WEATHER ALERTS

• US 20120044076A1
• Filed: 10/22/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jason Lee Moore
• Original Assignee: Jason Lee Moore
• Inventors: Moore, Jason Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network

Abstract

Systems and methods to generate weather alerts are provided. A particular system includes one or more sensors to detect weather data. The system also includes a weather band radio receiver to receive weather alert messages. The system also includes a processor to perform an analysis of the weather data, to determine based on the analysis whether the weather data indicates a dangerous storm condition, and to initiate a first alert when the analysis indicates the dangerous storm condition and a weather alert message has been received. The first alert is not initiated when the weather alert message is received and the analysis does not indicate the dangerous storm condition.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more sensors to detect weather data;

a weather band radio receiver to receive weather alert messages; and

a processor to perform an analysis of the weather data, to determine based on the analysis whether the weather data indicates a dangerous storm condition, and to initiate a first alert when the analysis indicates the dangerous storm condition and a weather alert message has been received, wherein the first alert is not initiated when the weather alert message is received and the analysis does not indicate the dangerous storm condition.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the analysis includes comparing the weather data to at least one predetermined storm model.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the weather data comprises electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation indicates rotation in a storm system.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the rotation indicates that the storm system has the potential to generate a tornado.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first alert is not initiated when the weather data indicates the dangerous storm condition and the weather alert message has not been received.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an input device operable by a user to receive data specifying user configuration settings related to when alerts are initiated.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a network interface to receive information indicating whether another device within a predetermined distance has identified a dangerous storm condition.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the network interface receives the information via a wide area wireless network.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a network interface to send information indicating that the dangerous storm condition has been identified after the dangerous storm condition is identified and when no weather alert has been received.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a vote processing component to determine whether to generate a particular alert based on alert information received from two or more other devices, wherein first alert information received from a closer device is weighted more heavily than second alert information received from a more distant device.

11. A method, comprising:

sensing weather data;

monitoring a weather radio band;

performing an analysis of the weather data to determine based on the analysis whether the weather data indicates a dangerous storm condition; and

initiating a first alert when the analysis indicates the dangerous storm condition and a weather alert message has been received, wherein the first alert is not initiated when the weather alert message is received and the analysis does not indicate the dangerous storm condition.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weather data comprises electromagnetic radiation sensed from an ambient environment.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating a second alert when the weather alert message has been received and the electromagnetic radiation does not indicate rotation in the storm system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second alert is distinct from the first alert.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein performing the analysis comprises comparing the weather data to at least one predetermined storm model.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising initiating a third alert when the weather data indicates the dangerous storm condition and no weather alert message has been received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the third alert is distinct from the first alert.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more alerts include a voice message indicating why the one or more alerts were triggered.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving information from a remote device, wherein the information indicates detection of a dangerous storm condition at a location of the remote device, wherein the remote device is not a component of a weather service; and

determining whether to initiate a fourth alert based on the received information.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first alert is indicated by first output at a first time of day and is indicated by second output at a second time of day.