Public service message broadcasting system and method

• US 7,752,259 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envision IT LLC
• Original Assignee: Envision IT LLC
• Inventors: Weiser, Douglas “Bud”, Preston, Kevin R., Wood, Mark Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joo; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/057,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 709/224, 709204-207, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The public service message location broadcast system and method provides for broadcasting a message to communication receiving devices located within a defined geographic broadcast target area. The broadcast target area is defined by a broadcast agent using a broadcast agent webpage and a broadcast service bureau transmits the broadcast message to one or more local carriers who provide telecommunication service to the broadcast target area. The local carrier transmits the broadcast message to targeted users within the broadcast target area.

Claims

1. A public service message broadcast system providing a broadcast message to a broadcast target area, the system comprising:

a broadcast agent access device configured for receiving broadcast agent input geographically defining the broadcast target area and defining the broadcast message;

a carrier broadcast server center configured for receiving the broadcast target area and broadcast message, converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of particular network transmission devices serving the broadcast target area including determining the particular network transmission devices serving at least a portion of the broadcast target area, and identifying the network addresses for each determined particular network transmission device and transmitting the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices for transmission by the particular network transmission devices to user receiving devices located within the broadcast target area; and

a broadcast service bureau communicatively coupled to said carrier broadcast center and said broadcast agent access device, said broadcast service bureau configured for receiving the broadcast agent input including the geographically defined broadcast target area and the broadcast message from the broadcast agent access device and transmitting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to the carrier broadcast server center,

wherein the broadcast service bureau verifies an authority of the broadcast agent to transmit the broadcast message to the broadcast target area as a function of a broadcast message jurisdiction of the broadcast agent including the defined broadcast target area.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device provides a broadcast agent with geographic data for defining the geographically defined broadcast target area and a shape tool for defining an irregular shaped broadcast target area, and wherein the geographic data includes a map and wherein the broadcast target area is defined as a function of the map.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of user receiving devices configured for receiving messages from one or more of the network transmission devices, said carrier broadcast center transmitting the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the particular network transmission devices for transmission to those user receiving devices located within the serving areas of the particular network transmission devices.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the user receiving devices are each selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a wireline telephone, a mobile telephone, and a personal digital assistant device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said broadcast service bureau configured to transmitting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to the carrier broadcast center responsive to the authority verification.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast agent access device is a first broadcast agent access device hosting a first webpage for receiving first input from a first broadcast agent, further comprising a broadcast controller providing a second broadcast agent access device for receiving second broadcast agent input from a second broadcast agent defining a second broadcast target area and a second broadcast message.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the network transmission devices are wireless transmitters within a wireless mobile network having a plurality of individual wireless cell sites each serving a geographic serving area, and wherein the network addresses are the cell ids of the cell sites and wherein the geographic serving areas of the network transmission devices are the individual wireless cell sites served by the wireless transmitters and wherein the user receiving devices are wireless telephone receiving devices.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein there are two or more carrier broadcast centers each of which is associated with one or more network operators having different network transmission devices and wherein the broadcast service bureau is coupled to each of the carrier broadcast centers, the broadcast service bureau transmitting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to each carrier broadcast center as a function of the broadcast target area and the broadcast message.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the carrier broadcast center transmits the broadcast message using the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices and wherein following the conversion of the broadcast target area into the network addresses, the carrier broadcast system does not transmit the broadcast target area.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the carrier broadcast service bureau further includes a distributor receiving the broadcast message and broadcast target area and maps the broadcast target area to determine which one or more broadcast distribution networks from among a plurality of broadcast distribution networks provide broadcast distribution systems serving the broadcast target area, and wherein the distributor identifies the broadcast distribution networks for the broadcast target area and determines whether the broadcast distribution network has its own carrier broadcast center.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast agent access device is configured to identify one or more cell broadcast channel codes to be used for the broadcasting of the broadcast message to the defined broadcast target area, wherein the broadcast service bureau is configured to receive the identified cell broadcast channel codes and transmitting the received cell broadcast channel codes to the carrier broadcast center with the broadcast message, and wherein the carrier broadcast center is configured to transmit the received cell broadcast channel codes with the broadcast message to the network addresses for transmission of the broadcast message by the particular network transmission using cell broadcast channels associated with the received cell broadcast channel codes.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the carrier broadcast center transmits the broadcast message and the broadcast target area using the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices following the conversion of the broadcast target area into the network addresses.

13. A public service message broadcast service bureau system providing a broadcast message to network transmission devices serving a broadcast target area, the system comprising:

a first communication interface coupled to a first network;

a second communication interface coupled to a second network;

a webpage receiving broadcast agent input from a broadcast agent, agent input including a geographically defined broadcast target area defined as a subset of a broadcast transmission serving area and the broadcast message; and

a computer hosting the webpage over the first communication interface, said computer receiving the broadcast agent input, verifying an authority of the broadcast agent to transmit the broadcast message to the broadcast target area and transmitting over the second communication interface the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to a carrier broadcast center serving one or more local broadcast transmission systems, the carrier broadcast center receiving the broadcast target area and broadcast message, converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of network transmission devices serving the broadcast target area including determining only particular network transmission devices serving at least a portion of the broadcast target area, and identifying the network addresses for each particular network transmission device and transmitting the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices for transmission by the particular network transmission devices to user receiving devices located within the broadcast target area,

wherein the computer verifies an authority of the broadcast agent to transmit the broadcast message to the broadcast target area as a function of a broadcast message jurisdiction of the broadcast agent including the defined broadcast target area.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the webpage provides a broadcast agent with geographic data presented as a map and wherein the broadcast target area is defined as a function of the map and wherein the webpage includes a shape tool for defining an irregular shaped broadcast target area.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said system configured for transmitting the broadcast message to a local broadcast system being responsive to the authority verification.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the computer further includes a distributor receiving the broadcast message and broadcast target area and maps the broadcast target area to determine which one or more broadcast distribution networks from among a plurality of broadcast distribution networks provide broadcast distribution systems serving the broadcast target area, and wherein the distributor identifies the broadcast distribution networks for the broadcast target area and determines whether the broadcast distribution network has its own carrier broadcast center.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the computer maps the broadcast target area into network addresses and transmits the broadcast message using the mapped network addresses for direct network addressing of the broadcast message to remote selectors for distribution of the broadcast message within the one or more local broadcast transmission systems that serve the broadcast target area.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the webpage is configured to receive broadcast agent input that includes one or more cell broadcast channel codes to be used for the broadcasting of the broadcast message to the defined broadcast target area, wherein the computer is configured to transmit the webpage received cell broadcast channel codes over the second communication interface to the carrier broadcast center with the broadcast message, and wherein the carrier broadcast center is configured to transmit the received cell broadcast channel codes with the broadcast message to the identified network addresses for transmission by the particular network transmission devices using cell broadcast transmission channels associated with the received cell broadcast channel codes.

19. A website interface system for a public service message broadcasting system comprising:

a broadcast agent device that includes a display for displaying a broadcast agent webpage;

a webpage host that communicates with the broadcast agent device and that establishes a communications interface between the broadcast agent device and the webpage host;

said broadcast agent device receiving broadcast agent input geographically defining the broadcast target area as a subset of a broadcast transmission serving area and defining the broadcast message, said broadcast agent device transmitting the broadcast target area and the broadcast message to the webpage host over the communication interface, the webpage host configured for verifying an authority of the broadcast agent including a broadcast message jurisdiction of a particular broadcast agent includes the broadcast target area prior to transmitting the broadcast message; and

a carrier broadcast center converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of particular network transmission devices serving the broadcast target area after verification of the authority and transmitting the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the network addresses.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the webpage provides a broadcast agent with geographic data, wherein the geographic data includes a map and wherein the broadcast target area is defined as a function of the map, and wherein the webpage includes a shape tool for defining an irregular shaped broadcast target area.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the broadcast agent device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a wireline telephone, a mobile telephone, and a personal digital assistant device.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the broadcast agent device is configured to receive broadcast agent input including one or more cell broadcast channel codes to be used for the broadcasting of the broadcast message to the defined broadcast target area, and wherein the broadcast agent device transmits the received one or more cell broadcast channel codes with the broadcast message and the broadcast target area over the communication interface.

23. A method of public service broadcast messaging to a broadcast target area, the method comprising:

hosting a broadcast agent webpage;

receiving a geographically defined broadcast target area and a broadcast message from the broadcast agent webpage;

verifying an authority of a broadcast agent accessing the broadcast agent webpage and generating the broadcast message, the verifying including determining that a broadcast message jurisdiction of the broadcast agent includes the defined broadcast target area;

converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of one or more network transmission devices, said converting including determining the network transmission devices providing transmission service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area and identifying the network address for each determined network transmission device, and said converting only taking place following a verification of the authority of the broadcast agent for generating the broadcast message; and

transmitting the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the network addresses of the determined network transmission devices for transmission of the broadcast message to user receiving devices geographically located within the transmission service area of at least one of the determined network transmission devices.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein transmitting the broadcast message includes transmitting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to a carrier broadcast center, wherein the carrier broadcast center performs the converting and transmits the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area to the particular network transmission devices.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the broadcast agent webpage provides the broadcast agent with a map, wherein the broadcast agent webpage enables the broadcast agent to define a broadcast target area with an irregular shape as a subset of the provided map.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving the broadcast message and not the broadcast target area at a user receiving device as a function of the user receiving device being located within the geographic service area of at least one of the particular network transmission devices.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the broadcast message jurisdiction includes a geographic parameter defining an authorized broadcast agent broadcasting area.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the network transmission devices are wireless transmitters within a wireless mobile network having a plurality of individual wireless cell sites each serving a geographic serving area and wherein the geographic serving areas of the network transmission devices are the individual wireless sites served by the wireless transmitters and wherein the user receiving devices are wireless telephone receiving devices.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising selecting one or more network operators from among a plurality of network operators serving the broadcast target area and sending the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to a carrier broadcast center associated with the selected network operators for performing the converting and transmitting.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein transmitting the broadcast message to the network addresses of the determined network transmission devices does not include transmitting the broadcast target area to the network transmission devices.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein receiving from the broadcast agent webpage one or more cell broadcast channel codes to be used for broadcast transmission of the broadcast message, and wherein transmitting the broadcast message to the network addresses includes transmitting the one or more cell broadcast channel codes for transmission of the broadcast message by the determined network transmission devices using cell broadcast transmission channels associated with the received cell broadcast channel codes.

32. The method of claim 23 wherein transmitting includes transmitting the broadcast target area with the broadcast message to the network addresses of the determined network transmission devices.