System and method for delivering mobile wireless broadcast messages in designated languages

• US 8,731,513 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Cellular Corporation (Telephone & Data Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United States Cellular Corporation (Telephone & Data Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemberg, Vyacheslav, Thalanany, Sebastian, Saxena, Narothum
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US13/458,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.2, 455/414.4, 725/33, 725/34, 725/35, 725/36, 704/2, 704/8, 704/203
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• 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: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• 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 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A mobile wireless system and method are described for distributing emergency alert messages to mobile wireless devices in multiple languages. The emergency alert system receives an alert message including a geographic area identification, and a text alert. The emergency alert system renders one or more translations of the text alert from the text alert. The one or more translated versions of the text alert are provided in particular foreign languages based upon designated foreign languages corresponding to the geographic area identification. The emergency alert system transmits the text alert and one or more translated text alerts commercial mobile wireless service provider networks for broadcasting the text alert and the translated text alert(s) via mobile wireless transmitters having a coverage area falling within a region corresponding to the geographic area identification.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting public warning messages for presentation to mobile wireless device users in multiple languages, the method comprising the steps:

receiving, by an alerting framework, an alert message including;

a geographic area identification, and

a text alert;

rendering, by the alerting framework, a set of translated text alerts for the text alert, the set of translated text alerts being in a set of foreign languages based upon designated foreign languages corresponding to the geographic area identification, wherein the set of foreign languages is determined by reference to a database listing predominant foreign languages identified for each geocode;

issuing, by the alerting framework, alert messages comprising a geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, via a standardized protocol to a mobile wireless service provider network;

receiving, by a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) gateway, the alert messages from the alerting framework, including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts;

forwarding, by the CMSP gateway, the alert messages via a mobile wireless technology-dependent interface of multiple mobile wireless technology-dependent interfaces supported by the CMSP gateway;

receiving, by a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) infrastructure via the mobile wireless technology-dependent interface, the alert messages, including the geographic location identification; and

forwarding, by the CMSP infrastructure, based on the geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, for selectively broadcasting only by particular mobile wireless cell sites having a coverage area falling within a region corresponding to the geographic location identification,

wherein the alert messages are thereafter presented on a receiving mobile device according to a specified default language and a prioritized list of languages facilitating selection of an alternative language if an alert message is not available in the specified default language.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein an interface of the CMSP gateway is independent of a network type, upon which CMSP infrastructure relies while forwarding the alert messages for broadcast via particular mobile wireless transmitters.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple wireless network technologies include CDMA2000.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the database listing predominant foreign languages identified for each geocode is based upon US Census Bureau information relating to spoken languages of respondents residing within identified geographic areas.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the text alert comprises a text string.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the text string is an English text string.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein translating the text alert during the rendering step is performed by a third party translation service in response to a request, including the text alert and a list of target translation languages.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

designating, on a mobile wireless device, a preferred language for presenting alert message text.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions for broadcasting public warning messages for presentation to mobile wireless device users in multiple languages, the computer-executable instructions facilitating performing, the steps:

receiving, by an alerting framework, an alert message including;

a geographic area identification, and

a text alert;

rendering, by the alerting framework, a set of translated text alerts for the text alert, the set of translated text alerts being in a set of foreign languages based upon designated foreign languages corresponding to the geographic area identification, wherein the set of foreign languages is determined by reference to a database listing predominant foreign languages identified for each geocode;

issuing, by the alerting framework, alert messages comprising a geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, via a standardized protocol to a mobile wireless service provider network;

receiving, by a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) gateway, the alert messages from the alerting framework, including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts;

forwarding, by the CMSP gateway, the alert messages via a mobile wireless technology-dependent interface of multiple mobile wireless technology-dependent interfaces supported by the CMSP gateway;

receiving, by a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) infrastructure via the mobile wireless technology-dependent interface, the alert messages, including the geographic location identification; and

forwarding, by the CMSP infrastructure, based on the geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, for selectively broadcasting only by particular mobile wireless cell sites having a coverage area falling within a region corresponding to the geographic location identification,

wherein the alert messages are thereafter presented on a receiving mobile device according to a specified default language and a prioritized list of languages facilitating selection of an alternative language if an alert message is not available in the specified default language.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions for designating, on a mobile wireless device, a preferred language for presenting alert message text.

11. An alert broadcast system comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions for issuing public warning messages to mobile wireless service providers in multiple languages, the alert broadcast system comprising:

an alerting framework comprising;

an alert message reception interface module for receiving an alert message including;

a geographic area identification, and

a text alert;

a translation request interface module for obtaining a set of translated text alerts for the text alert, the set of translated text alerts being in a set of foreign languages based upon designated foreign languages corresponding to the geographic area identification, wherein the set of foreign languages is determined by reference to a database listing predominant foreign languages identified for each geocode; and

a text alert issuance interface for issuing alert messages comprising a geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, via a standardized protocol to a mobile wireless service provider network;

a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) gateway, for receiving the alert messages from the text alert issuance interface, including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, the CMSP gateway being further configured to forward the alert messages via a mobile wireless technology-dependent interface of multiple mobile wireless technology-dependent interfaces supported by the CMSP gateway; and

a commercial mobile wireless service provider (CMSP) infrastructure configured for;

receiving the alert messages, including the geographic location identification, via the mobile wireless technology-dependent interface, and

forwarding, based on the geographic location identification, the alert messages including messages corresponding to both the text alert and the set of translated text alerts, for selectively broadcast only by particular mobile wireless cell sites having a coverage area falling within a region corresponding to the geographic location identification, and

a mobile device configured to receive the alert messages transmitted by the mobile wireless cell sites and thereafter present at least one of the text alert and the set of translated text alert according to a specified default language and a prioritized list of languages stored on the mobile device facilitating selection of an alternative language if an alert message is not available in the specified default language.