Tailored Emergency Alert System for Role-Specific Response

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current emergency alert systems fail to provide tailored alerts based on individual job titles, locations, activities, experience, education, and other factors, resulting in identical messages being sent to groups of individuals.

Innovation Solution

A server receives alert notifications and identifies specific job titles and locations to generate customized instructions for individuals, which are then transmitted to their devices, while also broadcasting generalized instructions over intercom systems, taking into account factors like authority levels, current activities, and other individual characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If identical emergency alert messages are sent to all individuals in a geographic area, then the system operation is simple and fast, but the alert effectiveness and response appropriateness deteriorate because instructions do not account for different job titles, authority levels, and roles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealert effectivenessVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the generic emergency alert message into multiple customized instruction sets tailored to different job titles and authority levels. The system divides recipients into categories (e.g., managers, associates, supervisors) and provides specific instructions to each group, ensuring that each individual receives relevant guidance appropriate to their role and responsibilities during the emergency situation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by customizing the alert content according to the specific characteristics of different recipient groups. Each job title and authority level receives locally optimized instructions that address their particular responsibilities, locations, and decision-making capabilities, rather than receiving a uniform message. This ensures that each segment of the population gets information specifically suited to their situation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If customized emergency alert instructions are generated for each individual based on job title and role, then the response appropriateness and safety guidance improve, but the processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealert customizationVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-categorizing individuals into job title groups and pre-defining instruction sets for each category before emergencies occur. The system maintains ready-made templates and protocols for different roles (managers, associates, supervisors) that can be quickly deployed and customized with specific emergency details, rather than generating all instructions from scratch during the emergency event.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses an intermediary processing layer that automatically matches recipients with appropriate instruction sets based on their job titles and roles. This intermediary system acts as a mediator between the generic emergency alert and the individualized instructions, efficiently routing and customizing messages without requiring manual intervention or complex real-time analysis of each recipient's circumstances.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If detailed individualized instructions are provided to each person, then the safety and response accuracy improve, but the information overload and message complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstruction precisionVSAvoidinformation clarity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments detailed safety information into focused, role-specific instruction sets that highlight only the most critical actions for each job title. Rather than providing all possible safety information to everyone, the system divides comprehensive safety protocols into targeted segments that address the specific responsibilities and risk exposures of each recipient group, maintaining clarity while ensuring precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and emphasizes only the most essential safety instructions relevant to each individual's role, removing extraneous information that would clutter the message. Each customized alert contains a concentrated set of high-priority actions tailored to the recipient's job title and authority level, ensuring that critical information is conveyed without overwhelming the recipient with unnecessary details.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10410509B2System and method for providing tailored emergency alerts
Publication Date: 2019.09.10 WALMART APOLLO LLC
  • US10410509B2 patent drawing
  • US10410509B2 patent drawing
  • US10410509B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing tailored emergency alerts to individuals based on their job titles, age, experience, location, and other factors. Systems configured as described herein receive notification of an alert, identify individuals who need to receive the alert, then tailor instructions for those individuals to follow in responding to the alert based on individual factors. The tailored instructions are then transmitted to mobile devices of the individuals, while general instructions can be broadcast over intercom systems, the general instructions being customized to the alert.