System and method of communicating emergency alerts

• US 8,159,334 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• 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:
  US13/069,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20110214142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.02, 340/531, 340/534, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.19, 340/7.48, 340/361, 455/184.1, 455/186.1, 455/192.3, 455/404, 455/1, 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 tangible computer readable medium includes instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to communicate with a multicast alert server to receive a multicast emergency alert message via a multicast-enabled network of an Internet Protocol television system. The multicast emergency alert message includes data related to a location code and data related to a set-top box action. The computer program further includes instructions to execute the set-top box action when the location code matches location information stored at a set-top box device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage device medium including instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

communicate with a multicast alert server to receive a multicast emergency alert message at a set-top box device via a multicast-enabled network of an internet protocol television system, the multicast emergency alert message including data related to a location code and data related to a set-top box action; and

execute the set-top box action when the location code matches location information stored at the set-top box device.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the location information includes 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 set-top box device.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to request the location information from an application server after the set-top box device powers on.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to provide a user notification indicating that the multicast emergency alert message has been received at the set-top box device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, 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.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the location code is a federal information processing standards code.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the multicast-enabled network is a private access network of the Internet Protocol television system.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to display the multicast emergency alert message overlaying video content at a display device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to determine whether the location information is stored at the set-top box device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the set-top box device is configured to store the location information when the set-top box device is installed at a user premise.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage device including instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor 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,

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.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the location code is a federal information processing standards code.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

communicate with an emergency alert system receiver to receive an emergency alert; and

generate emergency alert information based on the emergency alert,

wherein data related to the emergency alert information is included with the multicast emergency alert message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 13, 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 the emergency, or any combination thereof.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, 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.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to form the multicast emergency alert message to be transmitted via the multicast-enabled network.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein sending the multicast emergency alert message comprises transmitting the formed multicast emergency alert message via the multicast-enabled network to the first set-top box device and to the second set-top box device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage device claim 11, wherein the multicast emergency alert message is to be displayed overlaying video content at a display device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the multicast-enabled network is included in an internet protocol television system.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the multicast-enabled network is a private access network of the internet protocol television system.