Weather Central, Inc.

Wsi Corporation

Other

Weather Central Holdings, Inc.

Myweather, LLC

Twc Patent Trust Llt

Victor W Marsh

Terence F Kelly

John S Moore

Richard T Daly

Randall T Wiggins

Benjamin T Zimmerman

Grant H Brohm

Brett A Wilt

Christopher W Kelly

Kevin E Baird

David N Erickson

Mark Spychalla

William H Boss

A virtual three-dimensional presentation in accordance with the present invention includes three stereoscopic layers, a stereoscopic background layer, a stereoscopic video insert layer, and a stereoscopic three-dimensional foreground layer. A surface, the Z-sphere, is defined in the virtual three-dimensional space of the three-dimensional scene with reference to the aim point, the distance between the cameras, and the distance from the camera of the video scene, of a virtual stereoscopic camera looking at the three-dimensional scene being created. The separation of the virtual stereoscopic camera lens and distance to the aim point are set based on the stereoscopic cameras that are creating the video insert layer. The stereoscopic three-dimensional foreground layer scene may include a key which defines the transparency of objects in the foreground layer. The stereoscopic video insert layer may be generated by positioning a presenter, or other object, in a chroma-key set which is captured with a stereoscopic camera. The stereoscopic video insert layer may be distorted before being composited with the background and foreground such that elements of the stereoscopic video appear to move across a three-dimensional floor of the stereoscopic three-dimensional scene.

System and method for generating three dimensional presentations

A computer-implemented method for presenting information includes a plurality of graphics that can be presented in an order determined by a presenter during the presentation. The method includes creating a presentation including a plurality of graphics, each graphic including at least one of static images, animations and video, wherein the graphics can be displayed in an order determined by the presenter during the presentation through selection of a launch area, tracking a presenter during presentation of the presentation to determine a location of the presenter's hand, and receiving a selection from the presenter during the presentation of the presentation indicating a selection of one of the multiple launch area graphics to be displayed, allowing the presenter to present the plurality of graphics in any order.

System and method for presenting a dynamically ordered presentation

An apparatus for tracking a pointing device in use by a foreground subject in a sequence of video fields having a foreground component and a background component, where the pointing device is the leftmost or rightmost object within the foreground component. The apparatus determines the boundaries of a cropped video field within each of the video fields and determines a pixel value and scan line representing the leftmost and rightmost positions of the foreground subject and pointing device for that cropped video field. The apparatus determines the centerline of the foreground subject for each cropped video field, and using the centerline, determines whether the pointing device is on the right side of the cropped video field or the left side of the cropped video field. The position of the pointing device is stored after receipt of a signal generated by the foreground subject.

Apparatus and method for tracking the location of a pointing element in a cropped video field

A system and method for presenting lightning strike information in a manner so as to be easily understood and appreciated by viewers of televised weather report presentations and the like. Lightning strike information is displayed with a marker and textual indication of the lightning strike location in a viewer friendly format, e.g., a street address. Lightning strike data from a lightning strike data source is filtered to select individual lightning strikes to be displayed and processed to obtain the viewer friendly lightning strike location information to be presented overlaid on a geographic map or satellite image background. Personalized lighting strike information indicating the distance of a lighting strike from a viewer location of interest may be generated and provided directly to individual viewers via the interne, cellular phones, and/or other wired or wireless communication channels.

System and method for presenting lightning strike information

A computer-implemented method for generating a weather index mapped to a road segment for a particular time frame includes receiving weather condition information for a plurality of time periods, parsing the weather condition information to determine weather conditions for a road segment defined by a starting point and an ending point for the plurality of time periods, and generating a plurality of weather indices for the road segment. Each weather index is associated with one of the plurality of time periods and is representative of a predicted traffic impact based on historical information of the received weather conditions for the road segment. The plurality of time periods includes at least one future time period and the weather condition information includes forecasted weather information.

System and method for weather mapping to road segments

A computer-implemented method of defining and presenting a presentation including a plurality of scenes and a presenter appearing in the scenes. The method includes defining a first scene including a geographic background, receiving geographic location information and remote video and/or data information from a remote site, and defining within the first scene a launch area within the geographic background corresponding to the geographic location information. The method further includes associating a destination scene with the defined launch area. The method yet further includes displaying the destination scene in place of the first scene when the presenter provides a scene change signal with the pointing element located at the defined launch area in the first scene, wherein the destination scene displayed is a background scene generated based on remote video and/or data information received from the remote site.

Scene launcher system and method using geographically defined launch areas

A system and method for presenting wind speed information in a manner so as to be easily understood and appreciated by viewers of televised weather report presentations and the like. Wind speed information is presented as a planar representation of three-dimensional wind speed data using contour lines, delineating areas with a planar location in the three dimensional data, overlaid on a geographic map display either alone, or in combination with radar reflectivity information. Wind velocity information received from a weather radar system, such as NEXRAD, relative to the weather radar is converted to absolute wind speed information for display.

System and method for presenting wind speed information in a planar representation

A system and method for presenting lightning strike information in a manner so as to be easily understood and appreciated by viewers of televised weather report presentations. Lightning strike information is displayed with a marker and textual indication of the lightning strike location in a viewer friendly format. Lightning strike data from a lightning strike data source is filtered to select individual lightning strikes to be displayed and processed to obtain the viewer friendly lightning strike location information to be presented overlaid on a geographic map or satellite image background. Personalized lightning strike information indicating the distance of a lightning strike from a viewer location of interest may be generated and provided directly to individual viewers via the internet, cellular phone, and/or other wired or wireless communication channels.

A system and method for defining and presenting a presentation, e.g., a televised weather report presentation, including a plurality of computer or other generated scenes in which a live on-screen presenter appears as part of the presentation and controls scene sequence and timing in a non-linear manner. A plurality of launch areas are defined for scenes of the presentation. Each launch area has associated therewith a destination scene and, preferably, an indicator icon. During the presentation the location of a pointing element controlled by the on-screen presenter, e.g., the presenter's hand, is tracked, and the indicator icon displayed when the pointing element is moved into a position in space corresponding to a defined launch area. With the pointing element thus positioned, the on-screen presenter operates a communication device to indicate that a new scene corresponding to the launch area is to be displayed.

Scene launcher system and method for weather report presentations and the like

A system and method for presenting wind speed information in a manner so as to be easily understood and appreciated by viewers of televised weather report presentations and the like. Wind speed information is presented as two or three-dimensional wind speed contour lines, delineating geographic areas corresponding to different wind speeds, overlaid on a geographic map display either alone, or in combination with radar reflectivity information. Wind velocity information received from a weather radar system, such as NEXRAD, relative to the weather radar is converted to absolute wind speed information for display.

System and method for presenting wind speed information

A system and method for generating and delivering to users combined personalized traffic and weather report and alerts including forecast traffic and weather conditions. A user defines a travel route of interest and alert conditions. Based on current weather information, weather forecast information, current traffic information, and forecast traffic conditions a combined traffic and weather report for the user specified route is generated and delivered to the user via the internet and/or a wireless communications channel. The combined report may include a graphic display on a map background showing traffic conditions with a graphic representation of weather conditions overlaid thereon along with a tabular representation of traffic and weather conditions including forecast traffic and weather conditions for a plurality of future time periods. Alerts are generated and delivered when the traffic and weather alert conditions are satisfied.

Combined personalized traffic and weather report and alert system and method

A system and method for generating weather reports and the like which are precisely computed automatically for a particular individual user's geographic location, e.g., home or work, and which are provided to the individual user in both graphical and textual format in a user interactive manner. A personalized weather report presentation in accordance with the present invention may include a tabular presentation of a plurality of forecast weather conditions for the user location of interest throughout a day, along with a linked graphical representation of at least one of those weather conditions overlaid on a map centered at the user location of interest. Under user control, the user may select the time of the forecast weather conditions shown in the graphical portion of the presentation.

System and method for presenting personalized weather information and the like

A system and method for generating storm warnings which are precisely tailored automatically for a particular individual or business user's geographic location of interest. The user establishes an individualized user profile, in which the user may define a particular location of interest and a contact address to which a personalized storm warning is to be delivered. The user may also establish a storm profile defining characteristics of a storm for which the user desires a storm warning to be provided. A detailed and accurate storm track is generated. Generated storm tracks are compared to individual user profiles. Personalized storm warnings are generated for user profiles defining locations of interest within a predicted storm track, if the storm track characteristics of the storm meet the characteristics specified in the storm profile established by the user, and may be delivered to users via e-mail, cell phone, pager, etc.

System and method for providing personalized storm warnings

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. A detailed and accurate weather forecasting model is run to provide high geographic and temporal resolution forecast data. 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.

System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like

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.

Growing community of inventors

Fitchburg, WI, United States of America

Victor W Marsh