Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2002-10-22
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S210000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06470267
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for displaying a route from a start point to a destination in a map image read from a database and displayed, thereby navigating people.
In recent years, a map information retrieving display system such as an electronic dictionary for map information developed for an information retrieving equipment and a server for map information provision connected to internet has been improved with the spread of the information retrieving equipment such as a microcomputer and the rapid expansion of an information providing service to be provided through the internet.
The map information retrieving display system is utilized by inputting a land mark such as an address or the name of facilities, retrieving map data on a desirable area from an electronic dictionary set up to the information retrieving equipment and a database of a server for map information provision which is connected through the internet, and displaying a map image of the map data in a display section and printing the map image.
The present applicant has proposed a route information providing system for displaying the shortest route connecting a starting point and a destination which are specified on a map image through map data on a desirable area retrieved from the database in the prior application (JP-A-10-102512).
The route information providing system previously stores route information in route computing database, carries out route computation based on the route information retrieved from the route computing database when the JR Kamata Station is specified as a starting point S and the Keikyu Kamata Station is specified as a destination G on a map image shown in
FIG. 10
, for example, displays the shortest route L giving priority to a highway connecting the starting point Sand the destination G together with character data indicative of a total distance through a coloring (road coloring) method, thereby navigating people.
Thus, the route information providing system in the prior proposal has an excellent feature that a user can easily get the route information indicative of the shortest route from the starting point to the desirable destination.
However, the user wants to select a route capable of achieving a desirable object on the route from the starting point to the destination in place of the shortest route depending on circumstances.
For example, the user wants to take a meal, do shopping or do things in a banking agency during a movement from the starting point to the destination and a store for this purpose is not positioned along a highway but on a back street in some cases.
In some cases, moreover, the user wants to select a route to the destination depending on circumstances such as a weather.
The user's requests are varied depending on various causes such as the user's age, sex and hobby, and is changed depending on circumstances such as a day of the week, a time zone or a weather.
On the other hand, commercial utilization has recently been extended with the recent spread of the map information retrieving display system. For the route information providing system, similarly, usefulness of an advertisement medium has been acknowledged increasingly, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made to meet the user's demand for the route information providing system.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a man navigation system capable of displaying a route meeting the user's demand and of being utilized as an advertisement medium when displaying a route connecting a specified starting point to a destination as a map image to navigate people.
In order to achieve the object, a first aspect of the invention is directed to a man navigation system comprising map display means for retrieving map data on a required area from a database and displaying a map image based on the retrieved map data, point specifying means for optionally specifying a first point and a second point in the map image displayed by the map display means, condition setting means for setting a condition for route setting, route setting means for setting a route connecting the first point and the second point in the map image specified by the point specifying means based on the condition set by the condition setting means, and route display means for displaying the route set by the route setting means on the map image displayed by the map display means.
In the man navigation system according to the first aspect of the invention, a route connecting the first point and the second point which is optionally specified by the point specifying means, that is, a starting point and a destination which is set by the route setting means based on the condition set by the condition setting means is displayed by the route display means on the map image displayed by the map display means.
For example, in the case in which the condition setting means is to set a route set condition based on user information including a user's sex, age, character, hobby and preference, the route setting means sets a route to pass through a store corresponding to the user's hobby. Moreover, in the case in which the condition setting means is to set, as a route set condition, at least one condition such as a time and time zone that the user utilizes the route connecting the first point and the second point, a weather, a season or a climate, route setting is carried out corresponding to various route setting conditions, for example, a route in which an arcade is provided or a route passing through large facilities is set.
The user can display the route set corresponding to the route setting condition on the map image displayed on a display such as a terminal equipment, thereby receiving navigation while seeing the displayed route.
According to the first aspect of the invention, when the route connecting the specified first point (starting point) and second point (destination) is to be displayed on the map image to navigate a man, the shortest route is not simply set but the route is set corresponding to a condition set for each user, for example, the user's hobby or depending on a time zone for utilization and a weather. Therefore, a route to meet the user's demand can be set for navigation at each time. In addition, when specific facilities are to be set as the route setting condition, for example, the facilities can be specified for an advertisement provider. Thus, the man navigation system can also be utilized as an advertisement medium.
In order to achieve the object, in addition to the structure of the first aspect of the invention, a second aspect of the invention is directed to the man navigation system wherein the condition setting means sets a route setting condition based on user information including a user's sex, age, character, hobby and preference.
In the man navigation system according to the second aspect of the invention, a route passing through facilities such as a store dealing in goods adapted to the user's sex, age and hobby, for example, is set based on user information which is previously registered or is input during route setting.
According to the second aspect of the invention, therefore, when the route connecting the specified first point (starting point) and second point (destination) is to be displayed on the map image to navigate a man, the shortest route is not simply set but a route corresponding to each user's preference is set. Consequently, the navigation can be carried out while guiding the user to a more useful route. Thus, a new discovery of the area can be given to the user. Furthermore, commercial utilization such as an increase in a purchasing will can also be obtained.
In order to achieve the object, in addition to the structure of the second aspect of the invention, a third aspect of the invention is directed to the man navigation system wherein the user information is previously recorded in a user registration database and the condition setting means sets the route setting
Camby Richard M.
Pioneer Corporation, Increment P Corporation
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