Weather alert notification to mobile station upon weather alert occurrence during a time period

• US 7,136,661 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pfleging, Gerald W., Wilkin, George Paul, Graske, Jerome W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A.
• Application Number:
  US10/615,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20050009508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A short message service request to receive one or more notifications of any one or more weather alerts that occur during a time period in one example is received from a mobile station. A notification of a weather alert, of the one or more notifications of the any one or more weather alerts, is sent to the mobile station upon an occurrence of the weather alert during the time period.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a weather alert notification component, a short message service (SMS) request from a mobile station to receive one or more notifications of any one or more weather alerts that occur during a time period;

registering the mobile station with the weather alert notification component upon receipt of the SMS request from the mobile station;

determining a location of the mobile station upon the occurrence of the any one or more weather alerts during the time period;

sending a notification of a weather alert, of the one or more notifications of the any one or more weather alerts, to the mobile station upon an occurrence of the weather alert during the time period; and

evaluating a history of weather alerts received by the weather alert notification component to determine if the weather alerts were previously issued for a new location of the mobile station when the mobile station travels from the location to the new location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification of the weather alert comprises a first notification of a first weather alert, the method further comprising the step of:

withholding a second notification of a second weather alert from the mobile station upon an occurrence of the second weather alert after the time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of withholding the second notification of the second weather alert from the mobile station upon the occurrence of the second weather alert after the time period comprises the step of:

withholding the second notification of the second weather alert from the mobile station upon expiration of the time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the notification of the weather alert, of the one or more notifications of the any one or more weather alerts, to the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period comprises the steps of:

evaluating a weather criteria profile associated with the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the period of time; and

sending the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the weather alert matches at least one criteria of the weather criteria profile associated with the mobile station.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the notification of the weather alert comprises a first notification of a first weather alert, the method further comprising the step of:

withholding from the mobile station a second notification of a second weather alert that fails to match at least one criteria of the weather criteria profile associated with the mobile station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing an area associated with the weather alert to the location of the mobile station; and

sending the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the location of the mobile station is within the area associated with the weather alert.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining the location of the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period comprises the step of:

polling the mobile station for the location of the mobile station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the notification of the weather alert, of the one or more notifications of the one or more weather alerts, to the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period comprises the steps of:

comparing a time of the occurrence of the weather alert to the time period associated with the mobile station; and

sending the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the occurrence of the weather alert happens during the time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile station comprises a first mobile station, and wherein the time period comprises a first time period, the method further comprising the steps of:

comparing the time of the occurrence of the weather alert to a second time period associated with a second mobile station; and

withholding the notification of the weather alert to the second mobile station if the occurrence of the weather alert happened after the second time period.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

sending the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period if the mobile station is registered.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

unregistering the mobile station upon expiration of the time period; and

withholding the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the mobile station is unregistered.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a weather alert notification component that registers a mobile station to receive a notification of a weather alert during a time period upon receipt of a short message service (SMS) request from the mobile station;

wherein the weather alert notification component comprises a locator component that determines a location of the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period; and

wherein the weather alert notification component sends the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station upon occurrence of the weather alert during the time period; and

wherein the weather alert notification component evaluates a history of weather alerts received by the weather alert notification component to determine if the weather alerts were previously issued for a new location of the mobile station when the mobile station travels from the location to the new location.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the weather alert notification component comprises a timer that maintains the time period associated with the mobile station, and wherein the timer is initialized upon receipt of the SMS request from the mobile station.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification of the weather alert comprises a first notification of a first weather alert;

and

wherein the weather alert notification component withholds a second notification of a second weather alert from the mobile station upon an occurrence of the second weather alert after the time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the weather alert notification component comprises a registration component that manages a registration status of the mobile station for the time period;

and

wherein the registration component serves to register the mobile station for the time period upon receipt of the SMS request from the mobile station; and

wherein the weather alert notification component sends the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the mobile station is registered.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the registration component serves to unregister the mobile station after an expiration of the time period;

and

wherein the weather alert notification component withholds the notification of the weather alert from the mobile station if the mobile station is unregistered.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the weather alert notification component comprises a timer associated with the mobile station;

and

wherein upon receipt of the SMS message, the registration component initiates the timer associated with the mobile station, and wherein the registration component unregisters the mobile station upon expiration of the time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the weather alert notification component stores a weather criteria profile established by the mobile station, and wherein the weather criteria profile comprises one or more criteria;

and

wherein the weather alert notification component sends the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station if the weather alert matches at least one criteria of the one or more criteria of the weather criteria profile.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the weather alert notification component sends the notification of the weather alert to the mobile station upon the occurrence of the weather alert during the time period if the location of the mobile station is within an area associated with the weather alert.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the locator component polls the mobile station to determine the location of the mobile station upon receipt of the weather alert during the time period.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the weather alert generator comprises the National Weather Service.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the weather alert generator comprises the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the locator component employs a 911-triangulation to determine the location of the mobile station upon receipt of the weather alert during the time period.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the area associated with the weather alert comprises a specific area message encoding (SAME) area.

25. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a weather alert generator that issues the weather alert to the weather alert notification component.

26. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media;

means in the one or more media for receiving a short message service (SMS) request from a mobile station to receive one or more notifications of any one or more weather alerts that occur during a time period;

means in the one or more media for registering the mobile station with a weather alert notification component upon receipt of the SMS request from the mobile station;

wherein the weather alert notification component comprises a locator component that determines a location of the mobile station upon the occurrence of the any one or more weather alerts during the time period; and

means in the one or more media for sending a notification of a weather alert, of the one or more notifications of the any one or more weather alerts, to the mobile station upon an occurrence of the weather alert during the time period;

wherein the weather alert notification component evaluates a history of weather alerts received by the weather alert notification component to determine if the weather alerts were previously issued for a new location of the mobile station when the mobile station travels from the location to the new location.