Utilization of SMS and/or cellular broadcast to receive multimedia alerts

• US 9,071,948 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• 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 K.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/017,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20140004893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554121- 2, 455/413, 4554141- 2, 455/414.4, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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]

Abstract

An indication of the location of multimedia information for an emergency alert is distributed via text based protocols such as a Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) and/or a Short Message Service (SMS). Multimedia information can include maps, graphics, video clips, audio clips, still pictures, and the like. A text based alert message along with an indication of the location of the associated multimedia is distributed to users. The indication can comprise a link to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or the like, from which the multimedia can be retrieved. The indication can comprise a pointer to a link. For example, the alert message can comprise an address in storage of a user device, and the address can contain the link to the URL. Further, the multimedia can be retrieved automatically or manually.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from an emergency alert system, via a cellular text based delivery protocol, an indication of an emergency, the indication of the emergency comprising a plurality of links to respective uniform resource locators, content accessible via each link of the plurality of links comprising multimedia indicative of a respective aspect of the emergency;

receiving an indication of a selected link of the plurality of links; and

providing multimedia obtained via the selected link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the emergency is received via at least one of a short message service or a cellular broadcast service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the emergency comprises a pointer to a link of the plurality of links.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically receiving multimedia via a link of the plurality of links.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the emergency comprises an alert message associated with the emergency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the alert message is in a format applicable for rendering in a textual format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein content comprises at least one of graphic content, video content, or audio content.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving, from an emergency alert system, via a cellular text based delivery protocol, an indication of an emergency, the indication of the emergency comprising a plurality of links to respective uniform resource locators, content accessible via each link of the plurality of links comprising multimedia indicative of a respective aspect of the emergency;

receiving an indication of a selected link of the plurality of links; and

receiving multimedia obtained via the selected link.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the indication of the emergency is received via at least one of a short message service or a cellular broadcast service.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the indication of the emergency comprises a pointer to the link to the URL.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising, automatically receiving multimedia via a link of the plurality of links.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising, rendering an indication of the selected link.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising rendering, on a display of the apparatus, the received multimedia.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving an alert message associated with the emergency; and

rendering, in a text format on a display of the apparatus, the received alert message.

15. A machine-readable storage medium that is not a propagating signal, the machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving, from an emergency alert system, via a cellular text based delivery protocol, an indication of an emergency, the indication of the emergency comprising a plurality of links to respective uniform resource locators, content accessible via each link of the plurality of links comprising multimedia indicative of a respective aspect of the emergency;

receiving an indication of a selected link of the plurality of links; and

providing multimedia obtained via the selected link.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indication of the emergency is received via at least one of a short message service or a cellular broadcast service.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indication of the emergency comprises a pointer to a link of the plurality of links.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising automatically receiving multimedia via a link of the plurality of links.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indication of the emergency comprises an alert message associated with the emergency.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the alert message is provided in a format applicable for rendering in a textual format.