Emergency alert representation

• US 8,898,697 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• 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: Velazquez, Leonardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US12/330,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,178 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/70 using geographical information, e.g. maps, charts or atlases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics

Abstract

An emergency alert is received. Information representing a map is generated from emergence alert information that identifies an affected area. The information identifying the affected area includes primitive shapes. Customer premises equipment within the affected area is identified based upon the primitive shapes. The information representing the map is transmitted for receipt by customer premises equipment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert at service provider equipment including a processor, wherein the emergency alert comprises information identifying an emergency and information identifying an affected area and wherein the emergency is relevant to the affected area;

generating, by the service provider equipment, first information representing a map of the affected area identified in the emergency alert to be displayed at a display device of customer premises equipment;

transmitting, by the service provider equipment, a first video stream comprising the first information, a user-selectable display field and a definition of an action associated with the user-selectable display field from the service provider equipment to the customer premises equipment for presentation at a first channel of the display device, wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to determine if the first information is relevant to a location of the customer premises equipment and to condition the presentation of the first information representing the map of the affected area together with the user-selectable display field at a display area of the display device responsive to the determination if the first information is relevant to the location, wherein the definition of the action comprises a task performable by the customer premises equipment;

receiving, by the service provider equipment, from the customer premises equipment an indication of a selection of the user-selectable display field and a request for a second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the selection of the user-selectable display field causes the customer premises equipment to perform the action to execute the task based on the definition; and

responsive to the indication of the selection of the user-selectable display field and the request, transmitting, by the service provider equipment, to the customer premises equipment the second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area for presentation at a second channel of the display device without displaying, at the second channel, video content already being received by the customer premises equipment,

wherein the first information is to be displayed as overlay video with the first video stream, wherein the overlay video provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of the display area of the display device, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency, and

wherein the task comprises changing a channel at a set-top box of the customer premises equipment to display a video stream illustrating a more detailed view of the affected area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video stream is transmitted as a multicast packet stream from the service provider equipment to the customer premises equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the affected area comprises a code identifying a political region and information identifying a primitive shape corresponding to the affected area and wherein the first video stream is transmitted in response to identifying the customer premises equipment based upon the code identifying the political region and the information identifying the primitive shape corresponding to the affected area.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising capturing the emergency alert at the service provider equipment from a source, wherein the user-selectable display field comprises one of a button or highlighted text.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising authenticating the customer premises equipment, wherein the customer premises equipment comprises equipment selected from the group consisting of network access modules, switches, routers and combinations thereof.

6. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency alert at service provider equipment including a processor, wherein the emergency alert comprises information identifying an emergency and identifying an affected area affected by the emergency;

generating, by the service provider equipment, from the information of the emergency alert, first information representing a map of the affected area to be displayed at a display device of customer premises equipment;

transmitting, by the service provider equipment, to the customer premises equipment a first video stream comprising the first information representing the map of the affected area, a user-selectable display field and a definition of an action associated with the user-selectable display field, wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to present the first video stream at a first television channel portraying the map of the affected area together with the user-selectable display field, wherein the definition of the action comprises a task performable by the customer premises equipment;

receiving, by the service provider equipment, from the customer premises equipment an indication of a selection of the user-selectable display field and a request for a second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the selection of the user-selectable display field causes the customer premises equipment to perform the action to execute the task based on the definition; and

responsive to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the user-selectable display field and the request, transmitting, by the service provider equipment, to the customer premises equipment the second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to present the second video stream on a second television channel,

wherein the first information is to be displayed as overlay video with the first video stream, wherein the overlay video provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of a display area of the display device, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency, and

wherein the task comprises changing a channel at a set-top box of the customer premises equipment to display a video stream illustrating a more detailed view of the affected area.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information identifying the affected area comprises political regions that are mapped via a table to primitive shapes corresponding to the affected area, wherein the first information is to be displayed as overlay video with the first video stream, wherein the overlay video provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of a display area of the display device, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising identifying the customer premises equipment based upon codes identifying the political regions and information identifying the primitive shapes corresponding to the affected area, wherein the customer premises equipment comprises equipment selected from the group consisting of network access modules, switches, routers and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the first information represents information that is displayable by a display engine of the customer premises equipment, wherein the first information includes a map of the affected area, wherein the user-selectable display field indicates additional information is available.

10. A device comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, facilities performance of operations comprising;

determining that an emergency alert message has been received, the emergency alert message including information identifying an affected area affected by an emergency;

generating first information representing a map of the affected area according to the information of the emergency alert message identifying the affected area;

providing a first data stream to customer premises equipment, wherein the first data stream includes the first information representing the map of the affected area and includes a user-selectable display field and a definition of an action associated with the user-selectable display field and wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to present the first data stream at a first television channel portraying the map of the affected area together with the user-selectable display field, wherein the definition of the action comprises a task performable by the customer premises equipment;

receiving from the customer premises equipment an indication of a selection of the user-selectable display field and a request for a second data stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the selection of the user-selectable display field causes the customer premises equipment to perform the action to execute the task based on the definition; and

responsive to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the user-selectable display field and the request, providing to the customer premises equipment a second data stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to present the second data stream on a second television channel,

wherein the first information is to be displayed as overlay video with the first data stream, wherein the overlay video provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of a display area of the customer premises, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency, and

wherein the task comprises changing a channel at a set-top box of the customer premises equipment to display content of another data stream illustrating a more detailed view of the affected area.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the map of the affected area is an overlay video, wherein the overlay video provides a map of the affected area occupying a portion of a display area of the customer premises equipment, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein the map of the affected area is a primary video.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the first information representing the map to determine a set of customer premises equipment that includes the customer premises equipment; and

transmitting a notification request to the set of customer premises equipment in response to a destination identification module determining the customer premises equipment, wherein the customer premises equipment comprises equipment selected from the group consisting of network access modules, switches, routers and combinations thereof.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the notification request includes the user-selectable display field.

15. A device comprising:

an emergency alert detect module located at a service provider premises to determine that an emergency alert message has been received, wherein the emergency alert message comprises information identifying an affected area affected by an emergency;

an image generation module comprising an input coupled to the emergency alert detect module, and, in response to the emergency alert detect module determining the emergency alert message has been received, the image generation module to receive the information identifying the affected area and to generate first information representing a map of the affected area to be presented at a display device that is based upon the information of the emergency alert message identifying the affected area; and

a switch module comprising an input coupled to the image generation module, the switch module to perform operations comprising;

transmitting a first data stream including the first information representing the map of the affected area, a user-selectable display field and a definition of an action associated with the user-selectable display field to customer premises equipment for presentation, wherein the customer premises equipment is operable to present the first data stream as a first television channel portraying the map of the affected area together with the user-selectable display field, wherein the definition of the action comprises a task performable by the customer premises equipment;

receiving from the customer premises equipment an indication of a selection of the user-selectable display field and a request for a second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the selection of the user-selectable display field causes the customer premises equipment to perform the action to execute the task based on the definition; and

responsive to the indication of the selection of the user-selectable display field and the request, transmitting to the customer premises equipment a second data stream associated with the emergency and the affected area,

wherein the first information is to be presented at the display device as an overlay, wherein the overlay provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of a display area of the display device, and wherein the map is to be displayed together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency, and

wherein the task comprises changing a channel at a set-top box of the customer premises equipment to present at the display device a more detailed view of the affected area.

16. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, which responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating first information representing a map of an affected area to be displayed based upon receiving emergency alert information identifying the affected area;

transmitting a first data stream including the first information, a user-selectable display field and a definition of an action associated with the user-selectable display field to customer premises equipment for presentation as a first television channel of a display device portraying the map of the affected area together with the user-selectable display field, wherein the definition of the action comprises a task performable by the customer premises equipment;

receiving from the customer premises equipment an indication of a selection of the user-selectable display field and a request for a second video stream associated with the emergency and the affected area, wherein the selection of the user-selectable display field causes the customer premises equipment to perform the action to execute the task based on the definition; and

responsive to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the user-selectable display field and the request, providing to the customer premises equipment a second data stream associated with the emergency and the affected area,

wherein the first information is to be presented at a display as an overlay, wherein the overlay provides a map of the affected area, wherein the map occupies a portion of the display, and wherein the map is to be presented at the display together with the user-selectable display field indicating that more information is available in relation to the emergency, and

wherein the task comprises changing a channel at the customer premises equipment to present at the display a more detailed view of the affected area.