System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like

• US 6,823,263 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Weather Central, Inc. (The Weather Co. LLC)
• Inventors: Marsh, Victor W., Moore, John S., Kelly, Terence F., Daly, Richard T., Wilt, Brett A., Brohm, Grant H.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCELHENY JR, DONALD E
• Application Number:
  US09/686,029
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 702/2, 702/3, 702/4, 342/26
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2203/00 Application of thermometers in cryogenics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for generating weather reports and the like which are precisely computed automatically for a particular individual user'"'"'s geographic location and which are provided automatically to the individual user. A user establishes an individualized user profile in which the user defines a particular location of interest, a contact address, and optionally, a personalized activity weather condition profile, establishing a preferred weather condition profile for activities of interest. A detailed and accurate weather forecasting model is run to provide high geographical and temporal resolution forecast data. The resulting modeled forecast data may be constrained by an operator using a constrainer module. The high resolution forecast data is compared to the individual user profile and a personalized weather report for the particular location, times, and conditions of interest are provided automatically to the individual, e.g., via e-mail and/or at a personalized internet web page. A detailed weather forecast report may be provided in an easily readable tabular form, with notable weather conditions, e.g., daily high and low temperatures, highlighted. The high resolution forecast data may be generated locally for a limited region, e.g., at a television station for the station'"'"'s viewing area, using initialization conditions provided from a central location, and/or for a wider region, e.g., the entire country, using a less high resolution weather forecast module.

Claims

1. A method of generating a personalized weather report;

comprising the steps of;

(a) establishing a user profile including a location of interest;

(b) running a weather forecast model to generate weather forecast model data for an area including the area of interest;

(c) manually providing constraints to constrain selected weather conditions in the weather forecast model data to within selected constraint limits to provide constrained weather forecast model data; and

(d) generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the constrained weather forecast model data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a user profile includes the step of providing a user profile set-up menu user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to a user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of establishing a user profile includes the step of establishing a user contact address and comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to the user at the user contact address.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address, the step of generating the weather report includes the step of generating a weather report e-mail message, and the step of providing the weather report to the user contact address includes the step of sending the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.

6. The method of claim 3 comprising additionally the step of providing a personalized internet web page address to a user and wherein the step of providing the weather report to the user includes the step of providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.

7. A personalized weather report generating system, comprising:

(a) user profile generator means for generating a user profile including a location of interest;

(b) weather forecast model data generator means for generating weather forecast model data for an area including the area of interest;

(c) constrainer means for manually providing constraints to constrain selected weather conditions in the weather forecast model data to within selected constraint limits to provide constrained weather forecast model data; and

(d) weather report generator means for generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the constrained weather forecast model data.

8. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 7 wherein the user profile generator means, the weather forecast model data generator means, the constrainer means, and the weather report generator means are implemented in at least one general purpose computer.

9. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 8 wherein the constrainer means includes a user input device for entering the selected constraint limits into the general purpose computer.

10. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 7 wherein the user profile generator means includes means for generating a user profile set-up menu user interface and means for providing the user profile set-up menu user interface to a user.

11. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 7 comprising additionally means for providing the weather report to a user.

12. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 11 wherein the means for providing the weather report to a user includes means for providing the weather report to the user at a user contact address.

13. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 12 wherein the user contact address in an e-mail address and the means for providing the weather report to the user at the user contact address includes means for generating a weather report e-mail message and means for providing the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.

14. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 11 comprising additionally means for providing a personalized internet web page address to a user and wherein the means for providing the weather report to the user includes means for providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.

15. A method of generating a personalized weather report, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a plurality of user profiles wherein each user profile includes a location of interest located within a first geographic area or within a second geographic area different from the first geographic area;

(b) running a weather forecast model to generate weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution for the first geographic area and to generate weather forecast model data of a second lower resolution for the second geographic area; and

(c) generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at each user profile location of interest automatically from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution for locations of interest located within the first geographic area and from the user profile and weather forecast model data of the second lower resolution for locations of interest located within the second geographic area.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at each user profile location of interest includes the steps of determining whether a user profile location of interest is located within the first geographic area, generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the user profile location of interest from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution if the user profile location of interest is determined to be located within the first geographic area, otherwise generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the user profile location of interest from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a second lower resolution.

17. The method of claim 15 comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to a user.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of establishing a user profile includes the step of establishing a user contact address and comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to the user at the user contact address.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address, the step of generating the weather report includes the step of generating a weather report e-mail message, and the step of providing the weather report to the user contact address includes the step of sending the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.

20. The method of claim 17 comprising additionally the step of providing a personalized interact web page address to a user and wherein the step of providing the weather report to the user includes the step of providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.

21. A personalized weather report generating system, comprising:

(a) user profile generator means for generating a plurality of user profiles wherein each user profile includes a location of interest located within a first geographic area or within a second geographic area different from the first geographic area;

(b) a weather forecast model data generator means for generating weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution for the first geographic area and for generating weather forecast model data of a second lower resolution for the second geographic area; and

(c) a weather report generator means for generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at each user profile location of interest automatically from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution for locations of interest located within the first geographic area and from the user profile and weather forecast model data of the second lower resolution for locations of interest located within the second geographic area.

22. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 21 wherein the weather report generator means includes means for determining whether a user profile location of interest is located within the first geographic area, means for generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the user profile location of interest from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a first higher resolution if the user profile location of interest is determined to be located within the first geographic area, and means for otherwise generating a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the user profile location of interest from the user profile and the weather forecast model data of a second lower resolution.

23. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 21 wherein the user profile generator means, the weather forecast model data generator means, and the weather report generator means are implemented in at least one general purpose computer.

24. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 21 comprising additionally means for providing the weather report to a user.

25. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 24 wherein the means for providing the weather report to a user includes means for providing the weather report to the user at a user contact address.

26. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 25 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address and the means for providing the weather report to the user at the user contact address includes means for generating a weather report e-mail message and means for providing the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.

27. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 24 comprising additionally means for providing a personalized internet web page address to a user and wherein the means for providing the weather report to the user includes means for providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.