Tornado warning system

• US 6,295,001 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2000
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerry Keith Barber
• Original Assignee: Jerry Keith Barber
• Inventors: Barber, Jerry Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/643,042
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539, 340/601, 340/602, 340/690, 340/628, 340/825.44, 731/701.6, 733/84, 702/3
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/00 in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather

Abstract

A pager receiver based system provides a method and an apparatus for receiving and detecting a tornado alert or other severe weather alert from the National Weather Service, determining the region or grid block to which the alert applies, and broadcasting an alert signal to a plurality of pager receivers, all programmed with the same sub-address, within that region or grid block.

Claims

1. A weather warning system comprising:

a. a monitor station to monitor broadcasts from a weather warning source;

b. an electronically programmable filter in the monitor station to select only a selected warning from the broadcasts, and once programmed, the filter developing an alert pager signal from the selected warning without human intervention, the alert pager signal applicable to a selected grid block;

c. a transmitter to transmit the alert pager signal;

d. a cell tower to receive the transmitted alert pager signal and to retransmit the alert pager signal; and

e. a plurality of pager receivers within the selected grid block, each of the plurality of pager receivers having the same sub-address to receive the retransmitted alert pager signal from the cell tower.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pager receivers is fixed to a structure in the grid block.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the page receivers is combined with a smoke detector in at least one of the structures in the grid block.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the smoke detector and the pager receiver within the at least one of the structures is powered from the same power source.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the smoke detector and the pager receiver within the at least one of the structures share a common annunciator, and an alarm signal from the smoke detector is distinguishable from an alarm signal from the pager receiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected grid block is a five mile by five mile square based on latitude and longitude.

7. A method of alert for a selected weather phenomenon, comprising the steps of:

a. installing a plurality of pager receivers in a predetermined grid block, all pager receivers within the grid block being programmed with the same sub-address which is different than the sub-address of pager receivers in any other grid block;

b. receiving broadcasts from a weather warning source;

c. programming an electronically programmable filter to select from the received broadcasts only a tornado warning;

d. selecting by the filter from the received broadcasts only the selected weather phenomenon without human intervention;

e. determining the region of applicability of the selected weather phenomenon;

f. selecting a sub-address for the determined grid block;

g. broadcasting the sub-address to the pager receivers programmed with the selected sub-address;

h. receiving the broadcast sub-address in at least one of the plurality of pager receivers; and

i. activating an audible alert.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined grid block is a five mile and five mile area based on latitude and longitude.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of pager receivers is combined with a smoke detector in a common enclosure.