Emergency Alert Representation

• US 20100146541A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Velazquez, Leonardo
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/70 using geographical information, e.g. maps, charts or atlases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics

Abstract

An emergency alert is received. Information representing a map is generated from emergence alert information that identifies an affected area. The information identifying the affected area includes primitive shapes. Customer premises equipment within the affected area is identified based upon the primitive shapes. The information representing the map is transmitted for receipt by customer premises equipment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert at service provider equipment, the emergency alert including information identifying an emergency and information identifying an affected area, wherein the emergency is relevant to the affected location;

generating first information representing a map to be displayed based upon the information identifying the affected location, wherein the first information is automatically; and

transmitting the first information from the service provider equipment to customer premises equipment for display at a display device as overlay video.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a first video stream from the service provider equipment to the customer premises equipment for display at the display device as primary video, wherein the overlay video stream based on the first information is to be displayed with the first video stream.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting user selectable information associated with the emergency alert; and

wherein

transmitting the first information further comprises first information in response to receiving an indicator that the user selectable information has been selected at the customer premises equipment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the affected location includes one or more primitive shapes.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein transmitting the first information includes transmitting the first information in response to identifying the customer premises equipment based upon the information identifying the affected location.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

re-transmitting the information identifying the affected location to the customer premises equipment to allow the customer premises equipment to determine if the emergency alert is relevant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first information represents a first video stream that can be displayed by a display engine of the customer premises equipment.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the affected location includes one or more primitive shapes.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining the customer premises equipment at service provide equipment based upon the information identifying the affected location.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

re-transmitting the information identifying the affected location to the customer premises equipment to allow the customer premises equipment to determine if the emergency alert is relevant.

8. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert at service provider equipment, the emergency alert including information identifying an emergency and information identifying an affected area, wherein the emergency is relevant to the affected location;

generating first information representing a map to be displayed based upon the information identifying the affected location, wherein the first information is automatically;

receiving a request from customer premises equipment to send the first information associated with the video stream channel; and

transmitting the first information in response to the request from the customer premises equipment, wherein the first information is for display at a display device as video.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting second information to be displayed at the display device at the customer premises equipment as overlay video, wherein the second information includes user selectable information to provide, in response to being selected by the user, the received request to send the first information.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the first information represents information that can be displayed by a display engine of the customer premises equipment.

14. An device comprising:

an emergency alert detect module of service provider equipment to determine if an emergency alert message has been received, the emergency alert message including information identifying an affected area affected by an emergency;

an image generation module comprising an input coupled to the emergency detect module, and, in response to the emergency detect module determining an emergency alert message has been received, the image generation module to receive the information identifying the affected area, and to generate information representing a map to be displayed at a display device that is based upon the information identifying the affected area; and

a switch module to receive a request from a first customer premises equipment to provide the information identifying the affected area, where the switch module is to provide a data stream including information representing the map in response to the request from the customer premises equipment.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the image generation module is to generate the information representing the map as overlay video.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the image generation module is to generate the information representing the map as primary video.

17. The device of claim 14 further comprising:

a destination identification module comprising an input coupled to the emergency detect module, the destination identification module to receive the information identifying the affected area to determine a set of customer premises equipment that includes the customer premises equipment; and

where

the switch module is to transmit a notification request to the set of customer premises equipment in response to the destination identification module determining the customer premises equipment.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the notification request includes user selectable information which when selected by a user at the customer premises equipment is to provide a request to provide video information associated with the emergency alert message.

19. A device comprising:

an emergency alert detect module located at a service provider premises to determine if an emergency alert message has been received, the emergency alert message including information identifying an affected area affected by an emergency;

an image generation module comprising an input coupled to the emergency detect module, and, in response to the emergency detect module determining an emergency alert message has been received, the image generation module to receive the information identifying the affected area, and to generate information representing a map to be displayed at a display device that is based upon the information identifying the affected area; and

a switch module comprising an input coupled to the image generation module to transmit the information representing the map to customer premises equipment for display as an overlay image.

20. A computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions to manipulate a processor, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions to generate first information representing a map to be displayed based upon received emergency alert information identifying an affected location;

instructions to determine the customer premises equipment at service provider equipment based upon the information identifying the affected location; and

instructions to transmit the first information from the service provider equipment to customer premises equipment for display at a display device as overlay video.