Relay device, method and computer program

• US 9,888,370 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Europe (Amsterdam) BV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: DiFrancesco, Renaud
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US14/441,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15592 Adapting at the relay station communication parameters for supporting cooperative relaying, i.e. transmission of the same data via direct - and relayed path cooperative diversity H04B7/024
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/88 which are wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A relay device operable to relay emergency information to a plurality of mobile terminals. The device includes: a receiver configured in use to receive a broadcast signal, the broadcast signal being in a first format and containing the emergency information; a transmitter configured in use to connect to the plurality of mobile terminals using a communication channel; and a processor configured in use to provide the emergency information received in the broadcast signal to the plurality of mobile terminals in a second format using the transmitter, wherein the second format is different to the first format.

Claims

1. A relay device configured to relay emergency information to a plurality of mobile terminals, the relay device comprising:

circuitry configured to;

relay bidirectional communication in a non-emergency mode, the bidirectional communication being in a first format;

receive a broadcast signal that is in a second format and includes the emergency information;

change an operation mode of the relay device from the non-emergency mode to an emergency mode, in response to an emergency flag being carried in the received broadcast signal, the emergency mode being different than the non-emergency mode;

broadcast a predetermined identifier to the plurality of mobile terminals when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, the predetermined identifier identifying the relay device; and

provide the emergency information, received in the broadcast signal in the second format, to the plurality of mobile terminals via communication in the first format when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, wherein

the second format is an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital terrestrial television standard, and

the second format is different from the first format.

2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to connect to the plurality of mobile terminals using a communication channel, the communication channel being unencrypted.

3. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the emergency information includes text of a webpage to be displayed on the plurality of mobile terminals, and the circuitry is configured to convert the received text into the webpage to be displayed on the plurality of mobile terminals.

4. The relay device according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to include a feedback element within the webpage in response to receiving a feedback flag located in the received broadcast signal.

5. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

connect to a network, wherein the emergency information includes a unique resource identifier of a webpage to be displayed to the plurality of mobile terminals; and

provide the webpage at the unique resource identifier to the plurality of mobile terminals.

6. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is utilized as a WiFi hotspot, and the predetermined identifier is a Service Set Identifier (SSID).

7. A system, comprising:

a mobile terminal having circuitry configured to connect to the relay device of claim 1 over a communication channel and to receive the emergency information in the first format.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry of the mobile terminal is further configured to connect to a cellular network, wherein prior to connection to the relay device, the circuitry of the mobile terminal is configured to receive a message over the cellular network, the message being sent using Short Message Service-Cell Broadcast.

9. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to connect to a mobile terminal from among the plurality of mobile terminals via WiFi.

10. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the emergency mode is used during an emergency situation, and

the non-emergency mode is used during a non-emergency situation.

11. The relay device according to claim 10, wherein the emergency situation is a natural disaster.

12. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined identifier broadcasted in the emergency mode is different than the predetermined identifier broadcasted in the non-emergency mode.

13. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second format is configurable to use one of a number of forward error correction (FEC) modes and the broadcast signal received decodes a signal using an FEC mode which is more robust to transmission errors than another of the number of FEC modes.

14. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the first format is 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communication standard, and

the communication in the first format to provide the emergency information that is at least in part a short message service (SMS) message.

15. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the first format is 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communication standard, and

the communication in the first format to provide the emergency information that is at least in part is a multi-media service (MMS) message.

16. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication in the first format to provide the emergency information via a webpage sent over wifi.

17. A method of relaying emergency information to a plurality of mobile terminals, the method comprising:

relaying, by circuitry of a relay device, bidirectional communication in a non-emergency mode, the bidirectional communication being in a first format;

receiving, by the circuitry, a broadcast signal that is in a second format and includes the emergency information;

changing, by the circuitry, an operation mode of the relay device from the non-emergency mode to an emergency mode, in response to an emergency flag being carried in the received broadcast signal, the emergency mode being different than the non-emergency mode;

broadcasting, by the circuitry, a predetermined identifier to the plurality of mobile terminals when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, the predetermined identifier identifying the relay device; and

providing, by the circuitry of the relay device, the emergency information, received in the broadcast signal in the second format to the plurality of mobile terminals via communication in the first format when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, wherein

the second format is an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital terrestrial television standard, and

the second format is different from the first format.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

connecting, by the circuitry of the relay device, to the plurality of mobile terminals using a communication channel, wherein the communication channel is unencrypted.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the emergency information includes text of a webpage to be displayed on the plurality of mobile terminals, and the method further comprises converting the received text into the webpage to be displayed on the plurality of mobile terminals.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

including a feedback element within the webpage in response to receiving a feedback flag located in the received broadcast signal.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

connecting to a network, wherein the emergency information includes a unique resource identifier of a webpage to be displayed to the plurality of mobile terminals; and

providing the webpage at the unique resource identifier to the plurality of mobile terminals.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by a relay device, cause the relay device to perform a method, the method comprising:

relaying bidirectional communication in a non-emergency mode, the bidirectional communication being in a first format;

receiving a broadcast signal that is in a second format and includes the emergency information;

changing an operation mode of the relay device from the non-emergency mode to an emergency mode, in response to an emergency flag being carried in the received broadcast signal, the emergency mode being different than the non-emergency mode;

broadcasting a predetermined identifier to the plurality of mobile terminals when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, the predetermined identifier identifying the relay device; and

providing the emergency information, received in the broadcast signal in the second format, to the plurality of mobile terminals via communication in the first format when the operation mode of the relay device is in the emergency mode, wherein

the second format is an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital terrestrial television standard, and

the second format is different from the first format.