PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12058598-B2
Application Number: US-202217579357-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Wireless emergency alert geofencing enhancements

Abstract:
A base station receives an alert indicating a geofenced area, and determines whether its coverage area is completely within the area. If so, the base station generates/sends a wireless emergency alert (WEA) to user equipment in the coverage area that does not indicate the area. Otherwise, the base station generates/sends a WEA that indicates the area. The base station sends action messages that indicate a periodicity and end time for the user equipment to determine whether its location is within the geofenced area, a lack of service time limit and lack of service action for the user equipment to perform after it has been without cellular service for the lack of service time limit, a lack of location time limit and lack of location action for the user equipment to perform if its location cannot be determined for the lack of location time limit, and/or that the WEA has ended.

Claims:
The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method performed by user equipment, comprising:
 receiving, via a receiver of the user equipment, a wireless emergency alert when the user equipment is outside of a geofenced area; 
 receiving, via the receiver of the user equipment, a plurality of action messages related to the wireless emergency alert, the plurality of action messages comprising a lack of service time limit and a lack of service action; and 
 after receiving the wireless emergency alert and the plurality of action messages and after determining that the user equipment does not have cellular service based on the user equipment being unable to establish a connection with a base station, 
 performing the lack of service action based on the user equipment being unable to establish the connection with the base station for a duration of time that exceeds the lack of service time limit. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of action messages comprises a wireless emergency alert identifier corresponding to the wireless emergency alert. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of action messages comprises a first field comprising a tag indicating a type of the plurality of action messages, a second field comprising a length of a value, and a third field comprising the value. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the value of the plurality of action messages comprises a wireless emergency alert identifier, the lack of service time limit, and the lack of service action. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving a system information block, via the receiver, the system information block comprising a maximum wait time, and the lack of service time limit comprising the maximum wait time. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lack of service action comprises displaying the wireless emergency alert. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lack of service action is based on an implementation of the user equipment. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of action messages conforms to an Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) standard. 
     
     
       9. A base station, comprising:
 a receiver; and 
 a transmitter; and 
 at least one processor configured to
 receive, via the receiver, an alert message from an alert authority, the alert message comprising an indication of a geofenced area, 
 send, using the transmitter, a wireless emergency alert to a user equipment, wherein the wireless emergency alert causes the user equipment to determine whether to display the wireless emergency alert based on whether the user equipment is in the geofenced area, and 
 send, using the transmitter, an action message associated with the wireless emergency alert, wherein the action message comprises a lack of service time limit and a lack of service action instructing the user equipment to present the wireless emergency alert when the user equipment loses cellular service for a duration of time that exceeds the lack of service time limit. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the indication of the geofenced area comprises latitude and longitude coordinates. 
     
     
       11. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine whether a coverage area of the base station is within the geofenced area. 
     
     
       12. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the alert authority comprises one or more computing devices of an authority designated to alert people within the geofenced area. 
     
     
       13. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the wireless emergency alert conforms to an Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) standard. 
     
     
       14. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the action message comprises a wireless emergency alert identifier corresponding to the wireless emergency alert. 
     
     
       15. The base station of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the receiver, a system information block comprising a maximum wait time, and the lack of service time limit comprising the maximum wait time. 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of user equipment, cause the one or more processors to:
 receive, via a receiver of the user equipment, one or more action messages associated with a wireless emergency alert, the one or more action messages comprising a lack of service time limit; 
 determine that the user equipment does not have cellular service based on the user equipment not establishing a connection with a base station; and 
 display, via a display of the user equipment, the wireless emergency alert based on the user equipment not establishing the connection with the base station for a duration of time that exceeds the lack of service time limit. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more action messages conforms to an Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) standard. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more action messages comprise a wireless emergency alert identifier corresponding to the wireless emergency alert. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more action messages comprise a first field comprising a tag indicating a type of the one or more action messages, a second field comprising a length of a value, and a third field comprising the value. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the value of the one or more action messages comprises a wireless emergency alert identifier.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/192,219, filed May 24, 2021, entitled “WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT GEOFENCING ENHANCEMENTS,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to wireless emergency alerts, and more specifically to transmitting wireless emergency alerts to user equipment in or around a targeted geographical area. 
     A wireless emergency alert (WEA) is an alert defined by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) sent to wireless mobile devices (e.g., cell phones, pagers, and so on) via a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network (e.g., a 4 th  generation (4G) cellular network, a 5 th  generation (5G) cellular network, and so on). A WEA may include, for example, presidential alerts, imminent threat alerts, child abduction emergency or AMBER (America&#39;s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) alerts, public safety alerts, and the like. The WEA may be sent by a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS). Some WEAs, such as those conforming to the ATIS WEA 3.0 standard, may indicate a geofenced area (e.g., where the WEAs are relevant or applicable). User equipment receiving the WEA may determine whether the user equipment is located within the geofenced area, and, if so, display or otherwise output the WEA. However, in certain circumstances, determining whether the user equipment is located within the geofenced area may be inefficient, or even unnecessary. Moreover, there may be difficulties for user equipment that are located outside the geofenced area when receiving the WEA, but later enter the geofenced area. 
     SUMMARY 
     A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. 
     In one embodiment, a base station having a receiver, a transmitter, and at least one processor. The at least one processor receives, via the receiver, an alert message from an alert originator. The alert message includes an indication of a geofenced area. The at least one processor also determines whether a coverage area of the base station is within the geofenced area, and, in response to determining that the coverage area is completely within the geofenced area, sends, using the transmitter, a first wireless emergency alert without the indication of the geofenced area to user equipment in the coverage area. The at least one processor further, in response to determining that the coverage area is not completely within the geofenced area, sends, using the transmitter, a second wireless emergency alert comprising the indication of the geofenced area to the user equipment in the coverage area. 
     In another embodiment, a method performed by user equipment includes receiving, via a receiver of the user equipment, a wireless emergency alert to determine whether the user equipment is within a geofenced area. The method also includes, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the wireless emergency alert, receiving, via the receiver of the user equipment, one or more action messages to determine whether the user equipment is within the geofenced area. The one or more action messages have a periodicity and an end time. The method further includes, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the one or more action messages, determining that the end time has not elapsed. The method includes, in response to determining that the end time has not elapsed, determining that the periodicity has elapsed, and, in response to determining that the periodicity has elapsed, determining that the user equipment is within the geofenced area. The method also includes, in response to determining that the end time has elapsed, ending processing of the wireless emergency alert. 
     In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of user equipment, cause the one or more processors to receive, via a receiver of the user equipment, a wireless emergency alert to determine whether the user equipment is within a geofenced area, and, in response to determining that the user equipment is within the geofenced area, display the wireless emergency alert. The instructions also cause the one or more processors to, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the wireless emergency alert, receive, via the receiver of the user equipment, one or more action messages comprising an indication to end the wireless emergency alert. The instructions further cause the one or more processors to, in response to receiving the one or more action messages, end processing of the wireless emergency alert. 
     In another embodiment, a method performed by user equipment includes receiving, via a receiver of the user equipment, a wireless emergency alert to determine whether the user equipment is within a geofenced area, and, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the wireless emergency alert, receiving, via the receiver of the user equipment, one or more action messages to determine whether the user equipment is within the geofenced area. The one or more action messages have a lack of service time limit and a lack of service action. The method also includes, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the one or more action messages, determining that the user equipment does not have cellular service, and, in response to determining that the user equipment does not have cellular service, determining that the lack of service time limit has elapsed. The method further includes, in response to determining that the lack of service time limit has elapsed, performing the lack of service action. 
     In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of user equipment, cause the one or more processors to receive, via a receiver of the user equipment, a wireless emergency alert to determine whether the user equipment is within a geofenced area, and, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the wireless emergency alert, receive, via the receiver of the user equipment, one or more action messages to determine whether the user equipment is within the geofenced area. The one or more action messages has a lack of location time limit and a lack of location action. The instructions also cause the one or more processors to, after determining that the user equipment is not within the geofenced area in response to receiving the one or more action messages, determine whether a location of the user equipment can be determined, and, in response to determining that the location of the user equipment cannot be determined, determine whether the lack of location time limit has elapsed. The instructions further cause the one or more processors to, in response to determining that the lack of location time limit has elapsed, perform the lack of location action. 
     Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings described below in which like numerals refer to like parts. 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device (e.g., user equipment), according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a functional diagram of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a communication system that may send wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) to the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a map illustrating a geofenced area as indicated by a WEA, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a flowchart of a method for sending selectively sending WEAs to user equipment that indicate or do not indicate a geofenced area based on whether a coverage area is completely within the geofenced area, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is an example list of extended WEA Handset Action Message (WHAM) signaling, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a tag-length-value (TLV) code for indicating a periodicity configuration for determining whether a location of user equipment is within a geofenced area, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  8    is a method for periodically determining whether user equipment is located in a geofenced area, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is a TLV code for indicating an alert end, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    is a method for ending processing of a WEA, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  11    is a TLV code for indicating a lack of service, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  12    is a method for performing a lack of service action after being without cellular service for a lack of service time limit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  13    is a TLV code for indicating a lack of location, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  14    is a method for performing a lack of location action after being unable to determine a location of user equipment for a lack of location time limit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Use of the term “approximately,” “near,” “about,” “close to,” and/or “substantially” should be understood to mean including close to a target (e.g., design, value, amount), such as within a margin of any suitable or contemplatable error (e.g., within 0.1% of a target, within 1% of a target, within 5% of a target, within 10% of a target, within 25% of a target, and so on). 
     This disclosure is directed to wireless emergency alerts (WEAs), which, when conforming to the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) WEA 3.0 standard, may indicate a geofenced area. In particular, the WEA may be sent via a base station supporting a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network (e.g., a 4 th  generation (4G) cellular network, a 5 th  generation (5G) cellular network, and so on) to user equipment in a coverage area of the base station. The user equipment receiving the WEA may determine whether the user equipment is located within the geofenced area, and, if so, display or otherwise output the WEA. However, if, for example, the coverage area is completely within the geofenced area, then it may be unnecessary, and thus an inefficient use of processing and/or network resources, for the user equipment to determine whether it is located within the geofenced area. 
     Moreover, there may be difficulties for user equipment that are located outside the geofenced area when receiving the WEA, but later enter the geofenced area. In particular, despite the network being configured to periodically resend WEAs, it is assumed (as may be defined by ATIS) that the user equipment will only determine if it is located within the geofenced area once. For user equipment that received the WEA when outside the geofenced area (and as such, did not output the WEA), the network may periodically broadcast a WEA Handset Action Message (WHAM) indicative of the WEA that requests that the user equipment re-determine whether it is located within the geofenced area. In some embodiments, the user equipment may not rely on WHAM exclusively to trigger geofencing. For example, the user equipment may have its own criteria (e.g., such as time-based criteria or timers) that, if met, may cause the user equipment to re-determine whether it is located within the geofenced area. In either case, the WHAM and/or the WEA may be used as an indicator of whether or not a given alert is active. If the user equipment enters the geofenced area, but loses cellular service, or it loses cellular service and enters geofenced area, it may not receive a WHAM and/or a WEA, and thus not display or otherwise output the WEA, despite being in the geofenced area where a user should know about the WEA. In the above mentioned scenario, even if the user equipment were to trigger a location check on its own, the user equipment may fail to determine its location (e.g., because signals enabling location determination, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) service or the Global Positioning System (GPS) service, are not received or observable), and thus not display or otherwise output the WEA, despite being in the geofenced area where a user should know about the WEA. 
     Additionally, when an alert associated with a WEA ends, the network simply stops resending the periodic WEAs and WHAMs associated with the alert. However, if the user equipment is located outside or some distance away from the geofenced area when receiving the WEA, and the alert ends, but the user equipment later enters the geofenced area after the alert has ended, the user equipment may continue storing the WEA expecting a corresponding WHAM, and, in some cases, may continue determining to see if it is located in the geofenced area indicated by the WEA. This may unnecessarily expend processing and/or networking resources, and sometimes result in a WEA to be output well after the alert associated with the WEA has ended. 
     Accordingly, embodiments herein provide systems and techniques that enable a base station of a network receiving an alert message indicating a geofenced area to determine whether an area covered by the base station is completely within the geofenced area. If so, then there may be no need for user equipment within the coverage area to determine whether it is located within the geofenced area, since the coverage area of the base station that is completely within the geofenced area. As such, the base station may generate and send a WEA based on the alert message that does not indicate the geofenced area to the user equipment in its coverage area, or, in some embodiments, the base station may indicate to the user equipment in its coverage area that geofencing is not required to be performed (e.g., using an additional flag). If the base station determines that its coverage area is not completely within the geofenced area (e.g., at least some of its coverage area is outside the geofenced area), then the base station may generate and send a WEA to the user equipment based on the alert message that indicates the geofenced area. In this manner, the user equipment in coverage areas that are completely located within the geofenced area may avoid using processing and/or networking resources to unnecessarily determine whether the user equipment is located within the geofenced area. 
     The disclosed embodiments also enable signaling (e.g., in WHAMs) a periodicity for user equipment to determine whether its location is within a geofenced area indicated in a corresponding WEA. As such, if the user equipment enters the geofenced area and loses cellular service, but still retains GNSS/GPS service or has other means to determine its location (e.g., WiFi), then it may determine to see if it is in the geofenced area, and display the WEA. The signaling may also include an end time for the user equipment to determine whether its location is within the geofenced area, such that the user equipment may stop wasting processing and/or networking resources to determine whether its location is within the geofenced area after the end time. The signaling may further include a WEA identifier to enable identification of the WEA for which the periodicity and the end time correspond. 
     The disclosed embodiments further enable signaling (e.g., in WHAMs) a lack of service time limit and a lack of service action for the user equipment to perform after it has been without cellular service for the lack of service time limit. As such, if the user equipment enters the geofenced area and loses cellular service, and does not regain cellular service within the lack of service time limit (or any other suitable criteria that may be used to determine that the user equipment is without cellular service), then the user equipment may perform the lack of service action. The lack of service action may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA, or any other suitable action programmed into the user equipment. The signaling may also include a WEA identifier to enable identification of the WEA for which the lack of service time limit and the lack of service action correspond. In this manner, the user equipment may display the WEA, or perform any other suitable action, even if it is without cellular service. 
     Similarly, the disclosed embodiments enable signaling (e.g., in WHAMs) a lack of location time limit and a lack of location action for the user equipment to perform if the user equipment cannot determine its location for the lack of location time limit. As such, if the user equipment enters the geofenced area and is without cellular service and/or cannot determine its location, and does not regain its location determination service within the lack of location time limit, then the user equipment may perform the lack of location action. The lack of location action may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA, or any other suitable action programmed into the user equipment. The signaling may also include a WEA identifier to enable identification of the WEA for which the lack of location time limit and the lack of location action correspond. In this manner, the user equipment may display the WEA, or perform any other suitable action, even if it cannot determine its location. 
     The disclosed embodiments may also enable signaling (e.g., in WHAMs) an alert end indication that indicates that the alert associated with the corresponding WEA has ended. That is, instead of the network simply stopping to resend the periodic WEAs and WHAMs associated with the alert, the network may send the alert end indication to indicate that the alert has ended. As such, the user equipment may avoid continued storage of a WEA and performing geofencing-related actions corresponding to the alert in expectation of a corresponding WHAM, and continued determinations to see if it is located in the geofenced area indicated by the WEA. The signaling may also include a WEA identifier to enable identification of the WEA for which the alert end indication corresponds. Thus, user equipment-side processing and/or networking resources may be conserved, and outputting a WEA well after the alert associated with the WEA has ended may be avoided. 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device  10 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device  10  may include, among other things, one or more processors  12  (collectively referred to herein as a single processor for convenience, which may be implemented in any suitable form of processing circuitry), memory  14 , nonvolatile storage  16 , a display  18 , input structures  22 , an input/output (I/O) interface  24 , a network interface  26 , and a power source  29 . The various functional blocks shown in  FIG.  1    may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including machine-executable instructions) or a combination of both hardware and software elements (which may be referred to as logic). The processor  12 , memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , the display  18 , the input structures  22 , the input/output (I/O) interface  24 , the network interface  26 , and/or the power source  29  may each be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another. It should be noted that  FIG.  1    is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device  10 . 
     By way of example, the electronic device  10  may include any suitable computing device, including a desktop or notebook computer (e.g., in the form of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a portable electronic or handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or smartphone (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a tablet (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a wearable electronic device (e.g., in the form of an Apple Watch® by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), and other similar devices. It should be noted that the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be generally referred to herein as “data processing circuitry.” Such data processing circuitry may be embodied wholly or in part as software, hardware, or both. Furthermore, the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be a single contained processing module or may be incorporated wholly or partially within any of the other elements within the electronic device  10 . The processor  12  may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that may perform calculations or other manipulations of information. The processors  12  may perform the various functions described herein and below. 
     In the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , the processor  12  may be operably coupled with a memory  14  and a nonvolatile storage  16  to perform various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor  12  may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture that includes one or more tangible, computer-readable media. The tangible, computer-readable media may include the memory  14  and/or the nonvolatile storage  16 , individually or collectively, to store the instructions or routines. The memory  14  and the nonvolatile storage  16  may include any suitable articles of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. In addition, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions that may be executed by the processor  12  to enable the electronic device  10  to provide various functionalities. 
     In certain embodiments, the display  18  may facilitate users to view images generated on the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, the display  18  may include a touch screen, which may facilitate user interaction with a user interface of the electronic device  10 . Furthermore, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the display  18  may include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and/or other display technologies. 
     The input structures  22  of the electronic device  10  may enable a user to interact with the electronic device  10  (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease a volume level). The I/O interface  24  may enable electronic device  10  to interface with various other electronic devices, as may the network interface  26 . In some embodiments, the I/O interface  24  may include an I/O port for a hardwired connection for charging and/or content manipulation using a standard connector and protocol, such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, a universal serial bus (USB), or other similar connector and protocol. The network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN), such as a BLUETOOTH® network, for a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a network employing one of the IEEE 802.11x family of protocols (e.g., WI-FI®), and/or for a wide area network (WAN), such as any standards related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including, for example, a 3 rd  generation (3G) cellular network, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 4 th  generation (4G) cellular network, long term evolution (LTE®) cellular network, long term evolution license assisted access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, 5 th  generation (5G) cellular network, and/or New Radio (NR) cellular network, a satellite network, and so on. In particular, the network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for using a Release-15 cellular communication standard of the 5G specifications that include the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 gigahertz (GHz)). The network interface  26  of the electronic device  10  may allow communication over the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, and so forth). 
     The network interface  26  may also include one or more interfaces for, for example, broadband fixed wireless access networks (e.g., WIMAX®), mobile broadband Wireless networks (mobile WIMAX®), asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T®) network and its extension DVB Handheld (DVB-H®) network, ultra-wideband (UWB) network, alternating current (AC) power lines, and so forth. 
     As illustrated, the network interface  26  may include a transceiver  30 . In some embodiments, all or portions of the transceiver  30  may be disposed within the processor  12 . The transceiver  30  may support transmission and receipt of various wireless signals via one or more antennas, and thus include a transmitter and a receiver. The power source  29  of the electronic device  10  may include any suitable source of power, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device. 
       FIG.  2    is a functional diagram of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the processor  12 , the memory  14 , the transceiver  30 , a transmitter  52 , a receiver  54 , and/or the antennas  55  (illustrated as  55 A- 55 N, collectively referred to as an antenna  55 ) may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another. 
     The electronic device  10  may include the transmitter  52  and/or the receiver  54  that respectively enable transmission and reception of data between the electronic device  10  and an external device via, for example, a network (e.g., including base stations) or a direct connection. As illustrated, the transmitter  52  and the receiver  54  may be combined into the transceiver  30 . The electronic device  10  may also have one or more antennas  55 A- 55 N electrically coupled to the transceiver  30 . The antennas  55 A- 55 N may be configured in an omnidirectional or directional configuration, in a single-beam, dual-beam, or multi-beam arrangement, and so on. Each antenna  55  may be associated with a one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple antennas of the antennas  55 A- 55 N of an antenna group or module may be communicatively coupled a respective transceiver  30  and each emit radio frequency signals that may constructively and/or destructively combine to form a beam. The electronic device  10  may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multiple antennas as suitable for various communication standards. 
     The transmitter  52  may wirelessly transmit packets having different packet types or functions. For example, the transmitter  52  may transmit packets of different types generated by the processor  12 . The receiver  54  may wirelessly receive packets having different packet types. In some examples, the receiver  54  may detect a type of a packet used and process the packet accordingly. In some embodiments, the transmitter  52  and the receiver  54  may transmit and receive information via other wired or wireline systems or means. 
     As illustrated, the various components of the electronic device  10  may be coupled together by a bus system  56 . The bus system  56  may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus, in addition to the data bus. The components of the electronic device  10  may be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to each other using some other mechanism. 
       FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a communication system  60  that may send wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) to the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An alerting authority computing device  62  (referred to herein as an alerting authority) may generate an alert  64 . The alerting authority  62  may include one or more computing devices of a jurisdiction with the designated authority to alert or warn the public (e.g., at least people within a geographical region or geofenced area), and include at least some of the components of the electronic device  10  shown in  FIGS.  1  and/or  2   . The alerting authority  62  may be one of over 1500 federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities, such as weather authorities (e.g., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration&#39;s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS)), missing persons&#39; authorities (e.g., the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children), county authorities (e.g., the Pennsylvania Delaware Country authority), city authorities (e.g., the Texas City of Houston authority), emergency management authorities (e.g., the Michigan City of Lansing Emergency Management authority), public safety authorities (e.g., the North Carolina Department of Public Safety authority), law enforcement authorities (e.g., the Illinois State Police authority), homeland security authorities (e.g., the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security authority), and so on. In some embodiments, an alert originator (e.g., an individual person operating the alerting authority  62 ) employed by the alerting authority  62  may generate the alert  64 . The alert  64  may be related to an impending natural or manmade disaster, threat, or dangerous or missing person. For example, the alert  64  may include a presidential alert, imminent threat alert, child abduction emergency or AMBER (America&#39;s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) alert, and so on. 
     The alerting authority  62  may generate a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message  66  based on the alert  64 , which may include an indication of the alert  64 , as well as other characteristics of the alert  64 , such as a geofenced area (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates of a geofence in the form of a shape or polygon) for which the alert  64  is relevant, a duration of time for which the alert  64  is relevant, and so on. The CAP message  66  may be in the form of an international standard, and routed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency&#39;s (FEMA&#39;s) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) to communication networks  67  provided by wireless (e.g., cellular) network providers having base stations within a relevant area of the alert  64  (e.g., based on the geofenced area defined in the CAP message  66 , based on a defined radius from a defined point, using Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS/county) codes, and so on). Accordingly, a base station  68 A-C (collectively referred to as  68 ) may receive the illustrated CAP message  66 . The base station  68  may include at least some of the components of the electronic device  10  shown in  FIGS.  1  and/or  2   . Moreover, it should be understood that the base station  68  is considered part of the network  67 . 
     Upon receiving the CAP message  66 , the base station  68  may generate a WEA  70  based on the CAP message  66  that indicates the alert  64 . In some embodiments, the base station  68  may include a receiver (in the form of the receiver  54  as described above with respect to the electronic device  10 ), and receive the CAP message  66  using the receiver. Additionally or alternatively, the base station  68  may receive the CAP message  66  over wired network-side cables (e.g., fiber cables). The WEA  70 , if conforming to the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) WEA 3.0 standard, may indicate the geofenced area. The base station  68  may then send the WEA  70  to user equipment (e.g., the electronic device  10 ) within its coverage area  72 A-C (e.g., an area or cell for which the base station  68  provides network coverage, collectively referred to as  72 ). The base station  68  may provide any suitable network coverage, such as coverage for a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network (e.g., a 4 th  generation (4G) cellular network, a 5 th  generation (5G) cellular network, and so on). The network provider may cause the base station  68  to repeatedly send the WEA  70  to the user equipment  10  at a certain periodicity (e.g., between the range of every 1 second to every 24 hours, such as every 3 to 4 seconds, every 10-15 seconds, and so on). It should be noted that, even though the ATIS WEA standard, CAP messages  66 , and 3GPP are referred to herein, these are merely example technologies for which the disclosed embodiments may apply. In additional or alternative embodiments, the systems and techniques disclosed herein may apply to other messaging and/or network technologies for example, regions outside of the United States, such as Canada, Europe and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and so on. 
     Upon receipt of the WEA  70 , the user equipment  10  may determine (using a device-specific location determination technique and/or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) service, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) service) whether it is located in the geofenced area (e.g., performing device-based geofencing (DBGF)). Despite the network  67  or the network provider configured to periodically resend the WEA  70  via the base station  68 , it is assumed (as defined by ATIS) that the user equipment  10  may only determine if it is located within the geofenced area one time. In particular, each WEA  70  may have an identifier or serial number that enables the user equipment  10  to perform duplication detection and not present the WEA  70  more than once. Because the user equipment  10  may receive the WEA  70  when located outside the geofenced area (and as such, may not output the WEA  70  at that time), the network  67  or the network provider may cause the base station  68  to also periodically broadcast a WEA Handset Action Message (WHAM)  74  indicative of the WEA  70  that requests that the user equipment  10  re-determine whether it is located within the geofenced area. Like the WEA  70 , the periodicity of the WHAM  74  may include a range between every 1 second to every 24 hours, such as every 3 to 4 seconds, every 10-15 seconds, and so on. Also like the WEA  70 , the WHAM  74  may include an identifier or serial number to enable the user equipment to perform duplicate detection so as to cause the user equipment  10  to again determine whether it is located in the geofenced area. 
     However, if, for example, the coverage area  72  is completely within the geofenced area, then it may be unnecessary, and thus an inefficient use of processing and/or network resources, for the user equipment  10  to determine whether it is located within the geofenced area. In particular, as geofencing becomes more common, more alerts  64  (e.g., public safety alerts, AMBER alerts, wildfire alerts, and the like) are broadcasted with geofencing parameters. In some cases, WEAs  70  may be broadcast to geofenced areas  80  that include entire counties, and even multiple cities. In such cases, coverage areas  72  (especially in the case of small or home cells, mmWave NR implementations, or multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO)-based cellular implementations) may be much smaller than the geofenced area  80 .  FIG.  4    is a map illustrating a geofenced area  80  (e.g., an alert area) as indicated by a WEA  70 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The map also illustrates four coverage areas  72 A-D, which may be provided by four base stations  68 . Coverage areas  72 A and  72 B are completely within the geofenced area  80  (e.g., no portion of the coverage areas  72 A and  72 B are outside the geofenced area  80 ), while coverage areas  72 C and  72 D are partially within the geofenced area  80  and partially outside the geofenced area  80 . 
     Accordingly, if, for example, the user equipment  10  is initially outside the geofenced area  80  (e.g., located in a portion of coverage area  72 C that is outside the geofenced area  80 ) when it receives the WEA  70 , then the user equipment  10  may compare its location to the geofenced area  80  indicated in the WEA 7.0, determine that it is not located in the geofenced area  80 , and not output the WEA  70 . The user equipment  10  may receive periodic WEAs  70 , but because, as defined by ATIS, the user equipment  10  may only determine whether it is located within the geofenced area  80  one time, it may no longer determine whether it is located within the geofenced area  80  in response to receiving subsequent WEAs  70 . Instead, the user equipment  10  may receive WHAMs  74  requesting that the user equipment  10  determine whether it is located within the geofenced area  80  indicated by the WEA  70 . 
     However, if the user equipment  10  has not determined whether it is located within the geofenced area  80 , and then proceeds to a coverage area (e.g.,  72 A) that is completely within the geofenced area  80 , then there is no need for the user equipment  10  to determine whether it is located within the geofenced area  80 , as the entire coverage area  72 A is within the geofenced area  80 . Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments enable the base station  68  of a coverage area  72 A that is completely within the geofenced area  80  to send a WEA  70  to the user equipment  10  that does not indicate the geofenced area  80 , such that the user equipment  10  may avoid processing the geofenced area  80  to unnecessarily determine whether it is located in the geofenced area  80 . If the base station  68  determines that its coverage area (e.g.,  72 C) is not completely within the geofenced area, then the base station  68  may generate and send a WEA  70  to the user equipment  10  that indicates the geofenced area  80 . In this manner, the user equipment  10  in coverage areas (e.g.,  72 A) that are completely located within the geofenced area  80  may avoid using processing and/or networking resources to unnecessarily determine whether the user equipment  10  is located within the geofenced area  80 . 
       FIG.  5    is a flowchart of a method  90  for sending selectively sending WEAs  70  to user equipment  10  that indicate or do not indicate a geofenced area  80  based on whether a coverage area  72  is completely within the geofenced area  80 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the alerting authority  62 , the network  67 , the base station  68 , and/or the user equipment  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the method  90 . In some embodiments, the method  90  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the method  90  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating system, one or more software applications, and the like, of the alerting authority  62 , the base station  68 , and/or the user equipment  10 . While the method  90  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     In process block  92 , the alerting authority  62  generates an alert  64 . The alert  64  may be related to an impending natural or manmade disaster, threat, or dangerous or missing person. In process block  94 , the alerting authority  62  generates an alert message  66  based on the alert  64 . The alert message  66  may be in the form of a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message, and may include an indication of the alert  64 , as well as other characteristics of the alert  64 , such as a geofenced area  80  for which the alert  64  is relevant, a duration of time for which the alert  64  is relevant, and so on. 
     In process block  96 , the alerting authority  62  sends the alert message  66  to the base station  68 . In particular, the alert message  66  may be routed through FEMA&#39;s IPAWS to the base station  68  of a network  67  or the network provider located within a relevant area of the alert  64 . The alerting authority  62  may send the alert message to the base station  68  based on the geofenced area  80  defined in the alert message  66 , based on a defined radius from a defined point, using Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS/county) codes, and so on. 
     In process block  98 , the base station  68  receives the alert message  66 , and, in decision block  100 , determines whether a cell or coverage area  72  supported by the base station  68  is completely within the geofenced area  80 . In particular, the base station  68  may store an indication of its coverage area  72  (e.g., a radius from the base station  68 , latitude and longitude coordinates, and so on), and compare the indication of the coverage area  72  to the geofenced area  80  indicated in the alert message  66 . If the base station  68  determines that its coverage area  72  is completely within the geofenced area  80 , then the base station  68 , in process block  102 , generates and sends (e.g., broadcasts) a WEA  70  without an indication of the geofenced area  80  to user equipment  10  in the coverage area  72 . Additionally, in some embodiments, the network  67  may determine to generate and send the WEA  70  via base stations  68  that have coverage areas  72  that only slightly extend outside the geofenced area  80  (e.g., less than 50%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 8%, 7%, 5%, 3%, 2%, 1%, and so on, of the coverage area  72  extending outside the geofenced area  80 ) in order to conserve network resources. That is, the base station  68  may generate the WEA  70  to indicate the alert  64 , but not indicate the geofenced area  80 , since the user equipment  10  is in a coverage area  72  that is completely within the geofenced area  80 , and thus has no need to determine whether it is in the geofenced area  80 . In some embodiments, the WEA  70  that does not have the indication of the geofenced area  80  may conform of the ATIS WEA 2.0 standard, which does not include an indication of the geofenced area  80 . This may decrease processing usage of the base station  68  to prepare the WEA  70  to include the coordinates of the geofenced area  80 . 
     In process block  104 , the user equipment  10  receives and displays (or otherwise outputs) the WEA  70 . As referred to herein, display or otherwise outputting the WEA  70  includes displaying or otherwise outputting an indication of the alert  64  corresponding to the WEA  70 . For example, the user equipment  10  may display an indication of the alert  64  on the display  18 . In some embodiments, the user equipment  10  may output the alert  64  using additional or alternative devices, such as by outputting the alert  64  as audio data via speakers of the user equipment  10 , as haptic data by vibrating the user equipment  10  via a motor of the user equipment  10 , and so on. This may decrease processing and network usage by the user equipment  10  (e.g., for determining its location using a device-specific location determination technique and/or a GNSS or GPS service, comparing its location to the geofenced area  80 , and so on). 
     If the base station  68  determines that its coverage area  72  is not completely within the geofenced area  80 , then the base station  68 , in process block  106 , generates and sends (e.g., broadcasts) a WEA  70  with an indication of the geofenced area  80  to user equipment  10  in the coverage area  72 . That is, the base station  68  may generate the WEA  70  to indicate the alert  64 , along with latitude and longitude coordinates of the geofenced area  80  to the user equipment  10 . In some embodiments, the WEA  70  that includes the indication of the geofenced area  80  may conform of the ATIS WEA 3.0 standard, which provides an indication of the geofenced area  80 . 
     In process block  108 , the user equipment  10  receives the WEA  70 . In decision block  110 , the user equipment  10  determines whether it is located within the geofenced area  80  indicated in the WEA  70 . In particular, the user equipment  10  may use a device-specific location determination technique and/or a GNSS or GPS service to determine its location, and compare its location to the geofenced area  80 . If the user equipment  10  determines that it is located within the geofenced area  80 , then, in process block  112 , the user equipment  10  displays the WEA  70 . Otherwise, if the user equipment  10  determines that it is not located within the geofenced area  80 , then, in process block  114 , the user equipment  10  does not display or otherwise output the WEA  70 . 
     There may also be difficulties for user equipment  10  that are located outside the geofenced area  80  when receiving the WEA  70 , but later enter the geofenced area  80 . For example, referring back to  FIG.  4   , if the user equipment  10  is initially outside the geofenced area  80  (e.g., located in a portion of coverage area  72 C that is outside the geofenced area  80 ) when it receives the WEA  70 , then the user equipment  10  may compare its location to the geofenced area  80  indicated in the WEA 7.0, determine that it is not located in the geofenced area  80 , and not output the WEA  70 . A WHAM  74  may then be sent to the user equipment  10  that requests that the user equipment  10  determine whether it is located within the geofenced area  80  indicated by the WEA  70 . However, if user equipment  10  enters the geofenced area  80  but loses cellular service, it may not receive the WHAM  74 , and thus not display or otherwise output the WEA  70 , despite being in the geofenced area  80  where a user should know about the WEA  70 . 
     The disclosed embodiments enable signaling (e.g., in WHAMs  74 ) a periodicity for the user equipment  10  to determine whether its location is within the geofenced area  80  indicated in a corresponding WEA  70 .  FIG.  6    is an example list of extended WHAM signaling, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, a WHAM may be provided in a tag-length-value (TLV) format, where the WHAM includes a tag indicating a WHAM type, followed by a length of a value of the WHAM, and finally followed by the value itself. The example list illustrates bit positions 8, 7, 6, and 5 within a byte of a WHAM, which corresponding to tags of the WHAM. The 0001 tag  129  corresponds to an active alert identity tuple list  130 . That is, the WHAM  74  including the 0001 tag  129  may be indicative of the alert  64  being sent by the alerting authority  62 . The 0010 tag  131  corresponds to an active alert identity tuple list—common warning area coordinates  132 . The WHAM  74  including the 0010 tag  131  may be indicative of a language (e.g., English, Spanish, and so on) of the alert  64 , a language setting of the user equipment  10 , and the like. Both the 0001 and the 0010 tags  129 ,  131  may be defined by the ATIS WEA standards. 
     The 0011 tag  133  corresponds to a configuration action related to a periodicity configuration  134 . The WHAM  74  including the 0011 tag  133  may be indicative of a periodicity for determining whether a location of the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80  (e.g., indicated in a WEA  70 ). The 0100 tag  135  corresponds to a configuration action related to indicating an alert end  136 . The WHAM  74  including the 0100 tag  135  may be indicative of an end to an alert  64 . The 0101 tag  137  corresponds to a configuration action related to a lack of service or no-service  138 . The WHAM  74  including the 0101 tag  137  may be indicative of a time limit and an action to perform in case of lack of cellular service. The 0110 tag  139  corresponds to a configuration action related to a lack of location or location determination  140 . The WHAM  74  including the 0110 tag  139  may be indicative of a time limit and an action to perform in case of lack of location determination. The 1111 tag  141  corresponds to a Commercial Mobile Service Providers (CMSP) defined use. The WHAM  74  including the 1111 tag  141  is reserved for authorized network providers to send public safety alerts and warnings to user equipment  10 . 
     While  FIG.  6    illustrates extending WHAM signaling to indicate a periodicity configuration  134  for determining whether a location of the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80  (e.g., the 0011 tag  133 ), an alert end  136  (e.g., the 0100 tag  135 ), a lack of service  138  (e.g., the 0101 tag  137 ), and a lack of location  140  (e.g., the 0110 tag  139 ), it should be understood that any additional or alternative form of signaling may be used to signal these indications to user equipment  10 , such as signaling within a system information block (SIB) sent from the base station  68  to the user equipment  10  to establish a connection or via a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) connection. In particular, the SIB includes SIB types designated for, for example, Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) information (in SIB 10 and SIB 11), Commercial Mobile Alerting System (CMAS) information (in SIB 12), and so on. 
       FIG.  7    is a TLV code for indicating a periodicity configuration  134  for determining whether a location of the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The TLV code includes the tag  133  (e.g., 0011), as shown in  FIG.  6   . The TLV code also includes a length  152  of a value  154  of the TLV code, and the value  154 . As illustrated, the length  152  field may be followed by a number of zeroes to, for example, reserve space in the field for future values. The value  154  of the TLV code may include a WEA identifier  156 , a periodicity  158 , and an end time  160 . The WEA identifier  156  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the periodicity  158  and the end time  160  correspond. The periodicity  158  may indicate how often (e.g., in seconds) the user equipment  10  is to determine whether its location (e.g., using a device-specific location determination technique and/or a GNSS or GPS service) is within the geofenced area  80  (e.g., as indicated in the corresponding WEA  70 ). The periodicity  158  may be any suitable duration of time to periodically determine whether the location of the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 , such as at least every 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, 300 seconds, 600 seconds, 1800 seconds, and so on. The end time  160  may indicate a time for the user equipment  10  to stop determining whether it is located in the geofenced area  80 . The end time  160  may be any suitable duration of time to stop determining whether the location of the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 , such as at least 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, and so on. In some embodiments, the end time  160  may be provided in epoch time format. For example, a WHAM  74  that requests that the user equipment  10  determine whether it is located in a geofenced area  80  every 5 minutes for 4 hours may include a periodicity  158  of 5 minutes and an end time  160  of 4 hours. Additionally or alternatively, instead of sending the WEA identifier  156 , the periodicity  158 , and/or the end time  160  in a signal WHAM  74 , the WEA identifier  156 , the periodicity  158 , and/or the end time  160  may be sent in multiple (e.g., successive in some cases) WHAMs  74 . 
     In some embodiments, the periodicity  158  and/or the end time  160  may be based on one or more parameters set and sent by the alerting authority  62 . That is, the periodicity  158  and/or the end time  160  may be based on one or more parameters (e.g., a duration of the alert  64 , an indication of when the alert  64  will end) that are part of a CAP message  66  received by the network  67  via the base station  68 . As should be understood, the network  67  or the network provider may generate the WHAM  74  with the TLV code for indicating the periodicity configuration  134 , and send the WHAM  74  to the user equipment  10  via the base station  68 . Upon receiving the WHAM  74 , the user equipment  10  may determine whether its location is within the geofenced area  80  according to the periodicity  158 , until the end time  160  has elapsed. As such, if the user equipment  10  enters the geofenced area  80  and loses cellular service, but still retains its device-specific location determination technique and/or GNSS or GPS service, then it may determine to see if it is in the geofenced area  80 , and display the WEA  70 . 
     With this in mind,  FIG.  8    is a method  170  for periodically determining whether the user equipment  10  is located in a geofenced area  80 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the method  170 . In some embodiments, the method  170  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the method  170  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components of the user equipment  10 , such as an operating system of the user equipment  10 , one or more software applications of the user equipment  10 , and the like. While the method  170  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     In process block  172 , the processor  12  receives a WEA  70  with an indication of a geofenced area  80 . In decision block  174 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, at process block  176 , the processor  12  displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then the processor  12  may not display the WEA  70 , and may wait to receive a WHAM  74 . In process block  178 , the processor  12  receives a WHAM  74  with a periodicity  158  and an end time  160 . In some embodiments, the WHAM  74  may include tag  133  (e.g., 0011), length  152 , and value  154  format shown in  FIG.  7   . In any case, the WHAM  74  may include the WEA identifier  156 , the periodicity  158 , and/or the end time  160  shown in  FIG.  7   . The WEA identifier  156  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the periodicity  158  and the end time  160  correspond. The periodicity  158  may indicate how often (e.g., in seconds) the user equipment  10  is to determine whether its location (e.g., using a device-specific location determination technique and/or a GNSS or GPS service) is within the geofenced area  80  (e.g., as indicated in the corresponding WEA  70 ). The end time  160  may indicate a time for the user equipment  10  to stop determining whether it is located in the geofenced area  80 . 
     In decision block  180 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, the processor  12 , in process block  176 , displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then, in decision block  182 , the processor  12  determines whether the end time  160  provided in the WHAM  74  has elapsed. If not, in decision block  184 , the processor  12  determines whether the periodicity  158  provided in the WHAM  74  has elapsed. If not, the repeats decision block  184 . If the processor  12  determines that the periodicity  158  has elapsed, then the processor returns to decision block  182  to determine whether the end time  160  has elapsed. If so, the processor  12 , in process block  186 , ends processing of the WEA  70 . That is, the processor  12  may no longer determine whether the user equipment  10  is located in the geofenced area  80 . In this manner, even in the case that the user equipment  10  enters the geofenced area  80  and loses cellular service, but still retains using its device-specific location determination technique and/or GNSS or GPS service, the user equipment  10  may continue determining whether it is in the geofenced area  80 , and, if so, display the WEA  70 . 
     In addition, in some cases, the network  67  may continue to broadcast the WHAMs  74  via the base station  68 , which may be received by the user equipment  10 . While the user equipment  10  may be configured to ignore the subsequent WHAMs  74 , in some embodiments, the user equipment  10  may choose to process the WHAMs  74  and determine whether it is located in the geofenced area  80  based on receiving a WHAM  74 , as opposed to determining whether it is located in the geofenced area  80  based on the periodicity  158 . In particular, the network  67  may indicate to the user equipment  10  that the periodicity  158  applies, for example, only when the user equipment  10  does not have cellular service. In some embodiments, this may be a definition as per a contract between the user equipment  10  and the network  67 . 
     Additionally, when an alert  64  associated with a WEA ends, the network  67  may simply stop resending the periodic WEAs  70  and WHAMs  74  associated with the alert  64 . However, if the user equipment  10  is located outside the geofenced area  80  when receiving the WEA  70 , and the alert  64  ends, but the user equipment  10  later enters the geofenced area  80  after the alert  64  has ended, the user equipment  10  may continue storing the WEA  70  expecting a corresponding WHAM  74 , and, in some cases, may continue determining whether it is located in the geofenced area  80  indicated by the WEA  70 . This may unnecessarily expend processing and/or networking resources, and sometimes result in a WEA  70  to be output well after the alert  64  associated with the WEA  70  has ended. 
       FIG.  9    is a TLV code for indicating an alert end  136 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The TLV code includes the tag  135  (e.g.,  0100 ), as shown in  FIG.  6   . The TLV code also includes a length  200  of a value  202  of the TLV code, and the value  202 . The value  202  of the TLV code may include a WEA identifier  204 , which may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the corresponding alert  64  has ended. In some embodiments, the WHAM  74  indicating the alert end  136  may be based on one or more parameters set and sent by the alerting authority  62 . That is, the WHAM  74  indicating the alert end  136  may be based on one or more parameters (e.g., a duration of the alert  64 , an indication of when the alert  64  will end) that are part of a CAP message  66  received by the network  67  via the base station  68 . As should be understood, the network  67  or the network provider may generate the WHAM  74  with the TLV code for indicating the alert end  136 , and send the WHAM  74  to the user equipment  10  via the base station  68 . Upon receiving the WHAM  74 , the user equipment  10  may stop processing the WEA  70  (e.g., stop determining whether its location is within the geofenced area  80 ). As such, the user equipment  10  may avoid continued storage of a WEA  70  corresponding to the alert  64  in expectation of a corresponding WHAM  74 , and continued determinations to see if it is located in the geofenced area  80  indicated by the WEA  70 . Thus, processing and/or networking resources may be conserved, and outputting a WEA  70  well after the alert  64  associated with the WEA  70  has ended may be avoided. 
     While  FIG.  9    illustrates a WHAM  74  indicating an alert end  136 , it should be understood that any additional or alternative form of signaling may be used to signal an end of an alert  64  to user equipment  10 , such as signaling within a system information block (SIB) sent from the base station  68  to the user equipment  10  to establish a connection. In particular, an indication to end an alert  64  may be provided in a SIB, along with the WEA identifier  204  (e.g., a message identifier or serial number corresponding to the WEA  70 ). Moreover, in additional or alternative embodiments, an indication of a duration of the alert  64  may be sent via, for example, a WEA  70 . In such embodiments, the user equipment  10  may then determine when the alert  64  is over, rather than receiving an indication from the WHAM  74  indicating the alert end  136 . 
     With this in mind,  FIG.  10    is a method  210  for ending processing of a WEA  70 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the method  210 . In some embodiments, the method  210  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the method  210  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components of the user equipment  10 , such as an operating system of the user equipment  10 , one or more software applications of the user equipment  10 , and the like. While the method  210  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     In process block  212 , the processor  12  receives a WEA  70  with an indication of a geofenced area  80 . In decision block  214 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, at process block  216 , the processor  12  displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then the processor  12  may not display the WEA  70 , and may wait to receive a WHAM  74 . In process block  218 , the processor  12  receives a WHAM  74  with an alert end indication  136 . In some embodiments, the WHAM  74  may include tag  135  (e.g., 0100), length  200 , and value  202  format shown in  FIG.  9   . In any case, the WHAM  74  may include the WEA identifier  156  that enables the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the corresponding alert  64  has ended. Accordingly, in process block  220 , the processor  12  ends processing of the WEA  70 . That is, the processor  12  may no longer determine whether the user equipment  10  is located in the geofenced area  80 . In this manner, the user equipment  10  may avoid continued storage of a WEA  70  corresponding to the alert  64  in expectation of a corresponding WHAM  74 , and continued determinations to see if it is located in the geofenced area  80  indicated by the WEA  70 . Thus, processing and/or networking resources may be conserved, and outputting a WEA  70  well after the alert  64  associated with the WEA  70  has ended may be avoided. 
     Furthermore, if the user equipment  10  enters the geofenced area  80 , but loses cellular service, it may not receive a WHAM  74 , and thus not display or otherwise output the WEA  70 , despite being in the geofenced area  80  where a user should know about the WEA  70 .  FIG.  11    is a TLV code for indicating a lack of service  138 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The TLV code includes the tag  137  (e.g., 0101), as shown in  FIG.  6   . The TLV code also includes a length  230  of a value  232  of the TLV code, and the value  232 . The value  232  of the TLV code may include a WEA identifier  234 , a lack of service time limit  236 , and a lack of service action  238 . The WEA identifier  234  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the lack of service time limit  236  and the lack of service action  238  correspond. The lack of service action  238  includes an action for the user equipment  10  to perform after it has been without cellular service for the lack of service time limit  236 . In some embodiments, the lack of service action  238  may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA  70 , or an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . For example, if the lack of service action  238  is a first value (e.g., a logic low or 0 value), then the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70  upon being without cellular service for the lack of service time limit  236 . If the lack of service action  238  is a second value (e.g., a logic high or 1 value), then the user equipment  10  may perform an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . Additionally or alternatively, instead of sending the WEA identifier  156 , the lack of service time limit  236 , and/or the lack of service action  238  in a signal WHAM  74 , the WEA identifier  156 , the lack of service time limit  236 , and/or the lack of service action  238  may be sent in multiple (e.g., successive in some cases) WHAMs  74 . 
     In some embodiments, the lack of service time limit  236  may be based on one or more parameters set and sent by the alerting authority  62  or the network  67 . For example, the lack of service time limit  236  may be based on a maximum wait time indicated in a system information block (SIB) sent from the base station  68  to the user equipment  10  to establish a connection. The lack of service time limit  236  may be expressed in seconds, and include any suitable time to wait for cellular service to be restored to the user equipment  10  before the lack of service action  238  is performed, such as at least 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, 255 seconds, and so on. In this manner, the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70 , or perform any other suitable action, even if it is without cellular service. 
     With this in mind,  FIG.  12    is a method  250  for performing the lack of service action  238  after being without cellular service for the lack of service time limit  236 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the method  250 . In some embodiments, the method  250  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the method  250  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components of the user equipment  10 , such as an operating system of the user equipment  10 , one or more software applications of the user equipment  10 , and the like. While the method  250  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     In process block  252 , the processor  12  receives a WEA  70  with an indication of a geofenced area  80 . In decision block  254 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, at process block  256 , the processor  12  displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then the processor  12  may not display the WEA  70 , and may wait to receive a WHAM  74 . In process block  258 , the processor  12  receives a WHAM  74  with a lack of service time limit  236  and a lack of service action  238 . In some embodiments, the WHAM  74  may include tag  137  (e.g.,  0101 ), length  230 , and value  232  format shown in  FIG.  11   . In any case, the WHAM  74  may include the WEA identifier  234 , the lack of service time limit  236 , and/or the lack of service action  238  shown in  FIG.  11   . The WEA identifier  156  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the lack of service time limit  236  and the lack of service action  238  correspond. The lack of service action  238  includes an action for the user equipment  10  to perform after it has been without cellular service for the lack of service time limit  236 . 
     In decision block  260 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, the processor  12 , in process block  256 , displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then, in decision block  262 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  has cellular service. That is, the processor  12  may determine whether it may send and/or receive signals using its transmitter  52  and/or receiver  54  over a cellular network  67  (e.g., via the base station  68 ). If so, then the processor  12  may not display the WEA  70 , and may wait to receive a WHAM  74 , returning to process block  258  to receive another WHAM  74  with a lack of service time limit  236  and a lack of service action  238 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  does not have cellular service, then, in decision block  264 , the processor  12  determines whether the lack of service time limit  236  has elapsed. If not, the processor  12  returns to decision block  262  to determine whether the user equipment  10  has cellular service. If the processor  12  determines that the lack of service time limit  236  has elapsed, then, in process block  266 , the processor  12  performs the lack of service action  238 . For example, the lack of service action  238  may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA  70 , or an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . In this manner, the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70 , or perform any other suitable action, even if it is without cellular service. 
     Similarly, if the user equipment  10  enters the geofenced area  80 , but loses the ability to determine its location and/or its cellular service, (e.g., a device-specific location determination technique and/or a GNSS or GPS service, is not operational), it may receive a WHAM  74 , but not be able to determine whether it is located in the geofenced area  80 , and thus not display or otherwise output the WEA  70 , despite being in the geofenced area  80  where a user should know about the WEA  70 .  FIG.  13    is a TLV code for indicating a lack of location  140 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The TLV code includes the tag  139  (e.g.,  0110 ), as shown in  FIG.  6   . The TLV code also includes a length  280  of a value  282  of the TLV code, and the value  282 . The value  282  of the TLV code may include a WEA identifier  284 , a lack of location time limit  286 , and a lack of location action  288 . The WEA identifier  284  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the lack of location time limit  286  and the lack of location action  288  correspond. The lack of location action  288  includes an action for the user equipment  10  to perform after it has been unable to determine its location for the lack of location time limit  286 . In some embodiments, the lack of location action  288  may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA  70 , or an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . For example, like the lack of service action  238 , if the lack of location action  288  is a first value (e.g., a logic low or 0 value), then the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70  upon being unable to determine its location for the lack of location time limit  286 . If the lack of location action  288  is a second value (e.g., a logic high or 1 value), then the user equipment  10  may perform an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . Additionally or alternatively, instead of sending the WEA identifier  156 , the lack of location time limit  286 , and/or the lack of location action  288  in a signal WHAM  74 , the WEA identifier  156 , the lack of location time limit  286 , and/or the lack of location action  288  may be sent in multiple (e.g., successive in some cases) WHAMs  74 . 
     Like the lack of service time limit  236 , the lack of location time limit  286  may be based on one or more parameters set and sent by the alerting authority  62  or the network  67 . For example, the lack of location time limit  286  may be based on a maximum wait time indicated in a system information block (SIB) sent from the base station  68  to the user equipment  10  to establish a connection. In some cases, the MAX WAIT TIME parameter, as defined in ATIS standards specification 0700041 section 5.2.8, which is broadcasted with geofencing coordinates, may be used as the lack of location time limit  286 . The lack of location time limit  286  may be expressed in seconds, and include any suitable time to wait for cellular service to be restored to the user equipment  10  before the lack of location action  288  is performed, such as at least 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, 255 seconds, and so on. In this manner, the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70 , or perform any other suitable action, even if it is unable to determine its location. 
     With this in mind,  FIG.  14    is a method  300  for performing the lack of location action  288  after being unable to determine a location of the user equipment  10  for the lack of location time limit  286 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the method  300 . In some embodiments, the method  300  may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the method  300  may be performed at least in part by one or more software components of the user equipment  10 , such as an operating system of the user equipment  10 , one or more software applications of the user equipment  10 , and the like. While the method  300  is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. 
     In process block  302 , the processor  12  receives a WEA  70  with an indication of a geofenced area  80 . In decision block  304 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, at process block  306 , the processor  12  displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then the processor  12  may not display the WEA  70 , and may wait to receive a WHAM  74 . In process block  308 , the processor  12  receives a WHAM  74  with a lack of location time limit  286  and a lack of location action  288 . In some embodiments, the WHAM  74  may include tag  139  (e.g., 0110), length  280 , and value  282  format shown in  FIG.  13   . In any case, the WHAM  74  may include the WEA identifier  284 , the lack of location time limit  286 , and/or the lack of location action  288  shown in  FIG.  13   . The WEA identifier  156  may enable the user equipment  10  to identify the WEA  70  for which the lack of location time limit  286  and the lack of location action  288  correspond. The WEA identifier  156  may be defined as per ATIS 0700041 specification section 5.1.6: Active alert identity tuple. The lack of location action  288  includes an action for the user equipment  10  to perform after it has been unable to determine its location for the lack of location time limit  286 . 
     In decision block  310 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If so, the processor  12 , in process block  306 , displays or otherwise outputs the WEA  70 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is not within the geofenced area  80 , then, in decision block  312 , the processor  12  determines whether the user equipment  10  is able to determine its location. That is, the processor  12  may determine whether its device-specific location determination technique and/or GNSS or GPS service is operational. If so, then the processor  12  may return to decision block  312  to determine whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If the processor  12  determines that the user equipment  10  is unable to determine its location, then, in decision block  314 , the processor  12  determines whether the lack of action time limit  286  has elapsed. If not, the processor  12  returns to decision block  312  to determine whether the user equipment  10  is within the geofenced area  80 . If the processor  12  determines that the lack of action time limit  286  has elapsed, then, in process block  316 , the processor  12  performs the lack of location action  288 . For example, the lack of location action  288  may include displaying or otherwise outputting the WEA  70 , or an action defined by implementation of the user equipment  10 . In this manner, the user equipment  10  may display the WEA  70 , or perform any other suitable action, even if it cannot determine its location. 
     While the disclosed embodiment include providing certain information (e.g., indications of the geofenced area  80 , duration of an alert  64 , and so on) in a WHAM  74 , additional information that may be relevant to the alert  64  may also be provided (e.g., in the corresponding WEA  70  and/or the WHAM  74 ). In particular, the additional information may be received via a CAP message  66  from the alerting authority  62  by the network  67  via the base station  68 . For instance, the additional information may include CAP information elements like a source of the alert  64  (e.g., the United States Geological Survey), a category of the alert  64  (e.g., geological), an event description of the alert  64  (e.g., earthquake warning), a response type of the alert  64  (e.g., asking users to take shelter), an urgency of the alert  64  (e.g., immediate), a severity of the alert  64  (e.g., severe), a certainty of the alert  64  (e.g., observed), and so on. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ,” it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20220119
Publication Date: 20240806
Grant Date: 20240806
Priority Date: 20210524
Inventors: KUMAR, Utkarsh
BURROUGHS, KIRK ALLAN
MILLER, SAMUEL J.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W4/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/021", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/90", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/90", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/021", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/021", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/90", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 81384903