Weather forecasts based on expected location

• US 9,851,471 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Praun, Emil, Guggemos, James A., Gultekin, Gokay Baris, Stamm, Tom Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US14/592,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area

Abstract

A computing system is described that can automatically provide weather forecast information to a user based on the user'"'"'s expected future location. In some embodiments, the methods can include predicting a future location of a user and storing the future location in the memory, fetching weather forecast information associated with the future location of the user, and outputting, to a mobile device associated with the user, the weather forecast information associated with the future location of the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a location history associated with a computing device;

identifying, from the location history associated with the computing device, locations visited by a user of the computing device and respective visit times associated with each of the locations;

determining, based on the locations visited by the user and the respective visit times, a travel pattern associated with the user;

generating, by a computing system, based at least in part on the travel pattern, a probabilistic model configured to predict where the user of the computing device is likely to be at future times;

determining, by a computing system, using the probabilistic model, a future time at which a user of the computing device is predicted to engage in an outdoor activity;

responsive to determining the future time at which the user of the computing device is predicted to engage in the outdoor activity, retrieving, by the computing system, from a weather information source, a predicted weather forecast for a location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time;

determining, by the computing system, one or more differences between usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity and the predicted weather forecast for the location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time;

determining whether at least one of the one or more differences satisfy a threshold; and

responsive to determining that at least one of the one or more differences satisfies the threshold, automatically sending, by the computing system, to the computing device and prior to the future time, notification data based on the predicted weather forecast.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the future time further comprises:

identifying, by the computing system, based on a calendar entry associated with the user, a time of an event associated with the outdoor activity; and

determining, by the computing system, that the future time corresponds to the time of the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the future time further comprises:

identifying, by the computing system, based on one or more communications, a time of an event associated with the outdoor activity; and

determining, by the computing system, that future time corresponds to the time of the event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more communications include at least one e-mail communication including information indicative of a travel reservation of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing system, average weather conditions associated with the location associated with the outdoor activity over a period of time as the usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing system, from the weather information source, current weather forecast for a current location of the computing device at a current time;

determining, by the computing system, at least one difference between the current weather forecast for the current location at the current time with the predicted weather forecast; and

responsive to determining that the at least one difference satisfies the threshold, automatically sending, by the computing system, to the computing device, the notification data, wherein the notification data is further based on the at least one difference.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing system, based on historical weather data for the location associated with the outdoor activity and at least one of a same time of day as the future time or a same time of year as the future time, the usual weather conditions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the historical weather data is average weather data for the location associated with the outdoor activity and the at least one of the same time of day as the future time or the same time of year as the future time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicted weather forecast is automatically retrieved from the weather information source and stored by the computing system in response to determining, by the computing system, that the future time is within a particular time period of the future time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the notification data based on the predicted weather forecast is automatically sent within the particular time period of the future time without requiring the user to provide inputs at the computing device to search for weather information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular time period of the future time is at least one day.

12. A computing system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

maintain a location history associated with a computing device;

identify, from the location history associated with the computing device, locations visited by a user of the computing device and respective visit times associated with each of the locations;

determine, based on the locations visited by the user and the respective visit times, a travel pattern associated with the user;

generate, based at least in part on the travel pattern, a probabilistic model configured to predict where the user of the computing device is likely to be at future times;

determine, using the probabilistic model, a future time at which a user of the computing device is predicted to engage in an outdoor activity;

responsive to determining the future time at which the user of the computing device is predicted to engage in the outdoor activity, retrieve, from a weather information source, a predicted weather forecast for a location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time;

determine one or more differences between usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity and the predicted weather forecast for the location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time; and

determine whether at least one of the one or more differences satisfy a threshold;

responsive to determining that at least one of the one or more differences satisfies the threshold, automatically send, to the computing device and prior to the future time, notification data based on the predicted weather forecast.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine the future time by at least:

identifying, based on a calendar entry associated with the user, a time of an event associated with the outdoor activity; and

determining, that the future time corresponds to the time of the event.

14. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine the future time by at least:

identifying, based on one or more communications, a time of an event associated with the outdoor activity; and

determining, that future time corresponds to the time of the event.

15. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

determine average weather conditions associated with the location associated with the outdoor activity over a period of time as the usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, configure one or more processors of a computing system to:

maintain a location history associated with a computing device;

identify, from the location history associated with the computing device, locations visited by a user of the computing device and respective visit times associated with each of the locations;

determine, based on the locations visited by the user and the respective visit times, a travel pattern associated with the user;

generate, based at least in part on the travel pattern, a probabilistic model configured to predict where the user of the computing device is likely to be at future times;

determine, using the probabilistic model, a future time at which a user of the computing device is predicted to engage in an outdoor activity;

responsive to determining the future time at which the user of the computing device is predicted to engage in the outdoor activity, retrieve, from a weather information source, a predicted weather forecast for a location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time;

determine one or more differences between usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity and the predicted weather forecast for the location associated with the outdoor activity at the future time;

determining whether at least one of the one or more differences satisfy a threshold; and

responsive to determining that at least one of the one or more differences satisfies the threshold, automatically send, to the computing device and prior to the future time, notification data based on the predicted weather forecast.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising further instructions that, when executed, configure the one or more processors of the computing system to:

determine average weather conditions associated with the future location over a period of time as the usual weather conditions associated with the outdoor activity.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising further instructions that, when executed, configure the one or more processors of the computing system to:

receive, from the weather information source, current weather forecast for a current location of the computing device at a current time;

determine at least one difference between the current weather forecast for the current location at the current time with the predicted weather forecast; and

responsive to determining that the at least one difference satisfies the threshold, automatically send, to the computing device, the notification data, wherein the notification data is further based on the at least one difference.