Method for digitally notifying customers of a utility

• US 7,624,171 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Inventors: Rodkey, Ryan Scott, Rodkey, John Frank, Hickey, David Lynn, Ross, Darren Lynn, Ramsey, Ronald Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US11/960,373
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/228, 709/231, 707/10, 707/102, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/50 Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers H04M3/487 takes precedence; centralised dictation systems H04M11/10; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for digitally notifying customers of a utility. The method includes receiving real time digital user data from a utility using an application programming interface in communication with a processor and a network, and storing the real time digital user data in a dynamic information database in communication with the processor. At least one message is transmit from the utility through the application programming interface to a first group of user contact devices before transmitting the message to a second group of user contact devices. Response information is received from each user contact device.

Claims

1. A method for digitally notifying customers of a utility comprising:

receiving real time digital user data from a utility using an application programming interface in communication with a processor and a network, and storing the real time digital user data in a dynamic information database in communication with the processor;

forming at least one group of users of the utility from the real time digital user data using utility identified grouping information, wherein each user in the at least one group of users has at least one user contact device, and wherein each of the user contact devices has associated user contact device information;

forming a first group of user contact devices for each user in the at least one group of users and a second group of user contact devices for each user in the at least one group of users, using utility identified user contact device priority information;

transmitting at least one message from the utility through the application programming interface to at least one of the user contact devices in the first group of user contact devices using at least two industry standard gateway protocols simultaneously and the utility identified user contact device priority information, wherein the at least one message is simultaneously transmitted to all of the user contact devices in the first group of user contact devices before being transmitted simultaneously to each of the user contact devices in the second group of user contact devices;

receiving response information from each user contact device by the application programming interface through the at least two industry standard gateway protocols simultaneously, wherein at least one of the at least two industry standard gateway protocols comprise of a SMTP gateway, a SIP gateway, an H.323 gateway, an ISDN gateway, a PSTN gateway, a softswitch, other industry standard gateway protocols or combinations thereof; and

ensuring each user in the at least one group of users is contacted on the first group of user contact devices before each user in the at least one group of users is contacted on the second group of user contact devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message comprises predefined messages selected from the group consisting of:

“

power lines are down”

, “

there is a brown out”

, “

you didn'"'"'t pay your bill”

, “

wash your clothes after 10;

00 pm”

, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility is gas, water, electricity, telephone, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one group of users has a group identification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one group of users is represented as a list.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a user message with updated real time digital user data from each user contact device by the application programming interface and updating the real time digital user data in the dynamic information database using the user message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the application programming interface to form new groups of users using the user contact device information and instruction from the utility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message from the utility comprises activation of an audio alarm, a visual alarm, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing duplicate user contact devices from the user contact device information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a designated ring tone for each at least one message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application programming interface controls an administrator interface and provides additional code to the administrator interface for creating and transmitting messages to the user contact devices.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of controlling the administrator interface to only transmit the at least one message within a predefined time interval, wherein the administrator interface comprises a manual override to suppress the predefined time interval to allow the at least one message to be sent at any time.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a survey to at least one of the user contact devices for requesting additional information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of receiving a response to the survey and storing the response in the dynamic information database.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating in the dynamic information database a searchable list of the last message sent to at least one of the user contact devices.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database is encrypted.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the encrypted dynamic information database has at least one encryption key.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the application programming interface for communicating the at least one message is a local area network web interface, a wide area network web interface, a virtual private network interface, an asynchronous transfer mode interface, a synchronous optical network interface, a call center interface, a voice mail interface, a satellite interface, a wireless interface, or combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the user contact devices are handheld wireless devices, wireless phones, land phones, e-mail addresses, fax machines, pagers, digital displays, LED displays, webpages, a TTY/TDD devices, instant messaging devices, or combinations thereof.