All hazards information distribution method and system, and method of maintaining privacy of distributed all-hazards information

• US 8,706,828 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Brabec, Frantisek, Drescher, David Robert Munroe, Ingraham, Edward E. II, Park, Daniel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/015,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An information distribution method includes: gathering all-hazards information into an information exchange from a first information source; gathering all-hazards information into the information exchange from a second information source; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a first independently-controlled alert network; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a second independently-controlled alert network.

Claims

1. An information distribution method, comprising:

gathering all-hazards information into an information exchange from a first information source;

gathering all-hazards information into the information exchange from a second information source;

normalizing the all-hazards information from the first and second information sources;

transforming the all-hazards information into at least one different format than the normalized all-hazards information;

distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a first independently-controlled alert network, wherein the first independently-controlled alert network distributes information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment; and

distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a second independently-controlled alert network, wherein the second independently-controlled alert network distributes information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the all-hazards information includes at least one of weather information, traffic information, earthquake information, epidemic information and fire information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information exchange includes:

one or more handlers that receive all-hazards information from the first and second information sources; and

one or more handlers that distribute all-hazards information to the first and second independently-controlled alert networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second independently-controlled alert networks include a plurality of independently-controlled alert origination and distribution networks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information exchange receives and distributes all-hazards information from the first independently-controlled alert network to the second independently-controlled alert network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the all-hazards information from the first and second information sources to an independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network includes one of a hospital, a school, a volunteer organization and an infrastructure provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the gathered all-hazards information from the first and second information sources prior to distribution.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein a format of the all-hazards information from the first information source is different than a format of the all-hazards information from the second information source;

and

wherein the normalizing includes reducing the different formats of the first and second information sources to the same format.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includes filtering the gathered all-hazards information from the first and second information sources.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the filtering includes removing a redundant content from the gathered all-hazards information.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the filtering includes removing an extraneous content from the gathered all-hazards information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includes parsing the gathered all-hazards information from the first and second information sources into pieces of all-hazards information.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein processing includes storing all-hazards information from the first and second information sources.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the storing includes entering the gathered all-hazards information into a database.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includes analyzing all-hazards information from the first and second information sources.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the analyzing includes analyzing the all-hazards information from the first information source together with the all-hazards information from the second information source.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includes formatting all-hazards information from the first and second information sources.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the formatting includes formatting the gathered all-hazards information into a plurality of different formats.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein all-hazards information having the plurality of different formats have the same content.

21. A national information distribution method, comprising:

gathering all-hazards information into a national information exchange from a plurality of information sources;

normalizing the all-hazards information from the plurality of information sources;

transforming the all-hazards information into at least one different format than the normalized all-hazards information;

distributing the all-hazards information from the national information exchange into a first regional information exchange corresponding to a first region;

distributing the all-hazards information from the national information exchange into a second regional information exchange corresponding to a second region;

distributing the all-hazards information from the first regional information exchange to a plurality of independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the first region, wherein the plurality of independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the first region can distribute information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment; and

distributing the all-hazards information from the second regional information exchange to a plurality of independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the second region, wherein the plurality of independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the second region can distribute information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the all-hazards information includes at least one of weather information, traffic information, earthquake information, epidemic information and fire information.

23. The method of claim 21,

wherein the independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the first region include a plurality of independently-controlled alert origination and distribution networks;

and

wherein the independently-controlled alert networks corresponding to the second region include a plurality of independently-controlled alert origination and distribution networks.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the national information exchange receives and distributes all-hazards information from one of the regional information exchanges to another one of the regional information exchanges.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising distributing the all-hazards information from the plurality of information sources to an independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network includes one of a hospital, a school, a volunteer organization and an infrastructure provider.

27. The method of claim 21,

wherein the national information exchange receives all-hazards information from national information sources;

wherein the first regional information exchange receives all-hazards information from regional information sources corresponding to the first region; and

wherein the second regional information exchange receives all-hazards information from regional information sources corresponding to the second region.

28. The method of claim 27,

wherein the national information exchange processes the all-hazards information received from the national information sources;

wherein the first regional information exchange processes the all-hazards information received from the regional information sources corresponding to the first region; and

wherein the second regional information exchange processes the all-hazards information received from the regional information sources corresponding to the second region.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing of the national and first and second regional information exchanges includes filtering the gathered all-hazards information from the national and first and second regional information sources.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing of the national and first and second regional information exchanges includes parsing the gathered all-hazards information from the national and first and second regional information sources into pieces of all-hazards information.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing of the national and first and second regional information exchanges includes storing all-hazards information from the national and first and second regional information sources.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing of the national and first and second regional information exchanges includes analyzing all-hazards information from the national and first and second regional information sources.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing of the national and first and second regional information exchanges includes formatting all-hazards information from the national and first and second regional information sources.

34. An information distribution system, comprising:

a first independently-controlled all-hazards alert network;

a second independently-controlled all-hazards alert network; and

an information exchange connected to the first and second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks,

wherein the first and second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks each receive all-hazards information from the information exchange and distribute all-hazards information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment, wherein the information exchange normalizes the all-hazards information and transforms the all-hazards information into at least one different format than the normalized all-hazards information before the first and second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks receive the all-hazards information.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the all-hazards information includes at least one of weather, traffic, earthquake, epidemic and fire.

36. The system of claim 34, further comprising an independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network connected to the information exchange.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network includes one of a hospital, a school, a volunteer organization and an infrastructure provider.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the information exchange includes:

one or more information receiving handlers for receiving all-hazards information from a plurality of information sources; and

one or more information distributing handlers connected to the first and second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the information exchange includes one or more processors connected to the one or more information receiving handlers and the one or more information distributing handlers.

40. A national information distribution system, comprising:

a plurality of first independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks corresponding to a first region;

a plurality of second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks corresponding to a second region;

a first regional information exchange connected to the plurality of first independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks;

a second regional information exchange connected to the plurality of second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks; and

a national information exchange connected to the first and second regional information exchanges and configured to normalize all-hazards information, transform the all-hazards information into at least one different format than the normalized all-hazards information, and distribute the all-hazards information to the first and second regional information exchanges,

wherein the plurality of first and second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks are configured to receive the all-hazards information from the first and second regional information exchanges, respectively, and distribute the all-hazards information to a plurality of alert receiving equipment.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the all-hazards information includes at least one of weather, traffic, earthquake, epidemic and fire.

42. The system of claim 40, further comprising an independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network connected to the first or second regional information exchanges.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the independently-controlled entity other than an independently-controlled alert network includes one of a hospital, a school, a volunteer organization and an infrastructure provider.

44. The system of claim 40,

wherein the plurality of first independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks corresponding to the first region include a plurality of independently-controlled alert origination and distribution networks;

and

wherein the plurality of second independently-controlled all-hazards alert networks corresponding to the second region include a plurality of independently-controlled alert origination and distribution networks.

45. The system of claim 40,

wherein the national information exchange connects to national information sources;

wherein the first regional information exchange connects to regional information sources corresponding to the first region; and

wherein the second regional information exchange connects to regional information sources corresponding to the second region.