SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING A WEATHER CONDITION

• US 20100104073A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rooks, Kelsyn Donel, Gupta, Shekhar, Sweeney, Jeffrey Michael, Dwyer, Kendra, Wilmoth, Mark L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments described herein are directed to a system, method, and apparatus for signaling a weather condition. In one embodiment, the system may include an optical network terminal. The optical network terminal may include a communication port adapted to be coupled to a fiber optic cable. The communication port may be further adapted to receive data that indicates a weather condition via the fiber optic cable. The optical network terminal may also include an output unit, in communication with the communication port, adapted to send a signal in response to the communication port receiving the data that indicates the weather condition.

Claims

1. A system for signaling a weather condition, the system comprising:

an optical network terminal comprising;

a communication port adapted to be coupled to a fiber optic cable, the communication port further adapted to receive data that indicates a weather condition via the fiber optic cable;

an output unit, in communication with the communication port, adapted to send a signal in response to the communication port receiving the data that indicates the weather condition.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an uninterruptible power supply electrically coupled to the optical network terminal, wherein the uninterruptible power supply supplies power to the optical network terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery electrically coupled to the optical network terminal, wherein the battery supplies power to the optical network terminal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit is a speaker, and wherein the signal is an audio signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit is a light emitting device, and wherein the signal is a light signal.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an external output device that receives the signal from the optical network terminal, wherein the external output device emits an alert in response to receiving the signal from the optical network terminal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the external output device is one of a speaker or a siren.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises a plurality of output devices, further comprising:

a processor adapted to select at least one output device in the plurality of output devices, wherein the signal from the at least one output device indicates the weather condition, and wherein the at least one output device is adapted to send the signal in response to the communication port receiving the data that indicates the weather condition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the weather condition indicates at least one of a type of weather condition, a severity of the weather condition, and a proximity of the weather condition.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an optical line terminal comprising;

a receiving unit that receives the data indicating the weather condition from a database,

a processor that determines whether the data indicates the weather condition at the optical network terminal; and

a sending unit adapted to send the data indicating the weather condition to the optical network terminal using a service address of the optical network terminal.

11. A system for signaling a weather condition, the system comprising:

an optical line terminal comprising;

a receiving unit that receives data indicating a weather condition from a database,

a processor, in communication with the receiving unit, which determines whether the data indicates the weather condition at an optical network terminal; and

a sending unit, in communication with the receiving unit, adapted to send the data indicating the weather condition to the optical network terminal using a service address of the optical network terminal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor determines whether to send the data indicating the weather condition based on at least one of a type of weather condition, a severity of the weather condition, and a proximity of the weather condition to the optical network terminal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the sending unit sends the data indicating the weather condition to a plurality of optical network terminals that are affected by the weather condition based on the service addresses of the plurality of optical network terminals.

14. A method for signaling a weather condition, the method comprising:

receiving data, at an optical network terminal, from an optical line terminal that indicates a weather condition via a fiber optic cable;

sending a signal using an output device in response to receiving data from the optical line terminal, the signal indicating the weather condition.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving power from an uninterruptible power supply in response to an electrical power outage.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting at least one output device in a plurality of output devices; and

sending the signal using the at least one output device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the output device is a speaker that is coupled to the optical network terminal.