Alert Broadcasting to a Plurality of Diverse Communications Devices

• US 20100146057A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genasys, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kenneth E. Grigg, Suhayya Abu-Hakima
• Inventors: ABU-HAKIMA, Suhayya, Grigg, Kenneth E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• 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 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

A system for the broadcast of alert messages to selected groups of recipients and their communications devices of a plurality of different types and communicating through a plurality of different communications means. Recipient profiles or characteristics are received variously from databases, directories, and communications nodes accessible by the system. These sources are queried for the identification of selectable groups which are then presented to a dispatcher for choosing the recipients. The alert message is then provided to delivery means which employ a plurality of included means each of which is particularly configured to communicate the alert message to a corresponding target device type. A response handler module then receives responses from the target devices for later reporting.

Claims

1. A system for communicating a message to a plurality of recipients, each recipient being associated with a respective communications device, each device being a respective one of a plurality of device types, each device having a respective address, the system comprising:

a dispatch module for receiving the alert message, a specification of the recipients, and the device type of each of the devices;

a delivery module for receiving from the dispatch module the message, the specification of the recipients, and the device types, the delivery module being further for receiving the device addresses based on the specification of the recipients, the delivery module being further for communicating the message to the devices, the delivery module having for each device type a corresponding delivery sub-module for communicating the message to the devices of that device type; and

a database for receiving and storing the message, the specification of the recipients, an identifier for each recipient, the device types, and the device addresses.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the specification of the recipients 20 includes a list of the recipients or criteria for identifying the devices.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the database is further for storing message subscriber data and the dispatch module is further for compiling the list of recipients based on the message subscriber data received from the database.

4. The system according to claim 2 wherein the dispatch module is further for compiling the list of the recipients based on data received from the database, an external directory or a communications node accessible by the system.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the dispatch module compiles the list of the recipients by polling the external directory which includes a telephone directory, a directory of client computer hostnames configured in a network domain, or a distribution list.

6. The system according to claim 4 wherein the communications node is a network access point which is wired or wireless, and the dispatch module compiles the list of the recipients by polling the network access point for the devices accessible via that network access point based on the criteria identifying the devices.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the specification of the recipients includes the device addresses, and the delivery module is for receiving the device addresses from the dispatch module.

8. The system according to claim 2 wherein the dispatch module or the delivery module is further for querying the database, an external directory or a communications node for the device addresses based on the criteria identifying the devices.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the criteria identifying the devices specify a logical or physical proximity of the devices to the communications node or a specified location.

10. The system according to claim 6 wherein the network access point is a wireless network access point and the devices accessible via the wireless network access point are capable of receiving SMS or MMS messages.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein at least one of the devices accessible via the wireless network access point is a cellular telephone.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the device types include devices capable of receiving e-mail messages, SMS or MMS messages, voice messages, IP messages, or messages via HTTP.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one device type is capable of operating a client application for receiving the alert message from the delivery module, the client application being further for authenticating the alert message.

14. The system according to claim 13 further comprising a key server module for communicating a private key and a message tag to the dispatch module, the dispatch module being further for encrypting a portion of the alert message based on the private key, the delivery module being further for receiving the message tag from the dispatch module and for communicating the message tag to the devices being of the at least one device type capable of operating the client application, the client application being further for querying the key server module based on the message tag for a public key corresponding to the private key and for decrypting the encrypted portion of the alert message based on the public key thereby authenticating the alert message.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the portion of the alert message includes a timestamp of the alert message.

16. The system according to claim 12 wherein at least one device type is capable of receiving voice messages, the alert message includes a text message, and the delivery module is further for converting the text message into an audio recording and communicating the audio recording to the devices of that device type.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the devices of the device type capable of receiving voice messages is a telephone, a cellular telephone, or a computer.

18. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a response handler for receiving respective acknowledgement messages from each of the devices, wherein the database is further for storing the respective acknowledgement messages.

19. The system according to claim 18 wherein at least one of the acknowledgement messages is an e-mail message, an SMS or MMS shortcode, a series of DTMF tones, or a voice-recognized command.

20. The system according to claim 18 wherein the dispatch module is further for establishing two-way communication with at least one of the devices from which the response handler has received a respective acknowledgement message.

21. The system according to claim 18 further comprising a reporting module for generating reports indicating a success or a failure of the communication of the message to at least one of the devices.

22. The system according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the devices accessible via the network access point is unassociated with the network access point.

23. A system for communicating an alert message to a plurality of recipients, each recipient being associated with a respective communications device, each device being a respective one of a plurality of device types, each device having a respective address, the system comprising:

dispatch means for receiving the alert message, a list of the recipients, and the device type of each of the devices;

an agent framework operatively connected to the dispatch means, the agent framework operating a plurality of autonomous agents including;

a broadcast agent for receiving from the dispatch means the alert message, the list of recipients, and the device types, the broadcast agent being further for receiving the device addresses, the broadcast agent being further for communicating the alert message to the devices, the broadcast agent having a corresponding pooled agent for each device type for communicating the alert message to the devices of that device type; and

a database for receiving and storing the alert message, the list of the recipients, the device types, and the device addresses.

24. A system for communicating an alert message to a plurality of recipients, each recipient being associated with a respective communications device, each device being a respective one of a plurality of device types, each device having a respective address, the system comprising:

dispatch means for receiving the alert message, a list of the recipients, and the device type of each of the devices;

an agent framework operatively connected to the dispatch means, the agent framework operating a plurality of autonomous agents including;

a broadcast agent for receiving from the dispatch means the alert message, the list of recipients, and the device types, the broadcast agent being further for receiving the device addresses; and

a content delivery agent for communicating the alert message to the devices, the content delivery agent having a corresponding pooled agent for each device type for communicating the alert message to the devices of that device type; and

a database for receiving and storing the alert message, the list of the recipients, the device types, and the device addresses.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the plurality of autonomous agents further includes:

a content retrieval agent for retrieving content from an external source, wherein the broadcast agent is further for receiving the content from the content retrieval agent and for associating the content with the alert message, and wherein the content delivery agent is further for receiving the content and for communicating the content to the devices in association with the alert message.