Alerting users to impending events
First Claim
1. A method of alerting a user to the expected occurrence of an event and of automatically providing the user with a predetermined notice period of the expected occurrence of the event, the method comprising:
- identifying an event which has an unreliable start time, but a start time that can be predicted more accurately as the time of said event approaches by monitoring a precursor parameter to said event;
predicting from monitoring the precursor parameter when said event is likely to take place;
automatically issuing advance notice that said event is expected to take place, said advance notice being issued a predetermined notice period before the expected time of said event and using Session Initiation Protocol to communicate said advance notice.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A user is alerted to an expected occurrence of an event and automatically provided with a predetermined notice period of the expected occurrence of the event by identifying an event having an unreliable start time, but a start time that can be predicted more accurately as the time of the event approaches by monitoring a precursor parameter to the event. By monitoring the precursor parameter, a prediction is made of when the event is likely to occur. Advance notice that the event is expected to take place is automatically issued during a predetermined notice period before the expected time of the event. Session Initiation Protocol communicates the advance notice.
167 Citations
71 Claims
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1. A method of alerting a user to the expected occurrence of an event and of automatically providing the user with a predetermined notice period of the expected occurrence of the event, the method comprising:
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identifying an event which has an unreliable start time, but a start time that can be predicted more accurately as the time of said event approaches by monitoring a precursor parameter to said event;
predicting from monitoring the precursor parameter when said event is likely to take place;
automatically issuing advance notice that said event is expected to take place, said advance notice being issued a predetermined notice period before the expected time of said event and using Session Initiation Protocol to communicate said advance notice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of alerting a user of the approach of a vehicle comprising:
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having details of the identity of at least one vehicle, the stops that it is intended to make, and the amount of time required for an advance warning to the user notifying them that a vehicle is due at a selected stop;
monitoring the position of the or each vehicle;
predicting how long it will take the or each vehicle to reach the or each vehicle stop using the present position of the vehicle information;
determining when the vehicle reaches a distance from the stop predicted to take substantially the same time as the required advance warning time; and
alerting the user to the approach of the vehicle when the expected time for it to travel to the stop is substantially the same as the required advance warning time;
and wherein the user is alerted by a Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system adapted to provide an early warning alert to a user of the expected occurrence of an event, the system comprising:
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a notice alert generator adapted to generate an alert notice;
a user-operated input device adapted to input a request for a notice alert to be sent;
an alert notice emitter adapted to emit an alert notice signal;
an alert notice detector adapted to detect an alert notice signal;
a user alarm adapted to produce a user-noticeable alert alarm;
the arrangement being such that in use the user is capable of requesting a notice alert using the input device, the alert notice generator, in use, receiving the alert notice request and producing an alert notice in response to the request, the alert notice being emitted by the emitter and detected by the detector, thereby causing the user to be alerted; and
wherein the alert notice is communicated to the user using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. Software which when running on a processor adapted to output Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications signals and configured to function as an advance notice alert generator, takes as input parameters:
- a selected event;
a precursor parameter related to said selected event to enable the timing of said selected event to be predicted; and
a notice period length of time representative of an amount of time before said selected event a user is to be informed of the impending arrival of the event; and
which operates on the inputs to generate a Session Initiation Protocol alert signal at a time before said predicted event that is predicted to be said notice period before said event is expected to take place, and to output said Session Initiation Protocol alert signal to a telecommunication transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (28)
- a selected event;
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29. Software which when running upon a processor enables the processor to generate an output signal representative of at least one of:
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(i) a user-selected advance notice alert period;
(ii) an event-identifying label or signal;
(iii) an event timing label or signal;
(iv) an address to receive an alert label or signal;
said output signal being configured to be compatible with Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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31. A server having a control processor and a database, the database having details of the addresses of user devices, the location of an event site, an early warning alert period that it is intended to give to users as an early warning of the expected arrival of respective selected events;
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the processor having access to event alert notice generator software which has as an input an event precursor parameter which changes as the event approaches in time, and wherein the processor is adapted to use the event alert notice generator software to process the event precursor parameter in conjunction with the data in the database to generate an alert advance notice signal at a time that is predicted to be the desired notice period before the event is expected to occur, the alert advance notice signal being generated in a form communicatable with a remote device using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications.
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32. A computer readable memory device encoded with a data structure for generating advance notice of an impending event, the data structure having entries, each entry containing a first parameter value corresponding to the telecommunication address of each user, a second parameter value corresponding to the chosen event for which each user wishes to receive advance notice, and a third parameter value corresponding to the amount of advance notice time each use requires.
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33. A hand held portable wireless general purpose telecommunications device enabled for Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications, the device having a control processor, a transmitter and receiver, a data input structure, and a program store;
- the data input structure allowing data to be input into said device, and said control processor having access to an event notification program stored on said program store, said event notification program being adapted to prompt for, in use, the input of data relating to one or more of;
(i) the identity of an event for which advance notice is required;
(ii) the amount of time required as advance notice. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36)
- the data input structure allowing data to be input into said device, and said control processor having access to an event notification program stored on said program store, said event notification program being adapted to prompt for, in use, the input of data relating to one or more of;
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37. A method of alerting a user to the expected occurrence of an event and of automatically providing the user with a predetermined notice period of the expected occurrence of the event, the method comprising:
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identifying an event which has an unreliable start time, but a start time that can be predicted more accurately as the time of the event approaches by monitoring a precursor parameter to the event;
predicting from the monitoring of the precursor parameter when the event is likely to take place;
automatically issuing advance notice that the event is expected to take place, the advance notice being issued a predetermined notice period before the expected time of the event; and
the advance notice being issued via wireless telecommunications to a hand-holdable portable wireless general purpose telecommunications device. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method of alerting a user of the approach of a vehicle comprising:
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having details of the identity of at least one vehicle, the stops that it is intended to make, and the amount of time required for an advance warning to the user notifying them that a vehicle is due at a selected stop;
monitoring the position of the or each vehicle;
predicting how long it will take the or each vehicle to reach the or each vehicle stop using the present position of the vehicle information;
determining when the vehicle reaches a distance from the stop predicted to take substantially the same time as the required advance warning time, and alerting the user to the approach of the vehicle when the expected time for it to travel to the stop is substantially the same as the required advance warning time by sending a telecommunications signal to a hand-holdable portable general purpose wireless telecommunications device. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50)
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51. A system adapted to provide an early warning alert to a user of the expected occurrence of an event, the system comprising:
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a notice alert generator adapted to generate an alert notice;
and a portable hand holdable general purpose wireless telecommunications device which comprises an alert notice detector adapted to detect the alert notice and to emit an alert notice signal; and
a user alarm adapted to produce a user-noticeable alert alarm;
the arrangement being such that in use the alert notice generator produces an alert notice, the alert notice being emitted by the emitter and detected by the device, thereby causing the user to be alerted. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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53. A system adapted to provide an early warning alert to a user of the expected occurrence of an event, the system comprising:
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a notice alert generator adapted to generate an alert notice; and
a telecommunications device which comprises an alert notice detector adapted to detect the alert notice and to emit an alert notice signal; and
a user alarm adapted to produce a user-noticeable alert alarm;
the arrangement being such that in use the alert notice generator produces an alert notice, the alert notice being emitted by the emitter and detected by the device, thereby causing the user to be alerted;
wherein the alert notice is communicated to the device using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications. - View Dependent Claims (54, 57)
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55. Software loadable upon a processor of a general purpose wireless mobile telecommunications device which when running upon the processor enables the processor to generate a signal representative of at least one of:
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(i) a user-selected advance notice alert period;
(ii) an event-identifying label or signal;
(iii) an event timing label or signal;
(iv) an address to receive an alert label or signal;
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56. A hand held portable wireless general purpose telecommunications device having a control processor, a transmitter and receiver, a data input structure, and a program store;
- the data input structure allowing data to be input into the device, and the control processor having access to an event notification program stored on the program store, the event notification program being adapted to prompt for, in use, the input of data relating to one or more of;
(i) the identity of an event for which advance notice is required;
(ii) the amount of time required as advance notice.
- the data input structure allowing data to be input into the device, and the control processor having access to an event notification program stored on the program store, the event notification program being adapted to prompt for, in use, the input of data relating to one or more of;
- 58. A method of enabling a Session Initiation Protocol-enabled general purpose mobile wireless telecommunications device to provide advance warning of an event comprising running on a processor of the device software which detects advance warning signals transmitted using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications and alerts a user.
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61. A method of providing an added value software application on a portable telecommunications device comprising:
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providing a portable telecommunications device arranged to receive advance warning signals relating to respective events, and provide advance warning to a user;
providing application level software;
wirelessly communicating the software to the device;
charging for at least one of the use of and downloading of the software; and
wherein the software filters received advance warning signals to identify advance warning signals relating to a selected event of interest to a user and non-selected events not of interest to the user, and provides the advance warning of said selected event but not of said non-selected events;
wherein the advance warning signal is communicated using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications.
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62. A method of providing an added value software application on a portable telecommunications device comprising:
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providing a portable telecommunications device arranged to receive advance warning signals relating to respective events, and provide advance warning to a user;
providing the application level software;
wirelessly communicating the software to the device;
charging for at least one of the use of and downloading of the software; and
wherein the software communicates to a main server a request for advance warning of a selected event of interest to a user and receives from the main server in response to said request an advance warning signal giving advance warning of the selected event; and
provides the advance warning of the selected event to a user;
wherein the device is a hand held portable wireless general purpose telecommunications device.
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63. A method of providing an added value software application on a portable telecommunications device comprising:
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providing a portable telecommunications device arranged to receive advance warning signals relating to respective events, and provide advance warning to a user;
the application level software;
wirelessly communicating the software to the device;
charging for at least one of the use of and downloading of the software; and
wherein the software filters received advance warning signals to identify advance warning signals relating to a selected event of interest to a user and non-selected events not of interest to the user, and provide the advance warning of said selected event but not of said non-selected events;
wherein the device is a hand held portable wireless general purpose telecommunications device.
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64. A method of providing an added value software application on a portable telecommunications device comprising:
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providing a portable telecommunications device arranged to receive advance warning signals relating to respective events, and provide advance warning to a user;
the application level software;
wirelessly communicating the software to the device;
charging for at least one of the use of and downloading of the software; and
wherein the software communicates to a main server a request for advance warning of a related event of interest to a user and receives from the main server in response to said request an advance warning signal giving advance warning of the selected event; and
provides the advance warning of the selected event to a user;
wherein the advance warning signal is communicated using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications.
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65. A general purpose mobile hand-holdable wireless telecommunications device having a processor enabled to communicate using Session Initiation Protocol, and having in memory an event advance notification application software, said software when running on said processor causing said processor to control said device to enable said device to identify and screen out filter-matching advance notice signals received using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications from all advance notice signals received by said device, and to cause said device to warn a user of the receipt of a filter-matching advance notice signal, said device having a user-set filter configurable by said user to distinguish those filter-matching advance notice signals that are at the choice of the user to be used as trigger to warn a user, from those non filter-matching signals that are not to be used to trigger a warning for the user.
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66. A general purpose mobile hand-holdable wireless telecommunications device having a processor configured to enable the device to communicate using Session Initiation Protocol, and having in memory an application level program which when run on the processor causes the device to enable a user to determine the identity of at least one of:
a vehicle route, a stop location of interest, and a notice period desired, and to monitor Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications signals representative of the expected time of arrival of a vehicle of a selected route at a selected stop in order to cause said device to give an advance warning to the user of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said stop.
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67. A general purpose mobile hand-holdable wireless telecommunications device having a processor configured to enable the device to communicate using Session Initiation Protocol, and having in memory an application level program which when run on the processor causes the device to enable a user to determine the identity of at least one of a vehicle route, a stop location of interest, and a notice period desired;
- and to monitor Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications signals representative of the expected time of arrival of a vehicle of a selected route at a selected stop in order to cause said device to give an advance warning to the user of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said stop; and
wherein said software enables said device to transmit information relating to at least one of said selected vehicle, said stop, and said desired notice period, via Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications to a remote vehicle-arriving warning transmission station.
- and to monitor Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications signals representative of the expected time of arrival of a vehicle of a selected route at a selected stop in order to cause said device to give an advance warning to the user of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said stop; and
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68. A method of increasing the functionality of a mobile telephone comprising loading upon it software which enables it to be used automatically to alert a user to the impending arrival of a vehicle at a stop point by configuring said telephone to respond to selected wireless transmitted advance notice of vehicle arrival signals.
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69. A method of increasing the functionality of a mobile telephone comprising loading upon it software which enables it to be used automatically to alert a user to the impending arrival of a vehicle at a stop point by configuring said telephone to respond to selected wireless transmitted advance notice of vehicle arrival signals;
- the loaded software also enabling the user to determine those vehicle arrival events that they wish to be warned of, so as to enable the telephone to distinguish between vehicle arrival events for which the user does wish to be given advance notice, and those for which the user does not wish to be given advance notice.
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70. A method of increasing the functionality of a mobile telephone comprising loading upon it software which enables it to be used automatically to alert a user to the impending arrival of a vehicle at a stop point by configuring said telephone to respond to selected wireless transmitted advance notice of vehicle arrival signals, and wherein the signals are transmitted using Session Initiation Protocol telecommunications.
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71. A method of increasing the functionality of a mobile telephone comprising loading upon it software which enables it to be used automatically to alert a user to the impending arrival of a vehicle at a stop point by configuring said telephone to respond to selected wireless transmitted advance notice of vehicle arrival signals;
- the loaded software also enabling the user to determine those vehicle arrival events that they wish to be warned of, so as to enable the telephone to distinguish between vehicle arrival events for which the user does wish to be given advance notice, and those for which the user does not wish to be given advance notice, and wherein the signals are transmitted using Session Initiation Protocol telecmmunications.
Specification