Receiving an emergency alert message via a broadcast data channel

• US 10,313,036 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2016
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daly, Brian K., Sennett, DeWayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehra, Inder P
• Application Number:
  US15/369,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 455 301, 455526, 455527, 340 721, 340 729, 3406913, 340 748, 379 37, 379 41, 379 45, 37921802
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/02 Broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A mobile device may be configured with multiple receivers (e.g., a cellular receiver, a broadcast receiver such as FM, AM, DTV, a satellite receiver, a NWR receiver, etc.). Upon receipt of an emergency alert message via at least one of the receivers, the mobile device, via an application installed on the mobile device, may extract the emergency alert message from a data channel of the broadcast. The mobile device, via the application, may process the extracted emergency alert message to determine if the emergency alert message is to be rendered via the device. And, if the emergency alert message is to be rendered, the mobile device, via the application, may format the extracted emergency alert message to conform to a standard format (e.g., Commercial Mobile Alert System, CMAS, format).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a communications device, that a first information received via a first receiver of the communications device is related to a first alert message;

determining, by the communications device, that a second information received via a second receiver of the communications device is related to a second alert message, wherein the first information and the second information are related to each other by being related to a single event;

aggregating, by the communications device, the first information and the second information based on a user preference; and

rendering, by the communications device, the aggregated information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the aggregated information in accordance with a predetermined format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a first broadcast and the second information comprises a second broadcast.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first broadcast is one of a frequency modulation (FM), amplitude modulation (AM), National Weather Service (NWR), television (TV), digital television (DTV), or satellite broadcast.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first alert message comprises a first type of alert message and wherein the second alert message comprises a second type of alert message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the communications device, the user preference in a broadcast alert preference table.

7. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

determining that a first information received via a first receiver of the device is related to a first alert message;

determining that a second information received via a second receiver of the device is related to a second alert message, wherein the first information and the second information are related to each other by being related to a single event;

aggregating, based on a user preference, the first information and the second information; and

rendering the aggregated information.

8. The device of claim 7, the operations further comprising formatting the aggregated information in accordance with a predetermined format.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the first information comprises a first broadcast and the second information comprises a second broadcast.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first broadcast is one of a frequency modulation (FM), amplitude modulation (AM), National Weather Service (NWR), television (TV), digital television (DTV), or satellite broadcast.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein at least one of first broadcast and the second broadcast has an associated data channel.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the first broadcast is a Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) broadcast.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first information and the second information comprises video information.

14. The device of claim 7, the operations further comprising rendering a confidence level based on the aggregated information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the confidence level based on a comparison of the first information and the second information.

16. The device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first information and the second information comprises voice information.

17. The device of claim 7, the operations further comprising:

generating a third information based on the aggregated information; and

rendering the third information.

18. A system comprising:

a display; and

a device communicatively connected with the display, the device comprises;

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

determining that a first information received via a first receiver of the device is related to a first alert message;

determining that a second information received via a second receiver of the device is related to a second alert message, wherein the first information and the second information are related to each other by being related to a single event; and

aggregating, based on a user preference, the first information and the second information; and

rendering the aggregated first information and second information.

19. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

formatting the aggregated information in accordance with a predetermined format.

20. The system claim 18, wherein the first information comprises a first broadcast and the second information comprises a second broadcast.