Predictive notification system for emergency services

• US 20100159871A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Tester, Walter Scott
• Application Number:
  US12/317,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A predictive notification system identifies certain mobile devices in a wireless telecommunications network that are likely to be within a predetermined geographical area of interest during a predetermined period of time. The identified location/time pair may be one that is associated with or affected by a particular event (e.g., emergency, construction, disaster, traffic, weather or other alerts and events). This allows a notification (about the event) to be sent to the identified mobile devices in an effort to notify them of the event prior to entering the affected area. A trending profile generated and maintained for each mobile device in the network is examined/consulted to determine the identity of those mobile devices that are likely to be within the affected area during the relevant time period.

Claims

1. A method for, in response to detection of an event that may affect a predetermined geographical area of interest, transmitting a notification message to one or more mobile devices in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving location information associated with an event, the location information operable for identifying a predetermined geographical area of interest;

examining a trending profile associated with each one of a plurality of mobile devices within a telecommunications network;

determining from the trending profiles, for each one of the plurality of mobile devices, a probability that the mobile device will be in the predetermined geographical area of interest in the future; and

generating and storing in memory within a device coupled to the telecommunications network a list including mobile device identifiers for each mobile device having its determined probability above a predetermined probability threshold.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

sending a notification message to each mobile device in the list.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

receiving time information, the time information operable for identifying a period of time; and

wherein determining the probability further includes determining the probability that the mobile device will be in the predetermined geographical area of interest during the period of time.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising:

sending a notification message to each mobile device in the list.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

storing the trending profiles in memory within one or more devices coupled to the telecommunications network.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising:

generating the trending profiles using activity information generated in response to one or more mobile device activities involving the mobile device in the telecommunication network.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the one or more mobile device activities include a call associated with the mobile device.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the one or more mobile device activities include a roaming/status event associated with the mobile device.

9. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the activity information for a mobile device activity comprises a mobile device identifier, a time period, and position/location information capable of identifying a geographic position/location of the mobile device.

10. A method for identifying one or more mobile devices in a wireless telecommunications network likely to be within a predetermined geographical area of interest during a predetermined time period, the method comprising:

receiving location information and predetermined time period information, the location information operable for identifying the predetermined geographical area of interest;

processing a respective trending profile associated with each one of a plurality of mobile devices within the telecommunications network to determine, for each one of the plurality of mobile devices, a probability that the mobile device will be in the predetermined geographical area of interest during the predetermined time period; and

if the determined probability of the respective mobile device meets a predetermined probability, the mobile device is identified as one that is likely to be within a predetermined geographical area of interest during the predetermined time period.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 wherein the identified mobile devices are devices not currently within the predetermined geographical area of interest.

12. The method in accordance with claim 10 further comprising:

performing an action with respect to the identified mobile devices.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12 wherein performing the action further comprises:

supplying information to a messaging system that identifies the identified mobile devices.

14. The method in accordance with claim 10 wherein each trending profile is based on activity information generated in response to one or more activities of the associated mobile device.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14 wherein the activity information for each activity comprises a mobile device identifier, a time period, and position/location information capable of identifying a geographic position/location of the mobile device.

19. The system in accordance with claim 10 wherein each trending profile is based on activity information generated in response to one or more activities of the associated mobile device.

20. The system in accordance with claim 19 wherein the activity information for each activity comprises a mobile device identifier, a time period, and position/location information capable of identifying a geographic position/location of the mobile device.

16. A predictive notification processing system for use in identifying (and enabling notification to) mobile devices in a wireless telecommunications network that are likely to be within a predetermined geographical area of interest during a predetermined time period, the predictive processing system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a network interface coupled to the processor and operable for communicating with a telecommunications network; and

wherein the processor is operable to;

receive location information associated with an event and predetermined time period information, the location information operable for identifying a predetermined geographical area of interest,

access and examine a trending profile associated with each one of a plurality of mobile devices within a telecommunications network,

determine from the trending profiles, for each one of the plurality of mobile devices, a probability that the mobile device will be in the predetermined geographical area of interest during the predetermined time period, and

generate and store in the memory a list including mobile device identifiers for each mobile device having its determined probability above a predetermined probability threshold.

17. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the mobile devices in the list are devices not currently within the predetermined geographical area of interest.

18. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the processor is further operable to:

cause a notification message to be sent to each identified mobile device.