Effective broadcasting of emergency messages

• US 9,419,733 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marathe, Nikhil S., Baldwin, Christopher, Towster, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/086,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20150140924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for effective broadcasting of emergency messages. An emergency indicator that indicates that an emergency condition exists can be received. A geographic area affected by the emergency condition can be determined and a plurality of devices and a user device located at the geographic area can be identified. The user device can be selected to broadcast an alert to the plurality of devices, and an alert trigger can be sent to the user device. The alert trigger can cause the user device to activate a wireless hotspot at the user device, the wireless hotspot being associated with a dedicated service set identifier, and to broadcast, via the wireless hotspot, an alert indicating the emergency condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processor that executes an alert service, an emergency indicator that indicates that an emergency condition exists;

determining, by the processor, a geographic area affected by the emergency condition;

identifying, by the processor, a plurality of devices and a user device located at the geographic area;

obtaining, by the processor, operational data for each of the plurality of devices and the user device;

selecting, by the processor and based upon the operational data, the user device to broadcast, to the plurality of devices, an alert that indicates the emergency condition; and

sending, by the processor, an alert trigger to the user device, wherein the alert trigger causes the user device to

activate a wireless hotspot at the user device, the wireless hotspot being associated with a dedicated service set identifier, and

broadcast, via the wireless hotspot, the alert that indicates the emergency condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the user device comprises:

determining, for each of the plurality of devices and the user device, a battery level; and

selecting, based upon the battery level, the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational data comprises WiFi status information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated service set identifier comprises a service set identifier used for emergency communications, and wherein each of the plurality of devices monitors wireless signals to detect activation of the wireless hotspot with the dedicated service set identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency indicator is received from a social networking service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency indicator comprises an implicit indicator that the emergency condition exists, the implicit indicator being determined based upon analysis of a plurality of social networking posts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency indicator comprises an explicit indicator that the emergency condition exists.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency indicator is received from an emergency dispatcher, and wherein the emergency indicator comprises an explicit indicator that the emergency condition exists.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert that indicates the emergency condition comprises a description of the emergency condition, an indication of the geographic area, and instructions for responding to the emergency condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises a smart phone that executes an alert application, and wherein the user device generates the alert that indicates the emergency condition in response to the alert trigger and broadcasts the alert that indicates the emergency condition via the wireless hotspot.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving an emergency indicator that indicates that an emergency condition exists,

determining a geographic area associated with the emergency condition,

identifying a plurality of devices and a user device located at the geographic area,

obtaining operational data for each of the plurality of devices and the user device,

selecting, based upon the operational data, the user device to broadcast, to the plurality of devices, an alert that indicates the emergency condition, and

sending an alert trigger to the user device, wherein the alert trigger causes the user device to

activate a wireless hotspot at the user device, the wireless hotspot being associated with a dedicated service set identifier, and

broadcast, via the wireless hotspot, the alert that indicates the emergency condition.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a server computer that hosts a social networking service, wherein the emergency indicator is received from the server computer.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a computer device that is associated with an emergency dispatcher, wherein the emergency indicator is received from the computer device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting the user device comprises:

determining, for each of the plurality of devices and the user device, a battery level; and

selecting, based upon the battery level, the user device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operational data comprises WiFi status information.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the dedicated service set identifier comprises a service set identifier used for emergency communications, and wherein each of the plurality of devices monitors wireless signals to detect activation of the wireless hotspot with the dedicated service set identifier.

17. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an emergency indicator that indicates that an emergency condition exists;

determining a geographic area associated with the emergency condition;

identifying a plurality of devices and a user device located at the geographic area;

obtaining operational data for each of the plurality of devices and the user device;

selecting the user device to broadcast, to the plurality of devices, an alert that indicates the emergency condition; and

sending an alert trigger to the user device, wherein the alert trigger causes the user device to

activate a wireless hotspot at the user device, the wireless hotspot being associated with a dedicated service set identifier, and

broadcast, via the wireless hotspot, the alert that indicates the emergency condition.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein selecting the user device comprises:

determining, for each of the plurality of devices and the user device, a battery level; and

selecting, based upon the battery level, the user device.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operational data comprises WiFi status information.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the dedicated service set identifier comprises a service set identifier used for emergency communications, and wherein each of the plurality of devices monitors wireless signals to detect activation of the wireless hotspot with the dedicated service set identifier.