Locality based alert method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of distributing emergency alerts, comprising:
- receiving emergency information from an agency having a predetermined format;
authenticating securely the emergency information; and
creating and distributing a URL associated with the emergency information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Information about emergency situations is securely collected and processed by an agency, such as the local police force. When the information is approved for distribution as an emergency alert of a particular type, the alert is transmitted to a server. The server in turn facilitates the distribution of information widely to the public, and on a locality by locality basis. The server may format the emergency alert message or information for a variety of devices and send the information to those devices to convey the information to the public. The devices may include, for example, wireless devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants or any other type of wireless device; computers; electronic road signs; EAS equipment; computers and webpages; and any other type of output device. The server may also act as a web portal to disseminate information to the public and to allow members of the public to sign up to receive emergency alerts in particular localities, for example by zip code, at no cost to government or the public.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of distributing emergency alerts, comprising:
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receiving emergency information from an agency having a predetermined format;
authenticating securely the emergency information; and
creating and distributing a URL associated with the emergency information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of handling an emergency, comprising:
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collecting information on an emergency;
storing the information according to a predetermined format;
authenticating the emergency; and
transmitting the emergency information and authorization to a server for distribution of the emergency information to a plurality of devices. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of distributing emergency alerts to the public, comprising:
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receiving information identifying at least one user device on which to receive emergency alerts and localities;
receiving emergency information from an agency having a predetermined format;
translating the emergency information into another format usable by each of the user devices; and
transmitting the translated emergency information to the devices. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for handling emergency alert distribution, comprising:
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a user alert database accessible via a network that stores information identifying user devices and localities;
an emergency information database accessible via the network that stores emergency information;
a server coupled to the databases that allowing users to access and identify user devices and localities and that allows agencies to authenticate the emergency information for distribution as an emergency alert. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification