Systems and methods for providing emergency alerts

• US 9,472,091 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stern, Peter, Ramsdell, Scott, Mayer, Adam, Roudi, Mike, Williams, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/059,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/517, 340/601, 340/691.1, 340/506, 340/539.28, 455/404.1, 725/33, 725/110
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• 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: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing indications of received emergency alert messages to devices within a consumer premises are disclosed. In one embodiment, a consumer premise equipment (CPE) receiving one or more emergency alert messages from a content provider or managed network determines one or more alert responses for one or more devices of the consumer premise network. In one implementation, the responses are based at least in part on the received emergency alert messages themselves. The CPE issues one or more commands to one or more devices present within the consumer premises (which may be for example a home automation system), to indicate the one or more determined alert indication responses, such as auditory alert and visual alert by the one or more devices. Thus, users in the consumer premises may be made aware of an alert message outside of the typical means in which an alert is displayed, such as via a television.

Claims

1. A method for providing indications of emergency alerts to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving one or more emergency alert messages associated with a first location;

uniquely identifying one or more first devices of the plurality of devices which have established communication via an access point (AP) also associated with the first location;

uniquely identifying one or more second devices of the plurality of devices associated with respective one or more second locations, the one or more second locations being within a prescribed radius of the first location;

determining at least two types of alert indication responses for the one or more first and second devices based at least in part on the one or more emergency alert messages;

issuing one or more first commands to the one or more first devices to implement one or more first types of the at least two types of determined alert indication responses; and

issuing one or more second commands to the one or more second devices to implement one or more second types of the at least two types of determined alert indication responses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining is further based on one or more configurable rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two types of alert indication responses comprise at least one of:

(i) an auditory alert and/or (ii) a visual alert.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the one or more emergency alert messages to determine at least one emergency classification;

wherein the act of determining is further based at least on the determined at least one emergency classification.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one emergency classification comprises a severity rating of an emergency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining is based on at least metadata associated with the one or more emergency alert messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining is based on at least message content of an emergency associated with the one or more emergency alert messages.

8. An apparatus configured to provide indications of emergency alerts to a plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising:

a processor apparatus;

one or more interfaces in data communication with the processor apparatus; and

a storage apparatus in data communication with the processor apparatus and comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program configured to, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive an emergency alert system (EAS) message associated with a first location, the message received via at least one of the one or more interfaces;

reformat the received EAS message into at least two types of indication alert messages;

cause transmission, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, of a first type of the at least two types of indication alert messages to one or more devices of the plurality of devices which have established communication via an access point (AP) associated with the first location; and

cause transmission, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, of a second type of the at least two types of indication alert messages to one or more other devices of the plurality of devices, the one or more other devices being within a designated range of the first location;

wherein the first type of the at least two types of indication alert messages is of a first priority level and the second type of the at least two types of indication alert messages is of a second priority level lower than the first priority level.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least two types of indication alert messages lack message content of the EAS message itself.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least two types of indication alert messages are configured to activate one or more functionalities of the plurality of devices, the activated one or more functionalities being related to at least one aspect of the emergency reflected in the received EAS message.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the activated one or more functionalities are selected from at least one of:

(i) an audio-related functionality, and (ii) visual-related functionality.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one computer program is further configured to, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

determine one or more respective capabilities of the one or more devices and the one or more other devices;

wherein the at least two types of indication alert messages are reformatted based at least in part on the determined at least one capability.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least two types of indication alert messages are configured to activate one or more functionalities associated with the one or more respective capabilities, the activated one or more functionalities being at least indicative of one or more content elements of the received EAS message.

14. A method for providing emergency alerts to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving one or more emergency alert messages associated with a first location;

uniquely identifying one or more first devices of the plurality of devices associated with respective one or more second locations, the one or more second locations being within a prescribed geographic area relative to the first location;

uniquely identifying one or more second devices of the plurality of devices associated with respective one or more third locations, the one or more third locations being outside the prescribed geographic area;

determining at least two types of alert responses for the one or more first and second devices based at least in part on the one or more emergency alert messages;

issuing one or more first commands to the one or more first devices to implement one or more first types of the at least two types of determined alert responses; and

issuing one or more second commands to the one or more second devices to implement one or more second types of the at least two types of determined alert responses.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more first types of the at least two types of determined alert responses comprise a first priority level response, and the one or more second types of the at least two types of determined alert indication responses comprise a second priority level response, the second priority level response being of lower priority than that of the first priority level response.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more first and second devices are pre-preprogrammed with one or more alert response rules.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more alert response rules are configured to compare the first location to the respective one or more second and third locations.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting one or more configuration updates to the one or more first and second devices, the one or more configuration updates configured to modify the one or more alert response rules.

19. An apparatus configured to provide emergency alerts to a plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising:

a processor apparatus;

one or more interfaces in data communication with the processor apparatus; and

a storage apparatus in data communication with the processor apparatus and comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program configured to, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive an emergency alert message associated with one or more first locations, the message received via at least one of the one or more interfaces;

reformat the received emergency alert message into at least two types of indication alert messages;

cause transmission, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, of a first type of the at least two types of indication alert messages to one or more first devices of the plurality of devices being within a prescribed geographic relationship of at least one of the one or more first locations; and

cause transmission, via at least one of the one or more interfaces, of a second type of the at least two types of indication alert messages to one or more other devices of the plurality of devices, the one or more other devices being outside the prescribed relationship of any of the one or more first locations;

wherein the first type of the at least two types of indication alert messages is of a first priority level and the second type of the at least two types of indication alert messages is of a second priority level, the second priority level comprising a priority lower than the first priority level.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more other devices of the plurality of devices are associated with users having respective familial or employment relationships to users of the one or more first devices of the plurality of devices.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the reformat comprises use of information configured to notify a network operator when each of the plurality of devices move to another respective location.