Local network alert system for mobile devices using an IMS session and Wi-Fi access point

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9271135-B2
Application number	US-201313912127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A wireless emergency alert system (also known as a wireless emergency alert system, or “WEA,” and formerly known as a commercial mobile alert system, or “CMAS”) receives a geotargeted federal alert that is to be delivered to mobile devices within a defined geographic region. A database of locations of access points is utilized by the system to identify those access points that are likely present in the defined region. The system identifies mobile devices that have an ongoing connection (e.g. IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) session) with the identified access points, in part by maintaining and accessing a look-up table containing location information for the access point and connected mobile devices. In addition, the system tracks mobile devices that no longer have an ongoing session and deregisters the appropriate mobile devices in the look-up table. For mobile devices that have an ongoing session, the system delivers the received alert to the mobile devices in the targeted region via the identified access points.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method to broadcast alert messages to IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-enabled devices connected to Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11-compliant access points located in an alert target area, comprising:
maintaining a dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points and, for each access point, a device identifier and a session state of IMS-enabled devices that access the known IEEE 802.11-compliant access point;
receiving an alert message from a government agency, the alert message including geographic location information for an alert target area in which the alert message is to be broadcast;
identifying one or more IEEE 802.11-compliant access points located within the alert target area by comparing the locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points to the alert target area to identify IEEE 802.11-compliant access points that fall within the alert target area;
for each identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point located within the alert target area:
using the dataset to identify one or more IMS-enabled devices that are indicated as having an active session with the identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point; and,
for each determined IMS-enabled device indicated as having an active session, using the dataset to retrieve a device identifier associated with the IMS-enabled device; and

sending the received alert message to each IMS-enabled device indicated as having an active session; and
wherein the method further comprises one or more of the following (a), (b) or (c):
(a) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each alert message, a message identifier and an indication of whether the message has been sent to an IMS-enabled device associated with a device identifier, and
updating the dataset, upon sending the received alert message, to indicate that the alert message has been sent; or

(b) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each alert message, a message identifier and an indication of a message confirmation, the message confirmation corresponding to the receipt of the message by an IMS-enabled device to which the message was sent, and
updating the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, upon receiving the message confirmation, to indicate that the alert message has been received by the IMS-enabled device to which the message was sent; or

(c) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each device identifier, an indication of an amount of time that has elapsed since the device identifier was last registered on an IMS network, wherein the alert message is broadcast over an IMS network, and
if the elapsed time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, updating the session state to indicate that the device is inactive.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alert message is an AMBER Alert, a Presidential Alert, or an alert corresponding to an imminent threat related to a weather condition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location information for an alert target area is a shape selected from a circle or polygon.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location information for an alert target area is a set of Geographic Positioning System (GPS) coordinates or Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location information for an alert target area is a Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code or a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IMS-enabled device is a mobile phone.

7. A tangible computer-readable medium, excluding transitory signals, and storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, cause the IMS network to perform a method for broadcast alert messages to IMS-enabled devices connected to Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11-compliant access points located in an alert target area, comprising:
maintaining a dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points and, for each access point, a device identifier and a session state of IMS-enabled devices that access the known IEEE 802.11-compliant access point;
receiving an alert message to be broadcast to an alert target area, the alert message including geographic location information for the alert target area in which the alert message is to be broadcast;
identifying one or more IEEE 802.11-compliant access points located within the alert target area by comparing the locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points to the alert target area to identify IEEE 802.11-compliant access points that fall within the alert target area;
for each identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point located within the alert target area:
using the dataset to identify one or more IMS-enabled devices that are indicated as being in communication with the identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point; and,
for each determined IMS-enabled device indicated as being in communication with the identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point, using the dataset to retrieve a device identifier associated with the IMS-enabled device; and

sending the received alert message to each IMS-enabled device indicated as being in communication with the identified IEEE 802.11-compliant access point; and
wherein the method further comprises one or more of the following (a), (b) or (c):
(a) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each alert message, a message identifier and an indication of whether the message has been sent to an IMS-enabled device associated with a device identifier, and
updating the dataset, upon sending the received alert message, to indicate that the alert message has been sent; or

(b) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each alert message, a message identifier and an indication of a message confirmation, the message confirmation corresponding to the receipt of the message by an IMS-enabled device to which the message was sent, and
updating the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, upon receiving the message confirmation, to indicate that the alert message has been received by the IMS-enabled device to which the message was sent; or

(c) maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each device identifier, an indication of an amount of time that has elapsed since the device identifier was last registered on an IMS network, wherein the alert message is broadcast over an IMS network, and
if the elapsed time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, updating the session state to indicate that the device is inactive.

8. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the alert message is an AMBER Alert, a Presidential Alert, or an alert corresponding to an imminent threat related to a weather condition.

9. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 7 , the method further comprising:
maintaining in the dataset of locations of known IEEE 802.11-compliant access points, for each device identifier, an indication of an amount of time that has elapsed since the IMS-enabled device was last registered on the IMS network; and
if the elapsed time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, updating the session state to indicate that the IMS-enabled device is inactive.

10. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the geographic location information for the alert target

Assignees

• T Mobile Usa Inc

Inventors

• Dunn Timothy N
• Hooker Michael
• Seward Shelby
• Bodapotula Srini

Classifications

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W4/90 Primary

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04L65/1073

  Registration or de-registration · CPC title

• H04L65/103

  in the network · CPC title