Emergency alert system methods and apparatus
US8863172B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 6, 2012 |
| Grant date | Oct 14, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 6, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/814
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for delivering emergency alert system message content to customer premise devices without requiring them to tune to an emergency message channel and having to encode information into frames of regular program content being delivered to customer premise devices, e.g., set top boxes, are described. An emergency management server receives emergency alert messages from a federal government system and generates emergency alert control messages which are sent to one or more switching devices located at one or more regional hubsites/headends to which the emergency alert message applies. The emergency alert control message instructs the switching device to output an emergency alert content stream in place of a standard program. The switching device outputs the emergency content message stream in place of the standard program content to, e.g., a QAM modulator, which modulates the content stream on the frequency being used to deliver the standard program content being replaced.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.