(12) United States Patent
`Dabbs, III et al.
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`*Apr. 21, 2015
`
`US009014659B2
`
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENT
`AND DETERMINISTIC GROUP ALERTING
`
`Applicant: Critical Holdings, Inc., Norcross, GA
`(US)
`
`Inventors: James M. Dabbs, III, Atlanta, GA (US);
`Brian Claise, Cumming, GA (US)
`
`Assignee: Critical Holdings, Inc., Norcross, GA
`(US)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`14/075,347
`
`Nov. 8, 2013
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2014/0065999 A1
`
`Mar. 6, 2014
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`Continuation of application No. 13/476,641, filed on
`May 21, 2012, now Pat. No. 8,588,207, which is a
`continuation of application No. 13/1 54,138, filed or1
`Jun. 6, 2011, now Pat. No. 8,199,740, which is a
`
`Int. Cl.
`H04W4fl2
`H04W 4/06
`
`(Continued)
`
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`(Continued)
`
`U.S. Cl.
`CPC II04W 4/22 (2013.01); II04W 4/06 (2013.01);
`H04W4/08 (2013.01); H04W4/12 (2013.01);
`H04W84/022 (2013.01)
`
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`CPC
`H04W 4/06; H04W4/08; H04W 4/12;
`H04W 84/022: H04W 4/22
`USPC ............. .. 455/404.1, 410; 370/310, 349, 390,
`370/442, 445, 539.1
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`References Cited
`
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,278,539 A
`5,835,860 A
`
`1/1994 Lauterbach et al.
`ll/1998 Diachina
`
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`M 1520. Product Brochure, Critical Response SystemsTM, Copyright
`2005, 2 pages, www.critresp.eom.
`(Continued)
`
`Sam Bhattacharya
`Primary Examiner
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Roylance, Abrams, Bcrdo
`& Goodman, LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`Systems and methods are provided for reliable, wireless
`group alerting in a system having a database, switch, wireless
`network, and a plurality of intelligent mobile receivers, and
`preferably employing a modified two-way paging based on
`ReFLEXTM protocol information service (IS) messages and a
`novel ALOHA command for multieast acknowledgement
`from mobile receivers. An encrypted message is broadcast to
`and received by a selected number of the mobile receivers.
`The network replies to the sender with detailed information
`about the individual members in the alert group. Each of the
`mobile receivers in the group then acknowledges the common
`message back to the system, decrypts the message, displays it
`to the user, and allows the user to respond. The system
`employs centralized management to simplify the roles of the
`mobile users and administrators, minimizing configuration
`and operational human errors that would otherwise result in
`confusion or lost messages.
`
`18 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
`
`14 WlRELESS NETWORK
`
`‘5
`
`5i
`
`f S-ri
`
`Q16
`
`10
`
`/
`18 RECEWER DATABASE
`612
`
`44
`
`SWITCH
`
`MOB LE RECEWER 10/5’
`
`..___.
`
`44>
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 1
`
`

`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`Page 2
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`A
`_
`_
`_
`l 1/303,025, filed on
`continuation of application No.
`Dec. 15, 2oo5,n0wpat,N0. 7,969,959.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Provisional application No. 60/636,094., filed on Dec.
`15,2004
`
`Int Cl
`'
`'
`H”4W 34/02
`H04W4/08
`H04W4/12
`
`(200901)
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`
`2/2010 Lewis
`7,557,253 B2
`10/2010 Hayden
`7,808,378 B2
`6/2012 Dabbs A131,
`3,199,740 B2 *
`8,588,207 132* 11/2013 Dabbsetal.
`2001/0010490 A1
`8/2001 Bellin
`2002/0177428 A1
`11/2002 Menard et a1.
`2003/0153343 A1
`8/2003 Crockettet a1.
`2004/0087300 A1
`5/2004 Lewis
`
`2004/0180654 A1
`2005/0157720 A1
`2005/0198183 A1
`2006/0105740 A1
`2006/0178128 A1
`2006/0273893 A1
`
`9/2004 Chen
`7/2005 Cllandlloketal.
`9/2005 Zilliacuselal.
`5/2006 Puranik
`8/2006 Eaton etal.
`12/2006 Warner
`
`Referenees Cited
`
`2010/0146057 A1
`
`6/2010 Abu—Ha1<1maeta1.
`
`370/349
`.... .. 370/349
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`6,304,649 B1
`6,529,735 B1
`6‘71O’702 B1
`6‘714,636 B1
`6.804,332 B1
`7 337,146 B2
`
`I0/2001 Lauzon et al.
`3/2003 De Brita
`3/2004 Avefbueh et a1.
`3/2004 Baiyor et 31.
`10/2004 Miner et al.
`2/2008 Heelan et a1.
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`M 1501. Product Brochurc, Critical Rcsponsc SystcmsTM, CopyTight
`2005, 3 pages, Wwwecritresprcomr
`“_l\/lobile Data and Paging for First Respoilders”, Spa1'kgapTM. Copy-
`right 2004, 2 pages, vWWv.tga.c0m.
`.
`e
`* cited by examiner
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 2
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 1 of7
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`10
`/
`
`I8 RECEIVER DATABASE
`
`I4 WIRELESS NETWORK
`15 /
`
`SWITCH
`
`MOBILE RECEIVER 16/8
`
`FIG. 1
`
`RECEIVERS
`
`MEMBERSHIP
`
`PK PERSONALADDRI:S§
`CRYPTOKEY
`PARAMETERS
`
`PK, FK2 GROUPADDRESS
`PK, FK1
`ERSONALADDRESS
`CC
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 3
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 2 of7
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`20'
`
`SJ
`
`12’
`
`CAD CLIENT
`
`SPARKGAP SERVER
`
`CONNECT
`
`REQUEST1 (LOGIN
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 4
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`7fl.03teehS
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
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`
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`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 5
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 4 of 7
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`>mozm2mm>mo§m§
`
`v_%>E_,_
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`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 6
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 5 017
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`RECEIVE CAD
`REQUEST TO SEND
`GROUP MESSAGE
`
`REPLY WITH
`GROUP INFORMATION
`
`BROADCAST
`MESSAGE TO
`GROUP
`
`ASSOCIATE
`ACK WITH
`MESSAGE
`
`Y
`
`RESPONSE
`RECEIVED
`
`N
`
`ASSOCIATE
`RESPONSE WITH
`MESSAGE AND
`NOTIFY CAD
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 7
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 6 of7
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`DISPLAY BUT
`DON’T RESPOND
`
`SEND
`MULTICAST
`ACK
`
`RESPOND!
`D!SPLAY
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 8
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 21, 2015
`
`Sheet 7 017
`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`JUNE 28, 2005
`‘
`
`II :09 AM
`RECEIVED MSGS
`TRANSMITIED MSGS
`SEND A MESSAGE
`DEVICE SETTINGS
`
`Y. I H
`
`8:52:51 PM
`DEC. I3. 2005
`VIEW RECEIVE] MS
`VIEW TRANSMITTED "
`S
`MESSAGE
`D
`SETTINGS
`
`DLWWI QED IIOSVC
`nvers oenseants
`Wanams
`LasI Name‘ John
`First:
`MI: cm :5
`NYSPIN‘!:_
`.
`II
`orderof Protection In ui
`
`?
`
`0
`0
`0000000000
`OOOOOOOOOO
`OOOOOOOOOO
`c>c§§:<>
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 9
`
`

`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENT
`AND DETERMINISTIC GROUP ALERTING
`
`This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent
`application Ser. No. 13/476,641, filed May 21, 2012, whichis
`a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/154,138,
`filed Jun. 6, 2011 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,199,740),
`which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
`11/303,025, filed Dec. 16, 2005 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No.
`7,969,959), which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
`application Ser. No. 60/636,094, filed Dec. 16, 2004, the
`entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by refer-
`ence.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`.
`
`The ability to alert and mobilize first responders is central
`to the readiness of any public safety agency. In the aftermath
`of recent major public safety events, including natural and
`man—made disasters, the public safety community has thor-
`oughly examined all aspects of wireless interoperable voice
`commtmications. However,
`first
`responder alerting has
`remained largely unexamined for over a decade, and in com-
`munities relying on volunteer first responders, the critical
`importance of first responder alerting rivals that of interoper-
`able voice communications.
`Shortcomings with current alerting technologies are well
`documented in the public record. One analysis of communi-
`cation failure during periods of profound crisis, the Arlington
`County After-Action Report or1 the Response to the Septem-
`ber 1 1 Terrorist attack on the Pentagon available from Arling-
`ton County, Va, notes failures in all fomts of communica-
`tions, from initial alerting to tactical voice communication.
`As stated in this report, during the events of Sep. 11, 2001,
`radio channels becar11e oversaturated, and interoperability
`problems
`among jurisdictions
`and agencies persisted
`throughout the entire response process. Otherwise compat-
`ible portable radios were preprogrammed in a manner that
`precluded interoperability. Cellular telephone systems and
`even the public switched telephone network (PSTN) became
`congested and unusable.
`This report cited traditional, 1-way paging systems as the
`most reliable method of alerting and notification. However,
`the lack of a paging response char1nel left responders relying
`on other, less reliable forms of communication to escalate,
`reply to, or even confirm receipt of their instructions. These
`problems with cellular telephone networks and the PSTN
`limited the overall effectiveness of 1-way paging as an alert-
`ing system. This created serious operational challenges dur-
`ing the Sep.
`1 I, 2001 series of events, and they will create ,
`similar problems in any such future events.
`Even during day-to-day public safety activity, these alert-
`ing system limitatiorrs are problematic. In most cases, when
`volunteer groups are alerted by pager, incident commanders
`do not know who will actually respond until personnel begin
`to arrive on scene. This delay postpones decisions regarding
`escalation and mutual aid, letting critical time slip by before
`commanders can identify and correct problems with the
`response. This time period can define the success or failure of
`the response process, presenting a critical need for simple,
`inexpensive, pager-type devices that can reply to group mes-
`sages.
`However, public safety agencies still rely on 25-year old,
`l-way paging technology as their core alerting solution.
`Many newer teclmologies are available, but for alerting, for a
`variety of reasons, these technologies do not provide a mean-
`ingful improvement over 1-way paging. Existing mobile data
`
`2
`systems are too expensive and too bulky for continual per-
`sonal use. Digital and analog 2-way voice systems are simi-
`larly impractical for widespread, continuous deployment to
`volunteer forces. Several contemporary PCS technologies
`have integrated voice, data, and paging, but their complete
`dependence on commercial networks runs counter to com-
`monly accepted reliability standards (e.g., NFPA-1221). Pri-
`vate broadband solutions (such as IE ~ 4 802.11 and 802.16)
`provide high-capacity data capabilities, but they lack the cov-
`erage, portability, and resilience required for wide-area alert-
`ing of large volunteer forces. Contemporary 2-way paging
`systems perhaps cor11e closest to meeting the alerting needs of
`public safety agencies. Like l-way systems, these pagers are
`small, inexpensive devices that operate for long periods on
`battery power. Ilowever, these systems have no ability to
`acknowledge group messages.
`More importantly, beyond the limitations described above,
`none of these systems provide a network interface sufficient
`to support acknowledged group messaging. Requiring that
`the message originator individually alert each recipient adds
`’ considerable setup delay when alerting large groups. This
`delay is eliminated when using network—supported call group
`or common address messages, but the message originator
`must have prior knowledge of group membership. If a mes-
`sage originator does not know the membership of the paged
`group, there is no context to know whether enough manpower
`is responding, or whether key individuals have been mobi-
`lized. Manually maintaining accurate group membership ros-
`ters between networks and message originators would be
`impractical since this is time consuming, difficult, and prone
`to errors. For a communications system to provide usable,
`acknowledged group alerting capabilities to public safety
`agencies, the network interface must provide group member-
`ship details when the group message is sent. Even if the
`mobile devices were capable of acknowledging group mes-
`sages, current systems do not provide message originators
`this membership information regarding the alerted group.
`Simply guaranteeing that a message will be eventually deliv-
`ered to all recipients is insufficient for public safety alerting
`applications. The message originator (dispatcher, incident
`commander, etc.) needs immediate feedback as to who has
`been alerted and how they have replied, as well as information
`concerning those who cannot be reached.
`A need therefore exists for a 2-way paging system that
`could be improved with group message acknowledgement
`and a suitable system interface. Such a system would address
`the current shortcomings of public safety alerting systems,
`and could also provide other benefits. For instance, it could
`act as an improved personnel accountability system (PAS) for
`on—scene communications.
`Incident commanders could
`instantly notify responders of imminent threats, such as
`impending chemical release or structure failure, and verify
`receipt by all personnel. Responses could be expanded to
`include location information and health or equipment status
`information. Such systems, made practical because of the
`high performance and low cost of 2-way pagers, would botl1
`obviate traditional problems with interoperable on-scene
`communications and enable central oversight of critical real-
`time safety data.
`While public safety’s need for a system capable of
`acknowledged group alerting system is clear and well docu-
`mented in the public record, no such system yet exists but for
`the present invention described herein.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The above-described deficiencies in the prior art are over-
`come and a number ofadvantages are realized by the present
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 10
`
`

`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`5
`
`v
`
`3
`invention. In accordance with an aspect of the present inven-
`tion, a method of efficient and deterministic alerting of a
`group of recipients over a wireless network is provided. Each
`recipient comprises at least one mobile device capable of
`transmitting and receiving data. The method comprises the
`steps of: storing data relating to recipients, groups and group
`members, in a memory device. the data comprising a recipient
`identifier for each of a plurality of recipients. one or more
`group identifiers corresponding to each of respective groups
`ofrecipients, the groups each comprising selected ones of the
`plurality of recipients, a11d group membership data compris-
`ing the recipient identifiers of the selected recipients corre-
`sponding to each of the group identifiers; providing the
`mobile device corresponding to each oftl1e plurality ofrecipi-
`ents with at least a subset of the data stored in the memory
`device, the subset of the data beir1g_stored in the mobile
`device and comprising its corresponding recipient identifier
`and the group identifier of eacl1 group to which that recipient
`belongs as a group member; wirelessly broadcasting a group
`message addressed with a selected one of the group identifi-
`ers, each ofthe mobile devices being configured to receive the
`broadcast group message, to analyze a group identifier pro-
`vided with the group message, and send a response when the
`group identifier in the group message is determined to be for
`a group to which that mobile device belongs; monitoring for
`responses to the group message from the group members of
`the group identified by a group identifier provided in the
`group mcs sage; and storing acknowlcdgcmcnt data in thc
`memory device for cach of thc group members, the acknowl-
`cdgcmcnt data comprising a listing of cach of the group
`members and an indication of response for each of the group
`members, the indication of response comprising at least one
`of an indication of no response when that group member has
`not yet responded to the group message, and an indication of
`response when a response sent by the mobile device of that
`group member has been received.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIP'l'l()N OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The present invention can be further understood with ref-
`erence to the following description and the appended draw-
`ings, wherein like elements are provided with the same ref-
`erence numerals:
`FIG. I is a diagram of a group alcrting system constructed
`in accordance with an cxcmplary cmbodimcnt of the present
`invcntion;
`FIG. 2 is a diagram of a database used in a group alerting
`system constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodi-
`ment of the present invention;
`FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a switch or server used in a
`group alerting system constructed in accordance with an
`exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 4 is a diagram of communication between a client and
`a server used in a group alerting system constructed in accor-
`dance with an exemplary embodiment of the present inven-
`tion;
`FIG. 5 is a diagram of a group alerting system constructed
`in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
`invcntion;
`FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a group alerting system con-
`structed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of tl1e
`present invention;
`
`4
`FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a sequence of operations
`for broadcasting a group message and group message
`acknowledgment in accordance with an exemplary embodi-
`ment of the present invention;
`FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a sequence of operations
`for receiving. acknowledging and processing group message
`at a mobile receiver in accordance with an exemplary embodi-
`ment of the present invention; and
`FIGS. 9A, 9B and 10 are views of mobile receivers con-
`structed in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the
`present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`EXEMPT ARY EMBODIMENTS
`
`Overview
`
`In accordance with tl1e present invention, a system and
`method are provided for reliable, wireless group alerting in a
`system that comprises a database, switch, wirclcss nctwork,
`and a plurality of intelligent mobile receivers, and employs a
`modified two-way paging protocol based on group messaging
`capability of the Motorola ReFLEXTM protocol and a novel
`ALOIIA command for multicast acknowledgement (ACK)
`from mobile receivers. An encrypted message is broadcast to
`a group address. This message is received by a number of
`mobile receivers, each of which then acknowledges back to
`the system, decrypts the message, displays it to the user, and
`allows theuser to respond, ifthey belong to the group address.
`The system employs centralized management to simplify the
`role of the mobile users and administrators, minimizing con-
`figuration and operational human errors that would otherwise
`result in confiision or lost messages. It also employs novel
`mcchanisms to compress the rcsponscs from thc receivers to
`use minimal airtime. The system is particularly relevant to
`public safety and critical infrastructure operators, where large
`group dispatches must be delivered quickly and determinis-
`tically to a heavily distracted mobile workforce, and their
`responses must be delivered to the dispatch center efficiently.
`As such, this system provides a comprehensive, meaningful
`solution to support distracted users with simple, resilient
`group messaging. It is to be understood that, while an exem-
`plary cmbodimcnt is dcscribcd herein that uses paging tcch-
`nology, the present invention can also be implemented using
`a cellular system, a wireless local area network or more spe-
`cifically WiFi, or other wireless communication technology.
`In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
`present invention, a system for group alerting employs a
`SPARKGAPTM network which utilizes a modified version of
`a protocol called ReFLEXTM developed by Motorola, Inc. for
`two-way paging and Narrowband PCS (NPCS). This system
`uses a 12.5 KHz charmcl pair opcrating in thc 900 MHz band.
`It is to be understood, however, that the group messaging of
`the present invention can be implemented using other types of
`protocols and network devices.
`In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
`SPARKGAPTM Dispatch Protocol (SDP) is provided as a
`streamlined means for a computer aided dispatch (CAD)
`system to communicate with two-way pagers on a SPARK-
`GAPTM ReFLEXT“ network. SPARKGAPT“ is a ReFLEXTM
`nctwork solution dcsigncd to control one or more basc sta-
`tions and provide two —way paging and mobile data coverage
`over an arbitrary geographical area. While this solution is
`similar in some ways to traditional one-way paging, two -way
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 11
`
`

`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`~
`
`5
`paging also differs significantly from its one—way counter-
`part. Two-way pagers acknowledge and reply to messages
`they receive, and they can originate their own messages.
`These additional capabilities outperform traditional paging
`input protocols (e.g., SNPP, TAP and TNPP). In addition,
`while more suitable second generation paging protocols exist
`(e.g., SMTP, SMPP, and WCTP), these newer protocols do
`not expose group membership information necessary for
`effective, acknowledged group messaging.
`The SDP ofthe present invention is a transactional, TCP/IP
`protocol where the CAD system is the client and the SPARK-
`GAPTM is the server. It features synchronous, client-initiated
`requestlresponse transactions as well as asynchronous server-
`driven events, minimizing latency and complexity and deliv-
`ering a rational solution to the public safety space.
`A Dispatch/Response Layer (DRL) is also provided in
`accordance with the present invention as a layer above the
`ReFL3XTM Air Protocol to support group messaging. The
`SDP and DRL are analogized as book ends in that they oper-
`ate on either side of the ReFLEXTM network.
`ReFLEXTM supports personal and information service (IS)
`messages. Personal messages involve a single recipient, and
`ReFLEXTM enables the receiving pager to acknowledge
`reception, notify that the user has read the message, and relay
`multiple-choice responses from the user. IS messages involve .
`an arjitrary group of recipients sharing common group
`addresses called IS addresses. ReFLEX pagers can be con-
`figured with one personal address and multiple IS addresses.
`IS messages are strictly one—way and ReFLEXTM does not
`support any response or acknowledgement from the recipient
`group. The present
`invention, however, adds message
`acknowledgement, message read notification, and multiple-
`choice response capability to IS messages, creating an infra-
`structure for
`reliable multicast messaging within the
`ReFL3XTM protocol. As described further below, the present
`invention implements two significant changes to conven-
`tional 2-way paging. First, it defines a new ALOHA com-
`mand (‘Multicast ACK Command’) used by a pager to reply
`to an IS message. Second, it defines a [lag to select which
`devices are allowed to use this feature.
`System Description
`A system 10 configured in accordance with an exemplary
`embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 1.
`With reference to FIG. 1, a central switching system (herein-
`after referred to generally as ‘Switch’) 12 connects to a VV1re-
`less Network 14 and communicates with a number of sub-
`scriber devices
`(hereinafter
`referred to generally as
`‘Receivers’) 16 such as pagers, cell phones, or wireless per-
`sonal data assistants (PDAS), or portable computer running
`WiFi. Each Receiver is assigned one identifying Primary ,
`Address and one or more multiple Group Addresses, and is
`capable of receiving broadcast alert messages directed to any
`of its addresses. The Switch 12 comprises a Receiver Data-
`base 18 comprising stored information describing receivers,
`their group membership, and connects to a Wireless Network
`14 such as a PCS network employing cell broadcast. a paging
`network, or a broadcast-capable data network employing
`group addressing.
`VVith reference to FIG. 2, the Receiver Database 18 com-
`prises an independent table of Receivers 22 and an indepen-
`dent table of Groups 24. Each Receiver row in table 22 con-
`tains an identifying personal address, as well as other
`information specific to a single device 16 and its Wireless
`Network architecture. Each Group row in table 24 contains an
`identifying group address, an encryption key, and a symbolic
`name. A dependent table of Membership 26 provides the
`many-to-many relationship between Receiver and Group
`
`6
`rows. Each Membership row assigns one receiver to one
`group. Membership rows contain GroupAddress and Person-
`alAddress colunms, identifying a Group and Receiver row,
`respectively. Each Membership row also contains a Receiv-
`erGroupNumber column, a small mnemonic value that
`uniquely identifies the Group from other Groups pro-
`grannned into the same Receiver, and CC (‘carbon copy’) flag
`to define specific behavioral aspects ofthe Receiver. Receiv-
`ers do not respond to messages received by group addresses if
`their CC flag is set, while they can respond to messages
`received by group addresses if their CC [lag is clear. This
`mechanism allows users to monitor alerts to specific groups,
`without expectation by the source of the alerts for a response.
`As administrative changes occur to the Receiver Database
`18, configuration transactions are executed over the air with
`individual Receivers 16 to synchronize their configuration
`memory with the corresponding data in the Receiver Data-
`base 18. The system 10 therefore maintains an up-to-date
`image hi the configuration memory of each Receiver 16,
`including a list of Group addresses, their ReceiverGroup-
`Number values, their symbolic names, encryption keys, and
`CC flags.
`With reference to the flow charts in FIGS. 7 and 8, a
`‘Client’ (e. g., a computer-aided dispatch center. a human user,
`or other network client 20) uses this system 10 to broadcast
`alert messages to groups of Receivers 16. To do so, the client
`20 composes a message, preferably including display content
`and a list of response strings. The Client 20 then connects to
`the Switch 12 and requests transmission of the message to a
`particular group name (block 50). Depending on the archi-
`tecture of the Wireless Network 14, either the Client 20 or the
`Wireless Network 14 assigns an identifying field to the mes-
`sage such that user responses can be associated with the
`correct message.
`Upon receipt ofthe message, the Switch 12 responds to the
`Client 20 with detailed information on the group such as a list
`or a count of group members (block 52). It then encrypts the
`Group Message, assigns a cyclical message sequence num-
`ber, and transmits the message to the Group Address (block
`54). As described in more detail below in connection with the
`SPARKGAPTM dispatch protocol
`(SDP),
`the Switch 12
`receives group message acknowledgment responses from the
`receivers 16 (block 56) that are associated with the broadcast
`group message (block 58) and provided to the Client 20
`(block 60). Similarly, other types of responses generated as a
`result of the group message are associated with the broadcast
`group message (block 62) and provided to the Client 20
`(block 64).
`Upon receiving the Group Message (block 80), the Receiv-
`ers 16 decrypt the message and display the content, group
`name, and multiple choice options to the user. Receivers
`employing paging technology that are not addressed ir1 the
`group do not receive the message. Alternatively, a system 10
`employing cellular broadcast of the message can receive but
`ignore the message if it is not in the addressed group (block
`82). Each Receiver 16 with a CC llag of false transmits one or
`n1ore acknowledgement codes through the Network 14 back
`to the Switch 12, specifying message received, message read
`notifications, and enumerated multiple-choice responses
`(block 84. 88 and 90). The datagram carrying the acknowl-
`edgement code also includes the personal address of the
`receiver 16, the ReceiverGroupNurnber of the group address,
`and the message sequence number of the message, which
`together efiiciently and uniquely identify the specific group
`message at the specific Receiver 16. Each Receiver 16 i11 the
`group with a CC flag of true does not transmit an acknowl-
`
`General Electric Co. 1003 - Page 12
`
`

`
`US 9,014,659 B2
`
`10
`
`7
`edgment reply to the Switch 12 but rather merely displays the
`group message (blocks 84 and 86).
`Each receiver 16 provides a configuration display for tl1e
`user. This display allows the user to specify, by group name,
`how notification should occur for messages received by each 5
`group address. Similarly, the Switch provides an adrninistra—
`tive human interface that allows a system administrator to set
`up and maintain the Receivers 16 belonging to each Group.
`An Exemplary Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System
`The foregoing system description discusses the high—level
`organization and data flow of an exemplary group messaging
`system 10 that can use any ofa variety ofnetwork types. With
`reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the following is a description of
`an exemplary type of network, that is, a RCFLEXTM two -way
`paging network that incorporates the new group messaging
`layer of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a SPARKGAPTM
`network controller 12' which is configured to implement
`group messaging in accordance with an exemplary embodi-
`ment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates the use of a
`SPARKGAPT“ network controller or server 12' in a system
`configuration 10' similar to FIG. 1. FIG. 5 illustrates another
`system configuration 10" in accordance with another exe1n-
`plary embodiment of the present invention.
`The SPARKGAPTM network contro ler or server 12' in
`FIG. 3 provides private two-way paging, mobile data. and 1
`wireless email over inexpensive chaimel pairs iii the 900 MHz
`Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio (ESMR) band or the
`Narrowband Personal Communication Services (N—PCS)
`band. Coverage can be configured for a single building, mul-
`tiple counties, or state-wide service, for example, supporting
`small user devices such as pagers and personal data assistants
`(PDAs) with Motorola’s proprietary ReFI,F,XTM protocol.
`Since the SPARKGAPTM server provides encrypted acknowl-
`edgement paging, responders reply immediately to CAD
`events a11d other messages directly fro111 their pagers, and
`Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption protects all
`transmissions. Since the SPARKGAPTM server 12' supports
`mobile applications. law enforcement officers can use PDAs
`as receivers 16 to connect wirelessly with municipal. state,
`and federal databases to run license checks, warrants, and
`other mobile applications. Further, the SPARKGAPTM server
`is useful for automatic vehicle location. Small, inexpensive
`GPS sending units can be used as receivers 16 to monitor
`vehicles and heavy equipment, sending real-time location and
`status information on a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week basis.
`The SPARKGAPT“ server 12' can also support wireless
`e—mail. Users can send and receive secure, wireless email
`using pagers a11d PDAs.
`The SPARl(GAP'“"1 server 12' can support one base station
`15 or hundreds of base stations 15 in a network 14‘, each 7
`consisting of a standard 900 MHz paging transmitter and
`ReFLEXTM base receiver as shown in FIG. 5. A single station
`covers a 7-20 mile radius, and a network 14' can coordinate
`multiple stations using simulcast or cellular arrangements to
`optimize coverage and capacity. A single channel pair can '
`serve housands ofusers, and multiple channels can be aggre-
`gated for additional capacity. Even under worst-case peak
`conditions, tl1e ReFL3XTM protocol uses centralized arbitra-
`tion to prevent contention and channel overloading.
`In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
`present invention, the SPARKGAPTM server 12' maintains a
`full packet data layer on top of paging, which is one of tlie
`most robust and most reliable communication technologies
`available, and leverages this foundation into a balanced set of
`features, coverage, and capacity. The SPARKGAPTM server 65
`12' connects directly to computer-aided dispatch (CAD) sys-
`tems, provides low latency messaging with virtually unbreak-
`
`8
`able security, and operates with the lowest cost—per—user and
`cost-per-coverage-area of any wireless data solution avail-
`able. For additional resilience, redundant hot standby units
`maintain network operation even under catastrophic circum-
`stances, keeping first responders connected when they are
`needed most.
`the SPARKGAPTM protocol and
`As stated previously,
`associated server 12‘ provide a ReFLEXTM network solution
`designed to control one or more base stations 15 and provide
`two-way paging and mobile data coverage with user devices
`16 over an arbitrary geographical area. While this solution is
`similar in son1e ways to traditional one-way paging, two -way
`paging also differs significantly from its one-way counter-
`part. Two-way pagers acknowledge and reply to messages
`they receive, and they can originate their own messages.
`These additional capabilities outperform traditional paging
`input protocols (eg, SNPP, TAP and TNPP).
`I11 addition,
`while more suitable second generation paging protocols exist
`(e.g.,