Mobile alerting network

• US 8,126,479 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Traffic Network, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Alert Network Incorporated
• Inventors: Morrison, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US12/251,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6, 455/406, 455/456.3, 701/201, 701/213, 701/209, 701/211, 701/217, 701/202, 701/117, 701/36, 340/593.12, 340/995.19, 340/909, 340/905, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 342/342.12, 375/150
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A Mobile Alert Network service includes identifying an Alert Area related to an Event Location, identifying a group of subscribers in the Alert Area, and broadcasting an Alert Message to the identified subscribers in a push-to-talk-equivalent environment. The Alert Messages can alert the subscribers about the cause of the alert, offer message related choices, and offer event related choices, such as promotion information or offers. The MAN Service may include an Alert Information Service, a Subscriber Selector, and a Broadcast Module to generate an Alert Message. The event related choices may be generated based on campaigns by Promotional Agents. A wrapper can be downloaded to manage Alert Messages, a mailbox, and to update on board applications. A on-board logger can provide a detailed account of the operations of the handset and its user. A Sensor Array can be used to determine the location of users, based on the self-identification information, broadcast by the cell phones.

Claims

1. A Sensor Array-based Mobile Broadcast Alert (SAMBA) central server, including one or more servers, the SAMBA central server comprising:

an alert information manager, configured to receive alert information from an alert information service related to an alert area;

a subscriber manager, configured to communicate with a receive-only sensor array to determine location and identity information of subscribers of a SAMBA service in the alert area;

a broadcast manager configured to generate an alert message or to change a state of a capability of mobile communication devices based on the alert information, the location information and the identity information of the subscribers; and

a carrier manager, configured to communicate with a wireless carrier to transmit the generated alert message to the mobile communication devices of the identified subscribers of the SAMBA service wherein the wireless carrier transmits the generated alert message over a network operated by the wireless carrier separate from the receive-only sensor array.

2. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, wherein the alert information comprises information based on a location of a subscriber.

3. The SAMBA central server of claim 2, wherein the location based alert information comprises information related to at least one of a traffic event, a sport event, an entertainment event, a commercial event, an educational event and an emergency event.

4. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, wherein the alert information comprises information subscribed to by the subscriber, including financial, sports, news, and entertainment information.

5. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, wherein

the subscriber manager and the receive-only sensor array are configured to determine the location information and the identity information of subscribers based on sensors of the receive -only sensor array receiving self-identifying signals of mobile communication devices.

6. The SAMBA central server of claim 5, wherein

the receive-only sensor array is configured to determine the location of the mobile communication devices by triangulating the self-identifying signals received by three sensors.

7. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, wherein

the subscriber manager is configured to perform at least one identification and verification cycle in conjunction with the receive-only sensor array to generate the identity information of the subscribers.

8. The SAMBA central server of claim 7, wherein the identification and verification cycle comprises:

receiving an enrollment message of a patron into a SAMBA service;

downloading an alert client onto a mobile communication device of the patron; and

receiving a report from the downloaded alert client regarding an identification number of the mobile communication device.

9. The SAMBA central server of claim 8, wherein the SAMBA central server comprises:

an alert client manager, configured

to download the alert client to the mobile communication device; and

to receive a phone number as part of the report of the downloaded alert client regarding the mobile communication device.

10. The SAMBA central server of claim 8, wherein

the SAMBA central server is configured to correlate

a location, determined by the receive-only sensor array, and

the identification number of the mobile communication device, determined by the identification and verification cycle.

11. The central server of claim 10, wherein the correlating the location with the identification number comprises

establishing a location of a mobile communication device with an identified phone number.

12. The SAMBA central server of claim 7, wherein the identification and verification cycle comprises:

an additional verification exchange, including;

inviting the patron to opt in into the SAMBA service; and

receiving an opt in message from the patron.

13. The SAMBA central server of claim 7, wherein the identification and verification cycle comprises:

receiving self-identifying signals of a mobile communication device; and

acquiring identity information by communicating with a carrier network regarding the self-identifying signal.

14. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, comprising:

a promotion agent manager, configured to receive a promotion from a promotion agent.

15. The SAMBA central server of claim 1, comprising:

a billing manager, configured to manage a billing in relation to a transaction authorized by an identified subscriber of the SAMBA service.

16. A Sensor Array-based Mobile Broadcast Alert (SAMBA) system, comprising:

a receive-only sensor array, configured to receive identification information from mobile communication devices and to determine a location of the mobile communication devices;

an alert information manager, configured to receive alert information from an alert information service corresponding to an alert area;

a subscriber manager, configured to communicate with the receive-only sensor array to identify subscribers of a SAMBA service in the alert area by associating the location and the identity information of subscribers; and

a broadcast manager configured to;

generate an alert message or to change a state of a capability of mobile communication devices based on the alert information, the location information and the identity information of the subscribers; and

broadcast the alert message to the identified subscribers within the alert area over a wireless network separate from the receive-only sensor array.

17. The SAMBA system of claim 16, wherein

the alert information is generated based on the location of the subscribers.

18. A Sensor Array-based Mobile Broadcast Alert (SAMBA) method, comprising:

identifying an Alert Area based on an Event Location, the Alert Area covered by a receive-only Sensor Array;

identifying subscribers in the Alert Area using the receive-only Sensor Array, wherein identifying subscribers includes receiving signals broadcast for reception by a network separate from the receive-only Sensor Array; and

broadcasting an Alert Message to the identified subscribers over the network separate from the receive-only Sensor Array.

19. The SAMBA method of claim 18, wherein the broadcasting the Alert Message comprises:

offering to access commercial promotions in relation to the Event.

20. The SAMBA method of claim 18, wherein the identifying of the subscribers in the Alert Area using the receive-only Sensor Array comprises:

performing an identification-verification cycle.