METHOD AND SYSTEM OF GROUP BASED ALERT DISTRIBUTION

• US 20130157609A1
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eVigilo Ltd.
• Original Assignee: eVigilo Ltd.
• Inventors: Vainik, Feliks, Weiss, Guy
• Application Number:
  US13/818,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20130157609A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

System and method of managing distribution of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices. The method and system enable selecting a broadcast channel out of a plurality of broadcast channels according to a detected emergency situation. Each broadcast channel is designated for communication with a target group of presentation devices. An alert message, corresponding to the emergency situation is broadcasted to the target group over the selected broadcast channel, to allow each presentation device of the target group to present the broadcasted alert message.

Claims

1. A method of managing distribution of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices, said method comprising:

receiving an alert distribution request from at least one alerting source, said alert distribution request is indicative of an emergency situation;

selecting at least one broadcast channel out of a plurality of broadcast channels according to said emergency situation, wherein each said broadcast channel is designated for communication with at least one target group of presentation devices; and

broadcasting an alert message, which corresponds to said emergency situation, to respective said at least one target group over said selected at least one broadcast channel, to allow each respective presentation device of said target group to present said alert message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one broadcasting station out of a plurality of broadcasting stations having a distribution area that corresponds to an area of the emergency situation, and broadcasting said alert message through said selected broadcasting station to presentation devices of said respective target group located in respective said distribution area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one update relating to a current status of the emergency situation and broadcasting, in response, a plurality of updated messages to said at least one target groups through their respective broadcast channels, using a common communication network, wherein each updated message is designated to a different said target group and comprises information relating to said current status and to said respective target group.

4. A system of managing distribution of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices, said system comprising:

a distribution managing unit, which receives an alert distribution request from at least one alerting source, indicative of an emergency situation, selects at least one broadcast channel out of a plurality of broadcast channels each designated for communication with at least one target group of presentation devices, according to said emergency situation;

a broadcasting unit, which enables broadcasting an alert message, corresponding to said emergency situation, to said target group through said selected broadcast channel, to allow each respective presentation device of said target group to present said alert message; and

a plurality of receiving modules, each installed in each said presentation device and receives alert messages through one of said plurality of broadcast channels which is associated with the target group of a respective said presentation device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said broadcasting unit selects at least one broadcasting station having a distribution area corresponding to an area of the emergency situation, each said selected broadcasting station broadcasts said alert message over said selected broadcast channel to presentation devices of a respective said target group located in said emergency situation area.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a channels database comprising a list of broadcast channels, each broadcast channel is associated with at least one emergency situation characteristic, wherein said distribution managing unit selects at least one broadcast channel in said list that is associated with a characteristic that corresponds to said indicated emergency situation.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said distribution managing unit identifies at least one subgroup of said target group out of a plurality of subgroups associated therewith, according to said emergency situation, said broadcasting unit enables broadcasting an indication of said identified subgroup, wherein each receiving module of said target group receives said subgroup indication and outputs said alert message when its respective presentation device belongs to said indicated subgroup.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein said distribution managing unit encrypts each alert message according to predefined encrypting associated with each said selected broadcast channel, and wherein said plurality of receiving modules of each respective said target group decrypt said encrypted alert message upon receiving thereof, by using a decryption method corresponding to the encryption associated with the respective broadcast channel.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein said distribution managing unit creates a plurality of alert messages corresponding to the same emergency situation, and selects a different broadcast channel for broadcasting each of said plurality of alert messages, said broadcasting unit enables broadcasting each of said plurality of alert messages to each said target group through its respective broadcast channel.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of said plurality of receiving modules converts each received text alert message into a voice alert message for outputting a voice message through its respective presentation device.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein each said alert message is a SMS-CB message broadcasted through cellular said selected broadcast channels to target groups of mobile devices.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein said distribution managing unit enables receiving response messages from a plurality of said presentation devices of each said respective target group, indicative of receiving said alert message, identifying a broadcasting failure in relation to each respective target group according to the number of received response messages, and executing a backing process upon identification of said broadcasting failure.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein said distribution managing unit enables executing an automatic multistage process for supporting a respective said emergency situation, by selecting at least one broadcast channel and broadcasting at least one alert message through said at least one channel, in each stage of said process, in an area corresponding to said emergency situation area and to said respective stage, allowing at least one respective said target group to receive said respective alert message at every stage, each said respective alert message is associated with said stage.

14. A receiving module which is installed and operated by a presentation device associated with at least one target group, said receiving module receives broadcasted alert messages, each indicative of an emergency situation, via a broadcast channel designated to said at least one target group, said receiving module outputs each said received alert message through a presentation unit of said presentation device.

15. The receiving module of claim 14, comprising a presentation module which presents a content of each received said alert message according to at least one characteristic of its respective emergency situation, said characteristic is indicated in said received alert message.

16. A method of instructing a plurality of users in an emergency situation, using a plurality of presentation devices enabling to receive data over a common communication network, said method comprising:

identifying a current status of an emergency situation; and

instructing a plurality of target groups, according to said current status of said emergency situation, by broadcasting a plurality of messages, each designated to a different target group and broadcasted over a different broadcast channel designated for communication with presentation devices of a respective said target group, each of said plurality of messages includes instructions for a respective said target group, wherein said instructing of said plurality of target groups is a multistage process in which said instructing of said target groups is carried out whenever a new current status is identified.