System and method for a wireless phone enabled with weather alerts

• US 9,857,501 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrissey, Michael, Cook, Andrew, Kerr, Jade, Smoyer, Clinton, Mathur, Mohit
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US12/371,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,245 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554121, 45541222, 4554123, 4554444, 4554141, 4554142-4144, 370338, 340601, 34053928, 340 748
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

A system and method for processing weather alerts through a cell phone. One or more channels of a radio network of a weather service are received through the cell phone. One or more weather alerts are received through the one or more channels. A determination is made whether the one or more weather alerts are applicable to a user of the cell phone. The one or more weather alerts are communicated to a user through the cell phone in response to determining the one or more weather alerts are applicable to the user.

Claims

1. A method for processing weather alerts through a cell phone, the method comprising:

storing, in a memory, user preferences specifying one or more locations for which a user selects to receive weather alerts;

receiving, with the cell phone, cellular communications through a cellular network;

receiving, with the cell phone, one or more channels of a dedicated radio network for providing a weather service through the cell phone separate from the cellular network, wherein the one or more channels are enabled to be received simultaneously with the cellular communications, wherein the one or more channels are an AM/FM broadcast;

receiving, with the cell phone, one or more weather alerts through the one or more channels of the dedicated radio network providing the weather service;

determining, with the cell phone, whether the one or more weather alerts received from the weather service through the one or more channels of the dedicated radio network are applicable to a user of the cell phone;

converting, with the cellular phone, the one or more weather alerts from the AM/FM broadcast to a text format and into a tactile alert;

providing the tactile alert with the cellular phone;

playing a designated ring tone based on the one or more weather alerts;

visually displaying the converted one or more weather alerts in the text format on a display of the cell phone as a simulated text message in response to determining the one or more weather alerts are applicable to the user;

sending a short range wireless signal, wherein the short range wireless signal contains the one or more weather alerts, from the cell phone to the wearable device worn by the user to communicate the one or more weather alerts to the user of the cell phone through the wearable device worn by the user; and

based on the user preferences, sending the one or more weather alerts from the cellular phone as a text message to another user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the weather service is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more weather alerts are specific area message encoding (SAME) messages.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless signal is a Bluetooth signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of the cell phone;

receiving the one or more weather alerts for the location of the cell phone.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the location of the cell phone is determined utilizing triangulation.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the one or more weather alerts are communicated based on user preferences stored in the cell phone.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location of the cell phone is determined utilizing a global positioning location of the cell phone.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on a determination that one of the weather alerts is a severe weather alert, providing the tactile alert and playing the designated ring tone constantly until deactivated by a user.

10. A cell phone for receiving weather alerts, the cell phone comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to receive cellular signals from a cellular network;

a transceiver configured to receive one or more weather channels of a dedicated radio network separate from the cellular network, wherein the weather channels are an AM/FM broadcast;

alert logic configured to determine a location of the user, to determine, based on user preferences, whether one or more alerts received through the one or more weather channels of the dedicated radio network are applicable to the location of a user of the cell phone, to convert the one or more alerts from the AM/FM broadcast to a text format and into a tactile alert, to send a short range wireless signal, wherein the short range wireless signal contains the one or more weather alerts, from the cell phone to the wearable device worn by the user to communicate the one or more weather alerts to the user of the cell phone through the wearable device worn by the user, to display the converted one or more alerts on a display device of the cell phone, and based on user configuration, send the one or more alerts as a text message to another user;

a memory in communication with the alert logic, the alert logic configured to store the user preferences, the user preferences specifying one or more locations for which the user selects to receive the one or more alerts; and

a user interface configured to play a designated ringtone based on the one or more alerts, provide the tactile alert, display the one or more alerts in the textual format to the user.

11. The cell phone according to claim 10, further comprising:

location logic in communication with the alert logic, the location logic is configured to determine the location of the user utilizing wireless triangulation.

12. The cell phone according to claim 10, further comprising:

a global positioning system in communication with the alert logic, the GPS is configured to determine the location of the user.

13. A cell phone for communicating weather alerts, comprising:

a processor operable to execute a set of instructions;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory being operable to store the set of instructions, the set of instructions being operable to;

store, in the memory, user preferences specifying one or more locations for which a user selects to receive weather alerts;

receive cellular communications through a cellular network;

receive one or more channels providing a weather service through the cell phone utilizing a dedicated radio network separate from the cellular network, wherein the one or more channels are an AM/FM broadcast;

receive one or more weather alerts through the one or more radio channels of the weather service, the one or more weather alerts being associated with the location of the cell phone;

determine whether the one or more weather alerts received through the one or more radio channels of the weather service are applicable to a user of the cell phone;

convert the one or more weather alerts from the AM/FM broadcast to a textual format and into a tactile alert;

provide the tactile alert with the cellular phone;

play a designated ring tone based on the one or more weather alerts;

visually display the converted one or more weather alerts in the text format to the user through a display of the cell phone in response to determining the one or more weather alerts are applicable to the user;

send a short range wireless signal, wherein the short range wireless signal contains the one or more weather alerts, from the cell phone to the wearable device worn by the user to communicate the one or more weather alerts to the user of the cell phone through the wearable device worn by the user; and

based on the user preferences, send the one or more weather alerts as a text message to another user.

14. The cell phone according to claim 13, wherein the set of instructions are further executed to:

determine the location of the user.

15. The cell phone according to claim 13, wherein the set of instructions are further executed to:

display the one or more weather alerts in a specific area message encoding format.