Information terminal and program

• US 10,157,187 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Sumizawa, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Antoine, Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US14/352,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology capable of allowing a user to search and retrieve facilities in an appropriate manner. An information terminal includes a facility storage unit for storing information on facilities, a first facility search unit for searching and retrieving the facilities stored based on a designated search condition, and a second facility search unit for requesting, via a network, a facility information providing device for providing the information on the facilities to provide facility information based on the designated search condition. It is determined which of the first and second facility search units is to be used to search and retrieve the facilities, and the results retrieved by the first or the second unit are displayed.

Claims

1. An information terminal, comprising:

a storage unit that stores information on buildings or specific spots;

a search unit that searches and retrieves the buildings or specific spots stored in the storage unit based on a designated search condition;

an arithmetic processing unit that requests, via a network, an information providing server to provide the information on the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition;

a search target specifying unit that determines which of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots; and

a result displaying element that displays results retrieved by the search unit or the arithmetic processing unit,

wherein the search target specifying unit determines which of the search and arithmetic processing units is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition,

wherein a search of local information stored in the storage unit is determined when a single word is input as the designated search condition and a search of remote information stored in the information providing server is determined when multiple words distinguished from one another by a space or other predetermined delimiter character describing a destination genre and not an address or telephone number are input as the designated search condition,

wherein the search target specifying unit determines that the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots when the designated search condition is a search condition that searches for a building or specific spot corresponding to a specific genre,

wherein when there are a plurality of input words, a search for remote information is executed,

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is an address or a telephone number, or the input does not correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information only is executed, and

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is not an address or a telephone number, and the input does correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information and remote information is executed.

2. An information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the search target specifying unit determines that the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots when the designated search condition is a predetermined search condition that imposes a heavy search processing load.

3. An information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the search target specifying unit determines that the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots when the designated search condition is a search condition that specifies a type of the building or specific spot whose data is frequently updated.

5. An information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the search target specifying unit determines not to use the determination made of which of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit is to be used when sufficient search results have not been retrieved.

6. An information terminal according to claim 1, wherein, when the results retrieved by one of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit and the results retrieved by another thereof are duplicated, the result displaying element merges the results of both of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit to display merged results.

7. An information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a search input screen that displays information specifying which of local information stored in the storage unit and remote information stored in the information providing server has been retrieved.

4. An information terminal, comprising:

a storage unit that stores information on buildings or specific spots;

a search unit that searches and retrieves the buildings or specific spots stored in the storage unit based on a designated search condition;

an arithmetic processing unit that requests, via a network, an information providing server to provide the information on the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition;

a search target specifying unit that determines which of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots; and

a result displaying element that displays results retrieved by the search unit or the arithmetic processing unit,

wherein the search target specifying unit determines which of the search and arithmetic processing units is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition,

wherein a search of local information stored in the storage unit is determined when a single word is input as the designated search condition and a search of remote information stored in the information providing server is determined when multiple words distinguished from one another by a space or other predetermined delimiter character describing a destination genre and not an address or telephone number are input as the designated search condition,

wherein the search target specifying unit determines that the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots when multiple search words are input as the designated search condition,

wherein when there are a plurality of input words, a search for remote information is executed,

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is an address or a telephone number, or the input does not correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information only is executed, and

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is not an address or a telephone number, and the input does correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information and remote information is executed.

8. An information terminal according to claim 4, further comprising a search input screen that displays information specifying which of local information stored in the storage unit and remote information stored in the information providing server has been retrieved.

9. A non-transitory storage medium that is computer readable and writable used in a navigation device including a program for implementing processing of function units of an information terminal, the information terminal comprising:

a storage unit that stores information on buildings or specific spots, a search unit that searches and retrieves the buildings or specific spots stored in the storage unit based on a designated search condition,

an arithmetic processing unit that requests, via a network, an information providing server to provide the information on the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition,

a search target specifying unit that determines which of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or spots, and a result displaying element that displays results retrieved by the search unit or the arithmetic processing unit,

wherein a search of local information stored in the storage unit is determined when a single word is input as the designated search condition and a search of remote information stored in the information providing server is determined when multiple words distinguished from one another by a space or other predetermined delimiter character describing a destination genre and not an address or telephone number are input as the designated search condition,

wherein the program operates the search target specifying unit to determine which of the search and arithmetic processing units is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots based on the designated search condition, and to determine that the arithmetic processing unit is to be used to search and retrieve the buildings or specific spots when the designated search condition is a search condition that searches for a building or specific spot corresponding to a specific genre,

wherein when there are a plurality of input words, a search for remote information is executed,

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is an address or a telephone number, or the input does not correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information only is executed, and

wherein when there is not a plurality of input words, and the input is not an address or a telephone number, and the input does correspond to a search for a specific genre, a search for local information and remote information is executed.

10. The medium according to claim 9, wherein, when the results retrieved by one of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit and the results retrieved by another thereof are duplicated, the result displaying element merges the results of both of the search unit and the arithmetic processing unit to display merged results.

11. The medium according to claim 9, wherein a search input screen displays information specifying which of local information stored in the storage unit and remote information stored in the information providing server has been retrieved.