Systems and methods for delivering personalized storm warning messages

• US 7,609,819 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Onsolve, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emergency Communications Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Tuttle, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/892,788
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 379/40, 379/45, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 379/40
• 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. An automated system for delivering severe weather warnings to live persons and automated telephone answering machines, comprising:

means for forming a subscriber database in a selected geographical region, consisting of names and related telephone numbers to each of the names in the database;

means for forming a name database of first names of the names of the subscriber database having a greatest frequency of occurrence;

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

means for capturing a NWS (National Weather Service) Bulletin reciting a location of a severe storm;

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

means for combining each of the individualized first name personalized greeting with the Valid Bulletin;

means for placing a call to persons in the name database, within seconds of the release time of said NWS Bulletin to the danger of the storm;

means for detecting either an answering machine or a live voice signal from each of said telephone numbers; and

means for delivering the combined individualized first name personalized greeting followed by the Valid Bulletin to each of the persons in the name database in a nontruncated form, wherein said Valid Bulletin is continuously delivered to both answering machines and to live persons in a nontruncated form.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes:

means for 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 then playing the message; and

means for determining if a live cadence/voice signal is detected and if so then playing the message.

3. An automated method for delivering weather condition warnings to live persons and automated telephone answering machines, comprising the steps of:

forming a subscriber database in a selected geographical region, consisting of names and telephone numbers to each of the names in the database;

forming a name database of first names having a greatest frequency of occurrence from the subscriber database;

recording individualized first name personalized greeting for each first names having the greatest frequency of occurrence,

capturing a NWS (National Weather Service) Bulletin reciting the location of a severe storm;

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 name database;

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

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

placing a call to persons in the name database;

detecting either an answering machine or a live voice signal from each of said telephone numbers; and

playing the combined first name personalized greeting with the weather condition message to the persons in the name database in a nontruncated form, wherein the nontruncated form message is played on each answering machine and to each live person in the name database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detecting step includes the steps of:

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 then playing the message; and

determining if a live cadence/voice signal is detected and if so then playing the message.

5. A computer based system 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:

a subscriber database of names with their respective geographic locations;

a name database of first names based on the names in the subscriber database having the greatest frequency of occurrence;

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

a recorder for recording individualized first name personalized greetings to each of the first names in the subscriber database having the greatest frequency of occurrence;

a capturer for capturing a NWS (National Weather Service) Bulletin reciting location of a severe storm;

a validator for validating a relevant Bulletin into a Valid Bulletin by determining from the location and severity of the severe storm that represents an imminent severe storm danger to at least one person of said name database;

a second recorder for recording an individual first name personal urgent warning greeting to intended recipients of the Valid Bulletin;

a combiner for combining each of the individualized first name personalized greetings in the name database with a generic severe storm warning for said intended recipients to form combined messages which includes the Valid Bulletin;

a deliverer for delivering the combined messages to answering machines of the names of the name database; and

a player for playing the combined messages in a nontruncated form on each of the answering machines of the first names in the name database having the greatest frequency of occurrence.