Emergency alert systems and methods

• US 8,509,727 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• 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: Medford, Brad, Webster, Thomas Scott, Walker, Kevin B., Hill, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/173,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20070004377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,966 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/466, 455/404.1, 725/33, 725/108
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method for providing Emergency Alert System (EAS) notifications over Internet Protocol (IP) delivery platforms, including a proxy server coupled to an emergency alert system receiver, a subscriber management database coupled to the proxy server, and an instant messaging server coupled to the proxy server and to the subscriber management server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a proxy server coupled to an emergency alert system receiver operable to parse emergency alert signal message data fields from an emergency alert system signal received from the emergency alert system receiver into a frequency shift keying tones field, a federal information processing standard code field, a text of message field, and a message ID field associated with the text of message field, wherein the frequency shift keying tones field is adapted to store frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;

a subscriber management database coupled to the proxy server and operable to receive the federal information processing standard code field and the message ID field from the proxy server and to generate an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID by matching the federal information processing standard code to a matching physical location identifier, wherein the subscriber management database includes a table including customer equipment identifiers corresponding to physical location identifiers, the subscriber management database further operable to generate an additional processing group list and a language group list from the affected subscriber list based on group list identifiers included in the subscriber management database, wherein any message data fields associated with affected subscribers in the additional processing group list require additional processing of a broadcast message directed to these affected subscribers and affected subscribers in the language group list require messages sent in a particular language; and

an instant messaging server coupled to the proxy server and to the subscriber management database, the instant messaging server being operable to receive the affected subscriber list including the customer premise equipment identifier, the associated message ID, the additional processing group list, the language group list from the subscriber management database, the text of message field, the message ID field associated with the text of message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format from the proxy server, the instant messaging server being further operable to generate a broadcast signal using instant messaging including the affected subscriber list in an Internet Protocol (IP) format and the text of message field in an IP format by matching the associated message ID, the message ID field associated with the text of the message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format, the broadcast message using instant messaging operable to be displayed in real-time on a device associated with the customer premise equipment identifier included in the broadcast signal, including performing the additional processing of the broadcast message for the messages directed toward the affected subscribers from the affected subscriber list who are also included in the additional processing group list, wherein the customer premise equipment identifier is associated with a set top box which is associated with an IP television and the broadcast signal is adapted to cause the set top box to turn on the IP television, the instant messaging server operable to broadcast the broadcast signal in the IP format to the customer premise equipment device over an IP network, the customer premise equipment device, the set top box, and the IP television coupled to the instant messaging server through the IP network, the customer premise equipment device operable to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device and, responsive to detection, receive and display the broadcast signal, including the text of message field.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer premise equipment device includes a computer coupled to the instant messaging server through the IP network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer premise equipment device includes an IP telephone coupled to the instant messaging server through the IP network.

4. The system of claim 1, further including the proxy server operable to store parsed emergency alert signal message data fields in a Waveform Audio File format.

5. The system of claim 1, further including the proxy server operable to store parsed emergency alert signal message data fields in a Moving Pictures Expert Group MP3 format.

6. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert system signal including a federal information processing standard code and message data fields;

parsing and formatting at a proxy server a message included in the emergency alert system signal into the message data fields including a frequency shift keying tones field, a federal information processing standard code field, a message ID field, and a text of message field, wherein the frequency shift keying tones field is adapted to store the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;

providing the federal information processing standard code field and the message ID field to a subscriber management database;

generating at the subscriber management database an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID by matching the federal information processing standard code to a matching physical location identifier using a table including customer premise equipment identifiers corresponding to physical location identifiers;

generating at the subscriber management database an additional processing group list and a language group list from the affected subscriber list based on group list identifiers included in the subscriber management database, wherein any message data fields associated with affected subscribers in the additional processing group list require additional processing of a broadcast message directed to these affected subscribers and affected subscribers in the language group list require messages sent in a particular language;

communicating from the subscriber management database to an instant messaging server the affected subscriber list, the additional processing group list, the language group list, and an associated message ID;

communicating from the proxy server to the instant messaging server the message ID field, the text of message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;

generating at the instant messaging server a broadcast signal including the affected subscriber list in an Internet Protocol (IP) format, the text of message field in an IP format, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format by matching the associated message ID and the message ID field, including performing the additional processing of the broadcast message for the messages directed toward the affected subscribers from the affected subscriber list who are also included in the additional processing group list; and

broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the message data fields using instant messaging, wherein the message data fields are operable to be displayed in real-time on a customer premise equipment device associated with one of the customer premise equipment identifiers included in the broadcast signal, the customer premise equipment device including a set top box which is associated with an IP television, the customer premise equipment device, set to box, and IP television coupled to the instant messaging server through an IP network, the customer premise equipment device operable to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, the customer premise device receiving and displaying the broadcast signal, including the text of message field, in response to detection of the customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, and the broadcast signal is adapted to cause the set top box to turn on the IP television.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating at the subscriber management database an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID includes:

providing a customer list including a physical location identifier associated with each customer on the customer list, and providing a customer premise equipment identifier block including a list of identifiers for customer premise equipment devices associated with each physical location identifier.

8. The method of claim 6, further including:

receiving at a plurality of customer premise equipment devices the broadcast including the affected subscriber list and the message data fields;

detecting in the broadcast affected subscriber list a customer premise equipment identifier associated with a particular one of the plurality of customer premise equipment devices; and

responding to the detection by receiving and displaying at the particular one of the plurality of customer premise equipment devices one of the message data fields included in the broadcast signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the message data fields using instant messaging includes:

directing the broadcasting to particular subscribers based on the customer premise equipment identifiers included in the broadcast signal.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing computer program instructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an emergency alert system signal including a federal information processing standard code and message data fields;

parsing and formatting at a proxy server a message included in the emergency alert system signal into the message data fields including a frequency shift keying tones field, a federal information processing standard code field, a message ID field, and a text of message field, wherein the frequency shift keying tones field is adapted to store the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;

providing the federal information processing standard code field and the message ID field to a subscriber management database;

generating at the subscriber management database an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID by matching the federal information processing standard code to a matching physical location identifier using a table including customer premise equipment identifiers corresponding to physical location identifiers;

generating at the subscriber management database an additional processing group list and a language group list from the affected subscriber list based on group list identifiers included in the subscriber management database, wherein any message data fields associated with affected subscribers in the additional processing group list require additional processing of a broadcast message directed to these affected subscribers and affected subscribers in the language group list require messages sent in a particular language;

communicating from the subscriber management database to an instant messaging server the affected subscriber list, the additional processing group list, the language group list, and an associated message ID;

communicating from the proxy server to an instant messaging server the message ID field, the text of message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;

generating at the instant messaging server a broadcast signal including the affected subscriber list in an Internet Protocol (IP) format, the text of message field in an IP format, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format by matching the associated message ID and the message ID field, including performing the additional processing of the broadcast message for the messages directed toward the affected subscribers from the affected subscriber list who are also included in the additional processing group list; and

broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the message data fields using instant messaging, wherein the message data fields are operable to be displayed in real-time on a customer premise equipment device associated with one of the customer premise equipment identifiers included in the broadcast signal, the customer premise equipment device including a set top box which is associated with an IP television, the customer premise equipment device, set top box, and IP television coupled to the instant messaging server through an IP network, the customer premise equipment device operable to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, the customer premise device receiving and displaying the broadcast signal, including the text of message field, in response to detection of the customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, and the broadcast signal is adapted to cause the set top box to turn on the IP television.