Weather/disaster alert system using a data network

• US 20060020992A1
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Pugel, Michael Anthony, Virag, David Emery
• Application Number:
  US10/534,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020992A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/108
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0222 Message structure or message content, e.g. message protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

An alert receiver includes a discriminator, which receives encoded signals from a network. The encoded signals report an event from an information source coupled to the network, wherein the discriminator compares the encoded signals, which include codes designating geographic locations, to codes associated with specific localities to determine whether to alert a user. A warning device is responsive to a result of comparing the encoded signals to the codes associated with specific localities.

Claims

1. An alert receiver, comprising:

a discriminator which receives encoded signals from a network, the encoded signals for reporting an event from an information source coupled to the network, wherein the discriminator compares the encoded signals, which include codes designating geographic locations, to codes associated with specific localities to determine whether to alert a user; and

a warning device responsive to a result of comparing the encoded signals to the codes associated with specific localities.

2. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the warning device includes an audible alarm.

3. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the warning device includes a visual alarm.

4. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the codes associated with specific localities including codes designating a user'"'"'s geographic location.

5. The alert receiver as recited in claim 4, wherein the codes designating geographic locations include Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) codes.

6. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the encoded signals include Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME).

7. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, further comprising a display, which renders textual messages from the encoded signals when a comparison criterion is met.

8. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the event is associated with geographic codes and the codes associated with specific localities designate an aspect of the receiver such that when one or more of the event codes match one or more of the codes associated with specific localities, the warning device responds.

9. The alert receiver as recited in claim 8, wherein the aspect of the receiver includes a code designating the receiver'"'"'s location.

10. The alert receiver as recited in claim 8, wherein the aspect of the receiver includes a plurality of codes designating geographic locations.

11. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the alert receiver is coupled to a head end station through a cable network.

12. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiver is always on for being responsive to the encoded signals.

13. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the encoded signals include characters inserted into a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a received television signal.

14. The alert receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the encoded signals are included in a data packet inserted into a data stream, wherein the data packet is identifiable as an alert message.

15. An alert system, comprising:

a receiver located at a user'"'"'s location, the user'"'"'s location having a code designation associated therewith;

the receiver being coupled to a network from which a plurality of encoded reports are provided to the receiver;

a discriminator which deciphers the encoded reports to determine those reports corresponding to the code designation associated with the user'"'"'s location; and

a warning device located at the user'"'"'s location to inform a user of the reports corresponding to the code designation associated with the user'"'"'s location.

16. The alert system as recited in claim 15, wherein the warning device includes at least one of an audible alarm and a visual alarm.

17. The alert system as recited in claim 15, wherein the encoded reports include codes designating geographic locations.

18. The alert system as recited in claim 17, wherein the codes include Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) codes.

19. The alert system as recited in claim 15, wherein the encoded reports include Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME).

20. A method for receiving alert message concerning an emergency situation affecting a user location, the user location having a code designation associated therewith comprising the steps of:

receiving the alert message comporting to a data format;

deciphering the alert message into a report with a corresponding code designation; and

rendering an alert upon a match of the code designation associated with the user location to the corresponding code designation of the report.