Emergency alert signaling method, data structure for emergency alert message, and cable TV receiver

• US 20060015915A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Chang Sik
• Application Number:
  US11/177,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015915A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/108
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A cable broadcast signal includes an emergency alert message to be used by a cable TV system. The emergency alert message includes an alert priority and one or more alert region information sets which define one or more regions affected by the emergency alert message, respectively. Each region information includes a first country code identifying a country and a first local region code defining a local region within the identified country. The cable TV system processes the emergency alert message based upon comparing each alert region information with system region information preset to the cable TV system.

Claims

1. An Emergency Alert (EA) signaling method for use by a cable TV system, the method comprising:

identifying an emergency alert message included in a cable broadcast signal, the emergency alert message comprising an alert priority and at least one alert region information which defines at least one region affected by the emergency alert message, each alert region information comprising a first country code identifying a country and a first local region code defining a local region within the identified country; and

processing the emergency alert message based upon comparing each alert region information with system region information preset to the cable TV system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the emergency alert message comprises:

determining whether the first country code conforms to a second country code included in the system region information;

determining whether the first local region code conforms to a second local region code included in the system region information; and

processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority when the first country and local region codes conform to the second country and local codes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the emergency alert message comprises:

determining whether the first country code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all countries; and

processing the emergency alert message based on the alert priority in disregard of the first local region code when the first country code conforms to the predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined value is 0.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the emergency alert message comprises:

determining whether the first country code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all countries;

determining whether the first country code conforms to a second country code included in the system region information; and

discarding the emergency alert message when the first country code does not conform to any one of the predetermined value and the second country code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the emergency alert message comprises:

determining whether the first country code conforms to a second country code included in the system region information;

determining whether the first local region code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all local regions; and

processing the emergency alert message based on the alert priority when the first country code conforms to the second country code and the first local region code conforms to the predetermined value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined value is 0.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the emergency alert message comprises:

determining whether the first country code conforms to a second country code included in the system region information;

determining whether the first local region code conforms to a second predetermined value indicating all local regions;

determining whether the first local region code conforms to a second local region code included in the system region information; and

discarding the emergency alert message when the first country code conforms to the second country code and the first local region code does not conform to any one of the second predetermined value and the second local region code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert region information comprises a second local region code which defines a region within the local region defined by the first local region code.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the alert region information further comprises a third local region code which defines a region within the region defined by the second local region code.

11. An Emergency Alert (EA) signaling method for use by a cable TV system, the method comprising:

identifying an emergency alert message included in a cable broadcast signal, the emergency alert message comprising an alert priority and at least one alert region information which defines at least one region affected by the emergency alert message, each alert region information comprising a first country code identifying a country, a first state code defining a state within the country, a first county subdivision defining a county subdivision within the state, and a first county code defining a county within the county subdivision;

determining whether the first country code conforms to a second country code included in system region information preset to the cable TV system;

determining whether the first state code conforms to a second state code included in the system region information;

determining whether the first county subdivision conforms to a second county subdivision included in the system region information;

determining whether the first county code conforms to a second county code included in the system region information; and

processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority when the first country code, state code, county subdivision, and county code conform to the second country code, state code, county subdivision, and county code, respectively.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority in disregard of the first state code, county subdivision, and county code when the first country code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all countries.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority in disregard of the first county subdivision and county code when the first country code conforms to the second country code and the first state code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all states.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority in disregard of the first county code when the first country and state codes conform to the second country and state codes and the first county subdivision conforms to a predetermined value indicating all county subdivisions.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising processing the emergency alert message according to the alert priority when the first country code, state code, and county subdivision conform to the second country code, state code, and county subdivision and the first county code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all counties.

16. A data structure for an emergency alert message for use by a cable TV system, the data structure comprising:

an alert priority based on which the cable TV system processes the emergency alert message; and

at least one alert region information defining at least one region affected by the emergency alert message, each alert region information comprising a country code identifying a country.

17. The data structure of claim 16, wherein the country code is set to a predetermined value to indicate all countries.

18. The data structure of claim 17, wherein the predetermined value is 0.

19. The data structure of claim 16, wherein the each alert region information further comprises a state code defining a state within the country defined by the country code.

20. The data structure of claim 19, wherein the state code is set to a predetermined value to indicate all states.

21. The data structure of claim 19, wherein the each alert region information further comprises a county subdivision defining a county subdivision within the state defined by the state code.

22. The data structure of claim 21, wherein the county subdivision is set to a predetermined value to indicate all county subdivisions.

23. The data structure of claim 21, wherein the each alert region information further comprises a county code defining a county within the county subdivision defined by county subdivision.

24. The data structure of claim 20, wherein the county code is set to a predetermined value to indicate all counties.

25. A cable TV receiver comprising:

a memory;

a signal receiving unit configured to receive a cable broadcast signal including an emergency alert message and to store the emergency alert message in the memory, the stored emergency alert message comprising an alert priority and at least one alert region information defining at least one region affected by the emergency alert message, each alert region information comprising a first country code identifying a country and a first local region code defining a local region within the country; and

a controller configured to process the emergency alert message based upon comparing each alert region information with preset system region information.

26. The cable TV receiver of claim 25, wherein the controller processes the emergency alert message according to the alert priority when the first country and local region codes conform to second country and local codes included in the system region information.

27. The cable TV receiver of claim 25, wherein the controller processes the emergency alert message according to the alert priority in disregard of the first local region code when the first country code conforms to a predetermined value indicating all countries.

28. The cable TV receiver of claim 25, wherein the controller discards the emergency alert message when the first country code does not conform to any one of a predetermined value indicating all countries and a second country code included in the system region information.