Method and system of managing distribution of alerts

• US 9,615,233 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eVigilo Ltd.
• Original Assignee: eVigilo Ltd.
• Inventors: Vainik, Feliks, Weiss, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US13/818,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20130157610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 4554323, 455433, 455458, 709206-207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

System and method of managing distribution of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices. The system enables receiving an alert distribution request from an alerting source, including emergency situation data and indication of an area associated with the emergency situation, creating an alert message corresponding to the alert distribution request and identifying broadcasting operators, which enable distributing the alert message in the emergency area. Once the alert message is created and the broadcasting operators are identified, the system forwards the alert message to the identified broadcasting operators. The broadcasting operators broadcast the alert message to the plurality of presentation devices such as mobile devices, TV sets, radio devices, and the like.

Claims

1. A system of managing distribution of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices, said system comprising:

an alert receiving interface, which receives an alert distribution request from an alerting source, said alert distribution request comprises emergency situation data indicative of at least one area associated with the emergency situation;

at least one database including a list of predefined broadcasting operators, each broadcasting operator in said list is associated with at least one distribution area;

a processing module, which creates a plurality of alert messages corresponding to said alert distribution request wherein each of said plurality of alert messages is comprising of different content of information associated with said emergency situation, and identifies a plurality of groups of broadcasting operators from said database, each of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is comprising of at least one broadcasting operator associated with a distribution area that corresponds to at least one of said indicated at least one area, wherein at least one of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is Cellular Broadcast Service operators and at least one of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is not Cellular Broadcast Service operators, wherein each alert message is assigned to a different group of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators; and

a transmission module, which forwards each alert message to its respective broadcasting operator for allowing broadcasting each assigned alert message through a broadcasting operator of suitable group.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission module interfaces a plurality of broadcasting operators and modifies each of said plurality of alert messages by adapting configuration of said alert messages to a gateway of each of said respective identified broadcasting operators, each said broadcasting operator is a cellular broadcasting system enabling transmission of messages over a plurality of wireless communication links.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said alert receiving interface further enables receiving updated information, in real time, indicating current status of the emergency situation, said processing module creates new updated alert messages corresponding to said updated information, wherein said transmission module forwards said updated alert messages for being broadcasted substantially in real time through said identified broadcasting operators.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said processing module further enables identifying

alternative suitable broadcasting operators upon identifying a change in the area associated with the emergency situation from said updated information, said transmission module forwards said updated messages to said alternative suitable broadcasting operators so as to be broadcasted in real time thereby.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing module receives status alerts from said broadcasting operator indicating transmission status of said alert message in relation to each broadcasting operator to which the alert message was transmitted, said processing module identifies a broadcasting failure from said status alerts, said processing module executes a backing process for re-broadcasting said alert message upon identification of said broadcasting failure.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensors unit, which detects at least one alerting condition in a predefined area, and transmits an alert distribution request to said alert receiving interface upon said detection, said alert distribution request comprises sensors data and the respective predefined area, said processing module automatically determines said broadcasting operators according to a combination of said sensors data and said predefined area.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface which enables a user to create said alert distribution request and to send said alert distribution request to said alert receiving interface over a communication link.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing module identifies a plurality of broadcasting operators from said database each associated with a distribution area that corresponds to one of a plurality of indicated areas associated with an emergency situation;

and said transmission module forwards said alert messages to said identified plurality of broadcasting operators so as to allow distributing said alert messages to said plurality of presentation devices in a plurality of corresponding distribution areas via at least one broadcasting network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said a plurality of alert messages, each indicative of a respective one of said plurality of areas, each said identified broadcasting operator broadcasts a respective said alert message indicative of an area corresponding to its distribution area.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said alert receiving interface further enables receiving updated information, in predefined time intervals, indicating current status of the emergency situation, said processing module creates new updated alert messages corresponding to said updated information, wherein said transmission module forwards said updated alert messages for being broadcasted substantially in predefined time intervals through said identified broadcasting operators.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said processing module repeats the last alert messages corresponding to said updated information until said alert receiving interface receives a new updated information, wherein said transmission module forwards said repeated last alert messages for being broadcasted substantially in predefined time intervals through said identified broadcasting operators.

10. A method of managing transmission of alert messages to a plurality of presentation devices, said method comprising:

receiving an alert distribution request from an alerting source, said alert distribution request comprises emergency situation data, indicative of an area associated with the emergency situation;

creating a plurality of alert messages corresponding to said alert distribution request wherein each of said plurality of alert messages is comprising of different content of information associated with said emergency situation;

identifying a plurality of groups of broadcasting operators, wherein at least one of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is Cellular Broadcast Service operators and at least one of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is not Cellular Broadcast Service operators, each of said plurality of groups of broadcasting operators is comprising of at least one broadcasting operator which enables distributing said alert messages in said area;

forwarding each of said alert messages to each said identified plurality of groups of broadcasting operators allowing broadcasting each assigned alert message through a broadcasting operator of suitable group; and

broadcasting said alert messages to said plurality of presentation devices via at least one broadcasting network.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying said alert messages according to configuration requirements of each respective said at least one broadcasting operator.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting at least one map to a user for allowing the user to define at least one area associated with said emergency situation.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatically transmitting an alert distribution request, upon detection of an emergency situation.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatically converting textual content of said alert message into a voice message using text to speech conversion, and voicing said voice message through audio devices of said presentation devices.