Purpose of Survivor Alert
Survivor Alert was designed and engineered with the following primary goals in mind:
- Provide an earthquake detector that would detect and react to all movement caused by significant types of seismic waves.
- Provide an alarm that would sound upon detection of earthquake activity.
- Provide a light that would illuminate upon detection of earthquake activity.
- Provide a portable device that could be easily carried.
- Provide a wall-mount that would hold the detector secure, yet allow the detector to be quickly snatched from a wall-mount.
- Provide the detector with a switch that would allow the user to switch to Light Only (when alarm is not needed) in order to see in darkness while taking cover or evacuating a building.
- Provide a device with a switch to allow the user to sound the alarm as a distress signal, in case of entrapment.
- Provide electronic circuitry that would allow easy centering of the detector.
- Provide a wall-mount that can be easily secured to a wall.
- Provide an earthquake detection device that is affordable to residential users.
- Provide a detector that is unique and contemporary in design.
Additional Benefits
- By volume, detector unit is over 90% plastic -- a benefit to lower cost in manufacturing.
- Light weight - ensures low cost shipping.
- The unique design adds to its function -- majority of weight (mainly batteries) is kept close to the wall-mount, allowing weight to rest on the seat and cradled by the upper and lower cradle arms, while the light sensor and handle are placed outward.
- Sloping light distributor -- allows more light to flood inward, when the device is mounted to a wall.
- Circuitry is efficient, yet cost effective -- containing only a minimum of electronic components.
- Moving the switch to each position, checks entire system -- precludes the addition of a separate test circuit, thereby saving on cost.
- The majority of detectors on the market have factory preset sensitivity or technical screwdriver adjustments -- this unit provides the user with a sensitivity control that may be adjusted as the user determines to be most suitable for the area of use. This relieves the manufacturer/distributor of undue responsibility in presetting sensitivity that may be either too high or low for a particular location.
- Thirty seconds after quaking subsides the alarm will automatically shut off. Should quaking resume after this period, alarm will sound again.
- The wall-mount allows for easy adjustment if the wall is found to be out-of-plumb.
- The lower housing provides room for an emergency car key and cash. When a building is evacuated there is usually little time to look for keys or money. Reentering a building may be dangerous or impossible. Having a spare key will allow one to flee the area quickly.
- As a supplement to advertising, some free promotion would be expected. In the western United States, the media is promoting earthquake preparedness with increasing intensity. Often stating that "the big one," is overdue in California as well as throughout Washington and Oregon (a combined population of over 40 million). Encouraging the public to be prepared, some stations offer free plans for assembling emergency disaster kits and often times point out the advantages of retrofitting homes. It is anticipated that invaluable promotion will be gained through the media, following the introduction of this invention, especially when the device is both affordable and a first in providing a portable detector with a combination of both alarm and light - it is a natural extension of an earthquake disaster kit and certainly a major step toward earthquake preparedness. Following initial sales, when an area is struck by a destructive earthquake, it can be expected, through media on-the-spot interviews with earthquake survivors, that more than a few will credit this earthquake detector as being a contributing factor to their survival.