Geographically specific signal communications receiver

• US 7,114,169 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kahn, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Johnny
• Application Number:
  US09/541,016
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 725/33, 348/468
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/085 using central distribution transmission lines
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast

Abstract

A geographically specific signal communication receiver in a television receiver that selects one or more messages or warnings that are of interest for display by the television screen from a group that includes other messages or warnings that are not of interest. Each message or warning has an associated code that is compared with one or more codes stored in the receiver and when there is a match between the received code and the stored code, the received message or warning associated with the matched received code is passed to a video display for presentation.

Claims

1. A geographically specific signal communication receiver, comprising:

a receiver integral to a television receiver for receiving a warning signal, the warning signal being independent of any television signal, the warning signal having;

(a) information relating to a condition in a geographically specific region, and

(b) a code component associated with the geographically specific region;

a secondary microprocessor, coupled to the receiver, for receiving the warning signal from the receiver and selectively providing the code component and the information relating to the condition as digital data;

a memory for storing code information associated with multiple geographic regions of interest;

a main microprocessor, coupled to the memory, for programming the secondary microprocessor to selectively provide the code component and the information relating to the condition, for receiving the selectively provided code component and information relating to the condition, for comparing the stored code information and the selectively provided code component of the warning signal and for developing a control signal when the stored code information and the selectively provided code component of the warning signal are the same;

an audible alarm coupled directly to the main microprocessor and to the secondary microprocessor for developing an audible alarm when the warning signal is received;

a tuner for;

(a) receiving a television program signal having a video information component and an audio information component, and

(b) conducting the video information component of the television program signal to a video processor and the audio information component of the television program signal to an audio processor, wherein

the video processor is responsive to the control signal for determining a manner in which the received warning signal is displayed, the video processor being configured to selectively cause the message to be displayed as a footer on a displayed video image or as a display that interrupts television programming, and for selectively conducting, in response to the control signal, the information relating to the condition in the geographically specific region as a formatted warning signal to the video display.

3. A geographically specific signal communications receiver according to claim 1, wherein said receiver is a Specific Area Message Encoding module and said secondary microprocessor controls said Specific Area Message Encoding module to develop data signals representative of the condition and the code component.

4. A geographically specific signal communications receiver according to claim 1, wherein the warning signal includes information relating to a condition in a geographically specific region in audio form and said audio processor selectively conducts the audio warning signal to a speaker in response to the control signal developed by said main microprocessor.

9. The geographically specific signal communication receiver according to claim 1, wherein the receiver receives operational power from a power supply of the television receiver when the television receiver is turned off.

11. The geographically specific signal communication receive according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for formatting the received warning signal includes means for displaying the formatted warning as a footer display, a split-screen display, and an interruption of a television program.

2. A geographically specific signal communication receiver comprising:

an antenna for receiving;

(a) a television program signal having a video information component and an audio information component; and

(b) a warning signal, the warning signal being independent of any television signal, and having;

(1) information relating to a condition in a geographically specific region, and

(2) a code component associated with the geographically specific region;

a receiver coupled to the antenna and integral to a television receiver for receiving the warning signal;

a secondary microprocessor, coupled to the receiver for receiving the warning signal from the receiver and selectively providing the code component and the information relating to the condition as digital data;

a memory for storing a plurality of code information values associated with a respective plurality of geographic regions of interest;

a main microprocessor, coupled to the memory, for programming the secondary microprocessor to selectively provide the code component and the information relating to the condition, for receiving the selectively provided code component and information relating to the condition, for comparing the stored plurality of code information values and the selectively provided code component of the warning signal and for developing a control signal when at least one of the stored plurality of code information values and the selectively provided code component of the warning signal are the same;

an audible alarm coupled directly to the main microprocessor and to the secondary microprocessor for developing an audible alarm when the warning signal is received;

a tuner for;

(a) receiving the television program signal,

(b) conducting the video information component of the television program signal to a video processor and the audio information component of the television program signal to an audio processor, wherein,

the video processor is responsive to the control signal for determining a manner in which the received warning signal is displayed and for selectively conducting, in response to the control signal, the information relating to the condition in the geographically specific region of the formatted warning signal to the video display.

5. A geographically specific signal communications receiver according to claim 2, wherein the code component of the warning signal and the stored plurality of code information values are postal codes.

10. The geographically specific signal communication receiver according to claim 2, wherein the receiver receives operational power from a power supply of the television receiver when the television receiver is turned off.

12. The geographically specific signal communication receive according to claim 2, further comprising:

means for formatting the received warning signal includes means for displaying the formatted warning as a footer display, a split-screen display, and an interruption of a television program.

6. A method of receiving and displaying warning signals using a warning signal receiver coupled to a television receiver, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the warning signal in a first format, the warning signal including information relating to a condition in a geographically specific region and a code component associated with the geographically specific region;

programming a secondary microprocessor with a main microprocessor to selectively provide the warning signal to the main microprocessor;

selectively providing the warning signal to the main microprocessor in a second format under control of the secondary microprocessor;

storing in a memory at least one code corresponding to a geographic region of interest for which warning signals are to be received, formatted, and displayed and a channel to which the television receiver is to be tuned when a warning signal is received;

comparing, by said main microprocessor, the code component of the warning signal in the second format to the at least one code stored in the memory;

determining if an audible alarm coupled directly to the main microprocessor and to the secondary microprocessor in said television receiver has been temporarily suppressed and, if the audible alarm has not been temporarily suppressed, conditioning the audible alarm to indicate reception of a warning signal responsive to the main microprocessor or the secondary microprocessor, wherein the main microprocessor and the secondary microprocessor are both configured to control the audible alarm;

conditioning a video display in said television receiver to display a formatted warning signal, responsive to a control signal from the main microprocessor;

setting a tuner of said television receiver to the stored television channel responsive to the control signal from the main microprocessor;

causing said television receiver to display at least one selected type of warning signal in a selected manner responsive to the control signal from the main microprocessor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one code is a postal code.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the format for displaying the formatted warning signal is selected from a group consisting of a footer display, a split-screen display, and an interruption of a television program.