All Hazards Information Distribution Method and System, and Method of Maintaining Privacy of Distributed All-Hazards Information

• US 20100115134A1
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Monroe Drescher, David Robert, Park, Daniel D., Ingraham, Edward E. II, Brabec, Frantisek
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An information distribution method includes: gathering all-hazards information into an information exchange from a first information source; gathering all-hazards information into the information exchange from a second information source; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a first independently-controlled alert network; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a second independently-controlled alert network.

Claims

1. An information distribution method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of different formats of all-hazards info nation from a plurality of information sources;

processing the different formats of all-hazards information into normalized information; and

distributing all-hazards messages corresponding to the normalized all-hazards information to the plurality of entities, wherein a plurality of the all-hazards messages are distributed in different formats with substantially the same content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the all-hazards information includes at least one of weather information, traffic information, earthquake information, epidemic information and fire information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving a plurality of different formats of pushed all-hazards information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes retrieving all-hazards information through polling one or more of the information sources.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining polling parameters for the one or more information sources.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising accepting the polling parameters from one or more information source providers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the different formats of all-hazards information into normalized information includes reducing the number of different formats of all-hazards information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the different formats of all-hazards information into normalized information includes reducing the different formats to a standard format of all-hazards information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includes extracting payloads from the received information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the processing includes assigning one or more feeds to the payloads.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing includes identifying pieces of information included in the payloads of each assigned feed.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising enhancing the content of the received information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the enhancing includes expanding abbreviations, translating, and attaching timestamps to the received information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the enhancing includes connecting visual or audio information to a text-based received information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the enhancing includes geolocating affected areas of the received information for providing visual displays of the affected areas to the entities.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering the normalized information into one or more databases.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating all-hazards messages from the normalized information.

18. The method of claim 16, further analyzing the normalized information across multiple entries and initiating an all-hazards message resulting from the analysis.

19. The method of claim 17, where the distributing includes identifying the entities that are subscribed to receive the initiated all-hazards messages.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising maintaining subscription parameters for the entities.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising accepting the subscription parameters provided by the entity.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the distributing includes composing one or more all-hazards messages corresponding to each initiated all-hazards message.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the distributing includes pushing the one or more all-hazards messages to the identified entities.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the distributing includes composing a plurality of all-hazards messages in different formats with substantially the same content.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a response to an all-hazards message.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising identifying the all-hazards message corresponding to the response.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising identifying the information source corresponding to the all-hazards message.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising pushing the response to a provider of the information source.

29. An information exchange, comprising:

one or more information receiving handlers capable of receiving a plurality of information formats;

one or more processors capable of converting different all-hazards information formats into normalized all-hazards information, wherein the one or more processors are connected to the one or more information receiving handlers; and

one or more information distributing handlers connected to the one or more processors capable of distributing all-hazards information in a plurality of information formats.

30. The exchange of claim 29, wherein the one or more information receiving handlers include a plurality of push handlers.

31. The exchange of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors include one or more poller daemons.

32. The exchange of claim 31, further comprising one or more information source managers connected to the one or more poller daemons.

33. The exchange of claim 32, further comprising one or more information source application programming interfaces (API) connected to the one or more information source managers.

34. The exchange of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors include one or more content extractors connected to the one or more information receiving handlers.

35. The exchange of claim 34, wherein the one or more processors include one or more feed parsers connected to the one or more content extractors.

36. The exchange of claim 35, wherein the one or more processors include one or more information enhancers connected to the one or more feed parsers.

37. The exchange of claim 36, wherein the one or more information enhancers include at least one of an abbreviation expander, a translator and a timestamp attacher.

38. The exchange of claim 36 wherein the one or more information enhancers connect visual or audio information to a text-based received information.

39. The exchange of claim 36, wherein the one or more information enhancers geolocate affected areas of the received information for providing visual displays of the affected areas to the entities.

40. The exchange of claim 29, further comprising one or more databases connected to the one or more processors.

41. The exchange of claim 29, further comprising one or more controllers connected to the one or more processors.

42. The exchange of claim 40, further comprising one or more controllers connected to the one or more databases.

43. The exchange of claim 41 where the one or more distributing handlers include one or more message dispatchers connected to the one or more controllers.

44. The exchange of claim 43, where the one or more distribution handlers include one or more subscription managers connected to the one or more message dispatchers.

45. The exchange of claim 44, further comprising one or more subscription management application programming interfaces connected to the one or more subscription managers.

46. The exchange of claim 43, wherein the one or more distributing handlers includes one or more subscription handlers connected to the one or more message dispatchers.

47. The exchange of claim 29, further comprising one or more response handlers that receive a response to an all-hazards message.

48. The exchange of claim 47, further comprising a response dispatcher connected to the one or more response handlers.