Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-05
2001-06-12
Nguyen, Lee (Department: 2683)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C455S414200, C455S457000, C340S990000, C701S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246958
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for processing information and apparatus and method for displaying image and, more particularly, relates to apparatus and method for processing information and apparatus and method for displaying image adapted such that date data retained in a database of the dates at which map data of various areas were registered therein are compared with date data corresponding to the map data retained in an apparatus utilized by the user and, on the basis of the comparison, the map data and the date data in the apparatus utilized by the user are each updated automatically.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, car navigation systems utilizing the GPS (Global Positioning System) in which a radio wave from a specific artificial satellite is received and the latitude and longitude of a position are calculated have come into wide use. There are many of types of such car navigation systems that read out map data of a specific area from a CD (Compact Disk)-ROM with map data recorded therein by playing back the same with the use of a CD-ROM drive and have the image of the map corresponding to the map data displayed thereon.
However, in order to use the latest map data when utilizing map data recorded in such a CD-ROM, it becomes necessary to buy from time to time the latest version of the CD-ROM with the map data recorded therein. Therefore, such problems arise that the cost therefor increases, the exchanging operation of the CD-ROM becomes necessary, and, even if a latest version is obtained, a certain time period has already elapsed for making up the CD-ROM at the time when it is released, namely, it is difficult to write the map data which were changed while a latest version of the CD-ROM was being manufactured into the latest version.
Accordingly, there is proposed a car navigation system which allows the latest map data to be read out from a specific map database center through a specific transmission medium. In this type of the car navigation system, map data designated by the user is read out from the map database center through, for example, a public telephone line, portable telephone, modem, and the like, and stored into memory.
By adapting such that the latest map data is read out from a specific map database center as described above, the operation for exchanging the CD-ROM can be eliminated. Further, by having the map data in the map database center updated when a change occurs in the map, the car navigation system is enabled, upon selection of such map data by the user, to read out the selected map data and, hence, it becomes possible to provide the car navigation system with more recent map data than that distributed by a CD-ROM.
However, if it is practiced that the map data designated by the user is read out from the map database and stored into memory, there arises a problem that such an operation must be performed every time as to select the map data of the area required by the user out of a huge map database covering the whole of the country.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention was made in view of the above described situation and it is an object of the invention, by having map data as well as the dates at which the map data were registered retained in a database and, further, storing map data and date data corresponding to the map data in a car navigation system, to update each of the map data and the date data in the car navigation system on the basis of results of comparison of date data in the car navigation system with date data in the database, in accordance with the map data and date data in the database, to thereby allow only outdated map data to be updated automatically without the need for the user to make complicate operations.
The apparatus for processing information set forth in claim
1
is characterized by comprising data retaining means for retaining N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and N pieces of date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered, receiving means for receiving a command making a demand for the map data of a specific area or the date data, and transmitting means for transmitting the map data or date data designated by the command.
The method for processing information set forth in claim
6
is characterized by comprising the steps of receiving a command making a demand for certain map data or date data out of N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and N pieces of date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered retained in a specific data retaining portion, and reading out the map data or date data designated by the command from the data retaining portion and transmitting the data.
The apparatus for displaying image set forth in claim
7
is characterized by comprising communication means for communicating with an apparatus for processing information retaining N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and N pieces of date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered, retaining means for retaining N pieces of map data and date data each thereof corresponding to each of the map data, display means for displaying an image corresponding to the map data retained in the data retaining means, and control means for controlling the communication means and data retaining means thereby selecting an area for which the date according to the date data in the apparatus for processing information is more recent than the date according to the date data in the data retaining means and updating each of the map data and the date data corresponding to the selected area in the data retaining means in accordance with the map data and date data corresponding to the selected area in the apparatus for processing information.
The method for displaying image set forth in claim
16
is characterized by comprising the steps of demanding the date data from an apparatus for processing information retaining N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered, receiving the date data transmitted from the apparatus for processing information, reading out date data from the data retaining portion, comparing the date according to the date data from the apparatus for processing information and the date according to the date data from the data retaining portion, demanding, from the apparatus for processing information, map data of an area with respect to which the date according to date data from the apparatus for processing information is more recent than the date according to date data from the data retaining portion, receiving the map data transmitted from the apparatus for processing information, updating the map data in the data retaining portion of the area corresponding to the received map data in accordance with the received map data, and updating the date data in the data retaining portion of the area corresponding to the received map data in accordance with the date data corresponding to the received map data.
In the apparatus for processing information set forth in claim
1
, data retaining means retains N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and N pieces of date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered, receiving means receives a command making a demand for the map data of a specific area or the date data, and transmitting means transmits the map data or date data designated by the command.
In the method for processing information set forth in claim
6
a command making a demand for certain map data or date data out of N pieces of map data corresponding to specific N areas and N pieces of date data each thereof representing the date at which the map data of each area was registered retained in a specific data retaining portion is received and the map data or date data designated by the command is read out from
Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP
Nguyen Lee
Nguyen Simon
Sony Corporation
LandOfFree
Apparatus and method for processing information and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus and method for processing information and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus and method for processing information and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2451389