Emergency alert service

• US 7,119,675 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2004
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Sathya, Khandelwal, Rajesh, Li, Luyang
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAI T
• Application Number:
  US10/765,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 340/531, 340/506, 340/539.1, 340/539.18, 340/500, 340/3.43, 340/7.29, 709/223, 709/224, 709/218, 370/356, 370/328
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

The emergency alert service responds to receipt of emergency alert messages by filtering, formatting and routing emergency alert information to a variety of different networked appliances and also to remote devices. In this way, a consistent warning message is disseminated simultaneously over many different warning systems, thus increasing warning effectiveness while simplifying the warning task. The system thus provides a common alerting protocol that is simple but quite robust and capable of exchanging all-hazard emergency alerts and public warnings over all kinds of networks.

Claims

1. An emergency alert system comprising:

an emergency alert service-providing system adapted to receive emergency alert messages from an alert message source and configured to communicate with networked appliances over a network;

said emergency alert service-providing system being configured to selectively relay said received emergency alert messages to said networked appliances based on registration information received from said networked appliances.

2. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system includes message filtering system to selectively screen said received emergency alert messages so that selected ones of said received emergency alert messages are relayed to said networked appliances.

3. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said received emergency alert messages are provided by a broadcast source.

4. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system generates a beacon message to which said networked appliances respond in order to register with said emergency alert service-providing system.

5. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system includes message formatting system to selectively format said received emergency alert messages so that at least some of said received emergency alert messages are altered in format based on the capabilities of at least one of said networked appliances.

6. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system is further configured to provide control signals to a monitor appliance adapted for monitoring said received emergency alert messages.

7. The emergency alert system of claim 6 wherein said control signals comprise a monitor turn-on signal operative to energize said monitor appliance.

8. The emergency alert system of claim 6 wherein said control signals comprise a monitor wakeup signal operative to awake said monitor appliance from a sleep condition.

9. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system is further configured to provide signal redirection service whereby said received emergency alert messages are relayed to a remote device that is not in direct networked communication with said network.

10. The emergency alert system of claim 9 wherein said remote device is a telecommunication device.

11. The emergency alert system of claim 9 wherein said remote device is a cellular telephone.

12. The emergency alert system of claim 9 wherein said remote device is an instant messaging system.

13. The emergency alert system of claim 9 wherein said remote devices is a home network device.

14. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system is further configured to provide signal redirection service whereby said received emergency alert messages are relayed to an instant messaging system.

15. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said networked appliance is selected from the group consisting of television, microwave, home automation controller, home entertainment system, kitchen appliance, and telephone system.

16. The emergency alert system of claim 1 further comprising a configuration mechanism that adapts said emergency alert message to a predetermined device.

17. The emergency alert system of claim 1 further comprising a configuration mechanism that adapts said emergency alert message to a particular user.

18. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said networked appliance is a lighting control system adapted to provide emergency alert messages by flashing controlled lighting in a predetermined way.

19. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system is implemented using a processor disposed within a device associated with said network.

20. The emergency alert system of claim 19 wherein said processor is disposed within a receiver adapted to receive said emergency alert message.

21. The emergency alert system of claim 1 wherein said emergency alert service-providing system is implemented using plural processors disposed on a plural devices associated with said network.

22. The emergency alert system of claim 1 further comprising unicasting mechanism that causes said received emergency alert message to be sent to a predetermined device.

23. The emergency alert system of claim 1 further comprising multicasting mechanism that causes said received emergency alert message to be sent to a predetermined group of devices.

24. The emergency alert system of claim 1 further comprising broadcasting mechanism that causes said received emergency alert message to be sent to all devices communicating with said network.