Digital notification and response system

• US 7,130,389 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Inventors: Rodkey, Ryan Scott, Hickey, David Lynn, Ross, Darren Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): GAUTHIER, GERALD
• Application Number:
  US11/117,594
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/79, 379/88.19, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities

Abstract

A digital notification and response system utilizes an administrator interface to transmit a message from an administrator to a user contact device. The system comprises a dynamic information database that includes user contact data, priority information, and response data. The administrator initiates distribution of the message based upon grouping information, priority information, and the priority order. The message is transmitted through at least two industry standard gateways simultaneously to groups of user contact devices based upon priority information. Once the message is received by the user contact device, the user contact device transmits a response through the industry standard gateways back to the dynamic information database.

Claims

1. A digital notification and response system, comprising:

a. an administrator interface for preparing and transmitting a message from an administrator to at least one user contact device;

b. a dynamic information database for storing the message, wherein the dynamic information database comprises;

i. user contact data comprising;

1. user contact device information; and

2. user selected priority information that indicates a contact order for the user contact device;

ii. user selected grouping information comprising;

1. at least one group associated with each user contact device; and

2. a priority order for contacting each user contact device within the group;

iii. response data comprising;

1. user response information that indicates individual user contact devices have received the message; and

2. response information that indicates when insufficient user contact device information exists to contact the user contact devices;

wherein the administrator initiates distribution of the message using the grouping information, priority information, and the priority order, and wherein the message is transmitted through at least two industry standard gateways simultaneously, wherein the two industry standard gateways are selected from the group consisting of;

a SMTP gateway a SIP, an H.323, an ISDN gateway, a PSTN gateway, a softswitch, and combinations thereof, wherein the message is received by the at least one user contact device, and the at least one user contact device transmits a response through the industry standard gateways to the dynamic information database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user contact data further comprises a user selected language for translating the message to be transmitted.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a language converter for translating the message to be transmitted into the user selected language.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a text-to-sound file converter for translating the message from text to a sound file.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising reporting information for generating custom designed reports created by the administrator, the user, the at least one group, or combinations thereof, standard reports generated from the dynamic information database, or combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the reporting information comprises a date the message was sent, a time the message was sent, a date the message was received, a time the message was received, content of the message, a recipient of the message, recipient information for the message, and combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator interface is a local area network web interface, a wide area network web interface, virtual private network interface, asynchronous transfer mode interface, synchronous optical network interface a call center interface, a voice mail, or combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator is a person, a computer, another digital notification and response system, an analog emergency notification system, and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a designation selected from the group consisting of low priority, general priority, significant priority, high priority, and severe priority.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the designation comprises a color associated with each different priority.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is a prewritten message stored in the dynamic information database for subsequent use by the administrator.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database is an SQL™

database, MySQL™

database, other industry standard databases, an Oracle™

database, or combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the grouping information is a predefined group identified in the dynamic information database, wherein the predefined group is identified by the administrator prior to transmitting the message.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the user contact data is a member selected from the group consisting of an user name, an user address, an user phone number, an user device address, a social security number, an account code, and combinations thereof.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one group is:

a police department, a commercial property manager, a company, a parent of a child, a fire department, a school system, an adult, a security company, or combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the priority order is selected by a user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the priority order directs transmission of the message first to all user contact devices indicated as a first contact by the user, then second to all user contact devices indicated as a second contact by the user, then continues contacting user contact devices based on the priority order until all user contact devices are contacted.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the user contact device is a handheld wireless device, a wireless phone, a land phone, an email address, a fax machine, a pager, a digital display, an LED display, or combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the user contact device comprises an unique address.