Anonymous hazardous condition alert system

• US 8,364,115 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Towpal, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Towpal, Inc.
• Inventors: Blair, Robert G., Fiesinger, Brooks Ryan, Plunkett, Woodrow
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHARU, MANPREET S
• Application Number:
  US12/632,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20110136464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/412.1, 455/567, 340/431, 340/905
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like

Abstract

An anonymous hazardous condition alert system and process enable individuals to alert property owners of potentially hazardous conditions associated with their property, and in a manner that, if desired, maintains the relative anonymity of both the alerting user and the property owner. An alerting user, upon viewing a hazardous condition, locates a telephone number on a sign disposed proximate to the property in question and calls the telephone number to be connected to a hazardous condition alert system. The system prompts the alerting user to input an identifier that is additionally displayed on the sign and that is associated with the property, and the alerting user is permitted to leave a voice message describing the hazardous condition. Thereafter, the system automatically places a call to a telephone number stored for the property owner and plays the voice message back to the property owner to alert him or her of the hazardous condition.

Claims

1. A computerized method of reporting a hazardous towing condition, the method comprising, in response to a first telephone call placed to a first telephone number by a first user from a second telephone number that has viewed a hazardous condition associated with a vehicle being towed by a member:

receiving from the first user during the first telephone call an identifier displayed on a sign affixed to the vehicle, wherein the sign additionally displays the first telephone number and an instruction to call the first telephone number in the event of a hazardous towing condition;

using the identifier to retrieve a second user information associated with the member from a computer database, wherein the second user information includes a third telephone number associated with the member and a vehicle identifier associated with the vehicle;

prompting the first user to leave a voice message using a prompt that includes the vehicle identifier associated with the vehicle;

receiving a voice message from the first user during the first telephone call that describes the hazardous towing condition;

electronically storing the voice message;

automatically placing a second telephone call to the third telephone number retrieved from the computer database in response to receiving the voice message;

playing the electronically stored voice message to the member during the second telephone call to alert the member of the hazardous towing condition; and

inhibiting access to the second telephone number by the member and inhibiting access to the third telephone number by the first user to maintain anonymity for each of the first user and the member.

2. A computerized method of reporting a hazardous condition, the method comprising, in response to a first telephone call placed from a third telephone number to a first telephone number by a first user that has viewed a hazardous condition associated with property of a second user:

receiving from the first user during the first telephone call an identifier displayed proximate to the property;

using the identifier to retrieve user information associated with the second user from a computer database, wherein the user information includes a second telephone number associated with the second user;

receiving a voice message from the first user during the first telephone call that describes the hazardous condition;

electronically storing the voice message;

automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user by placing a second telephone call to the second telephone number retrieved from the computer database and playing the electronically stored voice message during the second telephone call to alert the second user of the hazardous condition, and

inhibiting access to the third telephone number by the second user and inhibiting access to the second telephone number by the first user to maintain anonymity for each of the first user and the second user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information includes a property identifier, the method further comprising prompting the first user to leave a voice message using a prompt that includes the property identifier associated with the property.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the property is a vehicle, wherein the property identifier identifies a type of the vehicle, and wherein the prompt identifies the type of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the property is selected from the group consisting of a horse trailer, a travel trailer, a pop-up camper, a generic trailer, a vehicle on a tow dolly, an SUV in flat tow, a truck in flat tow, and a car in flat tow.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the property includes real property.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating greeting disable tones to disable a voicemail greeting during the second telephone call.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the third telephone number from which the first user placed the first telephone call has been blocked by the second user, wherein automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user is performed only if the third telephone number has not been blocked by the second user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising blocking the third telephone number in response to input from the second user subsequent to receiving a prior voice message from the first user.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the third telephone number from which the first user placed the first telephone call is known, wherein automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user is performed only if the third telephone number is known.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising blocking voice messages from unknown callers in response to input from the second user.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing a third telephone call to a fourth telephone number retrieved from the computer database and associated with the second user and playing the electronically stored voice message during the third telephone call.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein placing the third telephone call is performed only in response to failing to receive a confirmation from the second user during the second telephone call.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing a third telephone call to the second telephone number and playing the electronically stored voice message during the third telephone call in response to failing to receive a confirmation from the second user during the second telephone call.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising disabling notification of the second user in response to user input from the second user to disable notifications, wherein automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user is delayed until notifications have been reenabled for the second user, the method further comprising determining whether notifications have been disabled prior to automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user input received from the second user includes a sleep period, the method further comprising automatically re-enabling notifications for the second user after expiration of the sleep period.

17. The method of claim 2, further comprising forwarding a non-voice notification to the second user via a medium other than a telephone call.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the second user is a member having a subscription, the method further comprising batch calling each of a plurality of members for which subscriptions therefor will expire during a given time period to remind such members of expiration of such subscriptions.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user is performed only if a subscription for the second user is not expired, the method further comprising calling the second user in response to receiving the first telephone call without playing the electronically stored voice message to alert the second user that the electronically stored voice message has been left and that the subscription for the second user is expired.

20. The method of claim 2, further comprising calling the second telephone number and playing a message to the second user in response to a change to the user information for the second user, wherein the message confirms the changes to the user information.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to user input from the second user, recording a thank you voice message for the second user, placing a third telephone call to the third telephone number that was used by the first user to place the first telephone call, and playing the thank you voice message during the third telephone call to thank the first user.

22. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to user input from the second user, sending a gift to the first user as a thank you, including charging the second user for the gift.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor to report a hazardous condition in response to a first telephone call placed from a third telephone number to a first telephone number by a first user that has viewed a hazardous condition associated with property of a second user, the program code configured to receive from the first user during the first telephone call an identifier displayed proximate to the property, use the identifier to retrieve user information associated with the second user from a computer database, wherein the user information includes a second telephone number associated with the second user, receive a voice message from the first user during the first telephone call that describes the hazardous condition, electronically store the voice message, automatically push the electronically stored voice message to the second user by placing a second telephone call to the second telephone number retrieved from the computer database and playing the electronically stored voice message during the second telephone call to alert the second user of the hazardous condition, and inhibit access to the third telephone number by the second user and inhibit access to the second telephone number by the first user to maintain anonymity for each of the first user and the second user.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the user information includes a property identifier, and wherein the program code is configured to prompt the first user to leave a voice message using a prompt that includes the property identifier associated with the property.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to determine whether the third telephone number from which the first user placed the first telephone call has been blocked by the second user, and automatically push the electronically stored voice message to the second user only if the third telephone number has not been blocked by the second user.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to determine whether the third telephone number from which the first user placed the first telephone call is known, and automatically push the electronically stored voice message to the second user only if the third telephone number is known.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to place a third telephone call to a fourth telephone number retrieved from the computer database and associated with the second user and play the electronically stored voice message during the third telephone call in response to failing to receive a confirmation from the second user during the second telephone call.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to disable notification of the second user in response to user input from the second user to disable notifications, and delay automatically pushing the electronically stored voice message to the second user until notifications have been reenabled for the second user.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the user input received from the second user includes a sleep period, and wherein the program code is configured to automatically reenable notifications for the second user after expiration of the sleep period.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second user is a member having a subscription, and wherein the program code is configured to batch call each of a plurality of members for which subscriptions therefor will expire during a given time period to remind such members of expiration of such subscriptions.

31. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to automatically push the electronically stored voice message to the second user only if a subscription for the second user is not expired, and call the second user in response to receiving the first telephone call without playing the electronically stored voice message to alert the second user that the electronically stored voice message has been left and that the subscription for the second user is expired.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to call the second telephone number and play a message to the second user in response to a change to the user information for the second user, wherein the message confirms the changes to the user information.

33. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to, in response to user input from the second user, record a thank you voice message for the second user, place a third telephone call to the third telephone number that was used by the first user to place the first telephone call, and play the thank you voice message during the third telephone call to thank the first user.

34. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is configured to, in response to user input from the second user, initiate sending of a gift to the first user as a thank you, and charge the second user for the gift.

35. A program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

program code stored on the computer readable storage medium and configured upon execution to report a hazardous condition in response to a first telephone call placed from a third telephone number to a first telephone number by a first user that has viewed a hazardous condition associated with property of a second user, the program code configured to receive from the first user during the first telephone call an identifier displayed proximate to the property, use the identifier to retrieve user information associated with the second user from a computer database, wherein the user information includes a second telephone number associated with the second user, receive a voice message from the first user during the first telephone call that describes the hazardous condition, electronically store the voice message, automatically push the electronically stored voice message to the second user by placing a second telephone call to the second telephone number retrieved from the computer database and playing the electronically stored voice message during the second telephone call to alert the second user of the hazardous condition, and inhibit access to the third telephone number by the second user and inhibit access to the second telephone number by the first user to maintain anonymity for each of the first user and the second user.