Radio communication system with automatic geographic event notification

• US 6,112,074 A
• Filed: 12/22/1997
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pinder, Ellis Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAVER, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US08/995,922
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/422, 455/424, 455/446, 455/456, 455/457, 455/458, 455/524, 455/525, 455/561, 455/562, 379/43, 379/49, 379/48, 340/949, 340/968, 340/601, 340/602, 340/825.44, 340/540
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/61 Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/71 using meteorological information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

A subscriber (125) to a radio communication system (110) is automatically notified of an event affecting or potential affecting a particular geographical locality. The radio communication system obtains such event and locality information (310, 320), and uses the locality information to transmit the event information to subscribers of that system potentially affected by the event. In one embodiment, the system automatically uses only transmitters that service at least a portion of the affected locality to transmit the event information (330, 340). In another embodiment, the system automatically transmits event information selectively to those subscribers having a location designation corresponding to the particular locality (410, 420).

Claims

1. A method for automatic event notification in a radio communication system having a plurality of geographically dispersed transmitters, comprising the steps of:

receiving weather information and corresponding locality information broadcasted from weather a data source;

receiving a weather location code from the weather data source as part of the locality information; and

querying a database, which database maps weather location codes to corresponding transmitter locations, for a transmitter location using the weather location code as a search criteria;

determining location information for a subscriber unit operating within the radio communication system; and

automatically transmitting the event information to the subscriber unit when the location information corresponds to the locality information.

2. A method for automatic event notification in a radio communication system having a plurality of geographically dispersed transmitters, comprising the steps of:

receiving weather information and corresponding locality information broadcasted from a weather data source;

receiving a weather location code from the weather data source as part of the locality information; and

querying a database, which database maps event location codes to corresponding transmitter locations, for a transmitter location using the weather location code as a search criteria; and

automatically transmitting the weather information to the subscriber unit using the transmitter location.

3. A method for automatic event notification in a radio communication system having a plurality of geographically dispersed transmitters, comprising the steps of:

receiving event information and corresponding locality information broadcasted from an event data source;

receiving an event location code from the event data source as part of the locality information; and

querying a database, which database maps event location codes to corresponding transmitter locations, for a transmitter location using the event location code as a search criteria; and

automatically transmitting the event information to the subscriber unit using the transmitter location.