Internet homepage alert network system

• US 20080018453A1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Adler
• Original Assignee: Robert Adler
• Inventors: Adler, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/782,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20080018453A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/49 for identifying locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method of broadcasting advisory alerts via communications networks where a central notification computer is provided which operable to broadcast advisory alerts to electronic device addresses stored in a subscriber database in a computer retrievable format, namely an individual homepage. The subscriber database contains subscriber data sets which each include the electronic device address and at least one geographic location associated with the electronic device address. When an advisory alert is initiated, the affected geographic area is determined, and a geographic area defined by a perimeter is associated with the advisory alert. The alert is received on a smart alert home page which has been customized by the user based upon their personal preferences. The homepage includes advertisements which financially support the network operation. The advertisements are targeted at the user, based upon demographic profiles which they have inputted as their individual preferences.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting advisory alerts via communications networks to individual home pages, comprising:

providing a central notification computer in communication with at least one communications network;

maintaining a subscriber database of electronic device addresses to receive the advisory alerts, wherein the subscriber database includes a plurality of subscriber data sets, the data sets including the electronic device address of subscriber homepages and at least one geographic location associated with the subscriber;

maintaining the subscriber database in a computer retrievable format for access by the central notification computer;

providing a means to initiate an advisory alert broadcast from the central notification computer;

activating an algorithm to retrieve the electronic device addresses associated with a geographical location within the perimeter and said subscriber data sets;

transmitting the advisory alert to the subscriber homepage associated with geographic locations within the perimeter,

displaying the advisory alert in an image format on a customized user home page, wherein the personal preferences select the alerts to be monitored and format of the user'"'"'s home page based upon the user'"'"'s personal preferences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network is a computer network, and the electronic device addresses are homepage website addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory alert also includes a text format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory alert further includes an audio format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image format is a video clip.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of said geographic area is enlarged as function of time elapsed from the original notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory alert concerns a missing person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory concerns a missing pet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the advisory alert is an announcement from an educational institution to notify parents of emergencies which might result in lock downs, evacuations or early dismissals.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a user'"'"'s customized home page is set up automatically when the user registers and enters the user'"'"'s preferences on the network whereby the user can stay in touch with the people they care about and see only the news they want to see.

11. A method of broadcasting advisory alerts via communications networks comprising:

providing a central notification computer in communication with at least one communications network;

providing a means to transmit an advisory alert to a plurality of electronic device addresses from the central notification computer;

maintaining a subscriber database of electronic device addresses to receive the advisory alerts, wherein the subscriber database includes a plurality of subscriber data sets, the data sets including the electronic device address and at least one geographic location associated with the electronic device address;

maintaining the subscriber database in a computer retrievable format for access by the central notification computer;

providing a means to initiate an advisory alert broadcast from the central notification computer;

associating a geographic area with the advisory alert, wherein the geographic area is defined by a perimeter;

activating an algorithm to retrieve the electronic device addresses associated with geographical locations within the perimeter; and

transmitting the advisory alert to the electronic device address associated with geographic locations within the perimeter

providing a means to allow the user to register on the network and input their personal preferences,

displaying the advisory alert in an image format on a customized user home page, wherein the personal preferences select the alerts to be monitored and format of the user'"'"'s home page, and,

providing an advertising module executable at the notification computer;

wherein said advertising module is configured to select advertisement content from a database of advertisers located within the geographical location associated with the advisory alert, and further configured to provide the advertisement in conjunction with the advisory alert.