Patent Publication Number: US-2006005219-A1

Title: Standby television warning system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      Not Applicable  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not Applicable  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      This invention pertains to an emergency alert system. More particularly, this invention pertains to television receivers adapted to receive emergency alerts when the television is in a standby or off condition.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      The Emergency Alert System (EAS), which was preceded by the Emergency Broadcast System, is a government service that provides timely and critical warning to customers of public broadcast media. The EAS was established by the FCC in 1994. In the event of an imminent emergency condition, such as a tornado or other severe weather or a fire, a government authority sends a general public warning message over the Emergency Alert System. The dissemination of these warning messages is crucial to the proper operation of the Emergency Alert System.  
      One system for processing such warning messages is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,492, titled “Emergency alert system,” issued to Drury, on Sep. 17, 2002. Drury discloses an alert system that operates over a cable system network, such as the convention cable television system. The alert system includes an alert system receiver connected to the cable system. The alert system receiver shares the same incoming cable system signals as the television receiver connected to the cable system; however, the alert system receiver is independent of the television receiver. The alert system receiver monitors for alert signals and provides indication when an alert message is received.  
      Another system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,627, titled “Use of wideband DTV overlay signals for brevity signaling and public safety,” issued to Hershey, et al., on Dec. 24, 2002. Hershey discloses a brevity signaling module for a digital television receiver. The module enables reception of emergency broadcast messages transmitted over a wideband overlay signal used to reduce the multipath problem with digital high definition television (HDTV) receivers. To enable reception of an emergency broadcast message, the broadcaster must shift the frequency of the wideband overlay signal. The brevity signaling module detects the overlay signal frequency shift and processes the message.  
      Another system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,290, titled “Emergency alert system,” issued to Parsons, et al., on Jul. 2, 1991. Parsons discloses an alarm system that operates over the telecommunications network to alert selected individuals of an emergency. The alarm system includes a main unit located at the central office of the telecommunications company and alarm units installed in parallel with the subscriber&#39;s telephone. Authorized authorities telephone the main unit to invoke the alert system. Codes are entered by the authority to indicate which zones are to be alerted of the emergency. Telecommunication subscribers in that zone are then automatically alerted regardless of whether the subscriber&#39;s phone is off-hook or busy prior to alarm activation.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to one embodiment of the present invention, an emergency alert system is provided. The emergency alert system is integrated in a television receiver and continuously monitors broadcast signals for the transmission of a warning message. The alert system uses features of the standby power supplies in modern television receivers to monitor the broadcast signals when the television receiver is not in use.  
      In one embodiment, the alert system is adapted to integrate with existing television receivers by monitoring the output of the existing tuner. The system, when it detects an emergency broadcast signal, turns on the television and allows the message to be delivered. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of standby television warning system;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of one embodiment of the system; and  
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of the steps for processing warnings. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      An apparatus for an emergency alert system  10  is disclosed. The emergency alert system  10  receives an advisory report sent over the transmission frequencies of the television broadcasting system. The advisory report includes information regarding weather conditions such as tornados and storms, natural disasters such as earthquakes and avalanches, chemical spills, and homeland security issues such as bomb threats and terrorist attacks. The emergency alert system  10  is for alerting individuals watching their television and for alerting individuals who do not have their televisions in the on position, such as those who are sleeping, when an urgent situation occurs. More specifically, the emergency alert system  10  activates a dormant television such that an individual who is not watching the television or who is sleeping is alerted to the advisory report.  
       FIG. 1  illustrates an emergency alert system  10 . The authorities  102  control the transmission of emergency warning messages  106  through a transmitting system  104 . The emergency warning messages  106  are received by an antenna  112  connected to a television receiver  114 . The television receiver  114  is connected to a decoder  116  that monitors the received signals for any emergency warning messages  106  and then controls the television receiver  114  to present the emergency warning message  106 .  
      In one embodiment, the authorities  102  are local. After the local authorities  102  determine all pertinent information regarding a particular urgent situation, the information is incorporated into an emergency warning message  106  sent to a local area. In another embodiment, the authorities  102  are not local, but are responsible for a large constituency, such as national or multi-state. In this embodiment, the authorities  102  determine all pertinent information regarding a particular urgent situation, including information as to the geographic areas in which the warning message  106  is applicable. In one embodiment, the geographic areas are based on Postal Service ZIP codes. This information is incorporated into a emergency warning message  106 , which is then transmitted by the transmitting system  104  nationwide or over a wide area extending beyond a local area. In another embodiment, the emergency warning message  106  originates from the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which includes location specific information in an EAS header code. In these embodiments, the television receiver  114  and/or decoder  116  includes circuitry and/or logic to determine whether a received emergency warning message  106  is applicable to the area in which the television receiver  114  is located.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of the emergency alert system  10 . The television tuner  202  receives broadcast signals via an antenna  112 . In another embodiment, the tuner  202  receives broadcast signals via a cable, such as used in a cable network. The tuner  202  provides signals to the television display  204 , which presents the video portion of the broadcast signal, to the volume control  212 , which presents the audio portion of the broadcast signal, and to the decoder  206 , which monitors for emergency warning messages  106 . In one embodiment, the television display  204  presents both the video and the audio portions of the broadcast content.  
      The emergency alert system  10  includes a standby power supply  220 , which provides power to the other circuits in the emergency alert system  10 , such as the tuner  202  and the decoder  206 . In one embodiment, the standby power supply  220  has two operational modes. The first, or full power, mode is with the power supply  220  supplying full power to all equipment and circuits. The second, or standby, mode is with the power supply  220  isolating certain circuits, but providing power to a few selected circuits. In this second mode, the television receiver  114  is considered to be off, or deenergized; however, selected circuits remain energized for specific purposes, for example, a remote control receiver for turning on the television receiver  114  via a remote control unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the power supply  220  provides power in the standby mode to the tuner  202  and to the decoder  206 . In other embodiments, the power supply  220  provides power in the standby mode to other selected circuits, for example, the remote control receiver.  
      The decoder  206  communicates with a processor  210  and with a timer  208 , which communicate with each other  208 ,  210 . The decoder  206  communicates with the standby power supply  220  in order to switch the power supply  220  from standby mode into full power mode. The decoder  206  also communicates with the volume control  212  to ensure that the volume is set at an appropriate level to reproduce the emergency warning message  106 . The ability to set the volume control  212  provides for the situation where the user has turned the volume off or down to an inaudible level.  
      In the illustrated embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  operates in the following manner: the tuner  202  is continually powered by the power supply  220 , or at least sufficient circuits are powered such that the tuner  202  can receive and pass on a broadcast signal to the decoder  206 . The tuner  202  is set to continually monitor a broadcast station and that signal is routed to the decoder  206 . The decoder  206  continually monitors the signal from the tuner  202  for a code that indicates that an emergency warning message  106  is being broadcast. In one embodiment, the emergency warning message  106  contains a coded preamble consisting of a series of frequency burst pulses. When the decoder  206  detects a coded preamble indicating that an emergency warning message  106  is directed to the area in which the emergency alert system  10  is located, the decoder  206  sends a signal to the standby power supply  206  switching the power supply  206  to the full power mode, if it is not already operating in that mode. The decoder  206  also sends a signal to the volume control  212  to adjust the volume to a preset level. The decoder  206  communicates with the processor  210  and a timer  208  for controlling the television receiver  114 , including the television display  204 , to present the emergency warning message  106 . The timer  208  tracks the time starting with the receipt of the emergency warning message  106  and provides a stop signal to the processor  210  after a specified time has elapsed, thereby ensuring that the television receiver  114  is restored to the state it was in before receiving the emergency warning message  106 . In another embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  does not include a timer  208 , but instead the decoder  116  monitors for an end of message code sent with the EAS message  106 . After receipt of the end of message code, the television receiver  114  is restored to the state it was in before receiving the emergency warning message  106 .  
      In another embodiment, the decoder  206 , upon detection of a valid emergency warning message  106 , sends a signal to the processor  210 , which runs a software routine that switches the power supply  220  to full power mode and adjusts the volume control  212  to a preselected level. The processor  210  then controls the television receiver  114  to play the emergency warning message  106 . After the emergency warning message  106  is played, the processor  210  restores the television receiver  114  to its pre-warning state, whether it be standby or receiving some other programming.  
      In one embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  is responsive to a geographic area. Many of the urgent situations requiring an emergency warning message  106  are location specific. For example, a snow storm or an earthquake affects only a portion of the United States in terms of urgency. Consequently, in this embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  informs only the individuals living in a region or area affected by the corresponding urgent situation. In one embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  is responsive to emergency warning messages  106  directed to individuals with a selected United States Postal Service ZIP codes. Those skilled in the art will recognize that area or geographic divisions other than ZIP codes may be used without interfering with the scope or spirit of the present invention.  
      In another embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  is responsive to a geographic area as defined by the existing Emergency Alert System (EAS). The EAS uses a four part message for an emergency activation of the EAS. The four parts are: the preamble and EAS header codes, the audio attention signal, the message, and the preamble and EAS end of message codes. The EAS header codes include a location code that indicates the geographic area affected by the EAS alert. Currently, there are 31 location codes in an EAS alert. The location code uses the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) numbers as described by the U.S. Department of Commerce in National Institute of Standards and Technology publication FIPS PUB  6 - 4 . Each state is assigned a number. Each county and some cities are assigned a number. One number is used to indicate an entire State or Territory. Other numbers indicate county subdivisions when the alert applies to a small geographic area.  
      In one embodiment, the decoder  116  determines the area for which the received emergency warning message  106  is applicable and compares it with the stored area in which the television receiver  114  is located. In another embodiment, the decoder  116  passes the area information to the processor  210  and the processor  210  compares it with stored data corresponding with the area in which the television receiver  114  is located. In one embodiment, the timer  208  is responsive to a selected time to stop the playback of the emergency warning message  106 . In other embodiments, either the decoder  116  or the processor  210  monitors the emergency warning message  106  for the end of message code, after which being received, the television receiver  114  is restored to its previous state.  
      In still another embodiment, the emergency alert system  10  is responsive to a geographic area as defined by the NOAA Weather Radio Specific Area Message Encoding (NWR-SAME) Codes. In this embodiment, the emergency warning message  106  is originated by the National Weather Service.  
      The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2  also is adapted for integration in an existing television receiver  114 . In the embodiment in which the emergency alert system  10  is integrated in an existing television receiver  114 , the tuner  202 , the television display  204 , the standby power supply  220 , the processor  210 , and the volume control  212  exist in the television receiver  114  and the decoder  116  is wired into the circuit to communicate with these existing devices  202 ,  204 ,  220 ,  210 ,  212 . In another embodiment, a timer  208  is also added to the circuit, along with the decoder  116 . In these embodiments, the emergency alert system  10  operates in the same manner as described above.  
      As used herein, the processor  210  should be broadly construed to mean any computer or component thereof that executes software. The processor  210  includes a memory medium that stores software, a processing unit that executes the software, and input/output (I/O) units for communicating with external devices. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the memory medium associated with the processor  210  can be either internal or external to the processing unit of the processor without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
      In one embodiment the processor  210  is a general purpose computer, in another embodiment, it is a specialized device for implementing the functions of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the processor  210  includes an input component, an output component, a storage component, and a processing component. The input and output components receives input and sends output, respectively, from external devices, such as the tuner  202 , the television display  204 , the standby power supply  220 , and the volume control  212 . The storage component stores data and program code. In one embodiment, the storage component includes random access memory. In another embodiment, the storage component includes non-volatile memory, such as EPROMs, floppy disks, hard disks, and writeable optical disks. The processing component executes the instructions included in the software and routines.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of the emergency alert system  10 . The first step is the determination that an emergency condition exists  302 . Then, the location to which the emergency condition applies is determined  304 . After the location is determined  304 , the report, or emergency warning message  106 , is broadcast  306 . In one embodiment, the first three steps  302 ,  304 ,  304  are performed by the authorities  102  through the transmission system  104 . In another embodiment, these steps  302 ,  304 ,  304  are performed as part of the Emergency Broadcast System operation.  
      After the emergency warning message  106  is broadcast  306 , the message is received  308 . In one embodiment, the message  106  is received by the television receiver  114 . The location is evaluated  310  and no action  312  is taken if the location specified in the message  106  is determined to be different than the location of the television receiver  114 . If the location of the television receiver  114  is within the specified location, the status of the television is evaluated  314 . If the television is not on  314 , then the television is turned on  316 . Turning on the television, in one embodiment, includes switching the standby power supply  220  to the full power mode and setting the volume control  212  to a selected volume level. The emergency warning message  106  is then presented  318 , which includes displaying any video portion of the message  106  and any audio portion of the message  106 . If the television is on  314 , then the emergency warning message  106  is presented  318 . In various embodiments, the evaluation that the location is proper  310  and the evaluation of whether the television is turned on  314  is performed by the decoder  116  and/or the processor  210 .  
      In one embodiment, some of the functions identified in  FIG. 3  are performed by one or more software routines run by the processor  210 . In another embodiment, one or more of the functions identified are performed by hardware and the remainder of the functions are performed by one or more software routines run by the processor  210 . In still another embodiment, the functions are implemented with hardware, with the processor  210  providing routing and control of the entire integrated system  10 . The processor  210  executes software, or routines, for performing various functions. These routines can be discrete units of code or interrelated among themselves. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various functions can be implemented as individual routines, or code snippets, or in various groupings without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As used herein, software and routines are synonymous. However, in general, a routine refers to code that performs a specified function, whereas software is a more general term that may include more than one routine or perform more than one function.  
      The emergency alert system  10  includes various functions. The function of determining if an emergency warning message  106  is applicable to a location of the emergency alert system  10 , in one embodiment, is implemented by the decoder  116  determining the location code embedded in an emergency warning message  106  and determining if the embedded code corresponds with a location code stored in the decoder  116 . In another embodiment, this function is implemented by the processor  210  comparing the location code embedded in the emergency warning message  106  with a location code stored in the processor  210 .  
      The function of switching the power supply  220  to full power mode from a standby mode, in one embodiment, is implemented by the decoder  116  determining that an emergency warning message  106  is being received and sending a signal to the power supply  220 . In another embodiment, this function is implemented by the decoder  116  sending a signal to the processor  210 , which controls the power supply  220 . In still another embodiment, this function is implemented by the processor  210  controlling the power supply  220  after the decoder  116  detects an emergency warning message  106 .  
      The function of presenting an emergency warning message  106 , in one embodiment, is implemented by the television receiver  114 , and in another embodiment, by the television display  204 . In still another embodiment, this function is performed by the television display  204 , which presents the video portion of the message  106 , and the volume control  212 , which presents the audio portion of the message  106 . In still another embodiment, the volume control  212  is set to a preselected volume level before presenting the audio portion of the message  106 .  
      The function of activating a message presenting system or a television receiver, in one embodiment, is implemented by the decoder  116  determining the presence of an emergency warning message  106  in the broadcast signal received by the tuner  202  and then causing the power supply  220  to switch to a full power mode, which causes the television receiver  114  to be in a condition to present the message  106 . In another embodiment, this function is implemented by the decoder  116  determining the presence of an emergency warning message  106  and communicating this information to the processor  210 , which causes the power supply  220  to switch to a full power mode. In another embodiment, this function also includes setting the volume control  212  to a preselected volume level before presenting the audio portion of the message  106 .  
      The function of receiving a plurality of television broadcasts, in one embodiment, is implemented by the television receiver  114 . In another embodiment, this function is implemented by the tuner  202 . The tuner  202 , in one embodiment, is connected to an antenna  112  receptive to broadcast signals sent over the airwaves. In another embodiment, the tuner  202  is connected to a cable network system that provides television signals.  
      The function of decoding said plurality of television broadcasts to determine whether an emergency warning message  106  is present, in one embodiment, is implemented by the decoder  116  determining the presence of an emergency warning message  106  in the broadcast signal received by the tuner  202 . In various embodiments, the decoder  116  is configured to detect the EAS header code or the audio attention signal accompanying the Emergency Alert System message sent over television broadcast frequencies. In one embodiment, the decoder  116  extracts the coded information contained within the EAS header code. In various embodiments, the coded information includes one or more of the location information, the event code, the valid time period of the event, and the source of the message  106 .  
      The function of deactivating the message presenting system, in one embodiment, is implemented by the timer  208 , which starts a timing cycle upon detection of an emergency warning message  106  and ends the timing cycle after a preselected time. The end of the timing cycle, in one embodiment, causes the processor  210  to restore the power supply  220  to its previous state, and in another embodiment, directly causes the power supply  220  to return to its previous state. In still other embodiments, either the decoder  116  or the processor  210  detects an end of message code signaling the end of the emergency warning message  106  by the Emergency Alert System. Detection of this end of message code results in either the decoder  116  or the processor  210  returning the power supply  220  to its previous state, thereby deactivating the message presenting system.  
      From the foregoing description, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that a emergency alert system  10  has been provided. The emergency alert system  10  is integrated with a television receiver  114  and is responsive to emergency alerts transmitted by an authority  102 . The emergency alert system  10  includes a decoder  116  that is responsive to a preamble included in an emergency warning message  106 . In one embodiment, the preamble includes location information.  
      While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant&#39;s general inventive concept.