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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
He went any distance to see things done right, says 92-year-old Rollins Edwards of his nephew Charles Christopher Fishburn.
Fishburn, born in 1918 in Pigeon Bay, the youngest of six children, spent his life focused on his family and making sure his people were treated right.
He had good common sense, says Edwards, but he also had quite a temper. You couldnt talk him down.
That temper, however, was always focused on righting wrongs.
Never having graduated from high school, Fishburn taught himself to read according to his daughter Beverly F. Emanuel. And he really educated his children.
He had four daughters Alethea born in 1942; a full-term child who died in childbirth; Sandra (named after the earth for good luck), born in 1943, who died in a car accident at age 43; Beverly, born in 1945; and Deloris, born in 1954, a full-term child who also died in childbirth.
Sandra and Beverly both graduated from college. Each generation built on what he started. His grandson is a Ph.D.
His family, says Edwards, never wanted for anything.
After the Navy and his marriage to Dorothy (for 60 years), he worked at the Navy Yard until he retired. This gave him enough job security that he could stand up for his beliefs and help others without fear of losing his job. And he did.
President of the NAACP for 25 years, Fishburn fought for justice.
In the late 1940s, he registered people to vote. In order for a black person to register to vote, explains Edwards, they had to be able to recite the Constitution.
Fishburn helped many find jobs in areas where black people hadnt been able to get work. He helped Edwards campaign for county council.
He took part in every demonstration he could find because, says Edwards, whatever he believed in he stood up for it.
Emanuel tells the story of football lights at the then all black Alston High School: The PTO raised money for football lights the parents worked hard to get the lights. But when they turned the money into the district, it took the money and used it at a white high school and wanted us to have Summerville High Schools old lights...
He just would not accept those old lights.
He went right up to the state level, tells Emanuel, and in the end, Alston got new lights.
He stood up for what was right, she says.
She tells of the Ku Klux Klan marching down the streets in Summerville, which happened often. They would not come as far as our house [W. 2nd North St.] because they knew my daddy and others were armed there would be no crosses burned on our lawns.
I remember my mother had a new car and at that time blacks were not allowed to have new cars, but my dad fought so she had a new car. They charged us [blacks] more than white people. If you were going downtown in a new car you were going to be stopped.
And then the Freedom Riders came to town, chuckles Edwards.
He tells of Fishburns support for them and how he made every effort to get to Charleston to go to jail with them. We all went to Charleston and tried to get arrested but they told us there was no room at the jail.
When the Orangeburg Massacre happened in 1968, Fishburn and Edwards tried to get to Orangeburg.
The town was shut down and the police would not let us in. So Chris turned around and parked the car and we went in and came out through the woods. When we came out we couldnt find the car, Edwards laughs. We spent hours looking for it, tramping through the darn snake-infested swamp!
He went to the March on Washington in 1963 and heard Martin Luther King Jr. speak.
And when I was at North Carolina A & T, I participated in a 1963 demonstration and he supported me in that, adds Emanuel.
He gave a lot of his life for me and my sister, she says. He helped my mom go back to school to be a nurse. Both my sister [Sandra] and I and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren have masters degrees plus.
I remember him leaving the house one day and I was playing with ABC blocks and he said to me, By the time I get back youd better know the alphabet and I did.
When we went to college he paid the whole year so there was no flunking out, no coming home.
Emanuel became a school principal and Assistant Superintendent of Dorchester District 4 prior to becoming the state education representative in a school district. She says she gives thanks to her parents for their sacrifices.
Growing up in Summerville was okay, she says, because her daddy didnt allow anyone to say anything to them. But it was a time of segregation. She remembers there were two movie theaters one for whites and one for blacks.
My daddy always made us feel rich, Emanuel recalls. I remember one time we were sitting in the car outside the parts store and a white boy in the car next to us called me a [N-word] and I just looked at him and said, You the one thats poor because my daddy gave us a strong sense of self we could do anything.
She says they could go to any college they wanted except in the state of South Carolina. We needed to go out of state and meet new people, she explains, that was what her father wanted.
Emanuel says her father was a hard worker and excellent provider and he became a very good husband it was all about his family.
No one would put him [or his family] down.
When he was in the service he would get called names and his mother wrote him a letter telling him to be patient things will change
But if he was called a name, added Edwards, he was likely to fight first, talk later. As he got older, though, he matured and was not so much of a hot head.
I remember a big fight at the jailhouse, adds Emanuel, my aunt was accused of stealing and I saw daddy fighting with a cop.
There were never any charges filed, adds Edwards, because Chris stood up to them.
Fishburn also, almost single-handedly, reclaimed the Hillcrest Cemetery that had been allowed to become overgrown melding with the woods.
He and some others did the initial cleanup and then daddy maintained it.
Fishburn was a trustee and on the administrative board of his church Wesley United Methodist and was a Master Mason. He loved hunting and fishing.
He was always there when anyone needed him, says Edwards..
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Tricia Fuglestad, an art teacher at Dryden Elementary School in Arlington Heights, IL, uses technology to enhance learning in her art room. We love the movies she uses to teach art concepts, and wondered how she created them! Read the Q and A below to gain some tips and insight into the process of movie-making in art.
Our interview with Tricia Fuglestad:
Q: How long have you been creating movies to teach your students? My earliest movie dates back to 2002 with the Godzilla Educational Movie. I took some video clips from the movie Godzilla and used voice over and text to point out the art concepts I wanted students to use in their "Dinosaur in the City" project.
Q: What motivates you to create these movies? These movies become an entertaining learning tool that quickly illustrates/teaches/defines art concepts. Students seem to pay attention to the videos (and even request them). Funny, they don't beg for me to lecture, but they do beg for me to show them these movies.
Q: How do you begin? What is your plan? I write a storyboard. This helps me put images and text together for each scene and shot of the movie. I always try to think short and to the point. I throw in as much "meat" as I can get away with and sugar it with as much humor as I can invent.
Q.) What software do you use to achieve your outcome? I make movies in a variety of different ways. I have drawn and animated movies in flash (ie. Repeat) I have shot and edited movies in iMovie (see Interview with a Pencil at end of page) sometimes using Stupendous Software for split screen and picture-in-picture special effects. I've also tried using chroma key effects in Final Cut Express to replace the green screen with anything we wanted (see Swept Away.) Finally, my latest movies have been in Keynote where I animate images set to music (see Digital Portfolio)
Q.) What advice would you give a teacher who is considering using digital media to create similar leaning experiences? I'm still learning the answers to these questions. I find that AFI's ScreenNation resources online have been really helpful for me in learning how to organize my movies and organize my students who want to make movies with me. Also, Jason Ohler's website and Digital Storytelling in the Classroom book is a great resource. I also enrolled in an online graduate class through Wilkes University called Digital Storytelling where I was introduced to these resources and expected to apply their concepts in my classroom.
Q: What kind of permission process do you go through with the students before releasing a movie on the internet? I use permission slips to gather my movie-maker volunteers. Whoever turns in their signed permission slip by a certain date is included in the movie experience. This permission is redundant in my district since parents sign a media release form that gives blanket permission for internet, cable, and other media. However, I find that the permission slip is a great little advertisement for the art program and keeps the parents informed on the unique experiences available to their student. I have learned to ask for parent email addresses on the slips. This gives me a way to send the movie link to them directly when it is uploaded to my site.
Q: Do you use any specific hardware to help with filming or to capture sound? We just have a mini DV camcorder, tripod, USB external microphone, green screen, wireless mic, and lights. I'm always writing grants for more things when I see how it can improve our movie-making. Our newest addition is a 25 foot AV cord that plugs into the video camera and to the classroom TV monitor so all the students can help frame the shots. We used this technique when making What a Cheap Trick. Students on camera could see for themselves how they looked in the camera.
Q: I'm sure all of your students want to be in your movies. So how do you choose who participates in each film? That's a good question. I intend to give each group of 5th graders one movie-making opportunity. But, time is a limiting factor. Movie-making is very exciting, energizing, and an extraordinarily creative process and I would encourage all art teachers to give it a try…your students will love it!
One of Tricia's latest movie adventures conducts an "interview with a pencil". Tricia asks, "Do your students press too hard with their pencils when they draw making erasing mistakes impossible?" According to Tricia, instead of lecturing on this topic let Mr. Pencil give some advice to your young artists.
(Trouble viewing video? Try this link.)
Interview with Mr. Pencil from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo
Images courtesy of Craig Roland: Flickr.com


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Alcoholic Psychosis Medications
There are currently no drugs listed for "Alcoholic Psychosis".
Definition of Alcoholic Psychosis:
Alcoholic Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality that usually includes delusions and hallucinations, caused by drinking alcohol.
Learn more about Alcoholic Psychosis
Micromedex® Care Notes:
- Acute Delirium
- Alcohol Dependence And Withdrawal
- Alcohol Intoxication
- Alcohol Withdrawal
- Altered Mental Status
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Hallucinations
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The present invention consists of a seat belt usage monitoring system which strongly encourages seat belt usage by providing a GPS receiver; a system for detecting seat belt usage by the driver and/or occupants of a vehicle which consists of a infrared emitter and receiver with retro-reflective material mounted or embedded within the seat belt shoulder harnesses; erasable, encodable storage means for recording duration of seat belt use, location at time of crash or collision, duration of travel, direction, velocity and time of travel, all of which is contained in a black box, wherein the data may be downloaded after an accident by law enforcement personnel. In such a manner, accident liability may be better determined, insurance rates could be lowered for the owner of the vehicle if it is shown seat belts were used consistently, but most important, the owner/driver of a vehicle is strongly compelled to buckle up and require all passengers to do likewise thereby reducing deaths and injuries.
1. A seat belt usage event data recorder monitoring system having an exterior housing for a vehicle comprising:
a GPS circuit which retrieves from one or more satellites data including at least one of the following data: longitude, latitude, velocity, distance traveled, direction of travel and time;
means for detecting seat belt use by at least one occupant of a vehicle;
display means for providing a visual indication when at least one seat belt in the vehicle is being improperly used;
a microprocessor which receives data from the GPS circuit and from the means for detecting seat belt use on a substantially continuous basis in real time;
data storage means which stores data on a substantially continuous basis from the GPS circuit, the means for detecting seat belt use, and the locations at which improper seat belt usage was detected, all of which data was processed by the microprocessor for storage and later retrieval and analysis; means for switching off said display means by an occupant of the vehicle, although storing of locations of improper seat belt use may continue,
the housing for the monitoring system further having a substantially planar surface which is suitable for mounting to the interior of a windshield of a vehicle.
2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a rear view mirror and the microprocessor and the data storage means are positioned within the housing so as not to obscure the vision of a driver.
3. The monitoring system according to claim 2 wherein the vehicle has a front windshield and the monitoring system is further provided with a front indicator light viewable through the front windshield to oncoming traffic wherein the front indicator light is turned on when at least one vehicle occupant is properly buckled up.
4. The monitoring system according to claim 3 wherein the front indicator light comprises a neon light bulb.
5. The monitoring system according to claim 4 wherein the neon light bulb is blue in color.
6. The monitoring system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a rear windshield and the system is further provided with a rear indicator light viewable through the rear windshield to traffic behind it.
7. The monitoring system according to claim 6 wherein the rear indicator light comprises an LED or laser light source.
8. The monitoring systems according to claim 1 where the erasable, encodable memory storage means is easily detached from the GPS circuit, when desired.
9. The monitoring system according to claim 6 further having a switch wherein the rear indicator light located inside the cabin of the vehicle may be switched off by the driver regardless of proper seat belt use.
10. The monitoring system according to claim 1 where the vehicle has seats and seat belts with shoulder straps wherein the means for detecting seat belt use comprises:
means for determining whether a person is sitting in a particular seat;
an infrared emitter;
an infrared detector positioned directly adjacent the emitter,
retro-reflective material positioned on the shoulder straps of the seat belts wherein when at least one seat belt is properly buckled in place, an infrared signal will reflect off of the reflective material back to the infrared detector indicating proper seat belt usage.
11. A method for determining seat belt usage in a vehicle by
providing a GPS circuit which retrieves from one or more satellites at least one of the following datum: longitude, latitude, velocity, distance traveled, direction of travel and time;
providing means for detecting improper seat belt use by at least one occupant of a vehicle;
providing display means which indicates improper use of a seat belt by an occupant of the vehicle;
providing switch means whereby a vehicle occupant can turn off the display means;
providing a microprocessor which receives data from the GPS circuit and from the means for detecting improper seat belt use and which microprocessor determines the locations at which improper seat belt usage was detected;
providing data storage means;
providing a housing for the GPS circuit, the microprocessor and the storage means;
securing the housing to the interior of a vehicle windshield;
storing real time data including at least one of the following datum: longitude, latitude, direction of travel and time in the data storage means;
storing real time data including locations at which seat belts were improperly used regardless of whether the display means was turned off by a vehicle occupant;
retrieving data from the data storage means at a later date.
The present invention relates to the area of seat belt usage monitoring systems accident information gathering systems, seat belt use detection devices, devices intended to passively encourage seat belt usage, and more specifically to a device which can detect seat belt usage of the vehicle occupants, record such usage in real time data into a black box for later retrieval by law enforcement personnel by obtaining information from the Global Positioning System ("GPS"), and record the time and direction of travel at the time of an accident, and which further can display a light indicator both out the front and rear of the vehicle, thus passively encouraging seat belt usage.
Although it is well known and extensively documented that seat belt usage saves millions of dollars in medical expenses, lost time at work, and perhaps most importantly, saves thousands of lives each month in the U.S. Alone, many people do not use seat belts because they refuse to take the time or they simply forget to use them. For example, a publication from the U.S. Department of Transportation from Feb. 15, 1996 disclosed that while the average health care cost for a belted driver in an accident was $110, for a non-belted driver it was $562. For victims who required hospital stays, the costs were $9,000 for a belted driver and $14,000 for a non-belted driver. (Document may be found at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/index.htm). Hence, it is extremely important to encourage seat belt usage. Although others have created devices in attempt to meet this objective, they have failed to achieve acceptable usage rates. All devices seen in the prior have failed because they could not achieve the combination of results that would be necessary to achieve the highest rate possible of seat belt usage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") cites that wearing a seat belt is the single most important action that people can take to protect themselves from an accident. A recent NHTSA study concluded that 3 of every 5 motorist fatalities could have been avoided with the use of a safety belt. The health care costs of motor vehicle crashes is a national financial burden that must be reduced. Motor vehicle crashes remain a major public health problem for the nation as a whole. They are the number one cause of death and serious injury for young people ages 5 to 27 years. Data from the National Safety Council (Accident Facts, National Safety Council, 1995, p78) cites that motor vehicle deaths increased three percent from 1994 to 1995, mileage increased two percent, the number of registered vehicles increased one percent from 1994, while the population death rate increased two percent. Thus, there were 43,000 deaths, 2,300,000 disabling injuries and a cost of $170.6 billion dollars to society. This cost includes wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, motor-vehicle property claims and employer costs. This enormous cost burden is a national problem, one that urgently needs to be solved. Unlike all prior devices, and regardless of the greater number of airbags in the vehicle fleet, for the third straight year in a row, the number of motor vehicle deaths and injuries has increased. This trend needs to be reversed.
Any device which could accurately monitor and document seat belt use would be of great value to insurance companies who can pass on a portion of their savings to consumers. Additionally, a device which can record information regarding vehicle travel such as direction of travel, duration of travel, speed of travel, and of course, seat belt usage during travel, could provide the government and insurance companies with invaluable information regarding vehicle usage and types and occurrences of accidents. And, a device which could display seat belt usage through the front windshield when all vehicle occupants are buckled up, could effectively and passively encourage seat belt use because a driver and vehicle occupants would note the large number of "complying" vehicles coming towards them. Peer pressure is a great source of behavior modification. Of course, a device which could display seat belt usage through the rear windshield would alert law enforcement personnel to the fact that not all vehicle occupants are buckled up, and they may be able to pull over the vehicle to ticket the driver. And finally, because many seat belt usage detection systems can be fooled by sitting on top of a seat belt, it would be useful to have an improved system seat belt detection system which is virtually foolproof.
There is also currently much interest in passively encouraging seat belt usage by providing constant audible warning signals and visible warning signals that a seat belt is not in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,733 issued to Conigliaro et. al, discloses an electrical system for providing an audible or visible warning and interior and exterior visible displays indicating whether the occupants of a motor vehicle have fastened their seat belts, in compliance with legal requirements. In such a manner, the vehicle occupants know that law enforcement personnel are readily alerted to the lack of seat belt usage, and since many states require seat belts to be worn, it is anticipated that all occupants will buckle up to avoid a traffic ticket. In some states, referred to as "primary seat belt usage" states, a vehicle can be stopped by police sole for lack of seat belt use. However, in "secondary seat belt usage" states, the vehicle must be stopped for another reason, and then if an occupant is not wearing a seat belt, a citation can issue for this offense.
However the Conigliaro system utilizes common belt latch sensors which may be defeated by sitting on the lap belt. Also, there is no on-going monitoring of whether the driver and the occupants regularly utilizes the seat belts, or if they only occasionally use the seat belts. As noted above, accidents are much more costly in terms of medical expenditures when a vehicle occupant does not wear a seat belt at the time of a collision. Thus, it behooves the driver, who is also generally the insurance purchaser to encourage vehicle occupants to utilize seat belts, nothing seen in the prior art readily accomplishes this result. Moreover, the Conigliaro system must be hard wired into the vehicle and it required constant maintenance. Furthermore it could not be readily used in any after market vehicles, which is a key desirable advantage in any seat belt monitoring system.
One patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,955 issued to Howard encourages vehicle occupants to utilize their seat belts by deactivating circuit controls which provide power to occupant comfort and convenience features of the automobile, including the radio, audio and heating/cooling system. The automobile will continue to function if the seat belts are not used, but at a generally undesirable loss of comfort and convenience features. Seat belt use will therefore be encouraged as it is less uncomfortable to use the seat belts than to omit their use, but the incentive to regularly use seat belt is still not strong, and the device still lacks a passive feature, which is sought by the National Highway Traffic Agency so that drivers can turn off the system, as desired. Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, the Howard device has the inadvertent effect of at least in some instances, actually decreasing motoring safety. For example, if the radio does not function, a driver cannot be altered to dangerous traffic conditions or adverse weather warnings, such as icing and hurricanes. Additionally, fog could build up on the inside of the vehicle glass, creating very dangerous visual limitations.
In yet another issued patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,407, issued to Ozmeral there is disclosed a seat belt monitoring system wherein a separate odometer is provided in the vehicle which is functional only when all the vehicle occupants use their seat belt. If the odometer reading, after a period of time, is fairly close to total miles traveled, this information can be used to decrease the insurer's insurance rates. This system still lacks a mechanism for recording and relaying information regarding seat belt usage during a collision, and does not provide any information regarding collision liability.
There are many patents which utilize GPS ("Global Positioning Systems") for a wide variety of purposes, including the tracking and retrieval of stolen vehicles, but there are none seen that monitor and track seat belt usage by the occupants of a vehicle. GPS is well known in the art and currently consists of a constellation of 24 satellites positioned around the earth which are operated by the US Department of Defense. They provide travelers with a constant fix on their locations. Air and sea pilots extensively use the system for navigation and such usage is well known in the prior art. A standard GPS receiver may obtain longitude and, latitude, velocity, direction of travel and absolute time. Although the signal is corrupted by the US government so that it is degraded to an accuracy of only 76 meters, there are numerous methods to correct the degradation to provide location information to come up with a revised position accurate to about 1 meter. There are additional methods to fine tune even this inaccuracy to a few millimeters. There are existing automobile navigation systems which, while not yet popular in the US, are in use in new vehicles in Japan.
These and other patents disclose a variety of systems regarding seat belt monitoring systems, systems which encourage seat belt usage, and the like, but nothing seen in the prior art can 1) record, in real time, seat belt usage, speed, duration and direction of travel by utilizing Global Positioning System ("GPS") technology; 2) detect seat belt usage using IR technology, making it difficult or impossible for the driver or vehicle occupants to fool the seat belt usage detection system; and, 3) display both through the front and rear windshields indicator lights which relate if the vehicle occupants are using their seat belts properly.
Also, in recent months there has been a great deal of concern regarding the safety of air bags where children or small women are concerned. As a result, it is anticipated that the driver and/or passenger will soon be able to disconnect his or her air bag, as desired. If and when this occurs, there will be an overwhelming concern to encourage proper seat belt use at all times, objectives which can be easily be met by the present invention. Further, it is well established that air bags are most effective in preventing injury or death when used in conjunction with seat belts. And, when injury has occurred from air bags, it is often associated with placement of the face or chest too close to the area of deployment. When seat belts are in use, they encourage vehicle occupants to sit back away from the area where air bags deploy from.
The present invention consists of a Global Positioning System ("GPS") seat belt monitoring system with four basic components: 1) a real time data recording system which records speed and direction of travel with a GPS based microprocessor, which information is kept in a black box and the electronic contents of which are downloaded by law enforcement personnel after an accident; 2) an improved seat belt usage detection system which utilizes infrared ("IR") signals to determine if the driver and occupants of the vehicle are using their seat belts by reflecting an IR signal off of an infrared retro-reflective sensor on the shoulder harness webbing back to an IR detector; 3) a seat belt usage exterior display system which sends an indicator light through the front windshield so that the vehicle occupants are encouraged to use their own seat belts because they see most all of the oncoming traffic has a visible light in the front windshield indicating all of those vehicle occupants are using their seat belts, thus very efficiently passively encouraging seat belt use via peer pressure; and 4) an optional rear display indicator system which displays an indicator light which may be seen both inside the vehicle cabin and through the rear windshield so occupants inside the vehicle can be reminded to buckle-up, and simultaneously that law enforcement personnel can be alerted to the fact the some or all of the vehicle occupants are not wearing seat belts, as required by law. This is important during the night and at low level light conditions. Currently, law enforcement personnel cannot enforce primary seat belt laws and ticket drivers for not using seat belts during such conditions because they cannot see well enough to determine if the driver and/or vehicle occupants are all buckled up. With a rear indicator light projecting from inside the vehicle this would be quite possible.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a GPS monitor, such as those readily available in the marketplace by manufacturers such as Rockwell and Motorola is coupled to a microprocessor and mounted behind the rear view mirror of a vehicle, so as not to obstruct the drivers vision in any manner. Two stout, square antenna elements are mounted on the distal portion of the device, nearest the windshield, and two stout, square antenna elements are located on the proximal end of the device terminating near the top of the rear view mirror for optimal GPS reception. At the tip of one of the proximal antenna is an optional rear indicator light, preferably an LED or laser element which signals both inside and through the rear of the vehicle that signifies if vehicle occupants are currently using seat belts. This enables law enforcement personnel to readily determine seat belt usage for purposes of issuing a warning or a ticket to the driver. At the tip of the other proximal antenna, is an optional button which allows the driver the option to turn off the rear light regardless, so that law enforcement personnel will not know if the device is in use. This decision will be recorded as real time data. Hopefully, a driver will find it is easier to regularly use a seat belt rather than take the effort to turn on the rear indicator light each time the vehicle is used.
It is important to also seal the area around the distal mounting surface of the device such that the forward indicator light will not create glare or reflections in the vehicle, thus possibly distracting the driver. Such a technique is readily seen where a center rear brake light is used which is mounted on the inside of the rear windshield, and is commonly known in the art.
The two distal antenna also serve as mounting components for the device, wherein one of their surfaces may be coated with a strong adhesive by the car or device manufacturer so that the new rear view mirror/seat belt monitoring system can be attached to the front windshield. This is the same technique which is currently used to mount the stem portion of existing rear view mirrors to the interior of the front windshield glass.
Extending into the interior surface of the vehicle, in a location normally occupied by the standard rear view mirror mounting stem, will be the black box, or the gut of the systems itself. It is anticipated that the black box will contain a microprocessor, a removable memory module which contains a meg or more of encodable erasable programmable memory (EEPROM) to store real time data, and GPS circuitry which can locate one of a plurality of satellites located in the sky and obtain from the satellite the position of the vehicle, the direction and speed of travel, and of course, seat belt usage by the occupants of the vehicle. It is anticipated that the EEPROM containing the vital information will be placed in a separate unit which is easy to remove at the time of an accident, so that accurate and vital information concerning the accident, as well as a history of seat belt usage for the vehicle, may be relayed to law enforcement personnel for later analysis.
Also mounted at the distal end of the black box will be a forward indicator light which is preferably made of a neon light cell for durability and visibility from oncoming traffic. It is known in the art that a neon light cell or bulb can easily last twenty years or more and neon light bulbs require a modicum of power to operate. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the neon light cell will be coupled to a photovoltaic cell which can detect light conditions (daylight, dark night, well lit night, etc.) and correct the intensity of the neon light cell accordingly. A preferred color for the neon light cell is blue, for its long wavelength which is easy to detect in a wide variety of lighting conditions, and also for the fact that it is a restful, non-irritating color. The forward indicator light will glow only when all seat belts are in proper use, and can be readily viewed by oncoming traffic. Since according to a recent report by the National Transpiration Highway Safety Administration (NHSTA) approximately 66% of all drivers use seat belts, the driver and the vehicle occupants will be reminded to buckle up because they will see an oncoming stream of blue lights. It is fully anticipated that when usage of the invention is as near to 100% as possible, it may be that oncoming drivers will flash their headlights to indicate to a forgetful driver or passenger to buckle up, as is commonly now done when someone forgets to turn on their headlights.
The system also preferably employs an IR seat belt usage detection system wherein a wide angle IR emitter is positioned on the central proximal portion of the black box and it emits a signal which may be reflected off the seat belt shoulder harness portion, when it is in proper position, back to an wide angle IR detector which is positioned directly adjacent the IR emitter on the device itself. In such a manner, a signal will be sent to a "hot spot" on the seat belt, and the detector will determine if the seat belt is used by calculating the proper angle expected to be reflected back to the IR detector. Thus, the device can pinpoint and detect if the front left seat belt is being used, the right seat belt is being used, etc. Further IR detectors and emitters may be used by positioning the same in the rear center of the vehicle on the ceiling for rear seats, or even third seats, if desired. Additional IR retro-reflectors may be mounted in the center back portion of each seat to determine whether someone is actually sitting in the seat. After the IR detector/emitter has determined proper seat belt usage, this information is automatically relayed back to the microprocessor to turn on or off the front and rear seat belt usage indicator lights, as warranted.
The retro-reflective surface for the seat belt webbing may be either added to the shoulder belt by adhesion or sewing, for an after market device, or it may be simply woven into the material where the GPS seat belt monitoring system supplied by an Original Equipment Manufacturer ("OEM") in a new vehicle.
As may be noted from this disclosure, of course the GPS Based Seat Belt Monitoring System may be either made as OEM direct from the vehicle dealer in new vehicles from the factory, or it may be relatively inexpensively added to the vehicle after manufacture. Of course, the incentive to add such an after market device to a vehicle would be the decrease in insurance premiums attached to addition of a device, when the vehicle owner makes it a habit to always buckle up and require all vehicle occupants to buckle up. Certainly, if and when laws are enacted to reduce or curtail medical expenses in collisions, as has been accomplished in Ontario, Canada, where the victim has not buckled up, the device will be a virtual necessity. It has been determined that the vast majority of vehicle occupants will buckle up, when requested to do so by the driver. Compliance should be even greater when the driver explains that reduced insurance premiums are the goal and/or, that medical expenditures during a collision will not be covered by insurance.
An additional feature of the GPS based seat belt monitoring system is that it will also encourage young children to get buckled up and remain buckled up during the entire car trip. It is well known among parents that children, and young children especially, are prone to remove seat belts unless constantly monitored. The present invention is very capable of serving as a constant warning to children to buckle up.
Currently, there are no existing seat belt warning systems that function during the entire period of time a vehicle is operational. Although a driver and/or passenger may enter or leave the vehicle numerous times after a vehicle has been turned on, such as when refueling the vehicle, there are no warning systems which remind the vehicle occupant to buckle up upon reentry. The present invention easily eliminates this problem, with continual monitoring of seat belt fastening status by all occupants of the vehicle.
Hence, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which can record in real time, vehicle direction, speed and seat belt usage into a black box for future retrieval by law enforcement personnel at the time of a collision.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which utilizes IR technology to determine if the driver and/or occupants of the vehicle are using their seat belts by reflecting an IR signal off the shoulder harness webbing back to an IR detector.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which has a forward indicator light, which can positively influence a driver and passengers to use their own seat belts because they see most all of the oncoming traffic has a visible light in the front windshield indicating that the occupants of those vehicles are properly using their own seat belts, hence effectively passively encouraging seat belt use via peer pressure.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which has an optional rear display indicator system projecting from within the cabin of the vehicle which displays a rear facing indicator light through the rear windshield so that occupants within the vehicle are reminded to buckle-up, and also that law enforcement personnel can be reliably alerted to the fact that some or all of the vehicle occupants are not wearing seat belts, as required by law.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system with a forward facing front display indicator light which, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, consists of a blue neon light for ease of visibility and durability.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system with a forward facing front display indicator light consisting of a neon light bulb which is coupled to a photovoltaic cell wherein the intensity of the neon light is automatically varied to suit lighting conditions.
It is yet a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which is coupled to a relatively large memory of approximately one meg or more which can be downloaded after an accident so that law enforcement personnel and insurance companies can gather information regarding the accident for purposes of determining liability or reducing insurance premiums where seat belt usage in the vehicle had been relatively consistent.
It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which is passive in nature, wherein the driver can push a button and turn off the rear indicator light regardless of whether all seat belts were being used, but nonetheless the driver may find it more advantageous to simply require everyone to buckle up.
It is yet a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system with a forward facing indicator light having appropriate sealing around the distal mounting surface of the device so that the driver is not possibly distracted from glare or reflections in the vehicle.
It is still a primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system having four antenna with two conveniently serving as mounting means to mount the device behind the rear view mirror to the interior of the front windshield so that the device does not obstruct the driver's view.
And it is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system with a black box having a separately readily removable unit which contains stored data concerning absolute time, vehicle speed, direction and seat belt usage which be downloaded at a later date.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a seat belt usage monitoring system wherein an IR emitter is positioned next to an IR receiver on the central proximal portion of the black box and it emits a signal which may be reflected off the seat belt when it is properly used.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an seat belt usage monitoring system wherein seat belt shoulder harnesses are provided with either retro-reflective material which is glued or sewn thereto, or in the case of an OEM system, woven directly into the seat belt material for the purpose of reflecting IR signals back to an IR detector.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which requires no wiring to the seat belt to detect seat belt usage.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a GPS based seat belt monitoring system which utilizes GPS technology which is becoming much less expensive to install either in a new vehicle, or after market in an existing vehicle, than paying increased medical expenses for collisions where the occupants are not buckled in properly.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention can be readily derived from the following detailed description of the drawings taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings present herein and should be considered as within the overall scope of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the seat belt monitoring system as appears when it is attached to the front windshield of a vehicle.
FIG. 2 shows a front elevational view of the seat belt monitoring system behind the rear view mirror of a vehicle.
FIG. 3 shows a side elevational cross sectional view of the seat belt monitoring system as it is installed against the front windshield glass.
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the electrical and electronic components of the seat belt monitoring system.
FIG. 5 shows a top partial cut away view of the seat belt use detection system as it is installed in a vehicle.
FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, seat belt usage monitoring system 10 which has two fairly square stout antenna, distal antenna 12 and 14 at the windshield or distal end of the device. It is anticipated that upper mounting surfaces 13 and 15 are to be coated with a thin layer of high strength adhesive for mounting to the interior surface of a front windshield, in a similar manner as is now accomplished with the stem of a standard rear view mirror. Also directed out the front of the windshield is neon light bulb 18, which is preferably blue in color for attractiveness, and visibility for its relatively long wave length. Blue is a color which tends to denote peace and safety, rather than the bright garish warning light colors of red and yellow which are typically used on emergency vehicles. Of course, other colors may be easily substituted for compliance with the Federal Highway Safety Standards, or as desired by vehicle manufacturers and dealers of after market devices. It is anticipated that the edges of the surface surrounding neon light bulb 18, in the area of periphery 19 will be filled with a sealant or adhesive, or both, to prevent glare entering the interior of the vehicle during evening or night time. This is well known in the art and is a technique used for rear center brake lights where they are secured directly to the back interior of a vehicle's rear windshield.
Body 22 is preferably made of an extremely tough plastic polymer or copolymer inasmuch as it is intended to support mirror 30, as well as securely retain GPS circuitry and an erasable encodable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). It is anticipated that the EEPROM will be secured in removable memory storage unit 24 for later retrieval by law enforcement personnel after an accident. This memory storage unit 24 may be secured with a special lock and key (not shown), or it may merely separate from the body with a special tool retained only by appropriate personnel. It is important that the unit is not tampered with in any manner, inasmuch as it may be used to determine accident liability (high speed, traveling in the wrong direction, in the wrong lane, etc.) as well as report back to an insurance company the relative rate of seat belt usage by the driver and/or vehicle occupants. As a result, the body 22 should be extremely resistant to water, fire and shock. If the windshield breaks, the body 22 may be separated or thrown a distance, but nonetheless body 22 should be sufficiently tough so as to protect the data contained therein.
A photovoltaic cell 20, may be coupled to neon light bulb 18 to adjust its brightness to lighting conditions. The photovoltaic cell 20 preferably points upwards so that it will not become inaccurate due to oncoming headlights, billboards, and other misleading indicators of ambient lighting conditions. The adjustment of neon light bulb 18 which is used as projecting forward (or forward and downward, if it is desired to avoid glare to oncoming traffic), as an indicator of seat belt use is necessary so that oncoming traffic will not be disturbed by an unnecessarily bright light during the day, or the traffic will not be able to notice a too dim bulb during the darkest night on country roads. The proper setting for the bulb is important for it to be used as a reminder to oncoming traffic drivers and passengers as a passive reminder to buckle up.
Two proximal antennas 28 and 26 are also required to be able to receive a strong GPS signal at all times and must be positioned to accurately retrieve directional information. These relatively thick stout proximal antennas, 28 and 26, extend rearwardly of the vehicle and terminate near the same location as rear view mirror 30. As seen in FIG. 2, they are raised slightly above the upper edge of mirror 30, so that controls and lighting are accessible to the passenger/driver area.
FIG. 2 shows the top of the device, with proximal antenna 28 to the left of the car interior, and proximal antenna 26 located to the right of the car interior. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, left proximal antenna 28 is provided with a rear indicator light 28 which is preferably made from an LED or "light emitting diode" or laser, as desired, and may be red in color, due to the importance of the indicator's significance; that is, that at least one seat belt is not in proper use. It is believed that a laser light may be optimally effective at transmitting the signal that at least one belt is not properly used rearwardly through the rear windshield for best visibility. In this particular embodiment of the invention, right proximal antenna 26 is further equipped with an optional push button 36 which the driver, upon entering the vehicle, or at anytime during operation of the vehicle, may push which will turn off rear indicator light 28 signaling that all seat belts are in proper use. In such a manner, the driver and/or passengers can elect not to alert others, including law enforcement personnel, that the seat belts are not in proper use. Of course, the GPS circuitry and the EEPROM are still recording the fact that the seat belts were not in use during the mileage in question and that the driver/passenger made a conscious decision to override the system.
FIGS. 3 shows a side view of the instant invention, where it is clearly shown how upper mounting surface 13 lies flush with interior of front windshield 40. In such a manner, rear light indicator 28 can be clearly seen through the back of the vehicle. Also, hinges 16 are provided on each of the four antenna, 12 and 14, 26 and 28 so that the rear view mirror 30 can be adjusted as desired by the driver. Also shown in side view is the removable memory storage unit 24 as well as the attachment of rear view mirror 30 flush to monitor housing or body 22.
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the electrical and electronic system for seat belt usage monitoring system 10. In this diagram, GPS circuitry 52 is linked directly to the microprocessor 64 to input velocity, longitude and latitude, travel duration, direction and real time. This information is summarized by the microprocessor 64 and is stored in erasable encodable programmable read only memory unit 66. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microprocessor 64 can also control other various functions of the device, and it can receive input from pressure retro-reflective body sensor 1 55 and retro-reflective body sensor 2 57 which, when an on condition is noted, it will trigger seat belt monitor 1 54 and seat belt monitor 2 56 to determine if the seat belts are being used properly. If so, the appropriate data signal is sent back to micro processor 64. In this instance, it is anticipated that retro-reflective body sensor 1 55 and retro-reflective body sensor 1 54 are for the driver's seat; while retro-reflective body sensor 2 57 and retroreflective body sensor 2 56 are for the passenger's seat. When the seat belt monitoring system 10 is installed in a vehicle with a larger number of seats, it is anticipated that there will be a corresponding number of seat belt monitors and retro-reflective body sensors to accommodate each vehicle seat, all of which will be linked to the microprocessor 64 for appropriate control thereof.
FIG. 2 also depicts how, when all the seat belts are in proper use, the front indicator light 18 is switched on and projects directly out or downward of the front windshield for viewing from oncoming traffic, and the rear indicator light 28 projects out the back windshield for viewing by the traffic behind the vehicle. Of course, front indicator light 18 is connected either directly to a photovoltaic cell 20 for appropriate dimming (shown) or it may even be linked directly to the microprocessor 64 and then back again to the front indicator light for "smart" adjustment for different lighting conditions.
FIG. 5 shows a top view of the interior of the vehicle and shows a detail of the operation of the seat belt usage detection system 75 wherein is shown the driver's seat belt 80 as it is properly fastened across the driver and the passenger seat belt 82 which has been improperly fastened across an empty seat, presumably for the passenger to enter the car, sit on the seat belt, and attempt to hopefully fool the seat belt detection system 75. However, this will not happen. Seat belt usage monitoring system is continually emitting an IR signal to retro-reflective body sensor 84 which is located behind the passenger in seat back. When it can no longer detect reflection of an IR signal from retro-reflective body sensor 84, microprocessor 64 then triggers IR emitter 32 to send out a signal focused on hot spot 92. If the seat belt were in proper use, retro-reflective material 88 located on the shoulder portion of seat belt 82 would reflect the IR signal properly back to the IR receiver 34. However, in this instance the IR signal is not reflected properly back as it has missed hot spot 92 entirely. Thus, an appropriate updated signal is sent to the microprocessor 64 and the front indicator light 18 is switched off whereas the rear indicator light 38 is switched on, unless and until someone depresses switch 36 located above rear view mirror 30, to override the system. Of course, it is hoped that it will be easier for the non-buckled individual to simply make it a habit to buckle up. But most importantly, the individual is given this choice, and so there is no reason to tamper with the system by permanently disarming it.
Similarly, on the driver's side, proper operation of the seat belt detection system 75 is shown. When the car is turned on, seat belt monitoring system 10 is continuously emitting an IR signal to a retro-reflective body sensor which is located behind the driver in the central portion of the seat back. When monitoring system 10 can no longer detect an IR signal returning from the retro-reflector because it has been blocked by the driver entering the vehicle, IR emitter 32 will begin to direct an IR signal to the hot spot 92 located in front of the driver. Since retro-reflective material 90 has been woven into driver seat belt 80, this retro-reflective material 90 now reflects the IR signal back to IR detector 34 which signals microprocessor 64 that the driver's seat belt 80 is now in proper use. As a result, the front indicator light, neon light bulb 18 is switched on, while the rear indicator light 38 is switched off. Oncoming traffic can be reminded that occupants of this vehicle are all using their seat belts properly, and traffic behind the vehicle will not be alerted to the fact that some or all of the seat belts in the vehicle are not in proper use.
It should be noted that in two different forms of shoulder belt retro-reflective means have been used. On the passenger seat belt 82, a rectangle of material has been directly attached to the belt 82 by either sewing it or gluing with a strong fabric adhesive. In such a manner, seat belt monitoring system 10 can be easily installed as an after market device. As an alternative, and in the case of a new vehicle, it is shown in the driver's seat belt 80 how retro-reflective material 90 can be directly woven into the seat belt.
Although in the foregoing detailed description the present invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and alterations in the structure and arrangement of those embodiments other than those specifically set forth herein may be achieved by those skilled in the art and that such modifications and alterations are to be considered as within the overall scope of this invention.
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text:
Young children worn out after a busy day at school will generally prefer a familiar meal to eat in the evening. The first few weeks back at school are not a good time to be trying to introduce new foods, so try playing it safe and give your children meals you know they will eat, until they have settled into their new routine.
Remember that dinner time is a great time to talk about the days' events at school - much better than bombarding your child with questions as soon as they come out of the school gates!


text: I actually had to ride it home about 4 miles from the shop. I don't have my rack setup on my car, and it was so long it wouldn't fit in my Saturn SW or Mazda5. So, I rode home. The only wrinkle in this plan was that I was only able to get to the bike shop 5 min before they closed. So, the normal time where they would have set the bike up for me was not there. I rode it home as is. Of course, this was the one time I had no tools in my car since I had taken my tool bag out to put struts on the Saturn a few days before--so couldn't remove the non-quick release front wheel to fit it in the car/van, nor could I raise the seat up properly. I had to ride home with the bike adjusted for someone about 6 inches shorter than me. Not the greatest setup. I had my 18 mo old with me, my wife met me at the shop to take her, and I rode the bike home. lol. It was a circus.


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Interesting Things
- Removing class definitions with Object.send(:remove_const, :Foo)
Sometimes it is necessary to reload or replace a stub/test class during testing (apparently rspec is particularly susceptible to this). This can be achieved using Object.send(:remove_const, :Foo) where Foo is the camel-cased name of the class. If your class is defined within a module, it may be necessary to use Module.send(:remove_const, :Foo)
Ask for help
- foo.bar.reload versus foo.bar(true)
As a point of curiosity, does anybody know when has_many relationship reloading moved from (or to?) foo.bar(true) to foo.bar.reload? The reload syntax seems preferable for readability; will foo.bar(true) continue to work in the future?


text:
Beef Alert! Soundgarden Sounds Off At Kanye West
Soundgarden gave Kanye West a mouthful on stage at an Australian festival after Kanye performed his sound check on a neighboring stage during Soundgarden's set. Front man Chris Cornell said to the audience, "Sounds like there's children playing music there, retarded children, retarded as in held back." OUCH! [Idolator]
Pulp Annouces US Tour Dates
Yep, Pulp are playing shows outside Coachella. Feel free to jump on your desk and squeal with glee (we did). [A.V. Club]


text:
Methods and systems for improving trunk utilization for calls to ported numbers are disclosed. A method for improving media trunk utilization for calls directed to ported numbers includes receiving a call setup message associated with the call in a communications network and determining whether the call setup message is directed to a ported number. In response to determining that the call is directed to a ported number, called party information is extracted from the call setup message. A lookup is performed in a number portability database using the called party information to locate a routing number for the called party. A media trunk is selected for the call based on the routing number. The call is then routed through a media gateway associated with the media trunk.
1. A method for improving media trunk utilization for calls directed to ported numbers, the method comprising:
at a routing node:
(a) receiving a first call setup message associated with a call in a communications network;
(b) determining whether the call is directed to a ported directory number;
(c) in response to determining that the call is directed to a ported directory number, extracting called party information from the call setup message and performing a lookup in a number portability database using the called party information to locate a routing number for the called party;
(d) selecting an outgoing media trunk from a media gateway for the call based on the routing number;
(e) forwarding a media-gateway-compatible message to the media gateway associated with the media trunk; and
(f) formulating a second call setup message and forwarding a second call setup message to an end office to which the directory number has been ported.
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13. A routing node for improving media trunk utilization for calls directed to ported numbers, the routing node comprising:
(a) a link interface module for receiving a first call setup message associated with a call in a communications network;
(b) a discrimination process operatively associated with the link interface module for determining whether the call is directed to a ported directory number;
(c) a number portability database manager for receiving the first call setup message from the discrimination process in response to a determination that the call is directed to a ported directory number, and, in response, for performing a lookup in a number portability database to locate a routing number for the call;
(d) a call processor for receiving the first call setup message from the number portability database manager and for selecting an outgoing media trunk from a media gateway for the call based on the routing number; and
(e) a transporter module operatively associated with the call processor for forwarding a media-gateway-compatible message to media gateway associated with the media trunk and for forwarding a second call setup message to an end office to which the directory number has been ported.
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30. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:
at a routing node:
(a) receiving a first call setup message associated with a call in a communications network;
(b) determining whether the call is directed to a ported directory number;
(c) in response to determining that the call is directed to a ported directory number, extracting called party information from the call setup message and performing a lookup in a number portability database using the called party information to locate a routing number for the called party;
(d) selecting an outgoing media trunk from a media gateway for the call based on the routing number;
(e) forwarding a media-gateway-compatible message to the media gateway associated with the media trunk; and
(f) formulating a second call setup message and forwarding a second call setup message to an end office to which the directory number has been ported.
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The present invention relates to trunk utilization for calls to ported numbers. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for improving trunk utilization for calls to ported numbers.
Number portability (NP) gives telephone service subscribers the ability to change local service providers without changing directory numbers. As used herein, the term "number portability" includes service provider portability, which allows subscribers to change local telephone service providers without changing directory numbers; service portability, which allows subscribers to change from one type of service to another (e.g., analog to integrated services digital network (ISDN) without changing phone numbers; geographic portability, which allows subscribers to move from one physical location to another without changing directory numbers, or any other type of service-related portability in which a subscriber desires to keep the same directory number.
In a non-NP environment, a telephone number performs two basic functions: it identifies the customer, and it provides the network with information necessary to route a call to that customer. Number portability solutions separate these two functions, and thereby provide the means for customers to keep the same directory number when changing one of the above-mentioned aspects of telephone service. By separating these two functions, NP gives service provides the flexibility to respond to pricing and service changes offered by rival carriers. Accordingly, it is anticipated that NP will promote local-exchange competition, which in turn will benefit all customers, as has already been the case with the long-distance market. As NP solutions are implemented, competition in the local-exchange market is expected to drive down the cost of service, encourage technological innovation, stimulate demand for telecommunications services, and boost economic growth.
While intelligent network (IN) and advanced intelligent network (AIN) solutions to the problem of number portability exist, these solution are query and response based. Consequently, end office (EO) and mobile switching center (MSC) facilities must be upgraded to support such NP functionality, which is expensive both from a financial standpoint as well as a resource management perspective. For example, one wireless network operator in the United States has recently estimated that approximately 20% of their MSC resources are currently being monopolized by NP query/response related processing.
Triggerless number portability (TNP) support gives service providers a method to route calls to ported numbers without having to upgrade their signaling switch (EO or MSC) software. With existing trigger based IN/AIN NP solutions, service providers are required to modify their EO and MSC equipment so as to incorporate the ability to generate and receive NP query and response messages, respectively. An internally generated NP trigger will cause an EO/MSC node to launch an NP query to an NP database that resides in the signaling network. The EO/MSC node routes a call based on an location routing number (LRN) returned from NP database lookup. Triggerless number portability routes calls to ported numbers without requiring this query and response mechanism.
Commonly-assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/503,541, entitled Methods and Systems For Routing Signaling Messages Associated With Ported Subscribers In A Telecommunications Network (hereinafter, the "TNP Patent Application"), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety discloses a triggerless number portability solution. The triggerless NP solution described in the TNP Patent Application reduces the need for updates or upgrades to end offices or mobile switching centers in a network. Instead, an ISDN user part (ISUP) initial address message (IAM) sent from an EO or MSC is intercepted by a triggerless-NP-equipped signal transfer point or signaling gateway routing node and is modified to include the appropriate LRN if the call is to a ported number.
One problem with conventional triggerless number portability solutions is inefficient trunk utilization.
Messages C1 through C6 represent ISUP signaling that occurs during the course of call setup (e.g., IAM messages). In the scenario illustrated in
Message C1 is received by STP 108, which performs a number portability lookup. In this example, the NP lookup at STP 108 reveals that called party 116 has been ported from donor EO 112 to receiving EO 114. Consequently, an appropriate location routing number (LRN) is inserted into the call setup message, and the modified call setup message (C2) is routed to tandem office 104. Tandem office 105 receives message C2, selects and reserves voice trunk 3, and launches call setup message C3. Message C3 is received by STP 108 and through-switched to tandem office 106 as message C4. Tandem office 106 receives the message C4 and launches a call setup message C5, which is routed to receiving EO 114 as call setup message C6.
At this point, a significant shortcoming/inefficiency in this triggerless LNP solution becomes apparent. That is, trunk 1 has already been reserved by originating EO 102 prior to the determination that the called party has been ported and is no longer serviced by donor EO 112. Consequently, tandem office 105 and voice trunks 1, 3 and 4 are involved in the call even though the most efficient/direct voice trunk path would only involve trunks 2 and 4.
Therefore, what is needed is a triggerless NP solution that improves the utilization of voice trunks in a telecommunications network environment.
According to one aspect, the present invention includes a triggerless call processing and routing node capable of performing triggerless routing of signaling messages associated with calls to ported subscribers. The triggerless call processing and routing node includes a communication module capable of transmitting and receiving data packets over one or more signaling networks. A discrimination function processes incoming call setup messages and subsequently directs messages to a number portability (NP) database manager. The NP database manager searches an NP database based on called party information contained within each call signaling message. Because the routing node intercepts a call setup-type signaling message and administers an NP database lookup transaction, no NP translation service query or response messages are required. Moreover, rather than routing the message to a tandem office formerly in the call path for the ported number, the triggerless call processing and routing node routes the message with the new LRN to a media gateway controller. The media gateway controller instructs media gateways to reserve voice trunks only in the path from the originating end office to the recipient or destination end office. As a result, trunk utilization for calls to ported subscribers is improved.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide methods and systems for improving voice trunk utilization for calls to ported subscribers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for circuit switched EO or MSC facilities to establish calls to a ported subscriber using a packet switched voice network.
Some of the objects of the invention having been stated hereinabove, other objects will become evident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:
According to one embodiment, the present invention includes a triggerless number portability call processing system that improves voice trunk utilization. The TNP system includes a triggerless number portability call processing node, which is described and illustrated herein as a collection of processes and subsystems that execute on cards to perform triggerless number portability processing. It is understood that these cards each may include one or more general purpose microprocessors and memory devices. Accordingly, the processes, databases, applications, and subsystems described herein may be implemented by computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium. Alternatively, the processes, databases, applications, and subsystems described herein may be implemented in hardware as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Any combination of hardware, software, or hardware and software for performing triggerless number portability processing as described herein is intended to be within the scope of the invention.
Referring to
Link interface module 202 may comprise a signaling system 7 (SS7) link interface module (LIM). LIM 202 may include processes for sending and receiving SS7 signaling messages over SS7 signaling links and internally routing SS7 signaling messages based on one or more parameters in the SS7 signaling messages. For example, LIM 202 may perform MTP routing and internal routing of SCCP and other types of messages that require internal processing by TNP call processing node 200. In
An HMDC message discrimination function 216 is responsible for examining incoming signaling messages and determining if TNP service is indicated. In one embodiment, TNP service is indicated if message discrimination function 216 determines that a received signaling message is an ISDN user part (ISUP) initial address message (IAM). Such a determination may be made through examination of a service indicator (SI) parameter (e.g., ISUP SI=5) and a message type parameter within a received SS7 signaling message packet. Other SS7 message parameters, such as originating point code (OPC), destination point code (DPC), circuit identification code (CIC), and/or FCI number portability translation indicator may also be examined by discrimination function 216 in order to determine whether TNP service is indicated for a received signaling message. An HMDT message distribution process 218 handles the internal routing of message packets that require additional processing (e.g., TNP service).
Exemplary link interface modules suitable for use with the present invention include two-port link interface modules, eight-port link interface modules, twenty-four-port ATM link interface modules, and data communications modules (DCMs). Two-port link interface modules are capable of handling two 56 kbps SS7 signaling links. Eight-port LIMs are capable of handling eight 56 kbps SS7 signaling links. Two-port data communication modules (DCMs) are capable of communicating SS7, as well as other signaling protocols, over one or more Internet protocol (IP) socket connections. Finally, twenty-four-port ATM link interface modules are capable of processing 24 SS7 over ATM signaling links.
Exemplary hardware suitable for implementing such link interface modules may be similar to hardware on LIMs and DCMs available from Tekelec, Inc., of Calabasas, Calif. (hereinafter, "Tekelec") in the EAGLE® STP or the IP7 SECURE GATEWAY™ products. A LIM or DCM card may contain more functional processes than those described above. The above discussion is limited to LIM or DCM functionality associated with the processing of in bound signaling messages. Briefly, such hardware includes a printed circuit board with an application processor, a communications processor, and a dual-port memory mounted thereon. The application processor runs application software, such as SS7 routing software. The communications processor sends and receives messages over bus 202. The dual-port memory is used for communicating messages between processors.
Call server module 204 includes processes and databases for performing call control related functions. For example, call server module 204 may include one or more databases for performing trunk selection based on parameters in a received ISUP message. Call server module 204 may also store call state information, such as the sequence of ISUP messages received for a given call. Call server module 204 includes call processor 220 and one or more call tables 222 for maintaining call state information and setting up a connection using a media gateway.
Referring back to
In general, a TNP-TSM card includes the database and database control processes necessary to achieve the triggerless number portability translation functionality of the present invention. In the embodiment illustrated in
Each translation entry (or range of entries) may be associated with a network routing address or network routing address alias. In an SS7 signaling network context, a network routing address may be a point code (PC) identifier. A network routing address alias may be a location routing number (LRN). An LRN is one type of identifier that may be used to identify the end office or mobile switching center that is currently serving a service subscriber. An LRN is not a true network address; rather, an LRN is an identifier that has been associated with a signaling point within an SS7 signaling network.
Network routing address alias identifiers require at least one additional translation processing step in order to obtain a true network address (e.g., an SS7 MTP point code address, an Internet protocol address, etc.). For example, one type of routing address alias translation processing is known as global title translation processing. In global title translation, a routing alias parameter known as a global title address is translated to obtain a true SS7 network routing address. In an IP network context, a network routing address may be an IP address. A network routing address alias may be a hostname, a uniform resource locator, email address, or other functionally similar identifier. Exemplary number portability translation data that may be included in an NP translation database 236 is shown below in Table 1.
In Table 1, the first column contains called subscriber identifiers used to locate each entry. The second column contains location routing numbers used to indicate the end office or MSC currently serving each subscriber.
Database controller 238 contains the logic necessary to decode a call setup signaling message (e.g., ISUP IAM, SIP Invite, H.225 Setup), extract the appropriate called subscriber information from the message, and perform an associated NP database lookup. Furthermore, controller 238 is responsible for modifying the signaling message based on the results of the NP database lookup.
Message handling and routing (HMRT) process 240 routes messages received by call processing node 200 after the messages are processed by controller 238. According to one embodiment of the present invention, HMRT process 246 may be provisioned to perform call server selection based on one or more parameters in a received call signaling message. Exemplary parameters that may be used to perform call server selection are the OPC, DPC, and CIC codes contained in an incoming SS7 message.
Transporter module 208 receives messages from call server module 204 and translates the messages between SS7 and predetermined IP telephony or other protocols, depending on whether the destination of a message is an MG, an MGC, a tone and announcement server, an H.323 gateway or gatekeeper, or an SS7 network element. For example, transporter module 208 may translate between ISUP and one or more of the following protocols:
For SS7 messages directed to IP nodes and IP-encapsulated SS7 messages directed to SS7 nodes, transporter module 208 may perform SS7 encapsulation and decapsulation according to any suitable signaling adapter layer protocol. For example, transporter module 208 may implement one or more of the following IP signaling transport protocols:
In the illustrated example, transporter module 208 includes ISUP to MGCP converter 242 for converting between ISUP and MGCP protocols and SS7 to IP converter 244 for converting between SS7 and IP protocols.
OAM module 210 provides for provisioning and maintenance of the remaining modules of TNP call processing node 200. For example, OAM module 210 may include interfaces for communication with an external user terminal or platform to allow provisioning of various data, including NP translation data.
A local service management system 244 communicates with OAM 210 to provision number portability databases within TNP call processing node 200. For local wireline number portability service, an LSMS system a Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) to receive number portability data. As such, an LSMS acts as the interface between carrier networks and the NPAC. In a typical implementation, an LSMS receives and stores ported subscriber information from the NPAC and then, in turn, is responsible for downloading this ported subscriber information to all the NP databases that it serves. As the interaction between an NPAC and an LSMS is not particularly relevant to the present invention, a detailed discussion of such NPAC-LSMS system functionality will not be presented herein. It should suffice to state that an LSMS or functionally similar provisioning system maintains NP database 242 with the most current ported subscriber information available at any given time.
Illustrated in
Beginning with
Originating EO 102 serving calling party 104 has no knowledge that called party 116 is no longer being served by EO 114. As such, originating EO 102 performs trunk circuit selection based on the incorrect assumption that EO 112 is the terminating end office in the call.
By organizing a network in the manner taught by the present invention, the inefficiency associated with outbound trunk circuit selection at an originating EO in the case of a call to a ported subscriber is minimized or eliminated. That is, if trunk circuits from an originating EO are terminated at one or more MG nodes, then the first "leg" or trunk segment of a call is made independently of the destination EO. Once the first "leg" or trunk segment has been established between the originating EO and the MG, triggerless number portability translation processing may be performed to ensure that subsequent call setup signaling messages are routed to the correct ported destination EO facility. In the present embodiment, such triggerless number portability processing is performed at TNP call processing node 200. TNP processing may also be performed at a signal transfer point (STP), as described in the above-referenced TNP Patent Application. An alternate embodiment of the present invention, which incorporates TNP translation functionality within an STP will be described below.
Returning to
Beginning with step ST1 in
As indicated in step ST3, HMDC process 216 also determines whether TNP processing is required priorto further call processing. In one embodiment, TNP service selection involves examination of service indicator (SI) and message type parameters contained within the received SS7 signaling message, in order to determine whether the message is an ISUP IAM message (ST4). A forward call indicator (FCI) ported number translation indicator parameter contained in the ISUP IAM message is also examined in order to determine whether the message requires NP translation processing. In one embodiment, an FCI ported number translation indicator value of zero indicates that NP translation processing has not already been performed on the message (ST5). As indicated in step ST6, if TNP service is indicated, the message is forwarded to NP-TSM module 206. In the example illustrated in
As indicated in step ST7, the ISUP IAM message is forwarded to and subsequently received by NP-TSM module 206. NP database controller 238 decodes the message packet and extracts a called subscriber or called party identifier from a called party field in the message (ST8), where the called party identifier may be a dialed wireline telephone number or a mobile subscriber number (e.g.,. MSISDN). NP database 236 is searched using at least a portion of the called party identifier (ST9). Additional parameters may be used in conjunction with the called party identifier to perform an NP translation lookup, including a nature of address indicator and a numbering plan indicator.
If a matching entry is located in NP database 236, the contents of the called party field in the message are transferred to a generic address parameter (GAP) that is also contained in the message (steps ST10 and ST11). With the original called party field contents relocated to the GAP field, an LRN value returned from the matching NP database entry is encoded in the called party address field (ST12).
As further indicated in step ST13, a value known as a jurisdiction information parameter (JIP) may be incorporated into the message under certain conditions. The JIP is used in some NP type applications to support billing systems. Such telecommunication billing systems might otherwise have difficulty determining the correct billing for an originating number that has been ported. As such, a valid JIP contains a value that represents the origin of the call. The value may be some of the digits from the calling party address or, alternatively, an identifier associated with the end office that originated the call. A service provider may negotiate to use a single JIP to represent all messages from its own network, or a service provider may chose to provide a list of the exchanges in its network that can be used as the JIP value. In call processing node 200 shown in
With TNP processing complete, the modified ISUP IAM message is passed to HMRT routing process 240. In step ST15, HMRT process 240 on TNP-TSM 206 performs call server selection based on the OPC, DPC, and CIC parameters in the NP-translated SS7 message and routes the message to the appropriate call server module for further processing.
In step ST19, an outgoing trunk in trunk group 1 is selected. This selection may be performed by choosing the next available circuit within the trunk group. In this example, it is assumed that the trunk corresponding to CIC code 2 is the first available trunk in the trunk group. In step ST20, a media gateway control protocol (MGCP) CreateConnection (CRCX) message is formulated and sent to media gateway 248. This message may be formulated by transporter module 242 illustrated in
In order to determine the parameters that must be included in the CreateConnection message, call server module 204 may access endpoint table 230 illustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, since the trunk group is TG 1, the OPC is 1-1-10, and the CIC code is 2, the outgoing port on media gateway 248 is port number 2533. The connection ID assigned to the connection in media gateway 248 is 0. Accordingly, call processing node 200 formulates an MGCP CreateConnection message with the following parameters:
Media gateway 248 uses the information in the CreateConnection message to set up an internal connection between the TDM trunk connected to EO 108 and a packet-based "trunk" (e.g., IP, ATM, frame relay, etc.) that is also connected to the MG. In response to the MGCP CreateConnection message, media gateway 248 returns connection identifiers corresponding to each endpoint of the connection at the media gateway, as indicated in steps 2.1 and 2.2 in FIG. 5A. In this example, the connection identifier for the first endpoint is assumed to be 89 and the connection identifier corresponding to the second endpoint of the connection is 90. These parameters are stored in connection table 232 illustrated in FIG. 3.
In steps ST21 and ST22, TNP call processing node 200 determines data to be included in a second IAM message that is formulated and sent to end office 114, where this second IAM message contains information that is relevant to the selection of the outgoing trunk between end office 114 and media gateway 250. In order to make this determination, TNP call processing node 200 uses routing table 226 and signaling table 228 illustrated in FIG. 3. Referring to routing table 226, if the trunk group is TG 1, the SS7 routing set is RS1. Referring to signaling table 228, if the routing set is RS1, the destination point code is 1-1-10, and the linksets are LS1 and LS2. TNP call processing node 200 routes the second IAM message to end office 110, as indicated in step 3.1 of FIG. 5A. Again, if no number portability translation processing had been performed, the second IAM message would have been formulated for and delivered to EO 112. In this example, the parameters that may be included in the second IAM message are:
In an manner similar to that described previously, a second MGCP CRCX message is formulated by TNP call processing node 200 and sent to media gateway 250, as shown in step 4.1 of FIG. 5A. MG 250 uses the information in the CRCX message to set up an internal connection between the TDM trunk connected to EO 114 and a packet-based "trunk" (e.g., IP, ATM, frame relay, etc.) connected to the MG. In response to the MGCP CreateConnection message, media gateway 250 returns connection identifiers corresponding to each endpoint of the connection at the media gateway, as indicated in step 4.2 in FIG. 5A. In step ST23, call processing node 200 updates call state information in state table 234. State table 234 preferably contains an entry for each defined endpoint. In the illustrated example, the endpoint corresponding to port 1001 in media gateway 248 is in the state "RECEIVED IAM," indicating that an IAM message has been received for that endpoint. Endpoint ID 2533 is in the state "GENERATED IAM, WAITING FOR ACM," indicating that this endpoint is waiting for an address complete message. Step ST23 is preferably performed any time a message relating to a connection is sent or received.
In step ST24, TNP call processing node 200 receives an ACM from end office 110. TNP call processing node 200 may generate and send a modify connection (MDCX) message to MG 248, which may subsequently respond with a connection information message, as indicated in steps 6.1 and 6.2 in FIG. 5B. The ACM message is then forwarded to the originating end office 102, as shown in ST25 and step 7.1 in FIG. 5B. When the called party answers the call, an answer (ANM) message is sent from destination end office 114 through TNP call processing node 200 to originating end office 102. The ANM message follows the same path as the ACM message. Once the ANM message is received, a voice connection is established between the two end offices via media gateways 248 and 250.
Referring back to
The call setup example presented in
In the example illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In a triggerless NP system such as that shown in
A triggerless number portability system architecture such as that illustrated in
It will be understood that various details of the invention may be changed without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation—the invention being defined by the claims.
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