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System, user warning and positioning device for use therein, and computer program product therefor, for tactical distributed event warning notification for individual entities

  • US 7,764,185 B1
  • Filed: 07/19/2006
  • Issued: 07/27/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
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1. A network event warning system enabling distribution of event warning messages to one or more individual entities within the network event warning system comprising:

  • (a) one or more situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateways configured to receive event warnings from linked and/or remote sensors, and/or other externally generated event warning messages, the situation awareness workstation and threat warning gateways selected from the group consisting of fixed location gateways and tactical/mobile gateways, each of said gateways comprising;

    a wireless communications means configured to receive and transmitting data; and

    a situational awareness workstation computing means in communication with the wireless communication means;

    (b) one or more network bridges in communication with the situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateways, each network bridge defining a local node, said network bridges providing a communications interface between individual user warning and positioning devices and the situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateways, each of said network bridges comprising;

    (i) a network bridge wireless communications means configured to receive from and transmitting data to individual user warning and positioning devices, sensors, and command and control systems; and

    (ii) network bridge computer processing means in communication with the network bridge and network wireless communications means;

    (c) one or more user warning and positioning devices, each user warning and position device defining an individual node, each of said user warning and positioning devices comprising;

    (i) a power supply(ii) a warning and positioning device computer processing means in communication with the power supply;

    (iii) a global positioning system (GPS) receiver means configured to calculate the location of the user warning and positioning device, said GPS receiver means in communication with the power supply and the warning and positioning device computer processing means;

    (iv) a wireless communications means in communication with the power supply, warning and positioning device computer processing means, and GPS receiver means; and

    (v) one or more sensory notification means in communication with the power supply and the warning and positioning device computer processing means;

    (d) network situational awareness workstation application program code embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for execution on the situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateway computer processing means configured to authenticate event warning messages, processing and analyzing the event warning messages via an event prediction determination process, to produce predicted future event warning messages, and distributing future event warning messages to the network bridges comprising;

    (i) application program code operable to decode and authenticate a valid event warning message, input directly or indirectly into one or more of the situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateways, by verifying a digital signature of the event warning message;

    (ii) application program code operable to input and authenticate event warning message into an event prediction determination process, thereby analyzing the event warning message to predict a corresponding future event with associated relevant information including predicted event type, location, area impacted, start time, and duration;

    (iii) application program code operable to distribute the predicted future event and associated relevant information to one or more network bridges within the event warning network, with or without regard to whether a specific local or individual node will be affected by the predicted future event;

    (iv) application program code operable to convert the format of the predicted future event information, in terms of electronic format and content, to alternative electronic formats, before distribution;

    (e) bridge application program code embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for execution on the network bridge computer processing means for processing event warning messages received from the situational awareness workstation and threat warning gateways, and other external sources, and distributing an authenticated event warning message of an event to occur in the future, said bridge application program code comprising;

    (i) application program code operable to automatically verify the authenticity of event warning messages reporting an event to occur in the future, by examining its digital signature, so as to produce either an invalid or valid event warning message;

    (ii) application program code operable to input a valid event warning message into an event prediction process, wherein the predicted time of the event is compared with the local time, to determine whether the event will occur at some future time;

    (iii) application program code operable to automatically compare a locale to be affected by an authenticated event warning message of an event to occur in the future within the locale of the local node, to determine the affected area;

    (iv) application program code operable to send notification to one or more user warning and positioning devices within the affected area of an authenticated event warning message of an event predicted to occur in the future;

    (v) application program code operable to relay the event warning message to other local and individual nodes not in the area of the predicted event warning message;

    (vi) application program code operable to log off and discard all invalid and elapsed event warning messages;

    (vii) application program code operable to input and translate authenticated event warning messages from individual user warning and positioning devices into other message formats utilized by other different command and control systems;

    (viii) application program code operable to filter event warning messages that should not be sent from one network to the other;

    (ix) application program code operable to track the status of user warning and positioning devices with which the network bridge is in communication with;

    (x) application program code operable to enable the network bridges to communicate with sensors, individual user warning and positioning devices, and command and control systems, using different networks and protocols;

    (xi) application program code operable to issue keys acting as the root certificate authority for all nodes in the network, thereby permitting the network bridges and user warning and positioning devices to authenticate each other;

    (f) user warning and positioning device application program code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for execution on the user warning device computer processing means in conjunction with the bridge application program code and the situational awareness workstation program code, said user warning device application program code being configured to decode messages, validating and analyzing event warning messages, issuing a notification of an event predicted to occur in the future in the locale of the user warning and positioning device, and relay received messages, said user warning and positioning device application program code comprising;

    (i) application program code operable to receive and authenticate event warning messages by verifying the digital signature of the event warning messages;

    (ii) application program code operable to decode incoming coded messages;

    (iii) application program code operable to query a local cache of relayed messages to determine whether an event warning message has already been relayed;

    (iv) application program code operable to relay event warning messages to local and individual nodes concerning an event that has not as yet happened and has not as yet been relayed;

    (v) application program code operable to compare the time of the predicted event to the local time, to determine whether the predicted event will occur at some future time and, if it will, authenticate the event warning message;

    (vi) application program code operable to log and then discard all invalid or elapsed messages;

    (vii) application program code operable to compare the locale to be affected by the predicted future event with the locale of the individual node;

    (viii) application program code operable to activate the sensory notification means of the user warning and positioning device when a valid event warning is received, based upon the time remaining until the predicted event; and

    (ix) application program code operable to periodically transmit messages to local and/or central nodes containing data concerning a unique identifier and location of the user warning and positioning device, and a timestamp of the message.

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