Methods, systems, devices, and computer program products for implementing condition alert services

• US 8,682,570 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tischer, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US13/856,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/934, 340/992, 340/994, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 340/995.23, 340/995.27, 701117-119
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices, and computer program products for implementing condition alert services are provided. A method includes receiving information elements from a source that identify a condition, aggregating the information elements from the source with information elements from other sources that identify the same condition, and creating a composite file that includes the aggregated information elements representing each of the sources. The method also includes generating a condition alert from the composite file and transmitting the condition alert to a recipient communications device.

Claims

1. A method for implementing centralized condition alert management services, comprising:

registering a user of an alert service, the registering including obtaining a commuting route including a street, times of travel on the commuting route and a communications address for a recipient communications device;

receiving information elements from a source that identify a condition, wherein the information elements include condition type, time of condition discovery, location of condition, data that identify the magnitude of the condition, positional and angular data identifying a point of view and distance of the condition with respect to the communications device at the time of capture and a media file capturing a static image of the condition;

aggregating the information elements from the source with information elements from other sources that identify the condition to define aggregated information elements;

creating a composite file that includes the aggregated information elements, the creating the composite file including extracting outlier information elements of the aggregated information elements from the composite file;

generating a condition alert from the composite file;

determining a condition alert location and condition alert time for the condition alert;

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device when the condition alert location coincides with the commuting route and the condition alert time coincides with the times of travel, the condition alert including an option to view the static image of the condition;

applying rules to the information elements to determine a response action and assigning a priority value to the condition in response to application of the rules; and

notifying emergency response systems when the priority value meets a threshold value set by the rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source includes a mobile communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source includes a stationary communications device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition alert includes an option for requesting validation of the condition, the method further comprising:

validating accuracy of the information elements and providing a validation response to the recipient communications device upon request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device includes transmitting a condition alert having a high priority value to the recipient communications device before transmitting a condition alert with a low priority value to the recipient communications device.

6. An apparatus for implementing centralized condition alert management services, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium with computer-executable instruction stored thereon, that when executed by the processor cause the processor to initiate operations comprising;

registering a user of an alert service, the registering including obtaining a commuting route including a street, times of travel on the commuting route and a communications address for a recipient communications device;

receiving information elements from a source that identify a condition, wherein the information elements include condition type, time of condition discovery, location of condition, data that identify the magnitude of the condition, positional and angular data identifying a point of view and distance of the condition with respect to the communications device at the time of capture and a media file capturing a static image of the condition;

aggregating the information elements from the source with information elements from other sources that identify the condition to define aggregated information elements;

creating a composite file that includes the aggregated information elements, the creating the composite file including extracting outlier information elements of the aggregated information elements from the composite file;

generating a condition alert from the composite file;

determining a condition alert location and condition alert time for the condition alert;

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device when the condition alert location coincides with the commuting route and the condition alert time coincides with the times of travel, the condition alert including an option to view the static image of the condition;

applying rules to the information elements to determine a response action and assigning a priority value to the condition in response to application of the rules; and

notifying emergency response systems when the priority value meets a threshold value set by the rules.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the source includes a mobile communications device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the source includes a stationary communications device.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the condition alert includes an option for requesting validation of the condition, the operations further comprising:

validating accuracy of the information elements and providing a validation response to the recipient communications device upon request.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device includes transmitting a condition alert having a high priority value to the recipient communications device before transmitting a condition alert with a low priority value to the recipient communications device.

11. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, for implementing centralized condition alert management services, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

registering a user of an alert service, the registering including obtaining a commuting route including a street, times of travel on the commuting route and a communications address for a recipient communications device;

receiving information elements from a source that identify a condition, wherein the information elements include condition type, time of condition discovery, location of condition, data that identify the magnitude of the condition, positional and angular data identifying a point of view and distance of the condition with respect to the communications device at the time of capture and a media file capturing a static image of the condition;

aggregating the information elements from the source with information elements from other sources that identify the condition to define aggregated information elements;

creating a composite file that includes the aggregated information elements, the creating the composite file including extracting outlier information elements of the aggregated information elements from the composite file;

generating a condition alert from the composite file;

determining a condition alert location and condition alert time for the condition alert;

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device when the condition alert location coincides with the commuting route and the condition alert time coincides with the times of travel, the condition alert including an option to view the static image of the condition;

applying rules to the information elements to determine a response action and assigning a priority value to the condition in response to application of the rules; and

notifying emergency response systems when the priority value meets a threshold value set by the rules.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the source includes a mobile communications device.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the source includes a stationary communications device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the condition alert includes an option for requesting validation of the condition, the operations further comprising:

validating accuracy of the information elements and providing a validation response to the recipient communications device upon request.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

transmitting the condition alert to the recipient communications device includes transmitting a condition alert having a high priority value to the recipient communications device before transmitting a condition alert with a low priority value to the recipient communications device.