Emergency Notification Switching Unit for Automatic Secondary Alerting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current emergency notification systems, such as 911 call centers, are inefficient in secondary notification as they require external input and do not automatically disseminate information to relevant individuals within an organization.
Innovation Solution
An emergency notification system comprising a switching unit connected to communication devices, an emergency response unit, and receiving units, which automatically identifies and rebroadcasts emergency notifications to the appropriate receiving units, eliminating the need for external input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If word of mouth or complex call chains are used for secondary notification, then information can be transmitted to individuals in the organization, but the system requires external input from individuals and is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting emergency notifications from the telephone network and redistributing them without requiring any external input or manual intervention from individuals in the organization. The switching unit autonomously queries the ALI database and forwards notifications to relevant recipients.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring the switching unit with automatic ALI database querying capabilities and pre-established notification routing rules, so that when an emergency occurs, the system immediately executes the notification process without waiting for human initiation.
2Reliability
If 911 call centers are used for emergency notification, then help can be sent to the location, but secondary notification to individuals in the organization is outside their capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The switching unit serves multiple functions: it acts as both the conventional 911 call center interface and an automatic secondary notification system. By integrating ALI database querying and multiple recipient routing capabilities, it extends the original 911 system's functionality to include organization-wide notification without requiring a separate system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the 911 call center's emergency detection capability with the organization's internal notification network. The switching unit combines external emergency call processing with internal ALI database querying and multi-recipient notification forwarding into a single integrated system.
3Loss of information
If conventional phone systems are used, then 911 calls can be received, but caller information is not transferred to individuals in the organization
Solution Approach 1:
The switching unit acts as an intermediary between the conventional phone system and the organization's notification system. It receives 911 calls, queries the ALI database for caller information, and automatically forwards both the emergency notification and caller details to relevant individuals, bridging the information gap without requiring changes to the existing phone infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
An emergency notification system is provided including a switching unit, a plurality of communications devices communicatively in communication with the switching unit, an emergency response unit in communication with the switching unit, a plurality of receiving units in communication with the switching unit. Each of the communications devices is configured to transmit an emergency notification to the switching unit which includes a message and at least one receiving unit address. Further, the switching unit is configured to receive the emergency notification from at least one of the plurality of communication devices and to rebroadcast the emergency notification contained in the message to the emergency response unit and to the receiving unit corresponding to the receiving unit address.