Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Determination of travel data based on the start point and...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-31
2001-11-20
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Determination of travel data based on the start point and...
C701S209000, C701S211000, C340S995190, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321158
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a new Integrated Routing/Mapping Information System (IRMIS) for travel planning, travel guidance, and recording travel locations and paths during business or recreational use, particularly in regard to the linkage of small, memory-limited computing systems with personal and/or mainframe computers. The invention may include the capability to provide an interactive computer travel-planning guide for determining a route between a user selected travel origin and travel destination following user selected intermediate waypoints along the way. System software determines the preferred travel route within user selected constraints. The user can also select among a plurality of types of geographically locatable points of interest (POIs) within a user-defined region of interest along the travel route. A database enables the incorporation of travel information such as graphics, photos, videos, animations, audio and text information about the user selectable POIs along the way as well as about transportation routes and waypoints. From the user selected and user-defined transportation routes, waypoints, and POIs along the travel route, the software constructs a user customized multimedia travelog for preview on a computer display of the user-defined travel route. Based on the user-customized previews, the travel route including transportation routes, waypoints, and points of interest can be updated or changed according to the user preferences and choices. Modified travel routes can be previewed with further multimedia travelogs until a satisfactory travel route is achieved. The user can output a travel plan, i.e.; downloading waypoints electronically and/or printing out maps with route indications and text travel directions.
The IRMIS is applicable for use with the Global Positioning System (GPS), radio location systems, dead reckoning location systems, and hybrid location systems. For example, the GPS satellite system is used with a GPS receiver for displaying waypoint data and limited routing data of the IRMIS user on the computer display for correlation of location with surface features or mappable features. Data generated by the GPS receiver may be used for “real time position updates” in the IRMIS computer display or may be recorded by the GPS receiver in the field for subsequent downloading to IRMIS software and IRMIS computer display. As well, IRMIS-generated data may be used within the GPS receiver by an IRMIS user for guidance in the field apart from a desktop IRMIS platform. The user can follow the IRMIS generated route using just a GPS device alone, or with the further aid of other IRMIS output such as printed maps. The user can accomplish this visually and intuitively between human readable forms of a map without the necessity of a users physical determination of latitude and longitude and without requiring any mathematical calculations. Text and voice or audio outputs can be provided to facilitate use and reading of the printed maps and/or GPS devices. The invention also adds a communications dimension to the maps for adding and updating the latest spatially related data, for providing software tools for map analysis and reading, and generally for communications between computer systems and devices and between users in a variety of combinations.
The present invention is particularly applicable to small computers identified as personal digital assistants, palm computers, and any other sort of hand-held computer, defined generally herein as PDA computers. In particular, a PDA may be linked to a GPS receiver in a PDA/GPS format to log information associated with a travel route for subsequent processing through a standard personal computer or other relatively larger computer. It is to be noted that PDA travel logs and routing may include the association with a digital map display thereon with a paper map. However, given the ease of handling associated with a PDA, it is understandable that the PDA may act as a substitute for the paper map. Additionally, the PDA-related IRMIS, as implied above, involves the communication between a PDA and a desktop computer that has the storage and processing capability to provide a large array of digital maps with user-defined travel routes. Such communication is generally through hardwiring; however, it may be wireless as well.
BACKGROUND ART
A variety of computer hardware and software travel planning aids is currently available on the market primarily for vacation and recreational travel planning. A number of the travel guide software packages focus on National Parks of the United States or recreational tours and activities with prepared travelogs or prepared assemblages of multimedia travel information on the different recreational geographical locations or recreational activities. Such travel software programs are exemplified for example by the America NavigaTour (TM) MediAlive (TM) multimedia travel guide produced by CD Technology, Inc.; the Great Vacations (TM) Family Travel Guide by Positive Software Solutions; the Adventures (TM) CDROM Program for worldwide adventure travel by Deep River Publishing, Inc.; and National Parks of America, a CDROM product of Multicom Publishing, Inc. which contains a directory of all National Parks in the United States.
Rand McNally produces a software travel planning product under the trademark TRIPMAKER (TM) for planning a trip by car in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Rand McNally Tripmaker (TM) software also calculates quickest, shortest, and preferred scenic routes for the trip planner. While the Rand McNally product incorporates a database of many points of interest, the multimedia travelog information appears limited to preplanned scenic tours.
Similarly the American Automobile Association in cooperation with Compton's NewMedia also provides travel planning from starting point to destination point with stopping points in between. The CDROM product contains a database of travel information. However the multimedia information available from the database appears limited to “suggested routes of travel” again limiting user choice.
In each case it appears that travel information from multimedia sources is preassembled by editors so that the user or trip planner is limited to “canned” or prepared multimedia travelogs of prescribed, suggested, or preplanned tours. Or the user is limited to information fragments about this or that particular object of interest or this or that particular place. There is no opportunity or user capability and selectivity in constructing a user-customized travelog of assembled multimedia information for previewing a particular user determined route of travel. The user is relegated to travelogs and multimedia assemblages prepared for routes and tours proposed by other editors. The first release in July 1994 of Map'n'Go (TM) Atlas of North America on CD-ROM by DeLorme Mapping Freeport Me. 04032 includes a version of IRMIS that limits the nodes or routable waypoints to specified intersections of selected roads and highways, and car ferry terminals.
Relatedly, there are a variety of mapping and positioning systems. One such system is a hand-held personal GPS navigation tool that has been developed by the Garmin Corporation of Lenexa, Kans. under the tradename Garmin GPS 45. The Garmin navigation tool incorporates a GPS receiver and a limited character display screen for displaying position information in alphanumeric and graphic characters. Another such system is a hand-held personal GPS navigation tool that has been developed by Trimble Navigation of Austin, Tex., under the trademark Scout GPS (TM). The Trimble navigation tool incorporates a GPS receiver and a four-line character display for displaying position information in alphanumeric characters. This hand-held GPS system can apparently display alphanumeric position information in a latitude/longitude coordinate system or a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system. The Trimble navigation tool can apparently also display proprietary coordinate system in
Autry Gordon
DeLorme David M.
Gray Keith A.
Moulton Keith A.
Atwood Peirce
Caseiro Chris A.
DeLorme Publishing Company
Nguyen Tan
Scanlan Patrick R.
LandOfFree
Integrated routing/mapping information does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Integrated routing/mapping information, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Integrated routing/mapping information will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2571490