Emergency alert notification for the hearing impaired

• US 8,018,333 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sennett, DeWayne Allan, Daly, Brian Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/648,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11, 340/601, 340/691.6, 340/7.6, 340/815.4, 455/404.1, 704/271
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

An indication of an emergency alert message is provided to a user, potentially having a disability, via a networked enabled portable device. The emergency alert message is provided via sign language video images indicative of the emergency alert. A notification makes the user aware when broadcast emergency alerts are issued. In various embodiments, the portable device is enabled to receive information about an emergency alert broadcast of which the potentially disabled user should be aware, e.g., from the EAS, and to notify the user of the emergency alert. The user can be automatically taken to the emergency alert information by having the portable device automatically tune to the emergency broadcast information, the user can optionally retrieve the emergency information by tuning to the emergency broadcast channel, and/or the user can otherwise be presented with a reference to the emergency data, such as a link to the information.

Claims

1. A method for providing an emergency message, the method comprising:

receiving a message indicative of an emergency;

selecting content for extraction from the message;

extracting the selected content from the message;

retrieving a plurality of video clips, each of the plurality of video clips representative of at least a portion of the extracted content;

combining the plurality of video clips; and

providing the combined video clips and the message in accordance with an alert messaging scheme.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of video clips comprises a translation of a respective portion of the extracted content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the translations are sign language translations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is selected in accordance with the alert messaging scheme.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted content comprises an entirety of the message.

6. A network enabled alerting device comprising:

a line interface configured to receive a message from an alerting service; and

an alerting processor configured to;

select content for extraction from the message;

extract the selected content from the message;

retrieve a plurality of video clips, each of the plurality of video clips representative of at least a portion of the extracted content;

combine the plurality of video clips; and

provide the combined video clips and the message in accordance with an alert messaging scheme.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of video clips comprises a translation of a respective portion of the extracted content.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the translations are sign language translations.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the content is selected in accordance with the alert messaging scheme.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the extracted content comprises an entirety of the message.

11. A computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for providing an emergency message, the method comprising:

receiving a message indicative of an emergency;

selecting content for extraction from the message;

extracting the selected content from the message;

retrieving a plurality of video clips, each of the plurality of video clips representative of at least a portion of the extracted content;

combining the plurality of video clips; and

providing the combined video clips and the message in accordance with an alert messaging scheme.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of video clips comprises a translation of a respective portion of the extracted content.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the translations are sign language translations.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the content is selected in accordance with the alert messaging scheme.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the extracted content comprises an entirety of the message.