Reverse 911 using TV

• US 8,959,545 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bartolome, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURIEN, CHRISTEN A
• Application Number:
  US12/039,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,545 Days
• Field of Search: 725/33, 725/32
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A reverse 911 can be sent to a TV communicating with the Internet. The TV is automatically turned on if it is off, and a viewer can acknowledge the reverse 911 using a TV remote control.

Claims

1. A TV system, comprising:

a TV display; and

a processor in the system and receiving an emergency alert from the Internet;

wherein the display is caused to present a prompt to acknowledge the alert, the processor disabling tuning away from a channel on which the alert is received until an acknowledgement of the alert is received, wherein responsive to a determination of an acknowledgement being received, channel change capability is reenabled.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is automatically energized in response to the alert if not already energized so as to display a message associated with the alert.

3. The TV system of claim 1, wherein the TV system is associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address and the alert is addressed to the IP address of the TV system.

4. The TV system of claim 1, wherein the display is a visual display.

5. The TV system of claim 1, wherein the display is an audio speaker, the volume of which is established in response to the alert.

6. The TV system of claim 1, wherein the alert includes a message that is demographic-specific.

7. The TV system of claim 1, wherein the alert includes a message that is location-specific.