Alert broadcasting to unconfigured communications devices

• US 20120190325A1
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genasys, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kenneth E. Grigg, Suhayya Abu-Hakima
• Inventors: Abu-Hakima, Suhayya, Grigg, Kenneth E., McFarland, Connie, Christie, Colin, Guevremont, Vince, Piskorz, Oskar
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

Methods and systems for communicating alert messages to target communications devices in a target physical location are disclosed. The target devices may not be preconfigured to be discovered or to receive the alert message. Network sources are queried to identify accessible logical locations, which are associated with physical locations in a database. The logical locations include an intelligent network source which, having received the alert message, detects nearby devices in the target physical location. The system prepares and communicates the alert message to the target device. The intelligent network source may be configured to prepare and communicate the alert message without any intermediate system step of formulating a list of recipients. Auto-discovery and message delivery methods employ protocol packet injection, network and access point spoofing, and Bluetooth signaling. Auto-discovery and unconfigured delivery methods can be used to reveal the presence of devices in an area.

Claims

1. A method of communicating an alert message to a communications device in a physical location, the method comprising:

storing in a computer memory a specification of a logical location in association with a specification of a physical location, the logical location comprising an intelligent network source accessible to the communications device in the physical location;

subsequently receiving the alert message and a selection identifying the physical location;

subsequently retrieving from the computer memory the specification of the logical location based on the selection identifying the physical location;

subsequently communicating the alert message to the intelligent network source;

detecting at the intelligent network source the communications device in the physical location;

preparing a delivery message receivable by the communications device, the delivery message comprising the alert message; and

communicating the delivery message to the communications device, whereby the alert message is communicated to the communications device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to detecting the communications device in the physical location, the intelligent network source or a different nearby network source provides access to a network to the communications device, and wherein detecting the communications device in the physical location comprises receiving at the intelligent network source an intercepted message directed to or originating from the communications device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the nearby network source provides the access to the network to the communications device, wherein the intercepted message comprises a content request originating from the communications device addressed to the nearby network source and not addressed to the intelligent network source, wherein the delivery message is a content response comprising the alert message, wherein preparing the delivery message comprises encoding at the intelligent network source the content response with an identifier of the nearby network source thereby causing the communications device receiving the content response to interpret the content response as originating from the nearby network source, and wherein communicating the delivery message to the communications device comprises communicating the content response from the intelligent network source to the communications device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein communicating the content response to the communications device causes the alert message to be displayed or performed by a content browser operating on the communications device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein each of the intelligent network source and the nearby network source comprises a respective wireless access point (WAP) comprising a corresponding local area network (LAN) WAP or cellular WAP, and wherein the communications device is a wireless communications device.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the intelligent network source provides the access to the network to the communications device, wherein the intercepted message comprises a content response directed to the communications device and originating from the network, wherein preparing the delivery message comprises modifying at the intelligent network source the content response so as to contain the alert message, and wherein communicating the delivery message to the communications device comprises communicating the content response from the intelligent network source to the communications device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein communicating the modified content response to the communications device causes the alert message to be displayed or performed by a content browser operating on the communications device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent network source comprises an intelligent wireless network source, wherein the communications device is a wireless communications device, wherein detecting at the intelligent wireless network source the wireless communications device in the physical location comprises receiving at the intelligent wireless network source a network connection request originating from the wireless communications device, the method further comprising, after detecting at the intelligent wireless network source the wireless communications device in the physical location, and before communicating the delivery message to the wireless communications device:

establishing a connection to the wireless communications device at the intelligent wireless network source.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the detecting at the intelligent wireless network source the wireless communications device in the physical location comprises, before receiving at the intelligent wireless network source the network connection request originating from the wireless communications device, listening passively at the intelligent wireless network source for network connection requests.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the intelligent wireless network source comprises an intelligent wireless access point (WAP), and wherein establishing the connection with the wireless communications device at the intelligent WAP comprises:

creating at the intelligent WAP a temporary isolated network corresponding to the network connection request; and

communicating from the intelligent WAP to the wireless communications device a network connection offering based on the temporary isolated network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the network connection request identifies to the intelligent WAP another network known to the wireless communications device, and wherein the network connection offering is configured to be interpreted by the wireless communications device as identifying the other network.

12. The method according to claim 8 further comprising, after establishing the connection with the wireless communications device at the intelligent wireless network source, and before communicating the delivery message to the wireless communications device:

receiving at the intelligent wireless network source from the wireless communications device a content request;

wherein the delivery message is a content response comprising the alert message, and wherein communicating the delivery message to the wireless communications device comprises communicating the content response from the intelligent wireless network source to the communications device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the content response originates from the network, and preparing at the intelligent wireless network source the delivery message comprises modifying the content response so as to contain the alert message.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein communicating the content response to the wireless communications device causes the alert message to be displayed or performed by a content browser operating on the wireless communications device.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the intelligent wireless network source comprises an intelligent wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver, wherein the wireless communications device is a WPAN device.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the detecting at the intelligent WPAN transceiver the WPAN device in the physical location comprises, before receiving at the intelligent WPAN transceiver the network connection request originating from the WPAN device, listening passively at the intelligent WPAN transceiver for network connection requests.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the detecting at the intelligent WPAN transceiver the WPAN device in the physical location comprises, before receiving at the intelligent WPAN transceiver the network connection request originating from the WPAN device, broadcasting from the intelligent WPAN transceiver a network connection offering.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the delivery message is prepared at the intelligent WPAN transceiver and is communicated to the WPAN device from the intelligent WPAN transceiver, and wherein the delivery message further comprises an instruction for causing the WPAN device to display or perform the alert message on the WPAN device.

19. The method according to claim 15 further comprising querying the WPAN device for an address of the WPAN device, and wherein the delivery message is communicated to the WPAN device based on the address otherwise than by the intelligent WPAN transceiver.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the address is a phone number, and wherein the delivery message comprises a voice message or an SMS/MMS message.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the intelligent WPAN transceiver is an intelligent Bluetooth™

transceiver and the WPAN device is a Bluetooth device.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the delivery message to the communications device causes the communications device to emit an audible signal.

23. Use of the method according to claim 22 to reveal the presence of the communications device in the physical area, wherein the communications device is revealed when the audible signal is detected or heard by a monitor.

24. The use according to claim 23, wherein the monitor comprises a microphone or a hearing person.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the delivery response to the communications device comprises communicating the delivery response from the intelligent network source to the communications device, and wherein preparing the delivery message receivable by the communications device comprises determining at the intelligent network source a device type of the communications device and preparing at the intelligent network source the delivery message based on the device type so as to render the delivery message displayable or performable on the communications device.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating the delivery message to the communications device comprises communicating the delivery message from the intelligent network source to the communications device, wherein the intelligent network source is configured to communicate the alert message only to communications devices identified in a white list or absent from a black list, and wherein the communications device is identified on the white list or is absent from the black list.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the delivery message further comprises instructions for generating and communicating an acknowledgement from the communications device, the method further comprising receiving the acknowledgement from the communications device.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the delivery message comprises a content browser redirection to a content source different from the intelligent network source.