EMERGENCY ALERTING DEVICE

• US 20090303993A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Warning Systems LLC (Mircom Technologies Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Warning Systems LLC (Mircom Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Orion, Storm, Hochendoner, David, Means, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,687,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communication device for transmitting and receiving messages via an emergency notification network. The communication device includes a receiver configured to receive a data packet from a data broadcasting system, a processor operably connected to the receiver and configured to process the data packet, a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store data, a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to transmit the received data packet via a mesh network to at least a second communication device, and an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert corresponding to the data packet.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a data packet from a data broadcasting system;

a processor operably connected to the receiver and configured to process the data packet;

a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store data;

a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to transmit the received data packet via a mesh network to at least a second communication device; and

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert corresponding to the data packet.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one unique identification code; and

programming instructions that instruct the processor to;

inspect the received data packet to determine, based on the unique identification code, whether the data packet is directed to the device, and

only present the alert corresponding to the data packet if the processor determines that the data packet is directed to the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one group identifier than indicates one or more groups to which the device belongs.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one input, wherein the input comprises at least one of a push button, a key pad, a microphone, gas sensor, fire detector, motion detector, camera, and external data port.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a signal processing component configured to receive incoming audio from the microphone and convert the audio to data.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein an output audio level of the device is based on any ambient sound around the device as determined by the microphone.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the output device is configured to transmit the data via the mesh network to another communications device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises at least one of an audio alarm, a graphics display, a text display, a light, a siren, a relay output, and a speaker.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the speaker is configured to output at least one of text-to-speech audio, sentences constructed from stored speech words, and FM broadcasted audio.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a text-to-speech converter,

wherein the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to speech via the text-to-speech converter, and

wherein the output comprises an audio output that makes audible the processed speech.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of predetermined messages,

the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to determine whether the packet includes a code corresponding to any of the predetermined messages, and if the alert comprises the predetermined message that corresponds to the code.

12. The device of claim 1 further comprising a power source, wherein the power source comprises at least one of a battery, AC power, Ethernet delivered power, and telephone line delivered power.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one communications port.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second receiver configured to receive a data packet from the data broadcasting system.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to monitor the receiver and the mesh network transceiver for any loss of signal.

16. A communication device comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive a data packet from a data broadcasting system;

a second receiver configured to receive a data packet or audio from a data broadcasting system;

a processor operably connected to the first receiver and the second receiver and configured to process any received data packets;

a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store data;

a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to transmit the received data packet via a mesh network to at least a second communication device;

an input device operably connected to the processor and configured to provide additional data related to an operating environment of the communications device; and

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert corresponding to the data packet.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said input comprises at least one of a push button, a key pad, a microphone, gas sensor, fire detector, motion detector, camera, and external data port.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the output device comprises at least one of an audio alarm, a text display, a light, a siren, and a speaker.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of predetermined messages,

the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to determine whether the packet includes a code corresponding to any of the predetermined messages, and if the alert comprises the predetermined message that corresponds to the code.

20. A communication device comprising:

a mesh transceiver configured to receive a data packet transmitted from another device over a mesh network;

a processor operably connected to the mesh transceiver and configured to process the data packet;

an input device operably connected to the processor and configured to provide additional data related to an operating environment of the communications device; and

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert corresponding to the data packet.