Emergency alert systems and methods

A method comprising:

• receiving an emergency alert system signal including a federal information processing standard code and message data fields;
• parsing and formatting at a proxy server a message included in the emergency alert system signal into the message data fields including a frequency shift keying tones field, a federal information processing standard code field, a message ID field, and a text of message field, wherein the frequency shift keying tones field is adapted to store the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;
• providing the federal information processing standard code field and the message ID field to a subscriber management database;
• generating at the subscriber management database an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID by matching the federal information processing standard code to a matching physical location identifier using a table including customer premise equipment identifiers corresponding to physical location identifiers;
• generating at the subscriber management database an additional processing group list and a language group list from the affected subscriber list based on group list identifiers included in the subscriber management database, wherein any message data fields associated with affected subscribers in the additional processing group list require additional processing of a broadcast message directed to these affected subscribers and affected subscribers in the language group list require messages sent in a particular language;
• communicating from the subscriber management database to an instant messaging server the affected subscriber list, the additional processing group list, the language group list, and an associated message ID;
• communicating from the proxy server to the instant messaging server the message ID field, the text of message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;
• generating at the instant messaging server a broadcast signal including the affected subscriber list in an Internet Protocol (IP) format, the text of message field in an IP format, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format by matching the associated message ID and the message ID field, including performing the additional processing of the broadcast message for the messages directed toward the affected subscribers from the affected subscriber list who are also included in the additional processing group list;
• and
• broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the message data fields using instant messaging, wherein the message data fields are operable to be displayed in real-time on a customer premise equipment device associated with one of the customer premise equipment identifiers included in the broadcast signal, the customer premise equipment device including a set top box which is associated with an IP television, the customer premise equipment device, set to box, and IP television coupled to the instant messaging server through an IP network, the customer premise equipment device operable to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, the customer premise device receiving and displaying the broadcast signal, including the text of message field, in response to detection of the customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, and the broadcast signal is adapted to cause the set top box to turn on the IP television.

A non-transitory machine readable medium storing computer program instructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• receiving an emergency alert system signal including a federal information processing standard code and message data fields;
• parsing and formatting at a proxy server a message included in the emergency alert system signal into the message data fields including a frequency shift keying tones field, a federal information processing standard code field, a message ID field, and a text of message field, wherein the frequency shift keying tones field is adapted to store the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;
• providing the federal information processing standard code field and the message ID field to a subscriber management database;
• generating at the subscriber management database an affected subscriber list including a customer premise equipment identifier and an associated message ID by matching the federal information processing standard code to a matching physical location identifier using a table including customer premise equipment identifiers corresponding to physical location identifiers;
• generating at the subscriber management database an additional processing group list and a language group list from the affected subscriber list based on group list identifiers included in the subscriber management database, wherein any message data fields associated with affected subscribers in the additional processing group list require additional processing of a broadcast message directed to these affected subscribers and affected subscribers in the language group list require messages sent in a particular language;
• communicating from the subscriber management database to an instant messaging server the affected subscriber list, the additional processing group list, the language group list, and an associated message ID;
• communicating from the proxy server to an instant messaging server the message ID field, the text of message field, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format;
• generating at the instant messaging server a broadcast signal including the affected subscriber list in an Internet Protocol (IP) format, the text of message field in an IP format, and the frequency shift keying tones formatted in an internet protocol audio format by matching the associated message ID and the message ID field, including performing the additional processing of the broadcast message for the messages directed toward the affected subscribers from the affected subscriber list who are also included in the additional processing group list;
• and
• broadcasting in an IP format a combined affected subscriber list and the message data fields using instant messaging, wherein the message data fields are operable to be displayed in real-time on a customer premise equipment device associated with one of the customer premise equipment identifiers included in the broadcast signal, the customer premise equipment device including a set top box which is associated with an IP television, the customer premise equipment device, set top box, and IP television coupled to the instant messaging server through an IP network, the customer premise equipment device operable to detect a customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, the customer premise device receiving and displaying the broadcast signal, including the text of message field, in response to detection of the customer premise equipment identifier that identifies the customer premise device, and the broadcast signal is adapted to cause the set top box to turn on the IP television.