Emergency notification system for a portable device

• US 8,948,721 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sennett, DeWayne Allan, Daly, Brian Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/339,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20140329490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 195 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/66.1, 455/432, 455/532, 455/466, 455/411, 455/414.3, 455/458, 455/567, 455/412.1, 455/344, 455/345
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing alerts to end users of networked enabled portable devices are provided so that the end users are made aware when broadcast emergency alerts are issued. In various embodiments, a portable device is enabled to receive information about an emergency alert broadcast of which the user should be aware, e.g., from the EAS, and to notify the user of the emergency alert. The user can be automatically taken to the emergency alert information by having the portable device automatically tune to the emergency broadcast information, the user can optionally retrieve the emergency information by tuning to the emergency broadcast channel, and/or the user can otherwise be presented with a reference to the emergency data, such as a link to the information.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

maintaining emergency broadcast information in the memory, wherein the emergency broadcast information identifies a set of broadcast technologies supported by the device and a corresponding set of emergency broadcast channels respectively associated with the set of broadcast technologies;

modifying the emergency broadcast information based on data received via over-the-air programming;

receiving, via a control channel of a telephony network, emergency alert information indicating an occurrence of an emergency broadcast;

in response to determining, based on the emergency alert information, that the emergency broadcast is relevant according to a relevancy criterion,

retrieving a subset of the emergency broadcast information,

rendering a notification of the occurrence of the emergency broadcast, wherein the notification is rendered via an audio output and comprises at least the subset of the emergency broadcast information, and

tuning the device to an emergency broadcast channel, of the set of emergency broadcast channels, identified by the subset of the emergency broadcast information.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiving the emergency alert information comprises receiving a short message service message.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the audio output comprises a pre-recorded voice message.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the audio output comprises a text-to-speech signal.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising identifying the subset of the emergency broadcast information based on the emergency alert information.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a media player.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a mobile phone.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of broadcast technologies comprises a cell broadcast technology.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of broadcast technologies comprises a multimedia broadcast multicast service.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a link to additional information about the emergency broadcast.

11. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by a device comprising a processor, emergency broadcast information in a memory, wherein the emergency broadcast information identifies broadcast technologies supported by the device and corresponding emergency broadcast channels respectively associated with the broadcast technologies;

modifying, by the device, the emergency broadcast information based on data received via over-the-air programming;

receiving, by the device via a control channel of a telephony network device of a telephony network, emergency alert information identifying an occurrence of an emergency broadcast;

in response to determining, based on the emergency alert information, that the emergency broadcast is relevant according to a defined criterion,

retrieving, by the device, a subset of the emergency broadcast information,

rendering, as an audio output by the device, a notification of the occurrence of the emergency broadcast, wherein the notification comprises at least the subset of the emergency broadcast information, and

tuning, by the device, to an emergency broadcast channel, of the plurality of emergency broadcast channels, identified by the subset of the emergency broadcast information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a short message service message.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the rendering comprises rendering, as the notification, a pre-recorded voice message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the rendering comprises rendering, as the notification, a text-to-speech output.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the rendering comprises rendering a link to information about the emergency broadcast.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a communication device comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

storing emergency broadcast information that identifies a set of broadcast technologies supported by the communication device and a corresponding set of emergency broadcast channels respectively associated with the set of broadcast technologies;

modifying the emergency broadcast information based on data received via over-the-air programming;

receiving, via a control channel of a telephony network, emergency alert information indicating an occurrence of an emergency broadcast;

in response to determining, based on the emergency alert information, that the emergency broadcast is relevant,

retrieving a subset of the emergency broadcast information,

rendering a notification of the occurrence of the emergency broadcast, wherein the notification is rendered as an audio output and comprises at least the subset of the emergency broadcast information, and

tuning the communication device to an emergency broadcast channel, of the set of emergency broadcast channels, identified by the subset of the emergency broadcast information.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, further comprising identifying the subset of the emergency broadcast information based on the emergency alert information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the rendering the notification comprises rendering a link to additional information about the emergency broadcast.