Abstract:
A portable computing device for displaying weather information. The device includes a transceiver configured to send and receive weather information, a display controller configured to generate a weather scene display including the weather information based on a received shaking input provide to the portable computing device and a display configured to present the generated weather scene display. The display controller is configured to display flitter configured to obscure the generated weather scene display during the receiving of the weather information and/or updating of the generated weather scene display.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/108,355, filed Oct. 24, 2008, and incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a device for reporting weather forecasts. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wireless device providing a simplified and graphically compelling forecast presentation. 
         [0003]    Snow globes are traditionally transparent hollow spheres containing a small sculpture, a clear liquid such as water or mineral oil, and small particles (flitter) that simulate snow. When the globe is shaken, the particles are agitated and swirl and fall in a manner simulating a snowstorm. 
         [0004]    The snow globe has a long history dating at least from the Paris Universal exposition of 1878. The snow globes versatility in depicting a snowstorm in animated fashion has delighted countless generations. The snow globe captures at once our innate interest in the phenomenon of weather and our fascination with the miniature scene rendered inviolate within a protective globe. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention uses the metaphor of a snow globe for the delivery of forecast weather. Using modern wireless data communication techniques and computerized graphics, the magic of the snow globe is reproduced with animated weather (not just snow) revealing the future forecast. 
         [0006]    One embodiment of the present invention relates to a portable computing device for displaying weather information. The device includes a transceiver configured to send and receive weather information, a display controller configured to generate a weather scene display including the weather information based on a received shaking input provide to the portable computing device and a display configured to present the generated weather scene display. The display controller is configured to display flitter configured to obscure the generated weather scene display during the receiving of the weather information and/or updating of the generated weather scene display. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention implemented on a portable phone or the like; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the components of the phone of  FIG. 1  including a microprocessor implementing a stored program connected to an accelerometer and wireless receiver; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart of the program implemented by the computer of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 4   a - c  are depictions of the snow globe on the screen of the device of  FIG. 2  at various stages in the program of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 5   a - c  are examples of different flitter patterns that may be used for different seasonal occurrences; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a figure showing division of the animated elements into planes useful for customizable scenes; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is an elevational cross section of a dedicated device for implementing the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the present invention may be implemented on a cell phone  10  including computing capabilities, for example, the Apple iPhone, commercially available from the Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. In this embodiment, a snow globe  12  is depicted graphically on a display screen  14  of the phone  10  to be activated by a shaking  16  of the phone. The shaking may be detected using accelerometer incorporated in the cell phone  10  as described below. 
         [0015]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the phone  10 , or a similar device suitable for use with the present invention, provides an accelerometer  18  communicating with a microcontroller  20  that may detect movement of the phone  10  to trigger a program  22  or one or more functions of program  22  contained in electronic memory within the microcontroller  20 . 
         [0016]    The microcontroller  20  may also communicate with a touchscreen  24  of a type known in the art allowing for both the display of the snow globe  12  and for the input of data by a user according to conventional touch techniques. Microcontroller  20  may also communicate with a battery  21  allowing portable use. The microcontroller  20  may also communicate with a wireless transceiver  26  having an antenna  29  for the exchange of data with an external network using a variety of communication standards including, for example, cell telephone standards protocols such as 3G and other wireless communication techniques such as those adhering to IEEE 802.11. 
         [0017]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the program  22 , when executed, may display a neutral scene as indicated by process block  25  and as shown in  FIG. 4   a  being a two-dimensional rendering of the typical snow globe. This neutral scene  26  may provide for static scene elements  28 , for example, a house and landscaping, and a neutral sky  30 . In one embodiment, the sky  30  and scene elements  28  may be rendered in low saturation and with flat lighting to accentuate the magic of their transformation into a live scene when the globe (the cell phone  10 ) is shaken. Upon activation of the program  22 , a wireless communication may occur using transceiver  26  to obtain forecast data and/or current weather conditions for a defined location. The location may be defined by the user to be the user&#39;s location or an arbitrary location. The location may be defined either using the device  10  or by means of a separate Internet connection with the remote weather server providing the weather data and storing user preferences and location information. A location of device  10 , when used as the defined location, may be deduced by geo-location techniques, for example, from GPS data, wireless server locations or cell phone tower addresses and triangulation techniques or the like. The location may also be manually entered by the user using an input function of phone  10  to define a city and state, a zip code, a latitude/longitude, etc. 
         [0018]    At process block  32 , a shaking input is detected above a certain magnitude by threshold comparison of the signal from the accelerometer (shown in  FIG. 2 ) upon which the program  22  proceeds to process block  34  at which the current date is evaluated (as available from the wireless transmitter  26  or an internal clock of device  10 ) to determine a season and an appropriate seasonal flitter  36  as will be described. According to an alternative embodiment, the shaking input may be received based on a touch screen input (i.e., a user may use a touch screen input of device  10  to “grab” scene  26  and move their finger back and forth to simulate the shaking of scene  26 .) 
         [0019]    Referring momentarily to  FIGS. 5   a - c,  in the winter, the flitter  36  may be snow, as is traditional; however, other flitters  36  may be used, for example leaves  36   a  for the fall, flowers  36   b  for the spring, dandelion seeds or grass clippings  36   c  for the summer, etc. Flitter  36  may be any graphical element selected based on a time of year, predicted, current and/or previous weather information, etc. and displayed within scene  26 . Flitter  36  may be generated using a plurality of flitter elements, wherein each element is configured to move within a defined space in accordance with defined flitter movement controls. The flitter movement controls may include a gradual settling of all of the flitter elements to a defined area of the scene  26 , a continuous, random swirling, concerted movement with other flitter elements, including collision detection, etc. The number of flitter elements are their movement may be selected dependent on the degree to which the underlying scene  26  is to be obscured, as described below. 
         [0020]    Flitter  36  may further be associated with a sound file configured to be played during the display of the flitter  36 . For example, the sound of blowing wind or rustling leaves may be configured to be played when leaves  36   a  are being displayed. The associated sound may be configurable by the user, such that the user can select one or more sound files that are stored on the device  10  to be associated with the displayed flitter  36 . 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 4   b , at process block  38 , the flitter is animated, for example by the playing of the pre-stored animated sequence or, in more advanced devices, by a three-dimensional procedural animation to obscure the scene  26  by a dense cloud of swirling flitter  36 . At this time, as indicated by process block  40 , a weather forecast or current weather condition is determined from a previous wireless communication to the transceiver  26  and a new rendering of the scene  26  and sky  30  is developed with appropriate weather related indicia  39 . This new scene  26  and sky  30  may be a pre-rendered animation keyed to the selected scene  26  or may be procedurally animated. However, downloading the data and preparing the scene may take a period of time, during which time, the flitter  36  may be configured to entirely obscure scene  26 . Once the new scene  26  and sky  30  are prepared, the flitter curtain is lowered, as indicated by process block  42 , to reveal the scene as shown in  FIG. 4   c . Lowering the flitter curtain may include gradually lessening the number of flitter elements (e.g., reducing the number of snowflakes being displayed), allowing the flitter elements to settled in a defined area of scene  26  (e.g., allowing snowflakes to settle to the bottom of scene  26 ), etc. The number of elements may be lowered until zero is reached or until a determined amount that will not significantly obscure scene  26  are displayed. The weather related indicia  39  depicted in the new scene  26  and sky  30  may include, for example, sky color, animated weather conditions including clouds and precipitation, seasonally appropriate indications of wind (moving leaves, etc.) in addition to alphanumeric descriptions of quantitative weather data including the date, temperature, precipitation amount, barometric pressure, wind direction, precipitation chance and the like. This latter data is added to the scene from the received weather information by text overlay or the like. The weather indicia and other features of the scene may optionally “bounce” when the snow globe is shaken a second time within a predetermined time. 
         [0022]    In the preferred embodiment, a variety of different scenes  28  may be selected by the user, for example downloaded in prerendered form, each representing a 3-D graphical model in which the flitter  36  is accurately animated using calculated physics and scene boundary detection to promote a realistic and dynamic view of swirling flitter  36 . 
         [0023]    In another preferred embodiment, the received and downloaded weather information may include current weather information, a weather forecast, etc. Program  22  may further be configured to provide an interface allowing a user to change the weather information being displayed. For example, the program  22  may be configured to change from a current weather display to a forecasted weather display, from a weather forecast for a first day to a weather forecast for a second day, etc. upon receiving an input from the user. 
         [0024]    Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the user may be allowed to insert, for example, a snapshot  44  for example of their own home or friends or family and to trim about the snapshot  44  to create one or more masks  46 . The flitter  36  in this case may be rendered as an animated swirling sequence  48   a  and  48   b  in planes that can be placed along the z-buffer axis of the graphics buffer flanking each of the masks  46  to promote a sense of three-dimensional flow of flitter about each of the masks  46 . 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , it will be understood that a dedicated weather forecasting snow globe  10 ′ can be produced using the same functional blocks as shown in  FIG. 2  but placing them in a conventional snow globe structure, for example, including a hemispherical lens  50  of the type used on a paperweight backed by a display screen  52  and backlight  54 . In this case the backlight intensity may be adjusted or turned off entirely until the globe is shaken. It will be understood that other display systems can be used, for example, those employing projections on rotating disks or screens or on a hemispherical back projection screen, or holographic techniques that are not commercially practical as yet but are technologically well within the understanding of those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0026]    It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It also being understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.