Communications: electrical – Vehicle position indication
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-02
2001-07-10
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Vehicle position indication
C701S207000, C701S300000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259381
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method of triggering an event in a roving apparatus.
As used herein, the term “roving” is used to indicate that the apparatus may wander about without necessarily having a definite origin, route, or destination. It will be appreciated that such an apparatus does not require mapping means with route data.
This invention has particular but not exclusive application to the triggering of an audio and/or visual file in a roving hand-held unit.
The invention also has application in vehicles such as cars, planes, buses, and ferries.
BACKGROUND ART
European Patent Publication 410 137 to Bosch discloses the triggering of “specific information” when the current location of a vehicle corresponds to a triggering point within a street map, ie. “point triggering”.
A system using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) is disclosed in European Patent Publication 511 447 to Pioneer. In this system the position of an automobile is calculated by GPS and, when the automobile enters a pre-determined area, an audio-visual event relating to the area is triggered (see FIG.
1
), ie. “area triggering”.
Another prior art system is known from European Patent Publication 672 890 to Aisin. Aisin discloses a method of capturing Points of Interest (POIs) using a metaphorical “torch beam”. The torch may be selectively switched between “high” and “low” beam and all POIs which fall within the beam are captured and played (see
FIG. 2
) in order of priority, ie. “beam triggering”.
These known methodologies are too rudimentary to be functional in an environment where there may be multiple POIs in close proximity, where the apparatus roves in a non-fixed route manner, or where GPS data wanders, for example.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect the invention resides in a method of triggering an event in a roving apparatus, the method including:
associating one or more events with a locality;
specifying at least one triggering prerequisite for each event;
triggering an event if (a) the roving apparatus is within a predetermined proximity of the locality, and (b) the at least one triggering prerequisite specified for the event is met.
The triggering prerequisite may be, for example, direction of travel of the roving apparatus, position of the roving apparatus relative to the locality, increase in distance from the locality, time, day, date, temperature, password, or any other criteria.
In another aspect this invention resides in a method of triggering the playing of an audio and/or visual file in a roving apparatus, the method including:
associating a plurality of audio and/or visual files with a locality;
specifying at least one triggering prerequisite for each audio and/or visual file;
triggering an audio and/or visual file if (a) the roving apparatus is within a predetermined proximity of the locality, and (b) the at least one triggering prerequisite specified for the event is met,
and wherein the content of the audio and/or visual file is a reflection of the prerequisite specified for the audio and/or visual file.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4163123 (1979-07-01), Brodsky
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patent: 4893246 (1990-01-01), Iihoshi et al.
patent: 4914733 (1990-04-01), Gralnick
patent: 5270708 (1993-12-01), Kamishima
patent: 5610822 (1997-03-01), Murphy
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patent: 0511447 (1991-11-01), None
patent: 0410 137 B1 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 0681278 (1995-04-01), None
patent: 0672918 A2 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 91/14247 (1991-09-01), None
patent: 95/18432 (1995-07-01), None
patent: 96/04633 (1996-02-01), None
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