Providing notifications using text-to-speech conversion

• US 8,149,995 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everbridge Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Everbridge Incorporated
• Inventors: Kirchmeier, Steve, Putra, Cinta
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/277,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20090156240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 379 37- 50, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/531
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• 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: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/566 of the information or information source or recipient
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing electronic notifications are described. A server is configured to serve an interface, such as a Web page, to a terminal that requests from a user a first set of user contacts to be used to provide notifications to the user by a telephonic notification system in response to a notification process initiated by an organization associated with the user. The interface further requests a first set of priorities corresponding to the first set of user contacts, wherein the notification system will attempt to provide notifications to the first set user contracts in an order based at least in part on the first set of priorities. A database is configured to store the first set of user contacts and the first set of priorities. A voice interface circuit is configured to transmit a voice notification to at least one of the first set of user contacts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, in non-transitory computer readable medium, a first set of contact paths for a first user, wherein the first set of contact paths includes a first contact path associated with a voice-based terminal and a second contact path associated with a text-based terminal;

storing, in non-transitory computer readable medium, an order of use associated with contact paths in the first set of contact paths;

storing, in non-transitory computer readable medium, a second set of contact paths for the first user, the second set of contact paths being different from the first set of contact paths, wherein the second set of contact paths is to be used when providing to the first user an emergency notification and the first set of contact paths is to be used when providing the first user a non-emergency notification;

storing, in non-transitory computer readable medium, an order of use associated with contact paths in the second set of contacts paths;

receiving, from a second user, a notification message including text, wherein the notification message is to be broadcast to at least the first user;

receiving, from the second user, an instruction to broadcast the notification message to at least the first user as a non-emergency notification;

in response to the received instruction to broadcast the notification message as a non-emergency notification, accessing the stored first set of contact paths;

transmitting the notification message text to the text-based terminal using the second contact path;

converting the notification message text to speech via a text-to-speech module; and

transmitting the speech to the voice-based terminal using the first contact path.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the voice-based terminal is a telephone.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the text-based terminal is one of an email terminal, an SMS terminal and an instant messaging terminal.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first contact path, which is associated with the voice-based terminal, from the first set of contact paths includes a mobile phone number.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second contact path, which is associated with the text-based terminal, from the first set of contact paths includes:

an instant messaging identifier;

an email address; and

a fax number.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by calling a specified phone number.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by activating a hyperlink.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification message instructs the first user to confirm receipt of the notification message by sending a text message.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification instruction is issued by an organization of which the first user is a member.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

transmitting, over a network to a user terminal for display to the first user, the first or the second set of user contacts paths and the corresponding order of use associated with contact paths in the first or the second set of user contacts paths;

receiving via the first user terminal edits to the first or the second set of user contacts paths; and

storing the edits.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving from the first user an identification of the first user'"'"'s relationship with a dependent; and

storing the identification of the first user'"'"'s relationship in association with the contact paths, wherein the notification message relates to the dependent.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving from the second user a file to be distributed as part of the notification message; and

transmitting the file as an attachment of the notification message to the text-based terminal.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the file is attached to an email message.

15. A system comprising:

non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store contact information to be used when notifying a plurality of recipients, the stored contact information comprising, for each one of the plurality of recipients,

a recipient-specified first set of two or more contact paths, wherein the recipient-specified first set of contact paths includes a recipient-specified voice-based contact path, and a recipient-specified text-based contact path,

an order of use associated with the two or more contact paths in the recipient-specified first set of contacts paths,

a recipient-specified second set of two or more contact paths, the recipient-specified second set of contact paths being different from the recipient-specified first set of contact paths, wherein the recipient-specified second set of contact paths is to be used when providing to the one of the plurality of recipients an emergency notification and the recipient-specified first set of contact paths is to be used when providing the one of the plurality of recipients a non-emergency notification, and

an order of use associated with the two or more contact paths in the recipient-specified second set of contacts paths; and

a hardware processor communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the hardware processor configured to

receive a text instruction to issue a non-emergency notification to the plurality of recipients, and

for each one of the plurality of recipients to be notified,

access, on the non-transitory computer readable medium, the stored recipient-specified first set of two or more contact paths, and

transmit a text notification message associated with the non-emergency notification to the one of the plurality of recipients via the recipient-specified text-based contact path from the accessed recipient-specified first set of contact paths, and

transmit a voice notification message associated with the non-emergency notification to the one of the plurality of recipients via the recipient-specified voice-based contact path from the accessed recipient-specified first set of contact paths.

16. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to obtain at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of the text notification message to speech.

17. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to obtain at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of the instruction text to speech.

18. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to obtain at least a portion of the voice notification message by converting at least a portion of a previously saved text notification message to speech.

19. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein

the voice-based contact path is a telephone number, and

the text-based contact path is one of an email, an SMS and an instant messaging identifier.

20. A method comprising:

storing, in non-transitory computer readable medium, contact information to be used when notifying a plurality of recipients, the stored contact information comprising, for each one of the plurality of recipients,

a recipient-specified first set of two or more contact paths, wherein the recipient-specified first set of contact paths includes a recipient-specified voice-based contact path, and a recipient-specified text-based contact path,

an order of use associated with the two or more contact paths in the recipient-specified first set of contacts paths,

a recipient-specified second set of two or more contact paths, the recipient-specified second set of contact paths including a recipient-specified voice-based contact path different from the recipient-specified voice-based contact included in the recipient-specified first set of contact paths, and a recipient-specified text-based contact path different from the recipient-specified text-based contact included in the recipient-specified first set of contact paths, wherein the recipient-specified second set of contact paths is to be used when providing to the one of the plurality of recipients an emergency notification and the recipient-specified first set of contact paths is to be used when providing the one of the plurality of recipients a non-emergency notification, and

an order of use associated with the two or more contact paths in the recipient-specified second set of contacts paths;

receiving a text instruction to issue a given notification to the plurality of recipients;

identifying whether a notification type of the received text notification instruction is non-emergency or emergency;

for each one of the plurality of recipients,

accessing the stored recipient-specified set of contact paths associated with the identified notification type,

transmitting a text notification message associated with the given notification to the one of the plurality of recipients via the recipient-specified text-based contact path included in the accessed recipient-specified set of contact paths,

converting the text notification message associated with the given notification to a voice notification message, and

transmitting the converted voice notification message to the one of the plurality of recipients via the recipient-specified voice-based contact path included in the accessed recipient-specified set of contact paths; and

displaying, during said transmitting the text notification messages and said transmitting the voice notification messages, a visual indication update indicating which recipients of the plurality of recipients have been successfully notified.

21. The method as defined in claim 20, wherein

the voice-based contact path is a telephone number, and

the text-based contact path is one of an email, an SMS and an instant messaging identifier.