Message alert broadcast broker system and method

• US 8,073,903 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envisionit LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: envisionIT
• Inventors: Wood, Mark Andrew, Preston, Kevin Russell, Weiser, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US12/559,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20100029245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709223-224, 455403-404, 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

A message alert broadcast broker and method for providing a broadcast message to a plurality of user devices located within a broadcast target area including a broadcast service bureau receiving from one of a plurality of coupled broadcast agent access systems providing a broadcast request from an originating broadcast agent associated one broadcast agent access system, the broadcast request including a broadcast agent identification, the geographically defined broadcast target area, a broadcast message, and a broadcast channel code, the broadcast service bureau verifying the broadcast request as a function of the broadcast agent identification including the authority of the originating broadcast agent to send the broadcast message to the broadcast target area using the broadcast channel code, the broadcast service bureau processing the verified broadcast request for transmission to one or more mobile telephone networks providing service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area of the broadcast request.

Claims

1. A message alert broadcast broker system for providing a broadcast message to a plurality of user devices located within a geographically defined broadcast target area, the system comprising:

a broadcast service bureau communicatively coupled for receiving from one of a plurality of coupled broadcast agent access systems providing a broadcast request from an originating broadcast agent associated one broadcast agent access system, the broadcast request including a broadcast agent identification, the geographically defined broadcast target area, a broadcast message, and a broadcast channel code, the broadcast service bureau configured for verifying the broadcast request as a function of the broadcast agent identification including an authority of the originating broadcast agent to send the broadcast message to the broadcast target area using the broadcast channel code,

the broadcast service bureau processing the verified broadcast request for transmission to one or more mobile telephone networks providing service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area of the broadcast request.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a carrier broadcast center coupled to the broadcast service bureau configured for receiving the broadcast request, identifying the one or more mobile telephone networks providing service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area, converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of network transmission devices serving the broadcast target area including determining 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 broadcast channel code to the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices for transmission by the particular network transmission devices to user receiving devices over a broadcast channel associated with the broadcast channel code.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the network transmission devices serving the broadcast target area and the particular network transmission devices are wireless cellular network transmitters, each of the wireless cellular network transmitters having a cell id network address, wherein the identified network addresses are cell id network addresses.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the carrier broadcast center transmits the broadcast request to the particular network transmission devices using the cell id network addresses following the conversion of the broadcast target area into the network addresses.

5. The system of claim 2, 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 stored in the broadcast service bureau for the originating broadcast agent, the verifying ensuring that the broadcast message jurisdiction of the originating broadcast agent includes the broadcast target area, said broadcast service bureau configured for transmitting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area to the carrier broadcast center responsive to a positive verification.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a reporter module for reporting the broadcast message and the broadcast target area.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the 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 of the mobile telephone networks from among a plurality of mobile telephone networks provide broadcast distribution systems serving the broadcast target area, and wherein the distributor identifies the one or more mobile telephone networks for the broadcast target area and determines whether each of the identified mobile telephone networks has a mobile telephone network dedicated carrier broadcast center.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the broadcast service bureau determines that multiple mobile telephone networks provide service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area, the broadcast service bureau transmits the verified broadcast request to each of the determined multiple mobile telephone networks.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast request includes one or more broadcast channel codes, and wherein at least one of the channel codes identifies a language of the broadcast message.

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

a webpage server having a webpage configured for receiving broadcast agent input from a particular broadcast agent including a broadcast request having a geographically defined broadcast target area defined as a subset of a broadcast transmission serving area, the broadcast message, and one of more broadcast channel codes; and

a computer hosting the webpage server over a first communication interface, said computer receiving the broadcast agent input, verifying an authority of the particular broadcast agent to transmit the broadcast message to the broadcast target area and transmitting over a second communication interface the broadcast request to one or more carrier broadcast centers serving one or more local broadcast transmission systems, the one or more carrier broadcast centers receiving the broadcast request, 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 to the network addresses of the particular network transmission devices for transmission by the particular network transmission devices over broadcast channels associated the one or more broadcast channel codes in the broadcast request.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the computer verifies the authority as a function of the one or more broadcast channel codes of the broadcast request.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the computer verifies the authority of the particular broadcast agent as a function of a broadcast message jurisdiction of the particular broadcast agent including the defined broadcast target area, said system configured for transmitting the broadcast message to a local broadcast system being responsive to the authority verification.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the computer further includes a distributor receiving the broadcast request 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 determined one of more broadcast distribution networks has a mobile telephone network dedicated carrier broadcast center.

14. The system of claim 10 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.

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

hosting a broadcast agent webpage;

receiving a broadcast request including a geographically defined broadcast target area, a broadcast message and one or more broadcast channel codes from the broadcast agent webpage;

verifying an authority of a broadcast agent accessing the broadcast agent webpage and generating the broadcast message, the verifying the authority of the broadcast agent includes verifying an authority of the broadcast agent to transmit the broadcast message to the defined broadcast target area;

determining which network providers have networks that provide service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area;

converting the broadcast target area to network addresses of one or more network transmission devices for one or more of the determined network providers, said converting including determining the network transmission devices providing transmission service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area and identifying a network address for each determined network transmission device; and

transmitting the broadcast message to the network addresses of the determined network transmission devices of the associated network providers for transmission of the broadcast message over broadcast channels associated with the one or more broadcast channel codes to user receiving devices geographically located within a transmission service area of the determined network transmission devices providing transmission service to at least a portion of the broadcast target area and that are configured for receiving messages on the associated broadcast channels.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the broadcast request to a carrier broadcast server that transmits the broadcast request to network interfaces of the determined network providers.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the one or more network transmission devices and the determined network transmission devices are wireless transmitters within a wireless mobile network having a plurality of individual wireless cell sites each wireless transmitter 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.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein verifying includes verifying the authority as a function of the one or more broadcast channel codes of the broadcast request.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the broadcast message and the one or more broadcast channel codes at one of the network transmission devices identified by one of the network addresses and transmitting the broadcast message over a broadcast channel associated with the received one or more broadcast channel codes.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the broadcast message by a user receiving device from one of the determined network transmission devices only when the user receiving device has activated the broadcast channel associated with the one or more broadcast channel codes.