Thundercall, the call before the storm

• US 6,920,204 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emergency Communications Network LLC (Onsolve, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Emergency Communications Network LLC (Onsolve, LLC)
• Inventors: Tuttle, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US09/805,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20010028310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.16, 379/67.1, 379/210.01, 379/88.13, 379/179, 379/208.01, 379/69, 379/70, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/88.27, 704/10
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/002 Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

ThunderCall is a computer based system for delivering NWS(National Weather Service) severe weather warnings as a message (personalized information, if desired) via an automated dialing system to live persons and to automated recorders comprising the steps of: forming a database of names with their respective geographic locations; capturing a NWS Bulletin reciting the location of a severe storm; validating a relevant Bulletin into a Valid Bulletin by determining from the storm'"'"'s location that it represents an imminent severe storm danger to at least one person of said database (capable of 10,000,000 or more persons) recording, if desired, an individual personal urgent warning to the name of the intended recipient of the Valid Bulletin; combining, if desired, said personal warning with a generic severe storm warning for said recipient; and, sending said Valid Bulletin with said combined warnings to said person whereby he is alerted within seconds of the release time of said National Weather Service bulletin to the danger of said storm. The storms can include but are not limited to warnings for tornados, severe storms, hurricanes, winter storms, and other impending storms, and the like, and can be delivered to answering machines, live telephone recipients, PC screens, and can further shut down electrical equipment such as PCs.

Claims

1. A computer based method for delivering severe weather warnings comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a subscriber database of names and related phone numbers to each of the names with their respective geographic locations;

forming a name database of first names of the names of the subscriber database;

determining frequency of occurrence of greatest number of the first names in the name database;

recording individualized first name personalized greeting to the first names having the greatest frequency of occurrence;

(b) capturing a NWS Bulletin reciting the location of a severe storm;

(c) validating a relevant Bulletin into a Valid Bulletin by determining from the storm'"'"'s location and severity that it represents an imminent severe storm danger to at least one person of said database;

combining each of the individualized first name personalized greetings with the Valid Bulletin;

(d) placing a call to persons in the database, within seconds of the release time of said National Weather Service Bulletin to the danger of the storm;

(e) detecting either an answering machine or a live voice signal from each said telephone number of said persons; and

(f) delivering the combined individualized first name personalized greeting followed by the Valid Bulletin to each of said persons in a non-truncated form, whereby said Valid Bulletin is continuously delivered to both answering machines and to live persons in a nontruncated form.

3. The computer based method of claim 1, wherein said warning is delivered to an active screen on the personal computer (PC) to warn that the PC will be shut down and then to initiate an automatic shut down of the PC equipment.

4. The computer based method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step (e) includes the steps of:

(e1) alternatively determining if an answering machine noise signal emission is detected over a first time period or a silence response is detected over a second time period, the first time period being different from the second time period and if so going to step (f); and

(e2) determining if a live cadence/voice signal is detected and if so go to step (f).

5. The computer based method of claim 4, wherein the selected time period is approximately one second, and the second time period is approximately two seconds.

6. The computer based method of claim 4, further comprising at least one step selected from:

subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of the answering machine noise signal, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the first time period; and

subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of silence from the answering machine, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the second time period.

7. The computer based method of claims 1, wherein the Valid Bulletin is continuously delivered once in the nontruncated form to each of said persons.

2. A computer based method for delivering severe weather warnings continuously in a non-truncated form as a personalized information message via an automated dialing system to automated recorders comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a subscriber database of names with their respective geographic locations;

forming a name database of first names of the names of the subscriber database;

determining frequency of occurrence of greatest number of the first names in the name database;

recording an individualized first name personalized greeting to the first names of the names of the subscriber database having the greatest frequency of occurrence;

(b) capturing a NWS Bulletin reciting the location of a severe storm;

(c) validating a relevant Bulletin into a Valid Bulletin by determining from the storm'"'"'s location and severity that it represents an imminent severe storm danger to at least one person of said database;

(d) recording an individual first name personal urgent warning greeting to intended recipients of the Valid Bulletin;

(e) combining each of said individualized first name personalized greetings with a generic severe storm warning for said recipient to form combined messages which includes the Valid Bulletin to form combined messages;

(f) delivering the combined messages to answering machines of the names of the subscriber database; and

(g) playing the combined messages in a nontruncated form on each of the answering machines.

8. The computer based method of claim 2, wherein the delivering step (f) includes the steps of:

(f1) alternatively determining if an answering machine noise signal emission is detected over a first time period or a silence response is detected over a second time period, the first time period being different from the second time period and if so going to step (g); and

(f2) determining if a live cadence/voice signal is detected and if so go to step (g).

9. The computer based method of claim 8, wherein the selected time period is approximately one second, and the second time period is approximately two seconds.

10. The computer based method of claim 8, further comprising at least one step selected from:

subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of the answering machine noise signal, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the first time period; and

subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of silence from the answering machine, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the second time period.

11. The computer based method of claim 2, wherein the Valid Bulletin is continuously delivered once in the nontruncated form to each of said persons.