Bellbox for an intruder alarm

Abstract

A bell-box housing for an intruder alarm has a first cover part 18 carries a flat surface 12 which comprises a second part made from a translucent material and may be backlit. Surface 12 may have prin

Description

The present invention relates to an illuminated bellbox for an intruder alarm system, and particularly to a bellbox which can be customised with an installer logo in a range of different colours. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Intruder alarm systems typically include one or more external visible “bellbox”. The bellbox includes a loud sounder to alert others when the alarm is activated, but also importantly provides a visible deterrent to intruders. Illuminated bellboxes are more visible at night, and provide an enhanced deterrent because not only are they more likely to be seen, but the fact that they are illuminated suggests that the alarm is wiredin, powered-on, is likely to have been professionally-installed and therefore may well be monitored. Professional alarm installation companies will typically want to install bellboxes which are customised with their company logo. Displaying the installation company’s logo on the alarm bellbox is good advertising for the installation company, and may also have advantages for the building owner since again it enhances the visible deterrent by making clear that the alarm system is a professional installation, may be monitored and may elicit a police response if activated. Many alarm installation companies are small, local businesses. They may be ordering bellboxes and other alarm components on a job-by-job basis, rather than keeping a large stock. There is therefore a need to provide a method of customising a bellbox by printing a logo, to a high standard which will last many years in an external installation, on a short-run or one-off basis. It is known to produce a bellbox with a plain white translucent outer. The plastic outers are moulded from plastics and typically will be manufactured in large quantities. The translucent plastic outer has a flat display surface, onto which an installer’s logo can be screen-printed. This provides for a professional and durable finish. The screenprinting process can be carried out on just one or a handful of bellboxes, to fulfil a small order from an alarm installer. A light panel can be fixed behind the flat display surface, to illuminate the display surface from behind. Light panels can provide a diffuse uniform light across a surface. It is also known to print an installer’s logo onto a thin transparent sheet which can be attached to the bellbox. This has the advantage of low-cost short-run customisation since the transparent sheet can be produced using an ordinary office laser printer. In this case the plastic outer can be made transparent, and the printed sheet can be inserted between the transparent outer and the light panel. However, this type of bellbox does not present such a high-quality appearance as screen printing. The transparent outer reflects external light and makes it difficult to see the printed sheet behind it. Over time the transparent sheet may become misshapen and / or dislodged from its position. In either method, only the flat front surface of the bellbox can be customised. The translucent plastic outer includes not only the front surface, but the sides of the bellbox which will be surface-mounted to an external wall of a building. A black or coloured logo can be screen-printed onto the white background of the front surface. However, some alarm installation companies have adopted branding which incorporates a black or coloured background. The flat front surface of the bellbox can be flood-filled with ink during the screen-printing process, and so it is possible to print these logos on the bellboxes. Sometimes, opaque ink is used for the flood-fill, with the logo “reversed” on the screen print, so that the logo is displayed white-on-black, with the logo illuminated at night against a black background. Translucent inks are also available so that a coloured logo can be printed which can be illuminated from behind, or a coloured background could be illuminated. However, the sides of the bellbox will still be white. Accordingly the logo may not be displayed to the standard the installer wants, as the logo on the black or coloured background will always be surrounded by a white border which will be seen during the daytime. When a logo with a white background is used, when illuminated at night, light may bleed out of the edges of the light panel and through the sides of the bellbox, so that the illuminated shape has blurred edges. Bellboxes are known with plastic outers moulded from black or coloured plastic. However, these coloured plastics are substantially opaque and so cannot be backlit to illuminate them at night. Another problem associated with known illuminated bellboxes is that they tend to discolour over time, especially when mounted in an environment where they are exposed to strong sunlight. When making an opaque bellbox, a UV-stable plastic can be used. For example, ASA is a highly UV-stable plastics material which is suitable to make these products. However, ASA is opaque. To make a translucent bellbox, typically polycarbonate is used, and although some UV stabilisers can be added, this is limited by the need to make the bellbox transparent. The flat front surface of the bellbox can be flood-filled with UV stable ink during the screen-printing process, but that will result in the sides of the bellbox discolouring more quickly than the front, again leading to a messy and degraded appearance. To meet regulatory standards, alarm bellboxes are subject to a range of tests. One of these is an impact test. To pass the test the bellbox must survive a strong impact to the front of the bellbox, designed to replicate for example a football being kicked hard against the bellbox. It is therefore vital that the front surface of the bellbox is able to withstand this significant impact. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved bellbox, which can be professionally customised by screen printing in a range of colours to present an improved appearance compared with the prior art, while meeting all required standards including impact-resistance. STATEMENT OF INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a bellbox for an intruder alarm system, the bellbox including a front outer cover having a substantially flat front surface and a side wall surrounding the flat front surface for spacing the flat front surface from a mounting surface, the front outer cover comprising: a first cover component incorporating at least part of the side wall of the bellbox; and a second cover component incorporating the substantially flat front surface of the bellbox, the second cover component being translucent and attachable to the first cover component, all parts of the second cover component which do not comprise the flat front surface of the bellbox being disposed behind the first cover component when the second cover component is attached to the first cover component. By providing the front cover of the bellbox in two different components, attachable together, the flat front surface can be made from a different material from the side wall. This means that the flat front surface can be made from a translucent plastic, for example polycarbonate, whereas the side wall can be made from an opaque and highly UV-stable plastic, for example acrylic styrene acrylonitrile (ASA) or polycarbonate with added UV stabilisers. The substantially flat front surface can be printed with an installer’s logo by screen-printing, and it is substantially flat in the sense that it is flat enough to use a screen printing process across its whole area. Preferably, a backlight in the form of a light panel is disposed behind the second cover component. This allows the bellbox to be illuminated at night. Light shines through the translucent second cover component, but preferably the first cover component is made from an opaque material to block light. This forms a sharp border when the bellbox is illuminated, fora neat and professional appearance. In one embodiment, a third cover component is provided, the third cover component incorporating at least part of the side wall of the bellbox. Preferably, the side wall is formed by a combination of the first and third cover components. In these embodiments, the third cover component may be attachable to the first cover component, for example by clips, and the second cover component may be held in place between the first and third cover components. Advantageously, by sandwiching the second cover component between the first and third cover components, force applied to the second cover component, which forms the front flat surface of the bellbox, is transmitted to at least part of the sidewall and hence to the mounting surface, for example a brick wall. This ensures that the second cover component cannot become detached from the rest of the bellbox if the bellbox suffers an impact. The third cover component may be for example a translucent plastic lens. The lens may be coloured - typically blues, reds, oranges and yellows are used. Tinted lenses can also be used which look almost black in daylight, but through which light can shine at night. The lens allows for “comfort LEDs” to shine at night. “Comfort LEDs” are typically a pair of alternately flashing LEDs which are supposed to provide an additional deterrent by showing that the alarm is wired-in, turned-on and armed. The lens also allows for a strobe which is a bright flashing light which turns on when the alarm is activated, and may continue to flash after the siren has stopped sounding. The purpose of the strobe is so that the building in which the alarm has been activated can be quickly identified. In one embodiment, the part of the sidewall which forms part of the first cover component substantially surrounds the second cover component in use, in other words forming a bezel framing the front display surface. The first cover component is made from an opaque material and therefore provides a sharp border around the second cover component, so that the shape illuminated by the light panel has neat sharp edges without blurring caused by light bleeding out of the edges of the light panel. Accordingly, the third cover component forms part of the sidewall which extends from the part provided by the first cover component, to the base of the bellbox. Typically, the third cover component, which may provide a lens for comfort LEDs and a strobe, extends around a lower section of the bellbox, with the sidewall on the upper section being completely opaque and being provided by the first cover component. The first cover component preferably includes retaining formations extending inwardly from an inside of the side wall of the cover component. To assemble the second cover component to the first cover component, the second cover component is slotted in front of the retaining formations. The parts of the front surface of the second cover component which do not form the flat front surface of the bellbox rest behind and abut a corresponding rear surface of the first cover component. Then, the third cover component is attached to the first cover component and typically is held by clips, for example resilient plastic clips. This retains the second cover component in place, by sandwiching it between the first and third cover components. Preferably, impact transmitting protrusions are provided as part of the second cover component. The impact transmitting protrusions extend from behind the second cover component, preferably at sides of the second cover component which are not directly behind the flat outer surface of the bellbox, and which therefore are disposed behind the first cover component when assembled. Where a third cover component is provided at a lower section of the bellbox, the impact transmitting protrusions are provided above the upper extent of the third cover component. The impact transmitting protrusions act to transmit any impact which the front of the bellbox may suffer to the mounting surface, for example a brick wall. The parts of the side wall which are provided by the third cover component also serve to do this, and so by providing separate protrusions above the extent of the third cover component good impact resistance is achieved whatever the position of the impact may be on the front surface of the bellbox. Bellboxes according to the invention may be a range of shapes. It is understood that the sidewall substantially surrounds the front surface of the bellbox, whatever shape that may be. A circular bellbox may have a single curved sidewall (parts of which may nevertheless be provided by first and third components in some embodiments). Rectangular, hexagonal, and other shapes of bellbox can all be provided in embodiments of the invention. With some shapes it may be possible to identify multiple distinct sidewalls, e.g. top, bottom, left and right sidewalls for a rectangular bellbox. However “the sidewall” as described above encompasses the feature or features which surround the front surface, whether they are multiple distinct sidewalls or a single wall. Preferably the bellbox includes a siren. However, embodiments of the invention may be provided without a siren. A professionally-installed alarm will usually include an external bellbox with a siren, but it may also be desirable to install additional bellboxes, for example around the back and the sides of the building, to provide an additional visible deterrent. Providing a siren in all of those bellboxes may be unnecessary and may be undesirable or contravene regulations by creating too much noise. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from in front of a bellbox for an intruder alarm according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from behind of a front outer cover of the bellbox of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross section through the front outer cover of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view showing in particular a clip forming part of the front outer cover of Figure 2. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to Figure 1, a bellbox for an intruder alarm system is indicated generally at 10. In Figure 1, the bellbox is shown from in front. A flat front surface 12 provides space for indicia, for example the logo of a professional alarm installation company. A sidewall 14 substantially surrounds the flat front surface. When installed, a base component (not visible in the drawings) is mounted to the mounting surface (for example, a brick wall), and the front cover shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 is attached to the base component at a hinge (16, Figure 2). Accordingly, a back edge 14a of the sidewall 14 contacts the mounting surface, either directly or via a flange around the periphery of the base component. In the embodiment shown, the bellbox is hexagonal in shape and so six distinct sidewalls can be identified. However, “the sidewall” is used to refer to the entire sidewall extending all the way around the front surface. Also, in this embodiment, a distinct wall section 14c, extending substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface when installed, and a bezel section 14b, framing the flat front surface 12, can be identified. However, in other embodiments, the sidewall might be continuously curved and therefore it may not be possible to identify a wall section and a bezel section, or a plurality of distinct sidewalls. From figures 1 and 2 three major components are apparent which make up the front outer cover of the bellbox. A first cover component 18 incorporates part of the sidewall. In this embodiment, the part of the sidewall provided by the first cover component includes a bezel which frames the flat front surface 12 by extending substantially all the way around the flat front surface 12. At an upper section of the bellbox, indicated II, the first cover component provides the part of the sidewall extending all the way from the flat front surface 12 to the back edge 14a of the sidewall. However, at a lower section L of the bellbox, the first cover component 18 incorporates only the part of the sidewall forming the bezel immediately surrounding the flat front surface. The part of the sidewall 14 extending from the bezel 14b to the back edge 14a is provided by a third cover component 20. The third cover component 20 provides a lens, through which comfort LEDs and / or a strobe can shine. It is envisaged that the first cover component will be moulded from an opaque plastic, preferably ASA. First cover components may be provided in a range of different colours. An installer logo may be screen-printed onto the flat front surface 12 of the bellbox. The background colour of the installer logo may be colour-matched to a first cover component in the correct colour, so that when printed the background colour is continuous across the front surface 12 and around the bezel 14b and wall section 14c. UV-stable ink may be used to flood-fill the flat front surface 12 of the bellbox during screen printing. This protects the second cover component, which may be made from a less UV-stable plastic such as polycarbonate, from degradation in sunlight. Even where the installer’s branding uses a white background, the flat front surface 12 can be flood-filled with a UV-stable translucent white ink. This avoids discolouration of the plastic in daylight. Third cover components may also be provided in a range of colours. In this embodiment the third cover component is a translucent lens through which comfort LEDs and / or a strobe may shine, but in other embodiments third cover components could be opaque mouldings to match or complement first cover components. By providing a range of colours and / or finishes for the first and / or third cover components, a range of attractive designs can be produced, to match installer branding, economically and without requiring minimum production numbers for a specific design. Referring now to Figure 2 and Figure 3, it can be seen that the front surface (12, Figure 1) is provided by a second cover component 22. The second cover component 22 is disposed behind the first cover component 18, so that all parts of the first cover component which are not part of the flat front surface 12 are behind the first cover component 18, and not exposed to a viewer looking at the bellbox from the front (Figure 1). The second cover component includes a retaining surround 24 which is stepped back from the flat surface 12, and substantially surrounds the flat front surface 12. The surround 24 rests against the back of the bezel 14b, which in this embodiment is provided as part of the first cover component 18. As seen most clearly in Figure 3, part of the hinge 16, which allows the front outer coverto pivot on the base component of the bellbox, also provides a retaining formation to hold the first cover component 22 in place at an upper end of the bellbox. Part of the retaining surround 24 is slotted between the retaining formation 16 and an inside back surface of the bezel 14b. After the second cover component 22 has been assembled behind the first cover component 18, the third cover component 20 can be clipped into place. The first cover component includes a plurality of resilient clips 26 which extend behind the first cover component in a direction roughly perpendicular to the front surface 12. The clips are resilient snap clips 26, which extend through corresponding apertures in the third cover component 20 and snap back behind a formation to retain the third cover component 20 firmly in place against the first cover component 18. Since part of the retaining surround 24 of the second cover component 22 is disposed between the first and third cover components 18, 20, the second cover component is also held in place. Note that the connection between the second and third cover components is not necessarily designed to be easily removable. Indeed a fairly aggressive resilient clip may be used, and the number of clips (eight in this example) may make it fairly difficult to disassemble the second and third cover components without causing damage. The components are envisaged to be connected together once, during manufacture and customisation. Impact transmitting protrusions 28 are provided, extending behind the surround 24 of the second cover component 22. The protrusions ensure that any force applied to the front panel 12 of the bellbox will be transmitted through the base component and to the mounting surface (which may be, for example, a brick wall). This ensures that the bellbox can resist impact, and critically ensures that the second cover component 22 cannot become inadvertently detached from the first and third cover components. Note that, in the lower section of the bellbox, force applied to the front surface 12 will be transmitted through the part of the sidewall which is provided by the third cover component 20 The position of light panel 30 is seen most clearly in Figure 3, and Figure 4 shows a detail of clips 32 which hold the light panel in place, behind the flat surface of the second cover component 22 (the light panel itself is not shown in Figure 4). Each clip 32 forms part of the third cover component 20. The clip is designed to be pushed inwardly by hand, in the direction of arrow A. The clip includes a retaining protrusion 34, for retaining the light panel in a space between the retaining protrusion 34 and the back of the second cover section 22. Note that the front of the clip also overlies part of the surround 24 of the second cover section 22, assisting to hold the second cover section in place. Referring to Figure 3, it can be seen that the light panel 30 extends across the full extent of the front flat surface 12 of the second cover section 22, where it is visible from in front. In fact, the light panel 30 is larger in area than the front flat surface 12 and so it extends behind part of the surround 24 of the second cover section 22, which is covered by the bezel 14b when viewed from in front. This means that the border of the illuminated area is defined by the opaque bezel blocking out light at the edges and not by the extent of the light panel 30 itself as it is in the prior art. Regardless of the combination of colours chosen, this results in a much sharper edge and more professional-looking appearance when illuminated. The bellbox of the invention allows for short-run (including one-off) customisation of the bellbox to incorporate an installer’s branding and present a professional appearance. A background colour associated with the installer’s branding can be printed on to the flat front surface, and colour matched with a selected first cover component so that the background colour covers not only the flat front surface, but also the bezel and side wall. In the daytime, this will present as a coloured bellbox to 5 match the installer’s branding. In the night, the bellbox can illuminate cleanly, without light bleeding from around the edges of the light panel. Even a simple black or coloured logo on a white background will benefit from the improved sharpness of illumination provided by the opaque bezel. Since the bezel can be moulded from an opaque UV-stable plastic such as ASA, and the front surface can be flood-filled with UV-stable ink, 10 discolouration in sunlight is avoided. The embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and various changes and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bellbox for an intruder alarm system, the bellbox including a front outer cover having a substantially flat front surface and a side wall surrounding the flat front surface for spacing the flat front surface from a mounting surface, the front outer5 cover comprising:a first cover component incorporating at least part of the side wall of the bellbox;a second cover component incorporating the substantially flat front surface of the bellbox, the second cover component being translucent10 and attachable to the first cover component, all parts of the secondcover component which do not comprise the substantially flat front surface of the bellbox being disposed behind the first cover component when the second cover component is attached to the first cover component; and15 a backlight disposed behind the second cover component,the part of the sidewall which forms part of the first cover component substantially surrounding the second cover component in use, forming a bezel framing the flat front surface,the first cover component being made from an opaque material,20 and the flat front surface being flood filled with ink to match the colourof the first cover component, to provide a continuous background colour across the flat front surface and around the sidewall including the bezel.

2. A bellbox as claimed in claim 1, in which indicia is printed on the substantially flat front surface of the bellbox.25 3. A bellbox as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the backlight is provided inthe form of a light panel.

4. A bellbox as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which a third cover component is provided, the third cover component incorporating at least part of the side wall of the bellbox.09 07 245. A bellbox as claimed in claim 4, in which the second cover component is held in place between the first and third cover components.

6. A bellbox as claimed in claim4 or claim 5, in which the third cover component is a translucent lens.5 7. A bellbox as claimed in claim 6, in which comfort LEDs are provided behind thetranslucent lens.

8. A bellbox as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, in which a strobe is provided behind the lens.

9. A bellbox as claimed in any of claims 4 to 8, in which the third cover component 10 extends around a lower section of the bellbox, with the sidewall on the uppersection being provided by the first cover component.

10. A bellbox as claimed in any of claims 4 to 9, in which the third cover component is attached to the first cover component by clips.

11. A bellbox as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which impact 15 transmitting protrusions are provided as part of the second cover component,extending from behind the second cover component.

12. A bellbox as claimed in any of the preceding claims, including a sounder.Application No: GB2317445.1Examiner: Gareth LewisClaims searched: AllDate of search: 8 May 2024Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X Y 1-3,,6,7,11, 12,14,15 at least GB2488556 A (PYRONIX) See whole document, esp. figure 4 X,Y 1- 7,11,14,1 5 at least GB2533591 A (TEXECOM) See whole document X 1-4,6,11,12, 14,15at least GB2202073 A (LACEY) See whole document Y 1 GB2064190 A (CQR) note abstract Y 1 GB2387470 A (ROBERTS) see whole document Y 1 GB2372128 A (GARDINER) note abstract Y 8-10 at least GB2551491A (ORISEC) See figures 4a,b and pageas 9-10 Y 8-10 at least GB2551492 A (ORISEC) figs 3a-9Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if combined with one or more other documents of same category. P Document published on or after the declared priority date but before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:International Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From H05K 0005 / 03 01 / 01 / 2006 F21V 0033 / 00 01 / 01 / 2006 G08B 0013 / 00 01 / 01 / 2006

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