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Abstract

An electronic key or other missing object locator device is responsive to the impulse characteristics of received sounds to distinguish expected impulse-like triggering sounds such as humanly produced hand claps from other impulse-like sounds such as speech or music or non-impulse-like sounds. Errors may be counted whenever the received sounds do not correspond to the expected characteristics of the expected impulse-like triggering sounds. Whenever the expected number of triggering sounds having the expected impulse characteristics have been discriminated and detected, an audible alert is sounded, provided that the errors are not too many. The device of the invention is thereby able to distinguish expected hand claps (or other humanly produced sounds) from non-intended music, speech or other impulse-like or non-impulse-like triggering sounds, rendering it operable even in noisy environments. False alarms from mechanical wave energy are prevented. The user may clap his or her hands in a free manner, and almost any 'natural' clap succession, whether or not evenly spaced, and whether or not comparatively-fast or comparatively-slow, will result in the audible alert.

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First Claim