Noise complaint reporting system

• US 10,445,847 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher Mccann
• Original Assignee: Christopher Mccann
• Inventors: McCann, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Yogeshkumar
• Application Number:
  US16/231,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20190147556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/30 Wind power

Abstract

System that enables a user to generate a detailed noise complaint with a simple input such as a button click; the system identifies the source of the noise and the authority responsible for monitoring this noise, and it creates a properly formatted complaint and sends it to the responsible authority. Illustrative uses include generation of complaints for noise caused by air traffic, trains, wind turbines, road traffic, or sirens. The user may initiate a complaint using any device such as a mobile phone, a voice-activated system such as Amazon Echo™ or Google Home™, or a dedicated input device. The system may search databases or information feeds to identify the likely source of noise near the user'"'"'s location. For example, the system may access real-time flight path data to find the airplane closest to the user at the time the user initiates an air noise complaint.

Claims

1. A noise complaint reporting system comprising:

an input device configured to

present one or more input controls to a user, each input control of said one or more input controls corresponding to a type of undesirable noise that said user may experience and that said user may wish to report;

when said user activates said each input control, generate a message comprising

a date and time that said user activates said each input control;

the type of undesirable noise corresponding to said each input control; and

a location of said input device when said user activates said each input control;

wherein said input device comprises a button; and

wherein said message is a wireless message;

at least one processor coupled to said input device,

wherein when said user activates said button, said button generates said wireless message to said at least one processor, and

wherein said at least one processor is configured to

receive said wireless message;

correlate one or more of said location of said input device and said date and time that said user activates said each input control with one or more databases to identify a source of said undesirable noise;

identify an authority from one or more authorities responsible for monitoring or responding to noise from said source;

access a template from one or more complaint templates from said one or more databases, wherein each of said one or more complaint templates is specific to and associated with

said one or more authorities or

said type of undesirable noise or

both said one or more authorities and said type of undesirable noise;

generate a complaint in a required complaint format for said template associated with said authority, said complaint comprising

an identity of said user;

said location of said input device;

said date and time; and

said source; and

,

transmit said complaint to said authority.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said button comprises one or more physical buttons or physical switches.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

said input device further comprises a microphone;

and,

said one or more input controls comprise voice commands.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

said input device further comprises or is coupled to a GPS;

said input device is configured to obtain said location of said input device from said GPS.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising

a device location database comprising a record that comprises said location of said input device;

wherein one or both of said input device and said at least one processor are configured to obtain said location of said input device from said device location database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

said type of undesirable noise corresponding to at least one input control of said one or more input controls comprises noise from an aircraft;

said at least one processor is further configured to search a database of aircraft flight path information to identify said source of said undesirable noise as an aircraft in the proximity of said location of said input device at said date and time.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein

said one or more input controls comprise

a first input control corresponding to undesirable noise from an airplane;

and

a second input control corresponding to undesirable noise from a helicopter.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein

said at least one processor is further configured to

obtain an altitude of said aircraft at said date and time;

and

compare said altitude to an allowed minimum altitude for said aircraft at or near said location of said input device; and

,

when said altitude of said aircraft at said date and time is below said allowed minimum altitude for said aircraft at or near said location of said input device, generate said complaint further comprising

said altitude of said aircraft at said date and time; and

,

said minimum altitude for said aircraft at or near said location of said input device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

said one or more input controls comprise an input control corresponding to undesirable noise from a train.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

said one or more input controls comprise an input control corresponding to undesirable noise from one or more wind turbines.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein

said one or more input controls comprise an input control corresponding to undesirable noise from road traffic;

said input device comprises a mobile device that comprises or is coupled to a GPS;

said location of said input device comprises a location obtained from said GPS; and

,

said correlate one or more of said location of said input device and said date and time that said user activates said each input control with one or more databases to identify a source of said undesirable noise comprises

identify one or more of an address, a street, a road, a highway, or an intersection corresponding to said location obtained from said GPS.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said input device is coupled to said at least one processor via a network connection comprising

a local WiFi connection coupling said input device to a wireless access point;

and,

an Internet connection coupling said wireless access point to an Internet server that hosts or executes all or part of said at least one processor.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said button is connected over an encrypted TCP/IP connection to an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said button comprises a plurality of buttons that correspond to a plurality different types of undesirable noise.

13. A noise complaint reporting system comprising:

an input device comprising an input control that corresponds to an undesirable noise from an aircraft that said user may experience and that said user may wish to report, wherein

when said user activates said input control, said input device is configured to

generate a message comprising

a date and time that said user activates said input control; and

,

a location of said input device when said user activates said input control;

wherein said input device comprises a button; and

wherein said message is a wireless message;

at least one processor coupled to said input device,

wherein when said user activates said button, said button generates said wireless message to said at least one processor, and

wherein said at least one processor is configured to

receive said wireless message;

search a database of aircraft flight path information to identify a source of said undesirable noise as an aircraft in the proximity of said location of said input device at said date and time;

wherein

all or part of said at least one processor executes on an Internet server; and

said input device is coupled to said at least one processor via a network connection comprising

 

a local WiFi connection coupling said input device to a wireless access point; and

 

an Internet connection coupling said wireless access point to said Internet server;

identify an authority from one or more authorities responsible for monitoring or responding to noise from said source;

access a template from one or more complaint templates from said one or more databases, wherein each of said one or more complaint templates is specific to and associated with

said one or more authorities or

said type of undesirable noise or

both said one or more authorities and said type of undesirable noise;

generate a complaint in a required complaint format for said template associated with said authority, said complaint comprising

an identity of said user;

said location of said input device;

said date and time; and

said source; and

,

transmit said complaint to said authority.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to identify said authority responsible for monitoring or responding to noise from said source as a departure airport or an arrival airport of said aircraft.