System and method for providing centralized management and distribution of information to remote users

• US 9,767,678 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2016
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Mendonca, Pat, Pruett, Jonathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US15/075,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

The invention includes systems, methods, and software applications for centrally maintaining information and automatically distributing relevant portions of the information to remote users. In one embodiment, a central server stores the information, which is maintained on the central server. Periodically, or each time the server information is updated, the server identifies the portion of the information that is relevant to each user and downloads the relevant portion of information to each user, for example to a mobile device such as a Blackberry™. The invention may be used to maintain and timely distribute information related to emergency response procedures, sales or servicing schedules, and delivery schedules, among other things.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a processor, emergency response data concerning an organization, the emergency response data comprising contact list data associated with a first person associated with the organization, work site location data associated with the first person, work site location data associated with a second person associated with the organization, and contact data associated with the second person;

receiving, by the processor from a second computing device over a communications network, a triggering notification indicating the occurrence of an emergency event at an emergency location;

determining, by the processor based on the emergency response data, that the work site location associated with the first person is within a predetermined geographical area that includes the emergency location;

assigning, by the processor, the second person as an emergency contact associated with the first person based on the work site location data associated with the second person; and

transmitting, by the processor over the communications network to one or more communication devices associated with one or more persons identified in the contact list data associated with the first person, an electronic communication indicating the occurrence of the emergency event, the electronic communication identifying the emergency location and the second person assigned as the emergency contact and comprising the contact data associated with the second person.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the processor, the electronic communication over the communications network to a communication device associated with the first person.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the processor, the electronic communication over the communications network to a communication device associated with the second person.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the emergency response data further comprises alternative work site data identifying a location to which the first person is assigned to travel in response to the occurrence of the emergency event.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the electronic communication further comprises the alternative work site data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the emergency response data further comprises organization title data associated with the second person.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein assigning the second person as the emergency contact associated with the first person is further based on the organization title data associated with the second person.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication is a text message, a push notification, or an email.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the emergency response data further comprises responsibility area data associated with each of the first person and the second person.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein assigning the second person as the emergency contact associated with the first person is further based on the responsibility area data associated with each of the first person and the second person.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

accessing, by a processor, emergency response data concerning an organization, the emergency response data comprising contact list data associated with a first person associated with the organization, work site location data associated with the first person, work site location data associated with a second person associated with the organization, and contact data associated with the second person;

receiving, by the processor from a second computing device over a communications network, a triggering notification indicating the occurrence of an emergency event at an emergency location;

determining, by the processor based on the emergency response data, that the work site location associated with the first person is within a predetermined geographical area that includes the emergency location;

assigning, by the processor, the second person as an emergency contact associated with the first person based on the work site location data associated with the second person, the responsibility area data associated with the second person, and the responsibility area data associated with the first person; and

transmitting, by the processor over the communications network to one or more communication devices associated with one or more persons identified in the contact list data associated with the first person, an electronic communication indicating the occurrence of the emergency event, the electronic communication identifying the emergency location and the second person assigned as the emergency contact and comprising the contact data associated with the second person.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises transmitting, by the processor, the electronic communication over the communications network to a communication device associated with the first person.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises transmitting, by the processor, the electronic communication over the communications network to a communication device associated with the second person.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the emergency response data further comprises alternative work site data identifying a location to which the first person is assigned to travel in response to the occurrence of the emergency event.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the electronic communication further comprises the alternative work site data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the emergency response data further comprises organization title data associated with the second person.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein assigning the second person as the emergency contact associated with the first person is further based on the organization title data associated with the second person.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the electronic communication is a text message, a push notification, or an email.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the emergency response data further comprises responsibility area data associated with each of the first person and the second person.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein assigning the second person as the emergency contact associated with the first person is further based on the responsibility area data associated with each of the first person and the second person.