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Interactive advisory systemRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement, Operations Research, Allocating Resources Or Scheduling For An Administrative Function, Staff Scheduling Or Task AssignmentInteractive advisory system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070192159, Interactive advisory system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/035,654, filed on Jan. 14, 2005. The entire contents of 11/035,654 is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] Not applicable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] During recent years, the demand for detailed information, such as for example weather information, has risen sharply. Personal computers and communication devices have increased the demand for more information because of their power to gather, manipulate, transmit and receive data. As a result, specialized information and value-added services are in great demand. End users no longer desire to gather, manipulate and evaluate raw data. For instance, nowhere is this condition more apparent than with weather services across North America. [0004] Years ago, radio and television broadcasters recognized an increasing demand for weather information from their audience, and thus increased the number of on-air weather segments as a means for increasing market ranking. Today, the demand for specific content in weather information has exceeded the ability of broadcasters to meet this demand. Virtually every facet of business and personal activities are continually influenced by the weather, good or bad. [0005] In the United States as in most countries, a governmental agency (the National Weather Service in the United States), has the primary responsibility of generating weather products for the general public. These products, such as advisories, statements, and forecasts are generated and made available to third parties, such as broadcasters, newspapers, internet web sites, paging companies and others who, in turn, distribute them to the public. However, this chain of data custody is one way. [0006] Today's lifestyles are fast-paced and sophisticated. Requests for detailed weather information for specific applications outnumber the governments' ability to process them. However, adhering to their mandated responsibility, the National Weather Service generates the general products for public consumption twice daily. This condition forces the public to interpret general and outdated advisories to meet their needs. Often, this interpretation is made erroneously. Even worse, these products are usually regional or national in scope, and may not apply to a particular location where various local activities are underway. [0007] By way of example, weather warnings are broadcast by radio stations across the United States. These warnings identify certain weather impacts within a specified area. In most cases, the warning area includes one or more counties, covering dozens to hundreds of square miles. Most often, these threats (such as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, etc.), only impact a very small zone within the warning area. These threats also move rapidly. As impacts approach specific zones, they are in fact, moving away from other zones, inside the total warning area. Essentially, the existing reporting system is insufficient to specifically identify and adequately warn of personal risk. Furthermore, if the threat is imminent, the existing system cannot and does not provide preventive measures for each user near or at the threat. Thus, by default, distant or unaffected users are placed "on alert" unnecessarily when the threat may be moving away from their location. [0008] Another common example further clarifies the problem. A family, excited to attend the championship softball game this upcoming weekend, closely monitors the local weather forecast. All week-long the forecast has advised fair to partly cloudy weather for game day. Early on game day, the forecast changes to partly cloudy, with a thirty percent chance for late afternoon showers. The family decides to attend the game, believing that the chances for rain are below their perceived risk level. Unknown to the family at midday, some clusters of showers are intensifying, and will place dangerous lightning over the game field. While the morning weather report was not completely inaccurate, the participants and spectators are exposed to risk. If later asked, it is likely the family members did not hear or remember the weather forecast. They also failed to link their limited knowledge of the weather to their own needs and risk exposure. They did not monitor changing weather events. Most likely, they had no ability to monitor developing risk at the game. Clearly, these people were forced to interpret outdated, limited information as applied to their specific application. [0009] Therefore, a need exists for a system to automatically and continuously provide consumer customized reports, advisories, alerts, forecasts and warnings relevant to a consumer-defined level of need or dynamic spatial location. It is to such a system that the present invention is directed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The present invention provides an interactive advisory system and method of delivering individualized information. One embodiment relates to a method of generating individualized real-time weather and environmental data A plurality of user profiles, with at least two user profiles identifying communicator device, designated locations and identifications of pre- determined weather and environmental sensors associated with the designated locations, are received. Weather and environmental information as well as sensor data from the pre-determined weather and environmental sensor data is analyzed to generate individualized weather and environmental output signals. The weather and environmental output signals are transmitted to communicator devices identified in the user profiles. [0011] Another embodiment relates to a method for collecting real-time road condition information. Weather and environmental sensors are mounted in various locations along a roadway. A weather analysis unit receives weather or environmental condition information from the sensors. The weather and environmental condition information is used to generate individualized weather and environmental output signals. The signals are transmitted to communicator devices identified in user profiles. [0012] Another embodiment relates to providing individualized and localized real-time weather and environmental data. Weather and environmental sensors are placed in predetermined locations within a spatial range associated with each sensor. Weather or environmental condition information within the spatial range of the sensors is received. The weather or environmental information is analyzed based on monitoring characteristics with a user profile. An individualized weather and environmental output signal is generated and transmitted to a communicator device. [0013] Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following detailed description is read in view of the attached drawings and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interactive weather advisory system constructed in accordance with the present invention. [0015] FIG. 2 is a coordinate system illustrating a spatial location identifier and a spatial range identifier utilized by versions of the present invention. [0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an interactive advisory system constructed in accordance with the present invention. [0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an interactive weather advisory system constructed in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018] Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1 shown therein in block diagram form, is one embodiment of the invention in the form of an interactive weather advisory system constructed in accordance with the present invention. The weather advisory system 8 is provided with a broadcast network 10 for selectively transmitting individualized weather output signals to remote communicator devices 11. The broadcast network 10 includes a weather analysis unit 12, a user input database 14, a communicator location database 16, and a communication network 20. The weather analysis unit 12 receives real-time weather data from a weather information database 21. The weather information database 21 can be located at the broadcast network 10, or remotely from the broadcast network 10. The weather analysis unit 12, the user input database 14, the communicator location database 16, the weather information database 21, and the communication network 20, interrelate and communicate via signal paths 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32. Continue reading about Interactive advisory system... Full patent description for Interactive advisory system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Interactive advisory system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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