Providing notifications using text-to-speech conversion

• US 20090156240A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everbridge Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 3N Global Incorporated (Everbridge Incorporated)
• Inventors: Putra, Cinta, Kirchmeier, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/566 of the information or information source or recipient
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing electronic notifications are described. A server is configured to serve an interface, such as a Web page, to a terminal that requests from a user a first set of user contacts to be used to provide notifications to the user by a telephonic notification system in response to a notification process initiated by an organization associated with the user. The interface further requests a first set of priorities corresponding to the first set of user contacts, wherein the notification system will attempt to provide notifications to the first set user contracts in an order based at least in part on the first set of priorities. A database is configured to store the first set of user contacts and the first set of priorities. A voice interface circuit is configured to transmit a voice notification to at least one of the first set of user contacts.

Claims

1. A method of providing notifications, the method comprising:

storing in computer readable memory a first set of contact paths for a first user, wherein the first set of contact paths includes a first contact path associated with a voice-based terminal and a second contact path associated with a text-based terminal;

receiving from a second user a notification message including text, wherein the notification message is to be broadcast to at least the first user;

receiving from the second user an instruction to broadcast the notification message to at least the first user;

accessing the first set of contact paths from the computer readable memory;

converting the notification message text to speech via a text-to-speech module;

transmitting the speech to the voice-based terminal using the first contact path; and

transmitting the notification message text to the text-based terminal using the second contact path.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the voice-based terminal is a telephone.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the text-based terminal is one of an email terminal, an SMS terminal and an instant messaging terminal.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing in computer readable memory an order of use associated with contact paths in the first set of user contacts paths.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

storing in computer readable memory a second set of contact paths for the first user, wherein the second set of contact paths is to be used when providing to the first user an emergency notification and the first set of contact paths is to be used when providing the first user a non-emergency notification; and

storing in computer readable memory an order of use associated with contact paths in the second set of user contacts paths.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first set of contact paths includes:

a mobile phone number; and

an instant messaging identifier.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first set of contact paths includes:

an email address; and

a fax number.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by calling a specified phone number.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by activating a hyperlink.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by sending a text message.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification instruction is issued by an organization of which the first user is a member.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

transmitting over a network to a user terminal for display to the first user the set of user contacts paths and the order of use associated with contact paths in the set of user contacts paths;

receiving via the first user terminal edits to the first set of user contacts paths; and

storing the edits.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving from the first user an identification of the first user'"'"'s relationship with a dependent; and

storing the identification of the first user'"'"'s relationship in association with the contact paths, wherein the notification message relates to the dependent.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving from the second user a file to be distributed as part of the notification message; and

transmitting the file as an attachment of the notification message to the text-based terminal.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the file is attached to an email message.

17. A computer-implemented method of providing notification via one or more electronic communication channels, the method comprising:

receiving a text instruction to issue a notification to a plurality of recipients; and

for each of the plurality of recipients to be notified, transmitting a text notification message to each recipient via an associated recipient-specified text-based contact path and transmitting a voice notification message to each recipient via an associated recipient-specified voice-based contact path.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of the text notification message to speech.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of the instruction text to speech.

20. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of a previously saved text notification message to speech.