Abstract:
A computer-implemented method of preparing live weather presentations including preparing a computer readable run-down describing graphical elements and associated data links inserting current weather data into the graphical elements to be used as a graphical portion of a live weather presentation. The method further includes, at first intervals, using the run-down to prepare an audiovisual live weather presentation by capturing at a first data rate, a live weather presenter describing and displaying graphical portions generated by the run-down augmented with current weather data at the first time, and to transmit the same in real time. The method yet further includes, at second intervals more frequent than the first intervals, using the run-down to prepare an audiovisual live weather presentation by capturing at a second data rate lower than the first data rate, a live weather presenter describing and displaying graphical portions generated by the run-down augmented with current weather data at the second time and to store the same on the web for access by users.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/049,947, filed May 2, 2008, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Live weather presentations, in which a live presenter explains graphical information related to current and predicted weather, for example, as seen on broadcast television stations, provide a convenient and enjoyable way of obtaining information about the weather. 
         [0003]    Such live weather presentations are labor intensive, requiring the cooperation of many trained individuals, including, for example, the presenter, meteorologists, cameramen, sound engineers, production engineers and the like to produce. The weather data provided by such live weather presentations can be current through the use of live weather data feeds; however, the decisions about the form of the presentation and programming of the presentation, in a so-called “run-down”, requires substantial advance planning and effort. 
         [0004]    Normally, a live weather presentation will include a sequence of graphical elements that are defined and listed in the run-down. For example, one simple graphical element may be a map showing high temperatures for the day. This graphical element requires run-down entries identifying the map graphic as well as locations of temperatures to be displayed on the map and links to live temperature data that will be supplied during the presentation. Animations, colors and segues and other graphical parameters related to the graphical elements must also be pre-programmed. 
         [0005]    With the increasing use of the Internet to obtain weather information, it would be desirable to be able to provide live weather presentations on a more frequent basis than is done by typical broadcasters. The cost of creating such presentations, however, normally limits Internet weather providers to rebroadcasting video recordings with stale weather data based on as few as three live weather presentations per day. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a weather graphics system suitable for generating graphics for broadcast-quality weather presentations that also may operate in a second mode permitting reuse of the graphic elements for less labor intensive desktop web broadcasts or the like. In this way, the demand for current live weather presentations can be satisfied with a flexible combination of standard broadcast type weather programs and simpler Web-type weather programs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a simplified representation of a broadcast live weather presentation employing the weather graphics system of the present invention in a first mode to create presentation graphics using a run-down program and live weather data, and a simplified desktop weather presentation employing the weather graphics system in a second mode to create a downloadable weather program suitable for uploading to the web and using the same run-down program and live weather data to produce; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a run-down file defining presentation graphics linked to current weather data; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the weather graphics system of  FIG. 1  showing the configurability of its elements in first and second modes for broadcast or web delivery of weather presentations; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  are screenshots showing one transition between a presenter image and weather graphic data suitable for a web broadcasts; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a timing diagram showing application of the present invention in generating rapidly updated live weather presentations. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the generation of a broadcast-quality live weather presentation involves multiple professionals  10   a - 10   d . Generally a weather presenter  10   a  is recorded by a sound engineer  10   b  using a broadcast-quality microphone  12  providing a signal to a soundboard  13  which provides processed sound to a production switcher  15  controlled by a production engineer  10   d.    
         [0013]    The weather presenter  10   a  may stand in front of a key wall  16  (e.g., green screen) to be filmed by a cameraman  10   c  using a high definition camera  14 . The camera  14  may provide a video signal to a chroma-keyer  17  and to the weather graphics system  20  of the present invention. 
         [0014]    The weather graphics system  20  may comprise a desktop type computer providing necessary graphics and sound cards to interface with the signals to be described. For a broadcast weather presentation, the weather graphics system  20  provides for weather graphics  64  in the form of a video signal to the production switcher  15  which may provide it to the chroma-keyer  17 . As is understood in the art, the chroma-keyer  17  replaces the image of the key wall  16  with the weather graphics  64  to present a composite video signal  27  showing the presenter  10   a  superimposed on the weather graphics  64 . 
         [0015]    The composite video signal  27  may be recorded by a recorder  29  and/or presented to a broadcast transmitter  31  for broadcast over the air or through a cable network system. 
         [0016]    The weather graphics system  20  executes a stored program  24  to generate weather graphics  64  based on a computer readable run-down  26  that is prepared in advance and provides a graphical script for the graphics portion of the weather presentation. Referring also to  FIG. 2 , the run-down  26  includes definitions of different graphic elements  28   a ,  28   b , for example, representing weather maps or the like. Each graphical element includes data link tags  34  which may, during the broadcast, be updated with live weather data  35  obtained from a weather data source  38 , for example via satellite or Internet linkage. The data link tags  34  indicate a source of the data and the location of representation of the data in the graphic element  28  as well as other visual properties such as formatting. In this way the weather graphics  64  may present the preprogrammed graphic elements  28 , for example the weather map, superimposed with live real-time weather data, for example, temperatures  63 . 
         [0017]    The graphic elements  28  may also define animation or various procedures that may be implemented by the presenter  10   a , for example, drawing lines or moving elements about the weather graphics  64  under commands received from a handheld queuing device  22  held by the presenter  10   a  transmitted through a receiver  23 . In addition, the presenter  10   a  may make use of the presenter&#39;s outstretched hand to indicate a location of the graphic effects wherein the tip of the presenter&#39;s outstretched hand provides a location of the effect and the handheld queuing device  22  selects among different effects and controls the timing of the effect. 
         [0018]    Various static data elements, for example, images may be referenced by the elements  28  through links to files stored on the weather graphics system  20 . The graphic elements  28  may further define, for example, text information for a crawler displayed at the bottom of the television screen during the weather program or other programming to indicate important weather conditions. 
         [0019]    Referring still to  FIG. 1 , the weather graphics system  20  with the program  24  and the same run-down  26  used in a first mode for a broadcast weather program may also be used in a second mode suitable for a broadcast prepared in a desktop environment. In this second mode, the presenter  10   a  may connect a keyboard  70 , mouse  71  and monitor  62  to the weather graphics system  20  together with a Web type camera  14 ′ and microphone  12 ′. The program  24  operating in the second mode allows the same run-down  26  to be used in this new environment. Generally the demands of the desktop environment production will be lower than that of a broadcast weather presentation and so the image quality and sound quality standards may be relaxed, however this is not a requirement of the invention. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the weather graphics system  20  operable in these two modes may be implemented with a graphics generating computing system controlled according to program  24  to implement a number of functional blocks and switching elements that will now be described. The functional blocks and switch elements may be implemented in software or any combination of hardware and software as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0021]    Generally the weather graphics system  20  implements a graphics engine  80  that may read a stored run-down  26  and weather data  35  associated with data link tags  34  in the run-down  26 , the weather data  35  obtained from the Internet or the like. 
         [0022]    In a first mode for studio use, weather graphics  64  generated by the graphics engine  80  are routed through a mode switch  82  which, in a first “broadcast mode”, provides weather graphics  64  to the video output  84  that may be connected to the production switcher  15  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). Control of the graphics engine  80  is provided by signals received from the receiver  23  routed through mode switch  82  to the graphics engine  80  and by a video signal from camera  14  routed by the mode switch  82  to a cursor control  86 . Cursor control  86  provides position signals derived from a location of the outstretched hand of the presenter  10   a  using, for example, MagicTRAK™ software available from WeatherCentral, Inc. of Madison, Wis. and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,820 “Method And Apparatus For Tracking A Pointing Device In A Video Field” hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0023]    In a second mode for web use, the mode switch is changed to a second state disconnecting the cursor control  86  from the video camera  14  and connecting the graphics engine  80  directly to the mouse  71  which provides both position information (normally provided by the cursor control  86 ) as the mouse  71  is moved on a surface and activation information (normally provided through receiver  23 ) by the mouse buttons. 
         [0024]    The weather graphics  64  of the graphics engine  80  is routed by mode switch  82  to a first throw of a video switch  90 , the second throw of which connects to camera  14 ′. The keyboard  70  activates the video switch  90  (preferably by tapping the spacebar) causing the output of the video switch  90  to provide either a live image of the presenter  10   a  taken by camera  14 ′ or the weather graphics  64  generated by the graphics engine  80 . This switched signal is sent to an audio summer  92  which receives a signal from the microphone  12 ′ for continuous audio regardless of whether a live image of the presenter  10   a  or weather graphics  64  are being used. 
         [0025]    The video from the video switch  90  connects to the computer monitor  60  for viewing by the presenter  10   a  and also connects by an output switch  94  (controllable by input parameters entered by the presenter  10   a  at the start of a recording session) to a storage device such as a hard disk  96  storing a video file  98  for uploading through Internet port  100  to a Web server or the like. Alternatively (or in addition) the output switch  94  may route the video signal to the video output  84  for use in actual broadcast. 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , using the keyboard  70 , the presenter  10   a  may switch between an image  102  of the presenter  10   a  shown on computer monitor  60  and the weather graphics  64 . In one embodiment the image  102  may be provided as an inset in the weather graphics  64  when the weather graphics  64  are displayed on the computer monitor  60 . In either case, weather graphics  64  and a presenter image  102  may be integrated without a chroma-keyer. 
         [0027]    The dual-mode operation of the program  24  permits use of a single run-down  26  prepared for a standard broadcast weather presentation in augmenting weather presentations using the same run-down but having updated weather data so that the production costs may be controlled. By sharing files and hardware, and by relaxing production values as is appropriate for different delivery mechanisms, a much higher updating rate of live weather presentations with current weather data may be provided as well as a more detailed review of the weather data. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , in a typical application, a run-down  26  will be prepared as indicated by process block  42  and used to prepare a broadcast weather broadcast  44 . At a later time, a new run-down  26  may be prepared as indicated by process block  50  and used for a second live broadcast  48 . Generally, the interval  46  between these broadcasts  44  and  48  may represent an early evening and late evening broadcast or a morning broadcast and evening broadcast. 
         [0029]    The run-down  26  prepared at process block  42  may also be used for a series of webcasts  52 ,  54 ,  56  having an interval  62  that may be less than interval  46  permitting multiple webcasts  52 - 58 , for example, to occur between regular broadcasts  44  and  48 . When a new run-down  26  is prepared at process block  50  it may be used for webcast  58  preceding regular broadcast  48 . 
         [0030]    This greatly simplified production, available when the weather graphics system  20  is used in the second mode, permits webcasts  52 - 58  to be repeated at a much higher update interval than can be obtained from broadcast-quality standards and yet in a manner that is fully acceptable to consumers. Further, in emergency situations presenter  10   a  may prepare weather presentation using the webcast style format for broadcast. Thus the webcast format should not be understood to be limited to webcasting but can be used, in fact, for broadcasting as noted above. During these web broadcasts, the graphic elements  28  may be described in more detail by the presenter  10   a , as the Web permits a greater time allotment to conveying weather information. Further, the run-down  26  may include both shared elements and elements only used in the webcasts  52 - 58 . 
         [0031]    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.