Patent ID: 8482404
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: G08B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first portable device, emergency broadcast information from a network-based emergency broadcast information database, wherein the emergency broadcast information comprises information about available broadcast technologies, information about emergency broadcast channels associated with each available broadcast technology, and information concerning which broadcast technologies or networks are supported by the first portable device, the first portable device including storage, at least one telephony processor, and at least one broadcast processor; storing, by the first portable device, the emergency broadcast information in the storage of the first portable device; receiving, at the first portable device an update to the emergency broadcast information from the network-based emergency broadcast information database, wherein the update to the emergency broadcast information comprises updated information about available broadcast technologies, updated information about emergency broadcast channels associated with each available broadcast technology, and updated information concerning which broadcast technologies or networks are supported by the first portable device; storing, by the first portable device, the update to the emergency broadcast information in the storage of the first portable device; receiving, at the first portable device, a user setting, the user setting instructing the broadcast processor of the first portable device not to engage in emergency broadcast monitoring; receiving, at the first portable device, an indicator bit from a telephony network control channel, the indicator bit indicating that the emergency alert is being broadcast, wherein the telephony network is notified by an emergency alert interface service that the emergency alert is being broadcast using broadcast technologies, wherein the emergency alert interface service is notified by an emergency alert network that an emergency alert is being broadcast, wherein information on the control channel is directed to the first portable device in the cellular network, wherein the indicator bit is received after the emergency broadcast information has been received and stored by the first portable device; enforcing the user defined settings associated with the first portable device by the telephony processor when the indicator bit indicates that the emergency alert is not being broadcast; requesting, by the telephony processor of the first portable device, the emergency broadcast information from the storage of the first portable device when the indicator bit indicates that the emergency alert is being broadcast; receiving, at the telephony processor, the requested emergency broadcast information from the storage of the first portable device; overriding the user defined settings associated with the first portable device to enable emergency broadcast monitoring on the first portable device by the telephony processor when the indicator bit indicates that the emergency alert is being broadcast; utilizing, by the telephony processor, the stored emergency broadcast information and the update to the emergency broadcast information to tune to a broadcast channel of a broadcast network upon overriding the user defined settings associated with the first portable device to enable emergency broadcast monitoring by a broadcast processor; receiving, at the broadcast processor, an emergency broadcast from the emergency alert network; outputting, by the broadcast processor, at least a portion of the emergency broadcast associated with the emergency alert on the first portable device; and reverting back to the user defined settings on the first portable device after a predefined period of time has expired on the first portable device.