User-Configurable Weather Warning Apparatus

• US 20140055272A1
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: La Crosse Technology IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Allan Mccormick
• Inventors: MCCORMICK, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 10,204,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/00 in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather

Abstract

User-configurable weather warning apparatuses, and methods for providing and configuring user-configurable weather warning apparatuses are presented. For example, according to one aspect, an apparatus comprising a processor and a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver configured to receive a first Special Area Message Encoding (SAME) message may be provided. The processor may be configured to, responsive to a user preference to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning: determine whether the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning; and in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.

Claims

1. A method, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising a processor and a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver configured to receive a first Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) message; and

configuring the processor to, responsive to a user preference to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning;

determine whether the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning; and

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising configuring the processor to, responsive to a user preference to trigger the alert system in the event of any alert, trigger the alert system in response to receiving the first SAME message.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising configuring the processor to determine whether the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning by identifying a SAME header event code corresponding to a tornado warning within the first SAME message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert system comprises at least one of an audible warning and a visual warning.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the alert system comprises an audible warning, and wherein the audible warning comprises an audio message contained in the first SAME message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the audible warning further comprises an alert sound distinct from any sound contained within the first SAME message.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the alert system comprises a visual warning, and wherein the visual warning is of sufficient magnitude to alert a person who has a hearing impairment.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the RF receiver is configured to receive a second SAME message at a time subsequent to a time at which the first SAME message is received;

wherein the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning;

wherein the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning; and

comprising configuring the processor to determine that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning and to determine that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising configuring the processor to,

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system;

and,

in response to determining that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning, fail to trigger the alert system.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising configuring the processor to,

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system to provide a first type of alert;

and,

in response to determining that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning, trigger the alert system to provide a second type of alert, the second type of alert being different than the first type of alert.

11. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver configured to receive a first Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) message; and

a processor configured to, responsive to a user preference to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning;

determine whether the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning; and

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to, responsive to a user preference to trigger the alert system in the event of any alert, trigger the alert system in response to receiving the first SAME message.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning by identifying a SAME header event code corresponding to a tornado warning within the first SAME message.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the alert system comprises at least one of an audible warning and a visual warning.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the alert system comprises an audible warning, and wherein the audible warning comprises an audio message contained in the first SAME message.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the audible warning further comprises an alert sound distinct from any sound contained within the first SAME message.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the alert system comprises a visual warning, and wherein the visual warning is of sufficient magnitude to alert a person who has a hearing impairment.

18. The apparatus of claim 11,

wherein the RF receiver is configured to receive a second SAME message at a time subsequent to a time at which the first SAME message is received;

wherein the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning;

wherein the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning; and

wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning and to determine that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to,

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system;

and,

in response to determining that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning, fail to trigger the alert system.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to,

in response to determining that the first SAME message indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system to provide a first type of alert;

and,

in response to determining that the second SAME message does not indicate a tornado warning, trigger the alert system to provide a second type of alert, the second type of alert being different than the first type of alert.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more computing devices to:

provide a user interface that includes a user-selectable option to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning; and

responsive to the user-selectable option to trigger the alert system only in the event of a tornado warning being selected, initiate a process thread for monitoring weather alerts, wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is unaffected by application or system interrupts, and wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is configured to;

determine whether one or more of a plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning; and

responsive to determining that one or more of the plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.

22. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, the at least one memory storing executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor configure the apparatus to;

provide a user interface that includes a user-selectable option to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning; and

responsive to the user-selectable option to trigger the alert system only in the event of a tornado warning being selected, initiate, on the at least one processor, a process thread for monitoring weather alerts, wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is unaffected by application or system interrupts, and wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is configured to;

determine whether one or more of a plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning; and

responsive to determining that one or more of the plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.

23. A method, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising at least one processor; and

configuring the apparatus to;

provide a user interface that includes a user-selectable option to trigger an alert system only in the event of a tornado warning; and

responsive to the user-selectable option to trigger the alert system only in the event of a tornado warning being selected, initiate, on the at least one processor, a process thread for monitoring weather alerts, wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is unaffected by application or system interrupts, and wherein the process thread for monitoring weather alerts is configured to;

determine whether one or more of a plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning; and

responsive to determining that one or more of the plurality of received weather alert messages indicates a tornado warning, trigger the alert system.