Emergency alert systems and methods

• US 20070004377A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• 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: Medford, Brad, Hill, Robert, Webster, Thomas, Walker, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method for providing Emergency Alert System (EAS) notifications over Internet Protocol (IP) delivery platforms, including a proxy server coupled to an emergency alert system receiver, a subscriber management database coupled to the proxy server, and an instant messaging server coupled to the proxy server and to the subscriber management server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a proxy server coupled to an emergency alert system receiver;

a subscriber management database coupled to the proxy server; and

an instant messaging server coupled to the proxy server and to the subscriber management server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy server is adapted to parse a Federal Information Processing Standard code from an emergency alert system signal received from the emergency alert system receiver.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the subscription management database is to receive the Federal Information Processing Standard code from the proxy server and to generate an affected subscriber list based on the Federal Information Processing Standard code.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the subscription management database is to generate the affected subscriber list by matching the Federal Information Processing Standard code to one or more matching physical location identifiers, wherein the affected subscriber list includes at least one customer corresponding to the matching physical location identifiers.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the subscriber management database is to generate one or more group lists based on the Federal Information Processing Standard code.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy server is to parse one or more emergency alert signal message data fields from an emergency alert system signal received from the emergency alert system receiver.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the instant messaging server is to receive one or more emergency alert signal message data fields from the proxy server, including a message ID and an associated text of message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instant messaging server is to generate a broadcast signal in an IP format by matching the message ID and the associated text message with an affected subscriber list received from the subscription management database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the affected subscriber list includes customer premise equipment identifiers for at least one customer premise equipment device associated with a subscriber included in the affected subscriber list.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instant messaging server is to broadcast the broadcast signal in the IP format to the at least one customer premise equipment device over an IP network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one customer premise equipment device includes a set top box associated with an IP television coupled to the instant messaging sever though the IP network.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one customer premise equipment device includes a computer coupled to the instant messaging sever though the IP network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one customer premise equipment device includes an IP telephone coupled to the instant messaging sever though the IP network.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one customer premise equipment device is to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the at least one customer premise equipment device, and responsive to detection, receive and display the broadcast signal, including the emergency alert signal text message.

15. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert system signal including a Federal Information Processing Standard code and one or more message data fields; and

broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the one or more of the message data fields using instant messaging.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the emergency alert system signal includes parsing and formatting a message included in the emergency alert system signal into the one or more message data fields including a Federal Information Processing Standard code.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

matching the Federal Information Processing Standard code to an identifier; and

providing a corresponding list of matching physical location identifiers.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein broadcasting the affected subscriber list includes generating the affected subscriber list including one or more customer premise equipment identifiers based on the matching physical location identifiers.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein broadcasting the affected subscriber list includes combining the affected subscriber list with the one or more message data fields.

20. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform:

receiving an emergency alert system signal including a Federal Information Processing Standard code and one or more message data fields; and

broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the one or more of the message data fields using instant messaging.