System and method for collecting and displaying wind information

• US 10,139,425 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Good Sportsman Marketing LLC
• Original Assignee: Terrastride Incorporated
• Inventors: Holloway, C. Lanford, Cleveland, James P., Baxley, Christian Blake, Simina, Marianna, Singh, Sanjeev Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Application Number:
  US14/730,737
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 702 2, 702 3, 702 19, 702 22, 702 51, 340905, 701439
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/045 with speed indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and system for graphically displaying wind information comprising: receiving weather information comprising wind information from a weather information source, wherein said wind information comprises wind speed and wind direction: displaying the wind speed and wind direction over a user selected geographic region on a handheld device display wherein the wind speed and wind direction are represented on the display by one or more concentric circles; and displaying the changes in the wind speed and direction over the user selected geographic region over a time period, wherein the changes in the future wind speed and direction are depicted on the display changing the appearance of one of more of the concentric circles.

Claims

1. A method of depicting wind information over time, the method comprising:

(a) receiving wind information at a handheld device from a weather information source, said wind information comprising wind speed and wind direction over a first period of time, and said handheld device having a memory, display and a processor, wherein said memory is capable of storing said wind information and satellite imagery geographical information, wherein said display is capable of displaying color images overlaying said satellite imagery geographical information, and wherein said processor is capable of generating a high level future wind speed chart and a circular wind direction depiction;

(b) storing said wind information in the memory of the handheld device;

(c) processing the stored wind information to display the wind information on the handheld device display in a dual display configuration comprising said high level future wind speed chart and said circular wind direction depiction, wherein the high level future wind speed chart is a line graph showing expected wind speeds over a second period of time that includes times in the future and that includes a second period start time and a second period ending time and wherein the circular wind direction depiction comprises creating a composite wind direction for a third period of time from the second period start time to a selected future time within the second period of time, and displaying the composite wind direction and an instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time, said display comprised of a first arched section oriented to indicate the instantaneous wind direction and a second arched section, said second arched section oriented to indicate the composite wind direction for the third period of time from the second period start time to a selected future time but excluding the instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time, and wherein the first arched section is at least partially colored by a first color and the second arched section is at least partially colored by a second color, and wherein said first and second colors are different.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the circular wind direction depiction is a circle.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the circular wind direction depiction is a series of circles.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the center of the circular wind direction depiction is definable by a user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first arched section is in the form of a wedge.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the method also comprises adding user selected icons to the circular wind direction depiction, wherein the location of each icon is selectable by a user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of selecting the third period of time as a subset time period of the second period of time shown displayed by the high level future wind speed chart, wherein the high level future wind speed chart has a slide bar corresponding to the selected subset time period, whereby as a user scrolls the slide bar through the selected subset time period, the first arched section of the circular wind direction depiction changes orientation to display the instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time within the selected subset time period.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the circular wind direction depiction comprises a third arched section in a third contrasting color, said third arched section oriented so as to indicate where the wind direction is excluded during the third period of time.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the circular wind direction depiction is a circle and includes at least one distance measurement from the center of the wind direction depiction.

10. A system for displaying wind direction and speed over time, wherein the system comprises:

(a) a handheld device comprising a processor, a memory and a display, wherein the memory is a non-transitory transitory storage media capable of storing wind information and geographical information and containing software or firmware encoded thereon for operation by the processor, wherein said display is capable of displaying color images overlaying said geographical information, and wherein said processor is capable of generating a high level future wind speed chart and a circular wind direction depiction and said processor being programmed to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving said wind information at the handheld device from a weather information source, said wind information comprising wind speed and wind direction over a first period of time that includes a current time and a future period of time period;

(ii) storing said wind information in the memory of the handheld device;

(iii) processing the stored wind information to display the wind information on the handheld display in a dual display configuration comprising said high level future wind speed chart and said circular wind direction depiction, wherein the high level future wind speed chart is a line graph showing expected wind speeds over a second period of time that includes times in the future and that includes a second period start time and a second period ending time and wherein the circular wind direction depiction is overlaid on said geographic information, the circular wind direction depiction comprises a first arched section of the circular wind direction depiction, a second arched section of the circular wind direction depiction, and a third arched section of the circular wind direction depiction, wherein the first arched section is at least partially colored by a first color, the second arched section is at least partially colored by a second color, and the third arched section is at least partially colored by a third color, wherein the first color, the second color, and the third color contrast, and wherein the first arched section is oriented in the circular wind direction depiction so as to indicate an instantaneous wind direction at a selected future time within the second period of time, the second arched section is oriented so as to indicate a composite wind direction for a third time period from the second period start time to the selected future time but excluding the first arched section indicative of instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time, and the third arched section is oriented so as to indicate where the wind direction is excluded during the third period of time.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor is further programmed to display the circular wind direction depiction as a circle.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is further programmed to display the circular wind direction depiction as a series of circles.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the first arched section represents the instantaneous wind direction such that the selected future time is at any future point in time within the second period of time.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the radius of circular wind direction depiction varies depending on the wind speed.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further programmed to allow a user to add user selected icons to the circular wind direction depiction, wherein the location of each icon is selected by the user.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further programmed to receive a selection of the third time period as a subset time period of the second period of time shown displayed by the high level future wind speed chart, wherein the high level future wind speed chart has a slide bar corresponding to the selected subset time period, whereby as a user scrolls the slide bar through the selected subset time period, the first arched section of the circular wind direction depiction changes orientation to display the instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time within the selected subset time period.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the circular wind direction depiction is a circle and includes at least one distance measurement from the center of the wind direction depiction.

18. A method of graphically displaying wind information over time comprising:

(a) receiving weather information comprising wind information from a weather information source, wherein said wind information comprises wind speed and wind direction;

(b) displaying the wind speed and wind direction over a user selected geographic region on a handheld device display, wherein said display is capable of displaying color images overlaying said geographical region, and wherein the wind speed and wind direction are represented on the display by one or more concentric circles; and

(c) displaying the changes in the wind speed and direction over the user selected geographic region over a time period that includes times in the future, wherein the changes in the future wind speed and direction are depicted as a high level future wind speed chart and a circular wind direction depiction on the display changing the appearance of one of more of the concentric circles, a first arched section of the one or more concentric circles, a second arched section of the one or more concentric circles, and a third arched section of the one or more concentric circles, wherein the first arched section of the one or more concentric circles is colored by a first color, the second arched section of the one or more concentric circles is colored by a second color, and the third arched section of the one or more concentric circles is colored by a third color, wherein the first color, the second color, and the third color contrast, and wherein the first arched section is oriented so as to indicate an instantaneous wind direction at a selected future time in the time period, the second arched section is oriented so as to indicate a composite wind direction from a start time of the time period to the selected future time but excluding the first arched section indicative of instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time, and the third arched section is oriented so as to indicate where the wind direction is excluded during the time period.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of selecting a subset time period from the start time of the time period to the selected future time shown displayed by the high level future wind speed chart, wherein the high level future wind speed chart has a slide bar corresponding to the subset time period, whereby as a user scrolls the slide bar through the selected subset time period, the first arched section of the circular wind direction depiction changes orientation to display the wind direction at the selected future time within the selected subset time period.

20. A method of displaying wind information over time comprising:

(a) providing a user interface for a handheld device having a memory, display and a processor, wherein said memory is capable of storing said wind information, wherein said display is capable of displaying color images, and wherein said processor is capable of generating a high level future circular wind direction depiction, said user interface having (i) a user-designated location at the center of said circular wind direction depiction and (ii) a time segment display having user-selectable times associated with a time period that includes times in the future;

(b) processing stored wind information associated with the user-designated location and time period; and

(c) displaying the wind information in the user interface as a first pie shape within the circular wind direction depiction, said first pie shape having a vertex at the user-designated location, and said first pie shape representative of an instantaneous wind direction at a selected future time within the time segment display,

wherein the first pie shape within the circular wind direction depiction changes to reflect changes in wind direction at different selected times with the time period, the circular wind direction depiction further comprising a second pie shape oriented so as to indicate a composite wind direction from a start time of the time period to the selected future time but excluding the first pie shape representative of the instantaneous wind direction at the selected future time and further comprising a third pie shape oriented so as to indicate where the wind direction is excluded from the start time of the time period to the selected future time.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the time segment display has an associated slide bar for selecting the selected future time within the time period.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying wind speed associated with the user-designated location and the selected future time.