn the code for any button on many other IR remote controls This functionality allows the remote control to learn functions not supported by default for a particular device making it sometimes possible to control devices that the remote control was not originally designed to control It is contemplated that any of these types of remote controls may be used in accordance with the examples and embodiments described herein FIG 3 is a block diagram of another implementation of a system 300 that may be used for smoke detector testing A smoke detector 110 with an attached testing device 130 is shown
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