Event-Based Wireless Emergency Alert Parsing and Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) systems lack event-specific alert notifications, relying on a single tone and vibration cadence, which can be difficult for the public to differentiate between various emergency types, especially during critical events like earthquakes or hurricanes, and require extensive education for new tones or symbols.
Innovation Solution
Implementing event-based WEAs that include an event code, allowing devices to output alert content in event-specific spoken language, symbols, or haptic feedback, enabling users to recognize emergency types without interaction, such as displaying a tornado symbol or announcing 'earthquake alert' vocally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If event-specific tones and cadences are added to WEA notifications, then user response time for critical alerts is improved, but public education difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses universally recognized warning symbols (e.g., tornado symbol, earthquake symbol) that are already familiar to the public through media and education, copying existing visual recognition patterns rather than creating new alert indicators. This allows immediate recognition without public education campaigns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color-coded symbol presentations and visual emphasis techniques to differentiate alert types, using color as an intuitive visual cue that leverages existing human color recognition abilities rather than requiring learning of new auditory patterns.
2Loss of information
If multiple alert tones and cadences are implemented, then alert differentiation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the alert type information and presents it through a single standardized visual symbol rather than requiring multiple distinct auditory patterns. This simplifies the system by removing the complexity of managing multiple tone variations while preserving alert differentiation through visual means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a universal symbol-based language that can represent multiple alert types (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, etc.) within a single framework, allowing one visual communication system to serve multiple alert differentiation functions without requiring separate systems for each alert type.
3Measurement precision
If event codes are parsed and processed, then alert accuracy is improved, but device processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs event code parsing and symbol determination in advance, before the alert needs to be displayed to the user. This preliminary processing allows the device to prepare the appropriate visual symbol ready for immediate display, reducing real-time processing requirements when an actual alert occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to event-based wireless emergency alerts (“WEAs”). According to one aspect disclosed herein, a WEA-capable device can receive an event-based wireless emergency alert that includes an event code and alert content. The WEA-capable device can parse the event code from the event-based WEA. The WEA-capable device can determine, via execution of an event-based WEA function, a WEA format based upon the event code. The WEA-capable device can then output the alert content in the WEA format. In some embodiments, the event code identifies a weather-related emergency event (e.g., a hurricane or tornado warning). In other embodiments, the event code identifies a non-weather-related emergency event (e.g., a child abduction alert). The WEA format can be an event-specific spoken language, an event-specific symbol, an event-specific haptic feedback, or a combination thereof.