Patent ID: 7769494

Claim:
A method for automatically adjusting the amount of water supplied by a water timer, the water timer of the type comprising a user interface, a controller coupled to the user interface and programmed to provide control signals for controlling a plurality of flow control devices, each flow control device capable of controlling the passage of water from a water source to a watering zone, the method comprising: choosing a time of day on a base day; sensing, at said chosen time of day on said base day, a base ambient temperature and providing a base ambient temperature signal to the controller; sensing, at said chosen time of day on said base day, a base ambient humidity and providing a base ambient humidity signal to the controller, the humidity is expressed as a percentage from 0% to 100%; subsequently sensing a current ambient temperature and providing a current ambient temperature signal to the controller; subsequently sensing a current ambient humidity and providing a current ambient humidity signal to the controller; the subsequently sensing steps being carried out on at least one day following the base day at a time corresponding to said chosen time of day; and modifying control signals, thereby modifying watering amounts, according to the base and current ambient temperature signals and the base and current ambient humidity signals, the control signals modifying step: decreases the watering amount according to an amount equal to X times any amount the ambient humidity, expressed as a percentage, is greater than the base humidity; increases the watering amount according to an amount equal to Y times any amount the ambient humidity, expressed as a percentage, is less than the base humidity; decreases the watering amount according to an amount L, expressed as a percentage, times any amount the ambient temperature is less than the base temperature; and increases the watering amount according to an amount G, expressed as a percentage, times any amount the ambient temperature is greater than the base temperature.