Interactive weather forecast system and method of using same

• US 6,988,037 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2004
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Locator IP LP
• Original Assignee: WeatherBank, Inc. (Accuweather Incorporated)
• Inventors: Root, Michael R., Root, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCELHENY JR, DONALD E
• Application Number:
  US10/864,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 702/3, 702/4, 702/5, 342/26, 342/460
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/02 Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed G01W1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2203/00 Real-time site-specific personalized weather information, e.g. nowcasting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• 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 broadcast network for selectively transmitting individualized weather forecast signals to remote communicator devices. The broadcast network comprising a user input database, a communicator location database, a weather information database, a weather analysis unit and a communication network. The user input database contains user-defined parameters, each of the user-defined parameters includes a user profile. The user profile in each of the user-defined parameters utilizes a user identifier code and identifies a communicator device associated with a particular user. The communicator location database contains real-time data indicative of the spatial locations of the communicator devices. The weather information database contains real-time weather forecast data or weather data for the spatial locations contained in the communicator location database. The weather analysis unit repeatedly compares the spatial location of each communicator device contained in the communicator location database with real-time weather forecast data or weather data and generates an individualized weather forecast signal.

Claims

1. A broadcast network for selectively transmitting individualized weather forecast signals to at least one of a plurality of communicator devices remotely located from the broadcast network, the broadcast network comprising:

a user input database containing a plurality of user-defined parameters with each of the user-defined parameters including a user profile, the user profile including a user identifier code identifying a communicator device;

a communicator location database containing data indicative of the real-time spatial locations of the communicator devices;

a weather analysis unit automatically and continuously comparing the spatial locations with at least one of weather forecast data and weather data to generate individualized weather forecast signals; and

a communication network receiving the individualized weather forecast signals and transmitting the individualized weather forecast signals to the communicator devices.

2. The broadcast network of claim 1 wherein the individualized weather forecast signals are transmitted to the particular communicator device via a mobile telephone network.

3. The broadcast network of claim 2 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a mobile phone.

4. The broadcast network of claim 2 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a pager.

5. The broadcast network of claim 2 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a laptop computer.

6. The broadcast network of claim 2 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a personal digital assistant.

7. The broadcast network of claim 1, wherein the individualized weather forecast signal includes a video data signal.

8. The broadcast network of claim 7, wherein the video data signal includes an data for creating an animated graphic.

9. The broadcast network of claim 7, wherein the video data signal is a .wav file.

10. A broadcast network for selectively transmitting individualized weather forecast signals to a plurality of communicator devices remotely located from the broadcast network, the broadcast network comprising:

a user input database containing a plurality of user-defined parameters with at least one of the user-defined parameters including at least one spatial location identifier, and a user profile, the spatial location identifier identifying a location above the ground, the user profile including a user identifier code identifying a communicator device and at least one weather content identifier;

a weather analysis unit automatically and continuously comparing the user-defined parameters with at least one real-time weather forecast data and weather data and predictions of events so as to generate an individualized weather forecast signal for some of the plurality of user-defined parameters responsive to the weather content identifiers corresponding to weather data in the spatial location; and

a communication network receiving the user identifier codes and transmitting the individualized weather forecast signals to the particular communicator devices.

11. The broadcast network of claim 10 wherein the individualized weather forecast signals are transmitted to the particular communicator device via a mobile telephone network.

12. The broadcast network of claim 11 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a mobile phone.

13. The broadcast network of claim 11 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a pager.

14. The broadcast network of claim 11 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a laptop computer.

15. The broadcast network of claim 11 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a personal digital assistant.

16. A broadcast network for selectively transmitting individualized weather forecast signals to a plurality of communicator devices remotely located from the broadcast network, the broadcast network comprising:

a user input database containing a plurality of user-defined parameters with the user-defined parameters including at least one spatial location identifier, a time identifier, a weather content identifier, and a user profile, the spatial location identifier identifying a location a distance above the ground, the user profile including a user identifier code identifying a communicator device;

a weather analysis unit automatically and repeatedly comparing the user-defined parameters with at least one of real-time weather forecast data and weather data to generate an individualized weather forecast signal; and

a communication network receiving the user identifier codes and transmitting the individualized weather forecast signals to the communicator devices.

17. The broadcast network of claim 16 wherein the communication network transmits individualized weather forecast signals are transmitted to the particular communicator device via a mobile telephone network.

18. The broadcast network of claim 16 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a mobile phone.

19. The broadcast network of claim 16 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a pager.

20. The broadcast network of claim 16 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a laptop computer.

21. The broadcast network of claim 16 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identify a personal digital assistant.

22. A weather analysis system for selectively transmitting individualized weather forecast signals to at least one of a plurality of communicator devices remotely located from the broadcast network, the weather analysis system comprising:

a user input database containing a plurality of user-defined parameters with each of the user-defined parameters including a weather content identifier and a user profile, the user profile including a user identifier code identifying a communicator device;

a communicator location database containing real-time data indicative of the spatial locations of the communicator devices; and

a weather analysis unit automatically and repeatedly comparing the weather content identifier and the spatial locations with at least one of real-time weather forecast data and weather data to generate an individualized weather forecast signal including weather information.

23. The weather analysis system of claim 22 wherein the individualized weather forecast signals are transmitted to the particular communicator device via a mobile telephone network.

24. The weather analysis system of claim 22 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a mobile phone.

25. The weather analysis system of claim 22 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a pager.

26. The weather analysis system of claim 22 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a laptop computer.

27. The weather analysis system of claim 22 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a personal digital assistant.

28. The weather analysis system of claim 22, wherein the individualized weather forecast signal includes a video data signal.

29. The weather analysis system of claim 28, wherein the video data signal includes an data for creating an animated graphic.

30. The weather analysis system of claim 29, wherein the graphic file includes a .wav file.

31. A method of generating individualized weather forecast signals, comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of user-defined parameters by a user input database with at least two of the user-defined parameters including a weather content identifier and a user profile, each of the user profiles including a user identifier code identifying a communicator device;

receiving, from a communicator location database, data indicative of the real-time spatial locations of the communicator devices; and

comparing, automatically and continuously, the weather content identifier and the real-time spatial location with one of weather forecast data or weather data to generate a plurality of individualized weather forecast signals.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the individualized weather forecast signals are transmitted to the particular communicator device via a mobile telephone network.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a mobile phone.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a pager.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a laptop computer.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein at least one of the user identifier codes identifies a personal digital assistant.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of:

compiling a data set of a plurality of spatial locations based on at least one weather content identifier; and

outputting the data set to a vendor.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of:

compiling a data set of a plurality of user profiles based on at least one weather content identifier; and

outputting the data set to a vendor.