Emergency warning system

• US 20090042546A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Doyle Mcclendon
• Original Assignee: Doyle Mcclendon
• Inventors: McClendon, Doyle
• Application Number:
  US11/891,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042546A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications

Abstract

An emergency warning system for warning members of the public of an emergency situation comprises personal warning devices provided to members of the public and a cellular telecommunication system for transmitting coded cellular burst signals to the personal warning devices to elicit delivery of an emergency warning from the devices. The coded cellular burst warning signals contain emergency situation codes that the personal warning devices parse and translate into an emergency warning message displayed as text on a display screen of the personal warning device.

Claims

1. An emergency warning system for warning members of the public of an emergency situation, comprising

personal warning devices provided to members of the public;

and

a cellular telecommunication system having a dedicated channel for transmitting a three-digit emergency situation code corresponding to an emergency situation as a coded cellular burst warning signal to said personal warning devices;

said personal warning devices being responsive to receipt of said coded cellular burst warning signal to parse said emergency situation code from said signal, to translate said emergency situation code into a warning message pertaining to the emergency situation, and to display said warning message as text on a display screen of said personal warning device.

2. The emergency warning system recited in claim 1 wherein said telecommunication system transmits a security code along with said emergency situation code in said coded cellular burst warning signal, and said personal warning devices are responsive to receipt of said coded cellular burst warning signal to parse said security code from said signal and to confirm the authenticity of said security code before displaying said warning message.

3. The emergency warning system recited in claim 2 wherein said telecommunication system is capable of transmitting different three-digit emergency situation codes as coded cellular burst warning signals to said personal warning devices, and said personal warning devices are capable of parsing said different emergency situation codes from said signals, of translating said different emergency situation codes into different warning messages, and of displaying said different warning messages on said display screen.

4. The emergency warning system recited in claim 3 wherein said different emergency situation codes correspond to different types of emergency situations.

5. The emergency warning system recited in claim 4 wherein said warning message contains information pertaining to the type of emergency situation.

6. The emergency warning system recited in claim 5 wherein said warning message contains information pertaining to the location of the emergency situation.

7. The emergency warning system recited in claim 5 wherein said warning message contains information pertaining to instructions issued by a public authority in response to the emergency situation.

8. The emergency warning system recited in claim 5 wherein said warning message contains information pertaining to the current status of the emergency situation.

9. The emergency warning system recited in claim 4 wherein each of said different emergency situation codes begin with the same digit.

10. The emergency warning system recited in claim 1 wherein said telecommunication system is an established GSM cellular telephone network.

11. The emergency warning system recited in claim 1 wherein said personal warning devices further include an audible alarm and are operable to emit sound from said audible alarm in conjunction with display of said warning message.

12. The emergency warning system recited in claim 1 wherein said personal warning devices further include a warning light indicator and are operable to flash said warning light indicator in conjunction with display of said warning message.

13. An emergency warning system for warning members of the public of an emergency situation, comprising

a cellular telecommunication system having a channel for transmitting an analog coded burst warning signal comprising an emergency warning signal component including a security code and an emergency situation code;

and

personal warning devices provided to members of the public in an area served by said telecommunication system, said personal warning devices being portable and sufficiently small in size to be retained in close proximity to a person, each of said personal warning devices comprising a receiver module, a processor module, an audible alarm, and a visual display module including a display screen, said receiver module receiving said analog coded burst warning signal and extracting said emergency warning signal component from said analog coded burst warning signal, said processor module converting said emergency warning signal component to a digital signal, obtaining said security code and said emergency situation code from said digital signal, confirming the authenticity of said security code, translating said emergency situation code into a warning message, and triggering delivery of an emergency warning including an audible warning delivered as sound from said audible alarm and a visual warning including said warning message displayed as text on said display screen.

14. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said analog coded burst warning signal comprises a carrier signal component and said emergency warning signal component, said receiver module includes an antenna receiving said analog coded burst warning signal, and said receiver module operates to remove said carrier signal component from said warning signal.

15. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said personal warning devices further include a warning light indicator and said visual warning further includes flashing of said warning light indicator.

16. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said cellular telecommunication system is capable of transmitting analog coded burst warning signals comprising different emergency warning signal components including different emergency situation codes, said receiver module is capable of extracting said different emergency warning signal components from said warning signals, and said processor module is capable of converting said different emergency warning signal components to digital signals, of obtaining said different emergency situation codes from said digital signals, and of translating said different emergency situation codes into different warning messages.

17. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said personal warning devices are in an idle on mode when not delivering an emergency warning, and said personal warning devices automatically re-set themselves to said idle on mode after delivering said emergency warning for a predetermined period of time.

18. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said personal warning devices are in an idle on mode when not delivering an emergency warning, and said personal warning devices are manually re-settable to said idle on mode after beginning delivery of said emergency warning.

19. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said emergency situation code is supplied to said telecommunication system from a public authority.

20. The emergency warning system recited in claim 13 wherein said security code is supplied to said telecommunication system from a public authority, and said emergency situation code is supplied to said telecommunication system by a member of the public dialing said emergency situation code on a telephone.