Method and system for generating and sending user-centric weather alerts

• US 7,084,775 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: User-Centric IP, L.P. (Locator IP LP)
• Original Assignee: User-Centric IP, L.P. (Locator IP LP)
• Inventors: Smith, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Jr., Thomas J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUGG, GEORGE A
• Application Number:
  US10/887,854
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• 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 meteorological alert system for mobile devices and users that includes a weather information service for analyzing meteorological data, generating device-specific weather alerts and transmitting the alerts to a set of relevant devices is disclosed. The processing system may be built into existing wireless service provider infrastructure or consist of a standalone component capable of interacting with wireless services. The weather alerts and information transmitted to users may be based specifically on each mobile device'"'"'s particular location and focuses maps and diagrams on the device as a central reference point. Alerts may be sent automatically based on continually monitored weather hazard information as well as based on continually or regularly monitored device locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sending location-specific alerts to a plurality of mobile devices having wireless communications capabilities, comprising:

receiving at a weather information service, location data for a plurality of mobile devices, wherein each location data substantially uniquely identifies a single mobile device;

receiving at the weather information service, meteorological information corresponding to a geographical area in which the plurality of mobile devices are located;

determining whether a weather alert should be issued based on the received meteorological information and, if so, determining a geographic boundary of the weather alert;

comparing the location data for each of the plurality of mobile devices to the geographic boundary of the weather alert to determine a first set of zero or more mobile devices that are located within the boundary of the weather alert;

comparing the weather alert to user profile information corresponding to each mobile device in the first set of mobile devices to determine a second set of zero or more mobile devices whose user profiles indicate that the weather alert should be received by the mobile device; and

generating a device specific weather alert for each mobile device in the second set of mobile devices;

for each device specific weather alert, sending the device specific weather alert to the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location data comprises user movement information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the meteorological information comprises weather movement information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic boundary of the weather alert comprises a geographic boundary based on a projected location of a weather condition to which the weather alert corresponds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises the weather information service determining that an alert should be sent based on a combination of received meteorological data, each of which individually would not otherwise result in the alert.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the alert comprises a heat index alert, and the combination of received meteorological data comprises temperature data and humidity data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a geographic boundary comprises adding a predefined buffer distance to a boundary of a received GIS warning.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predefined buffer distance is a default buffer distance.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predefined buffer distance is based on user profile information corresponding to each mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying radar data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying lightning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying GIS warning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further comprises generating a text warning based on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

14. A system for sending location-based alert information to a plurality of mobile devices having wireless communication capabilities, comprising:

a wireless service provider that provides a wireless communications network through which a plurality of mobile devices communicate, wherein the wireless service provider can determine a substantially unique location of each of the plurality of mobile devices based on their connectivity to the wireless communications network; and

a weather information service that receives and analyzes meteorological information from one or more meteorological information sources,

wherein the weather information service comprises one or more data processing devices storing computer executable instructions that, when executed;

receives location data for each of the plurality of mobile devices from the wireless service provider;

determines whether a weather alert should be issued based on the received meteorological information and, if so, determining a geographic boundary of the weather alert;

compares the location data for each of the plurality of mobile devices to the geographic boundary of the weather alert to determine a first set of zero or more mobile devices that are located within the boundary of the weather alert;

comparing the weather alert to user profile information corresponding to each mobile device in the first set of mobile devices to determine a second set of zero or more mobile devices whose user profiles indicate that the weather alert should be received by the mobile device; and

generating a device specific weather alert for each mobile device in the second set of mobile devices;

for each device specific weather alert, sending the device specific weather alert to the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying radar data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the generating step further comprises generating a weather alert based on a projected location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the geographic boundary of the weather alert comprises a geographic boundary based on a projected location of a weather condition to which the weather alert corresponds.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the determining step further comprises the weather information service determining that an alert should be sent based on a combination of received meteorological data, each of which individually would not otherwise result in the alert.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the alert comprises a heat index alert, and the combination of received meteorological data comprises temperature data and humidity data.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein determining a geographic boundary comprises adding a predefined buffer distance to a boundary of a received GIS warning.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the predefined buffer distance is a default buffer distance.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the predefined buffer distance is based on user profile information corresponding to each mobile device.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying lightning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying GIS warning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the generating step further comprises generating a text warning based on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the weather information service comprises a third party external to the wireless service provider.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein the weather information service is internal to the wireless service provider.

28. The system of claim 14, further comprising a shared location database for storing the location data of each of the mobile devices, wherein the shared location database is accessible by each of the wireless service provider and the weather information service.

29. A method for alerting a plurality of mobile devices of a hazardous condition, comprising the steps of:

receiving hazard information from one or more information sources;

determining a geographic area for which to generate an alert based on the received hazard information;

comparing a location of each of the plurality of mobile devices to determine a first set of zero or more mobile devices located within the determined geographic area;

analyzing a user profile of each of the mobile devices in the first set of mobile devices to determine a second set of zero or more mobile devices to receive the alert; and

generating a device-specific alert for each mobile device of the second set of mobile devices; and

transmitting each device-specific alert to its corresponding mobile device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving meteorological information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving biological hazard information.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving chemical hazard information.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying radar data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying lightning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the generating step further comprises overlaying GIS warning data on a base map centered on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the generating step further comprises generating a text warning based on the location of the mobile device to which the device specific weather alert corresponds.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein each devices-specific alert comprises a visual representation of the position of an inclement weather condition in relation to the mobile device to which the device specific alert corresponds.