METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING EMERGENCY MESSAGES

• US 20080291849A1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: OSTERMEIER, ROBERT, SCHUBERT, BUDD L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• 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: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13242 Broadcast, diffusion, multicast, point-to-multipoint (1 : N)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13374 Paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting emergency messages is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device, of a communication system, having a controller element to send a selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to one or more associates of a subscriber corresponding to the communication device; and receive an emergency alert message of a public emergency alert system for a zone of coverage, wherein the subscriber is in the zone of coverage and wherein the emergency alert message is transmitted to one or more associate communication devices of each of the one or more associates according to the selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium of a communication system, comprising computer instructions for:

detecting an emergency alert message broadcast by a public emergency alert system for a zone of coverage;

identifying one or more subscribers of the communication system that are in the zone of coverage;

identifying one or more associate communication devices for each of one or more associates of the one or more subscribers;

providing types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices;

receiving a selection of the types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted;

receiving associate presence information corresponding to the one or more associate communication devices; and

transmitting the emergency alert message to at least one of the one or more associate communication devices based on the associate presence information when the emergency alert message corresponds to the selection of the types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the associate presence information is based at least in part on activity of the one or more associate communication devices that is indicative of a likelihood of success in communicating with the one or more associates.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selection of the types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted is a pre-selection prior to the detecting of the emergency alert message, and wherein the pre-selection is made by at least one among the one or more subscribers and the one or more associates.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for identifying one or more subscriber communication devices for each of the one or more subscribers, wherein the types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted are provided to the one or more subscriber communication devices in proximity to a time that the emergency alert message is transmitted to the one or more subscriber communication devices.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

identifying one or more subscriber communication devices for each of the one or more subscribers; and

transmitting the emergency alert message to the one or more subscriber communication devices, wherein the one or more subscriber communication devices comprise at least one wireless communication device.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more associate communication devices comprise at least one wireless communication device.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

identifying one or more subscriber communication devices for each of the one or more subscribers;

receiving subscriber presence information corresponding to the one or more subscriber communication devices; and

transmitting the emergency alert message to the one or more subscriber communication devices based at least in part on the subscriber presence information.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

transmitting an alert notice to the at least one of the one or more associate communication devices prior to transmitting the emergency alert message to the at least one of the one or more associate communication devices, wherein the one or more associates can decline receipt of the emergency alert message based upon the alert notice.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

identifying one or more subscriber communication devices for each of the one or more subscribers; and

transmitting the emergency alert message to the one or more subscriber communication devices, wherein the one or more subscriber communication devices comprise at least one among a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, and a cellular communication device.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more associate communication devices comprise at least one among a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, and a cellular communication device.

11. A communication device of a communication system, comprising a controller element to:

send a selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to one or more associates of a subscriber corresponding to the communication device; and

receive an emergency alert message of a public emergency alert system for a zone of coverage, wherein the subscriber is in the zone of coverage and wherein the emergency alert message is transmitted to one or more associate communication devices.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted is a pre-selection prior to a detection of the emergency alert message.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted is sent in proximity to a time that the emergency alert message is received by the communication device.

14. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more associate communication devices comprise at least one wireless communication device.

15. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the emergency alert message is transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices of each of the one or more associates according to presence information of the one or more associate communication devices.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the presence information is based at least in part on activity of the one or more associate communication devices that is indicative of a likelihood of success in communicating with the one or more associates.

17. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more associate communication devices receive an alert notice prior to the emergency alert message being transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices, and wherein the one or more associates can decline receipt of the emergency alert message based upon the alert notice.

18. The communication device of claim 11, comprising at least one among a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, and a cellular communication device.

19. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more associate communication devices comprise at least one among a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, and a cellular communication device.

20. A method of communicating emergency information corresponding to an emergency alert message of a public emergency alert system, the method comprising:

identifying a subscriber of a communication system that is in a zone of coverage of the emergency alert message;

identifying one or more associate communication devices for each of one or more associates corresponding to the subscriber;

transmitting the emergency information to one or more subscriber communication devices of the subscriber; and

transmitting the emergency information to at least one of the one or more associate communication devices when the emergency alert message corresponds to a selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices, wherein the selection is made by at least one of the subscriber and the one or more associates.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the emergency information is transmitted to the at least one of the one or more associate communication devices based at least in part on presence information corresponding to the one or more associate communication devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the presence information is based at least in part on activity of the one or more associate communication devices that is indicative of a likelihood of success in communicating with the one or more associates.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the emergency information is transmitted to the one or more subscriber communication devices based at least in part on presence information corresponding to the one or more subscriber communication devices.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the presence information is based at least in part on activity of the one or more subscriber communication devices that is indicative of a likelihood of success in communicating with the subscriber.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices is a pre-selection prior to a detection of the emergency alert message.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the selection of types of emergency alert messages to be transmitted to the one or more associate communication devices is sent in proximity to a time that the emergency alert message is received by the one or more subscriber communication devices.

27. A network element of a communication system, comprising a controller element to send an emergency alert message of a public emergency alert system for a zone of coverage to one or more communication devices of a message recipient, wherein the emergency alert message is sent based at least in part on presence information associated with the message recipient.

28. The network element of claim 27, wherein the presence information is based at least in part on activity of the one or more communication devices that is indicative of a likelihood of success in communicating with the message recipient.

29. The network element of claim 27, wherein the message recipient is at least one among a subscriber of the communication system and an associate of the subscriber.

30. The network element of claim 29, wherein the subscriber is in the zone of coverage.