Emergency alerting device

• US 8,687,630 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Warning Systems LLC (Mircom Technologies Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Metis Secure Solutions LLC (Mircom Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hochendoner, David, Means, Timothy, Orion, Storm
• Primary Examiner(s): Sloms, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/479,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 340/384.1, 340/500, 340/506, 340/540, 370/254, 370/343, 370/389, 379/37, 455/150.1, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communication device for transmitting and receiving messages via an emergency notification network. The communication device includes a receiver configured to receive a data packet from a data broadcasting system, a processor operably connected to the receiver and configured to process the data packet, a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store data, a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to transmit the received data packet via a mesh network to at least a second communication device, and an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert corresponding to the data packet.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first data packet from a data broadcasting system, wherein the first data packet comprises at least a first bit that corresponds to a location of the communication device, at least a second bit that corresponds to group information for the communication device, and at least a third bit that corresponds to an alert component;

a second receiver configured to receive a second input signal such that the communication device is configured to simultaneously monitor two input signals, wherein the two input signals are separate alert signals at different frequencies;

a processor operably connected to the receiver and configured to process the first data packet to determine whether the first data packet includes a message for a group to which the communication device belongs;

a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store data and at least one unique identification code;

a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to;

transmit the received first data packet via a mesh network to at least one of a plurality of additional communication devices,

receive additional data packets via the mesh network from at least one of the plurality of communication devices,and

relay the additional received data packets via the mesh network to at least one of the plurality of communication devices;

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present the message at the communication device corresponding to at least one of the first data packet and the additional received data packets if the first data packet includes a message for the group to which the communication device belongs; and

a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed, instruct the processor to;

inspect the received data packet to determine, based on the unique identification code, whether the data packet is directed to the device, and only present the alert corresponding to the data packet if the processor determines that the data packet is directed to the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one location identifier that indicates a building in which the device is located.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one input, wherein the input comprises at least one of a push button, a key pad, a microphone, gas sensor, fire detector, motion detector, camera, and external data port.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a signal processing component configured to receive incoming audio from a microphone and convert the audio to data.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein an output audio level of the device is based on any ambient sound around the device as determined by the microphone.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the output device is configured to transmit the data via the mesh network to another communications device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises at least one of an audio alarm, a graphics display, a text display, a light, a siren, and a relay output.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises a speaker configured to output at least one of text-to-speech audio, sentences constructed from stored speech words, and FM broadcasted audio.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a text-to-speech converter,

wherein the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to speech via the text-to-speech converter, and

wherein the output comprises an audio output that makes audible the processed speech.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of predetermined messages,

the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to determine whether the packet includes a code corresponding to any of the predetermined messages, and if the alert comprises the predetermined message that corresponds to the code.

11. The device of claim 1 further comprising a power source, wherein the power source comprises at least one of a battery, AC power, Ethernet delivered power, and telephone line delivered power.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one communications port.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second receiver configured to receive a data packet from the data broadcasting system.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to monitor the receiver and the mesh network transceiver for any loss of signal.

15. A communication device comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive a first data packet from a first data broadcasting system, wherein the first data packet comprises group information and an alert component, wherein the first data packet comprises at least a first bit that corresponds to a location of the communication device, at least a second bit that corresponds to group information for the communication device, and at least a third bit that corresponds to an alert component;

a second receiver configured to receive a second data packet or audio from a second data broadcasting system, wherein the second data packet comprises group information and an alert component such that the communication device is configured to simultaneously monitor two input signals, wherein the two input signals are separate alert signals at different frequencies;

a processor operably connected to the first receiver and the second receiver and configured to process any received data packets to determine whether the first packet includes a first message for a group to which the communication device belongs and whether the second packet includes a second message for the group to which the communication device belongs;

a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store received data packets and at least one unique identification code;

a mesh network transceiver operably connected to the processor and configured to;

transmit the received first data packet via a mesh network to at least a second communication device,

receive additional data packets via the mesh network from at least one of the plurality of communication devices, and

relay the additional received data packets via the mesh network to at least one of the plurality of communication devices;

an input device operably connected to the processor and configured to provide additional data related to an operating environment of the communications device;

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to;

present an alert based upon the first message at the communication device corresponding to at least one of the first data packet, the second data packet and the additional received data packets if the first data packet includes a first message for the group to which the communication device belongs, and

present an alert based upon the second message at the communication device corresponding to the second data packet and the additional received data packets if the second data packet includes a second message for the group to which the communication device belongs; and

a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed, instruct the processor to;

inspect the received data packet to determine, based on the unique identification code, whether the data packet is directed to the device, and

only present the alert corresponding to the data packet if the processor determines that the data packet is directed to the device.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein said input comprises at least one of a push button, a key pad, a microphone, gas sensor, fire detector, motion detector, camera, and external data port.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the output device comprises at least one of an audio alarm, a text display, a light, a siren, and a speaker.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of predetermined messages,

the processor is configured to process a portion of the received data packet to determine whether the packet includes a code corresponding to any of the predetermined messages, and if the alert comprises the predetermined message that corresponds to the code.

19. A communication device comprising:

a mesh transceiver configured to;

receive a first data packet transmitted from another device over a mesh network, wherein the first data packet comprises location information, group information and an alert component, wherein the first data packet comprises at least a first bit that corresponds to a location of the communication device, at least a second bit that corresponds to group information for the communication device, and at least a third bit that corresponds to an alert component,

receive a second input signal such that the communication device is configured to simultaneously monitor two input signals, wherein the two input signals are separate alert signals at different frequencies;

transmit the received first data packet via a mesh network to at least one of a plurality of communication devices,

receive additional data packets via the mesh network from at least one of the plurality of communication devices, and

relay the additional received data packets via the mesh network to at least one of the plurality of communication devices;

a processor operably connected to the mesh transceiver and configured to;

process the received data packets, wherein the processing comprises;

determining if the received data packets are for distribution by the communication device based upon the location information contained within each received data packet, and

determining if the first data packet includes a message for a group to which the communication device belongs, and instruct the mesh transceiver to transmit the received first data packet if it is determined the first data packet is for distribution by the communication device;

a memory operably connected to the processor and configured to store received data packets and at least one unique identification code;

an input device operably connected to the processor and configured to provide additional data related to an operating environment of the communications device; and

an output device operably connected to the processor and configured to present an alert the message at the communication device corresponding to at least one of the first data packet and the additional received data packets if the first data packet includes a message for the group to which the communication device belongs; and

a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed, instruct the processor to;

inspect the received data packet to determine, based on the unique identification code, whether the data packet is directed to the device, and

only present the alert corresponding to the data packet if the processor determines that the data packet is directed to the device.