Emergency alert message data structure, emergency alert message processing method and broadcast receiver

• US 20060015916A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Chang Sik
• Granted Patent: US 7,324,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/108
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

An emergency alert message data structure, an emergency alert message processing method and a broadcast receiver are disclosed. When a state of emergency where a channel change to an emergency broadcast channel is required occurs, a transmitting stage includes information regarding the emergency broadcast channel and emergency alert contents in text form in an emergency alert message and transmits the resulting emergency alert message. A receiving stage receives the emergency alert message and determines whether the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel included in the emergency alert message is required. If the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is determined to be required, the receiving stage changes the current channel to the emergency broadcast channel, and displays the emergency alert contents in text form included in the emergency alert message on a portion of a screen of the emergency broadcast channel in a scrolling manner. Therefore, the viewer can more accurately recognize the state of emergency through not only emergency alert broadcast of the emergency broadcast channel which is displayed as a moving image, but also the emergency alert contents which are scrolled on the screen.

Claims

1. A data structure of an emergency alert message comprising an emergency alert message syntax for informing a viewer of an occurrence of a state of emergency, the syntax including an alert priority field for determining processing of the emergency alert message when the message is received,

wherein the alert priority field has a predetermined value which indicates a channel change to an emergency broadcast channel and a display of emergency alert contents in text form.

2. A method for processing an emergency alert message, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving the emergency alert message including information regarding an emergency broadcast channel to which a current channel is to be compulsorily changed and emergency alert contents in text form in the emergency alert message, when a state of emergency where the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is required occurs;

(b) parsing a channel information field in the received emergency alert message to extract the emergency broadcast channel from the message, and changing the current channel to the extracted emergency broadcast channel; and

(c) displaying the emergency alert contents in text form included in the received emergency alert message on a screen of the emergency broadcast channel.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

parsing an alert priority field in the received emergency alert message to determine whether the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is required, and performing the step (b) if it is determined that the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is required.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the alert priority field has a predetermined value which indicates both the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel and the display of the emergency alert contents in text form.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein, at the step (c), the emergency alert contents in text form are displayed on the screen in a scrolling manner.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein, at the step (c), the emergency alert contents in text form are scrolled from the upper right to upper left of the screen.

7. A method for processing an emergency alert message, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining whether a channel change to an emergency broadcast channel is required, if an emergency alert message for informing a viewer of an occurrence of a state of emergency is received;

(b) if the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is determined to be required at the step (a), parsing a channel information field in the received emergency alert message to extract the emergency broadcast channel from the message, and changing a current channel to the extracted emergency broadcast channel;

(c) determining whether emergency alert contents in text form are present in the received emergency alert message; and

(d) displaying the emergency alert contents in text form on a screen of the emergency broadcast channel in a scrolling manner if the emergency alert contents are determined to be present in the received emergency alert message at the step (c).

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step (a) includes the step of:

parsing an alert priority field in the received emergency alert message to determine whether the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is required.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein, at the step (d), the emergency alert contents in text form are scrolled from the upper right to upper left of the screen of the emergency broadcast channel.

10. A cable broadcast receiver comprising:

an in-band signal processor for receiving an audio/video (AN) broadcasting signal and an emergency alert message over in-band;

a Point Of Deployment (POD) module for receiving a program and channel associated information, and an emergency alert message over Out-Of-Band (OOB); and

an emergency alert message controller for parsing the emergency alert message received by any one of the in-band signal processor and the POD module to determine whether a channel change to an emergency broadcast channel included in the emergency alert message is required, and, if the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is determined to be required, changing a current channel to the emergency broadcast channel and displaying emergency alert contents in text form on a screen of the emergency broadcast channel if the emergency alert contents are included in the emergency alert message.

11. The cable broadcast receiver as set forth in claim 10, wherein the POD module can be removably inserted in the cable broadcast receiver.

12. The cable broadcast receiver as set forth in claim 10, wherein the emergency alert message controller is adapted to process the emergency alert message received by the POD module if the POD module is inserted in the cable broadcast receiver, and the emergency alert message received by the in-band signal processor if the POD module is not inserted in the cable broadcast receiver.

13. The cable broadcast receiver as set forth in claim 10, wherein the emergency alert message controller is adapted to parse an alert priority field in the emergency alert message to determine whether the channel change to the emergency broadcast channel is required.

14. The cable broadcast receiver as set forth in claim 13, wherein the alert priority field has a predetermined value which indicates both a compulsory channel change to the emergency broadcast channel and the display of the emergency alert contents in text form.

15. The cable broadcast receiver as set forth in claim 10, wherein the emergency alert message controller is adapted to scroll the emergency alert contents in text form from the upper right to upper left of the screen.