Abstract: An intruder detection system includes a self-supervision feature which, on the basis of detecting authorized pedestrian traffic within a region under surveillance, alerts the system user of potentially faulty system components. Such system comprises a programmable timer which is repeatedly reset to a programmed maximum time interval by each occurence of an alarm-producing event, such as a disturbance of standing microwaves and/or a slight increase in ambient temperature in a region under surveillance. During "disarm" periods when the system alarm is intentionally deactivated to enable use of the protected region without the production of any alarm signals, each occurence of an alarm input to the system alarm (as produced by authorized traffic within the protected region) is used to repeatedly reset the timer to its preselected time interval (e.g., 1,4,8 or 16 days).

Abstract: Apparatus, and accompanying methods, for determining appropriate sampling points located throughout a scanned microfilmed bit-mapped "data strip" in order to properly extract the values of stored data bits therefrom. Each data bit is formed of a contiguous group of one or more pixels in the data strip. Specifically, my technique involves parsing the data strip into successive vertical strips that each has successive rows of pixels, determining inter-row and inter-pixel differential intensity values for each vertical strip, and defining vertical line addresses and horizontal pixel addresses in each of the strips as a function of the pixel positions of the inter-row and inter-pixel differential intensity values associated therewith. The individual pixels in each vertical strip, which are situated at the horizontal pixel addresses and which lie on those rows in that vertical strip specified by the vertical line addresses, are sampled in order to yield sampled pixel data.

Abstract: An alarm system to be used with safes is disclosed. A housing is provided adapted to be mounted to the exterior of a safe, particularly a personal home or business safe. A heat sensor is mounted to a shaft that extends from the housing into the safe. The shaft is designed to pass through a preexisting hole found on many commercial available safes. The heat sensor is electronically linked with a control system adapted to sound an alarm when more than a preselected temperature is sensed at the heat sensor. A motion sensor is also mounted in the housing to sense when more than a preselected amount of motion is sensed in the safe.

Abstract: A multizone intruder detection system comprises a supervisory circuit for verifying, while the system is disarmed, that each of a plurality of intrusion sensors is, indeed, functional. The supervisory circuit inhibits rearming of a disarmed system until it determines that each sensor has successfully operated within a relatively brief time interval just prior to the time an attempt is made to arm the system. A timing circuit, activated by a preliminary arm signal, operates to establish a time window (e.g. 10 minutes) within which the operability of each sensor must be verified (i.e. walk-tested) as a precondition to system arming. Preferably, the timing circuit is reset by each sensor alarm output, whereby the system user is given the full time window to walk-test each sensor. By virtue of the invention, sensor sabotage in a disarmed system can be mitigated.