Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-08
2001-01-23
Hofsass, Jeffery A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C702S003000, C342S02600R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06177873
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to weather warning systems and, more particularly, to a weather radio apparatus and method for providing notification of weather-related events according to geographical and weather warning parameters that are defined by a user.
2. Background Art
Interest in weather-related events has dramatically increased during recent years with the advent of high-quality satellite and radar imaging systems, and their increased ability to accurately forecast future weather events. Currently, weather messages are continuously broadcast through a special weather radio signal on the VHF band, ranging between 162.400 and 162.550 MHZ, which is outside the normal AM and FM broadcast bands. This special radio signal is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Special weather radios must be used in order to receive these types of weather broadcasts. Weather messages are repeated every 4 to 6 minutes and are routinely updated every one to six hours, or more often when rapidly changing weather conditions are present. The weather broadcasts may also include severe weather warnings that pose a threat to life and safety. When emergency situations occur, a special signal is broadcast from a regional office. Weather radios detect this signal and typically respond by sounding an alarm indicating that a weather alert has been issued. The user can then turn on the radio and listen to the voice broadcast of the warning. In one advanced alerting system known as “Specific Area Message Encoding” (SAME) made available by NOAA, digital coding is used to activate special receivers that have been programmed to broadcast emergency conditions in a particular geographic area, typically a county. In specially equipped radios and cable television receivers that can read the digital encoded signal, a short text message that identifies location and type of emergency can be displayed.
One weather radio that takes advantage of the SAME alerting system is known as the “RadioShack 7-Channel Weatheradio with NWR-SAME Severe-Weather Alert.” This radio receives and processes the digital coding provided by NOAA for preselected counties by inputting county codes through a keypad. This radio may be set to sound an alarm when the National Weather Bureau issues a weather warning, watch, or statement for the selected county codes. The radio may also be set so it does not sound an alarm. A visual indication of the type of weather alert being broadcast is also provided. Although this radio is programmed to sound audibly distinct tones for weather warnings and statements, persons may be awakened many times from sleep during the night for special weather statements that are not life threatening. There is thus a tendency to turn off the alarm during normal sleeping hours and risk the danger of missing more severe weather conditions, such as tornado watches and warnings, especially if an alert has already woken the user due to less severe conditions.
Another type of weather warning system is provided by Data Transmission Network Corporation (DTN) of Omaha, Nebr. In this system, emergency weather information is sent directly to an alpha-numeric pager. Information such as weather watches, warnings and storm movement, local weather updates twice daily for an eight-county area, severe weather watches and warnings, dense fog advisories, winter storm watches and warnings, highway watches and warnings, freezing precipitation advisories, and avalanche bulletins are available in alpha-numeric format. In addition, an audible alarm may also be provided on the pager to signal certain weather events.
Although these systems provide severe weather warnings and local weather updates at recurring intervals, they respond to all issued weather alerts, including alerts that are not life threatening. The effect is not only disrupting, but may also reduce the effectiveness of the system because alerts can become too commonplace and therefore may go unheeded.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
According to the present invention, a weather warning apparatus and associated method notifies a user when weather alerts are issued according to geographical areas of interest and weather notification parameters that are set by the user. The weather warning apparatus includes a communication link for receiving transmitted weather alerts, such as weather warnings, watches and statements, civil emergencies, and the like. The weather warning apparatus also includes a user interface for selecting geographic areas of interest and weather notification parameters, such as weather events that may be of interest to a user at a desired time of day or time interval. The user's selection of geographic area and weather notification parameters allows the weather warning apparatus to filter out unwanted weather alerts that are outside of the desired geographic area, type of weather event notification, time or time interval. In addition, the user can independently select whether the events of interest in the geographic region of interest at the appropriate times create an audible warning, a visual warning, or both.
There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter which will form the subject matter of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the preferred embodiments may readily be used as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions since they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
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Hofsass Jeffery A.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Martin Derek P.
Martin & Associates L.L.C.
Tweel , Jr. John
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