System and method of communicating emergency alerts

• US 7,936,254 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McClenny, John, Webster, Thomas, Raftelis, Michael Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/395,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.02, 340/531, 340/534, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.17, 340/7.48, 455/184.1, 455/186.1, 455/404.1, 455/192.3, 725/33, 725/61, 725/105, 725/108, 725/131
• US Class Current: 340/286.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A set-top box device is disclosed. The set-top box device includes a processor and a memory device accessible to the processor. The memory device includes instructions to communicate with a multi-cast alert server to receive a multicast emergency alert message. The multicast emergency alert message includes data related to a location code and data related to a set-top box action. The memory device stores location information and includes instructions to execute the set-top box action when the location code matches the location information.

Claims

1. A set-top box device, comprising:

a processor and a memory device accessible to the processor;

wherein the memory device includes instructions to communicate with a multicast alert server to receive a multicast emergency alert message, the multicast emergency alert message including data related to a location code and data related to a set-top box action;

wherein the memory device stores location information and includes instructions to execute the set-top box action when the location code matches the location information.

2. The set-top box device of claim 1, wherein the multicast emergency alert message is received via a multicast-enabled network of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system.

3. The set-top box device of claim 2, wherein:

the multicast emergency alert message includes data related to emergency alert information;

the memory device includes a buffer to receive video content from a video server of the IPTV system; and

the emergency alert information is sent to a display device coupled to the set-top box device when the location code matches the location information.

4. The set-top box device of claim 3, wherein the emergency alert information is displayed overlaying the video content at the display device.

5. The set-top box device of claim 2, wherein the location information is received at the set-top box device from the multicast alert server when a user account associated with the set-top box device is created at one of the multicast alert server and another server of the IPTV system.

6. The set-top box device of claim 1, wherein the memory device deletes the multicast emergency alert message when the location code does not match the location information.

7. The set-top box device of claim 1, further comprising determining the set-top box action based on the emergency alert.

8. The set-top box device of claim 1, wherein the location information is pre-installed at the memory device.

9. A system to communicate emergency alerts, the system comprising:

a multicast alert server having a processor and a memory device accessible to the processor;

wherein the memory device includes instructions to send a multicast emergency alert message to a first set-top box device at a first location and to a second set-top box device at a second location via a multicast-enabled network, wherein the multicast emergency alert message includes data related to a set-top box action and data related to a location code; and

wherein the first set-top box device executes the set-top box action when the location code corresponds to the first location, and the second set-top box device executes the set-top box action when the location code corresponds to the second location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the set-top box action includes requesting video content of a target channel from a server, transmitting video content to a television monitor, producing an audio alert, producing a visual alert, sending emergency alert information to a display device, or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the location code is a federal information processing standards (FIPS) code.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

instructions to communicate with an emergency alert system (EAS) receiver to receive an emergency alert;

instructions to generate emergency alert information based on the emergency alert; and

instructions to include data related to the emergency alert information with the multicast emergency alert message.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the emergency alert information includes a type of the multicast emergency alert message, a degree of urgency of the multicast emergency alert message, a time period related to the multicast emergency alert message, safety precaution instructions related to the multicast emergency alert message, a dissipation of an emergency, a path of an emergency, or any combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the location code indicates an Internet Protocol address, a street, a city, a zip code, an area code, a county, a state, a time zone, a geographic region, a nation or any combination thereof associated with the multicast emergency alert message.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions to format the multicast emergency alert message for transmission via the multicast-enabled network.