Systems and methods for site-specific tracking of snowfall

• US 10,366,357 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telsco Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Telsco Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Bangalore, Venkataramu L., Savelle, Jr., William C., Mason, Sr., Lex M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swartz, Stephen S
• Application Number:
  US14/683,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20160300172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/14 Rainfall or precipitation gauges measuring volume in general G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2203/00 Real-time site-specific personalized weather information, e.g. nowcasting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A central server containing a database receives snowfall data from weather stations that are contained at a multitude of different sites within a defined geographical area. The central server stores the snowfall data in the database, correlating the data with various user accounts. For instance, the data is correlated with the account of the owner of the site from which the data was received, and with the accounts of landscape contractors whom the owner of the site has engaged to clear snow from his site. The central server provides alerts to various user accounts based on the snowfall data. For instance, the server provides alerts to site owners based on the snowfall at their sites, and to landscape contractors based on the snowfall at sites they are engaged to clear snow from.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a central server, receiving site-based snowfall data for a multitude of different sites and from a multitude of weather stations within a geographic area;

at the central server, correlating the received site-based snowfall data with a multitude of user accounts;

for each of the user accounts, providing real-time snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account, wherein a first set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to a single respective site, and wherein a second set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to multiple sites,

wherein providing snowfall alert data includes providing map overlay data, wherein the map overlay data comprises snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and map coordinates associated with each respective site;

wherein providing snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account includes, at the central server, retrieving site-based snowfall data from a database entry associated with each respective site corresponding to each respective user account; and

wherein providing snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account includes, at the central server, transmitting the retrieved site-based snowfall data, including the snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and the map coordinates associated with each respective site, over a network to a plurality of mobile devices associated with the respective user accounts; and

causing the plurality of mobile devices to display map interfaces incorporating the snowfall amount data and the map coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving site-based precipitation data and temperature data for the multitude of different sites within the geographic area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the snowfall amount data comprises at least one of historical snowfall data, current snowfall data, or predicted snowfall data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the map overlay data is choropleth map overlay data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the map overlay data further comprises legal limit alert data, wherein the legal limit alert data comprises snowfall amount data for each respective site and a legal snowfall limit at each respective site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the map overlay data includes priority data, wherein the central server determines the priority data based on at least one of amount of current snowfall at each respective site, amount of predicted snowfall at each site, relative location of each site, expected amount of time to clear snow from each site, and type of site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the map overlay data includes potential customer data for each respective site, wherein the central server determines the potential customer data based on the snowfall data for each respective site and at least one of a legal snowfall limit at each site, whether each site has a weather station, and previous contract offers for each site.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the central server, determining based upon the snowfall data whether a snowfall amount at least one site has surpassed or will soon surpass a legal snowfall limit;

at the central server, receiving a request for services from at least one of the first set of user accounts; and

providing the request for services to at least one of the second set of user accounts,

wherein the first set of user accounts comprises user accounts correlated with the at least one site that has surpassed or will soon surpass the legal snowfall limit.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the central server, determining based upon the snowfall data whether a snowfall amount at a site has surpassed or will soon surpass a legal snowfall limit;

at the central server, receiving a request from at least one of the first set of user accounts for bids for services;

providing the request for the bids for services to at least one of the second set of user accounts;

at the central server, receiving the bids for services from the at least one of the second set of user accounts;

providing the bids for services to the at least one of the first set of user accounts;

at the central server, receiving a decision on the bids for services from the at least one of the first set of user accounts; and

providing the decision on the bids for services to the at least of the second set of user accounts.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the central server, determining based upon the snowfall data whether a snowfall amount at a site has surpassed or will soon surpass a legal snowfall limit;

at the central server, receiving a request from at least one of the first set of user accounts for a list of at least one of the second user accounts capable of providing services;

at the central server, determining from a database the list of at least one of the second user accounts capable of providing services;

providing the at least one of the first set of user accounts with the list of at least one of the second user accounts capable of providing services;

at the central server, receiving from the at least one of the first set of user accounts a chosen user account from the list of at least one of the second user accounts capable of providing services; and

providing the chosen user account from the list of at least one of the second user accounts with a service request.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing snowfall alert data includes providing snow plowing alerts to one or more snow plowing contractors.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

at the central server, receiving a request to notify the one or more snow plowing contractors of the snow plowing alerts.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the snowfall alert data includes at least one of an ID number associated with each respective site, map coordinates associated with each respective site, snowfall amount data associated with each respective site, an account number associated with an owner of each respective site, account numbers associated with service providers having contracts with the owner of each respective site, and a legal snowfall limit at each respective site.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein correlating the received site-based snowfall data with the multitude of user accounts includes, at the central server, storing the received site-based snowfall data in a database such that site-based snowfall data corresponding to each respective site is stored in an entry in the database which corresponds to an account correlated with an owner of each respective site.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the central server interpolates site-based snowfall data for sites that do not have a database entry associated with them, wherein the interpolation is based on site-based snowfall data retrieved from database entries associated with sites that are geographically close to the sites that do not have a database entry associated with them.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each respective user account, providing visual differentiation in the map interface between sites associated with the respective user account and sites not associated with the respective user account.

16. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly recording computer program logic for providing snowfall data alerts, the computer program product comprising:

code to receive site-based snowfall data for a multitude of different sites and from a multitude of weather stations within a geographic area;

code to correlate the received site-based snowfall data with a multitude of user accounts;

code to provide real-time snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account, wherein a first set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to a single respective site, and wherein a second set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to multiple sites,

wherein providing snowfall alert data includes providing map overlay data, wherein the map overlay data comprises snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and map coordinates associated with each respective site;

wherein providing snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account includes retrieving site-based snowfall data from a database entry associated with each respective site corresponding to each respective user account; and

wherein providing snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account includes transmitting the retrieved site-based snowfall data, including the snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and the map coordinates associated with each respective site, from a central server over a network to a plurality of mobile devices associated with the respective user accounts; and

code to cause the plurality of mobile devices to display map interfaces incorporating the snowfall amount data and the map coordinates.

17. A system comprising:

a central server;

a database;

a transmitter; and

a receiver,

wherein the central server is configured to receive site-based snowfall data for a multitude of different sites and from a multitude of weather stations within a geographic area,

wherein the central server is configured to correlate the received site-based snowfall data with a multitude of user accounts, and

wherein the central server is configured to provide real-time snowfall alert data corresponding to each respective user account, wherein a first set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to a single respective site, and wherein a second set of the user accounts includes user accounts corresponding to multiple sites,

wherein the map overlay data comprises snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and map coordinates associated with each respective site;

wherein the central server is further configured to retrieve site-based snowfall data from a database entry associated with each respective site corresponding to each respective user account; and

wherein the central server is further configured to transmit the retrieved site-based snowfall data, including snowfall amount data associated with each respective site and the map coordinates associated with each respective site, over a network to a plurality of mobile devices associated with the respective user accounts;

wherein the central server is further configured to cause the plurality of mobile devices associated with ones of the user accounts to display map interfaces incorporating the snowfall amount data and the map coordinates.