Tornado warning system

• US 6,255,953 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Opencell Corp. (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jerry Keith Barber
• Inventors: Barber, Jerry Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/332,915
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539, 340/601, 340/602, 340/690, 340/628, 731/701.6, 733/84, 702/3
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/00 in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather

Abstract

A pager receiver based system provides a method and an apparatus for receiving and detecting a tornado alert from the National Weather Service, determining the region to which the alert applies, and broadcasting an alert signal to a plurality of pager receivers, all programmed with the same pager number, within that region.

Claims

1. A tornado warning system comprising:

a. a monitor station to monitor broadcasts from a weather warning source;

b. an electronically programmable filter in the monitor station to select only a tornado warning from the broadcasts, and once programmed, the filter developing an alert pager signal from the tornado warnings without human intervention, the alert pager signal applicable to a selected geographical region;

c. a transmitter to transmit the alert pager signal; and

d. a plurality of pager receivers within the selected geographical region, each of the plurality of pager receivers having the same pager number to receive the alert pager signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pager receivers is fixed to a structure in the geographical region.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the page receivers is combined with a smoke detector in at least one of the structures in the geographical region.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the smoke detector and the pager receiver within the at least one of the structures is powered from the same power source.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the smoke detector and the pager receiver within the at least one of the structures share a common enunciator, and an alarm signal from the smoke detector is distinguishable from an alarm signal from the pager receiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected geographical region is a county.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected geographical region is a portion of a county.

8. A method of tornado alert, comprising the steps of:

a. installing a plurality of pager receivers in a predetermined geographical region, all pager receivers within a particular identifiable region being programmed with the same pager number which is different than the pager number of pager receivers in any other identifiable region;

b. receiving broadcasts from a weather warning source;

c. programming an electronically programmable filter to select from the received broadcasts only a tornado warning;

d. selecting by the filter from the received broadcasts only a tornado warning without human intervention;

e. determining the region of applicability of the tornado warning;

f. selecting a pager number for the determined region;

g. broadcasting the pager number to the pager receivers programmed with the selected pager number;

h. receiving the broadcast pager number in at least one of the plurality of pager receivers; and

i. activating an audible tornado alert.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined geographical region is a county.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined geographical region is a portion of county.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of pager receivers is combined with a smoke detector in a common enclosure.

12. A tornado warning system comprising:

a. a monitor station to monitor broadcasts from a weather warning source;

b. an electronically programmable filter in the monitoring station to select only a tornado warning from the broadcasts, the filter including a workstation operated by an operator, and once programmed, the filter developing an alert pager signal from the tornado warnings without human intervention, the alert pager signal applicable to a selected geographical region;

c. a transmitter to transmit the alert pager signal; and

d. a plurality of pager receivers within the selected geographical region, each of the plurality of pager receivers having the same pager number to receive the alert pager signal.

13. A warning system comprising:

a. a monitor station to monitor broadcasts from a weather warning source;

b. an electronically programmable filter in the monitor station to select only a predetermined type of warning from a plurality of types of warnings from the broadcasts, and once programmed, the filter developing an alert pager signal from the predetermined type of warning without human intervention, the alert pager signal applicable to a selected geographical region;

c. a transmitter to transmit the alert pager signal; and

d. a plurality of pager receivers within the selected geographical region, each of the plurality of pager receivers having the same pager number to receive the alert pager signal.