Navigator, navigation system, navigation method, data processing apparatus, data processing method, program thereof, and recording medium thereof

• US 20030182056A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation
• Inventors: Nozaki, Takashi, Amano, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A system member of a data processing system 1 operates a terminal 3 to connect a registration-site server 6, and inputs requirements including personal data. The registration-site server 6 creates customer data from the requirements and point data concerning points given, and registers the system member as a point member. The system member clicks an icon of “Side trip” on a point card registration-site at the terminal 3, to transfer the point data and shop code data from the registration-site server 6 to a server 5, so that shop data is automatically made. The terminal 3 is operated to connect the sever 5. Upon a request for shop search, the position of the shop for which the point member is registered is displayed with higher visibility corresponding to use frequency than other shops.

Claims

1. A navigator which navigates a user to a shop, comprising:

a use data attaining portion which attains use data concerning use frequency at which the user used the shop;

a shop data attaining portion which attains shop data specific to the shop, the shop data including position data specifying the position of the shop;

a shop search portion which searches for the shop existing within a predetermined area, based on the position data of the shop data attained by the shop data attaining portion; and

a display controller which outputs a signal for making the shop searched for by the shop search portion, be displayed in a display mode in which visibility is differentiated in correspondence with the use frequency, based on the use data attained by the use data attaining portion.

2. The navigator according to claim 1, wherein

the use data attaining portion attains point data concerning points given to the user from the shop, as the use data concerning the use frequency of the shop.

3. The navigator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a setting input recognition portion which recognizes an input operation for selection of a shop from a user; and

a shop data processing portion which links selection data expressing the selection from the user, to shop data of the shop recognized through the input operation by the setting input recognition portion, wherein

the display controller outputs a signal for making the shop be displayed with visibility which is differentiated based on selection data of the shop data.

4. The navigator according to claim 1, further comprising a map data storage which stores map data, wherein the display controller outputs a signal for making the shop be displayed on the map data.

5. The navigator according to claim 4, further comprising:

a current position data attaining portion which attains current position data concerning a current position; and

a moving route search portion which searches for an estimated route from the current position to the searched shop, based on the map data stored in the map data storage, and estimated from the current position data attained by the current position data attaining portion and the shop data of the searched shop searched for by the shop search portion, wherein

the display controller outputs a signal for making the estimated route searched for by the moving route search portion be displayed with higher visibility than other data of the map data.

6. The navigator according to claim 1, wherein the display controller outputs a signal for making the shop be displayed in form of a list.

7. The navigator according to claim 1, further comprising displayable shop number setting portion which sets the number of shops to be displayed by the display controller, to a predetermined number.

8. The navigator according to claim 7, wherein the display controller outputs a signal for making the shops to be displayed be displayed at random if the number of shops to be displayed is greater than the predetermined number set by the displayable shop number setting portion.

9. The navigator according to claim 1, wherein the shop data attaining portion attains shop data including type data of the shop, and the display controller outputs a signal for making shops searched for by the shop search portion be displayed for every type, based on the type data of the shop data.

10. A navigation system comprising:

the navigator according to claim 1;

and

a terminal connected to the navigator, being capable of receiving at least the signal outputted from the display controller of the navigator, to display shops in a display mode in which visibility is differentiated in correspondence with use frequencies of the shops, based on the signal from the display controller.

11. A navigation method of using a computer to navigate a user to a shop, comprising steps of:

attaining use data concerning a use frequency at which the user used the shop, and attaining shop data specific to the shop, the shop data including position data specifying the position of the shop;

searching for the shop existing within a predetermined area, based on the position data of the attained shop data; and

making the shop searched for be displayed in a display mode in which visibility is differentiated in correspondence with the use frequency, based on the attained use data.

12. A navigation program by which a computer is made execute the navigation method according to claim 11.

13. A recording medium on which the navigation program according to claim 12 is recorded to be readable for a computer.

14. A data processing apparatus which creates customer data by linking point data concerning points given to a user from a shop, with personal data specific to the user and sets the user as a point member, the apparatus comprising:

a setting input recognition portion which recognizes an input operation from the user;

a shop data attaining portion which attains, as shop data, the point data of the created customer data and shop identification data linked to each other, the shop identification data including position data indicating the position of the shop and recognizing the shop;

a map data storage which stores map data; and

a shop position specify portion which specifies the position of the shop, based on the position data of the shop and the map data stored in the map data storage.

15. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising point member setting portion including:

a personal data attaining portion which attains personal data specific to the user;

a customer data creation portion which creates the customer data by linking the personal data attained by the personal data attaining portion, with the point data; and

a setting input recognition portion, wherein

an input operation from the user is recognized by the setting input recognition portion, and the point member setting portion accordingly outputs the point data and shop identification data to the shop data attaining portion.

16. The data processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a shop data management portion including shop data attaining portion, map data storage, and shop position specify portion; and

a network which connects the shop data management portion to the point member setting portion, making transmission/reception possible between both of the portion.

17. The data processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the personal data attaining portion includes input setting portion which invites input of personal data to be attained, and

the setting input recognition portion includes an operator which is provided in the input setting portion and invites the user to make an input operation.

18. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a disclosure request recognition portion which recognizes a shop data disclosure request based on an input operation from the user, wherein

the shop data disclosure request is recognized by the disclosure request recognition portion, and the shop position specify portion accordingly outputs, to the user, shop data concerning the shop specified on the basis of the position data of the shop and the map data stored in the map data storage.

19. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising point conversion portion which converts points given from each of shops into common unit rates.

20. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a shop use recognition portion which recognizes use of the shop by the user; and

a navigation fee charge portion which outputs a guide which invites the shop to pay a handling fee, as the shop use recognition portion recognizes that the user has used the shop.

21. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising navigation portion which navigates the user to the shop for which the user is set as a point member.

22. A data processing method of using a computer to create customer data by linking point data concerning points given to a user from a shop, with personal data specific to the user, and to set the user as a point member, the method comprising steps of:

creating shop data by linking the point data of the created customer data and shop identification data linked to each other, based on a request from the user, the shop identification data including position data indicating the position of the shop and recognizing the shop; and

specifying the position of the shop from the created shop data, based on map data.

23. A data processing program by which a computer is made execute the data processing method according to claim 22.

24. A recording medium on which the data processing program according to claim 23 is recorded to be readable for a computer.