Itinerary search method

• US 20050209860A1
• Filed: 06/04/2003
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Beaufort, Dominique, Samson, Christophe, Fay, Laurent
• Application Number:
  US10/517,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209860A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• 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: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality

Abstract

The invention relates to an itinerary search method comprising a step of computing the itinerary from a criterion defined by a user (for example, a point of departure and a point of arrival) and a step of selecting service providers along the computed itinerary, said services being defined by the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising at least a communication network, a user entity and a server entity, said user entity comprising:

means for defining at least one itinerary search criterion and at least one service;

means for sending an itinerary search request to said server entity via said communication network, said request comprising at least said search criterion and said service;

means for receiving a response via said communication network;

means for presenting said response,

said server entity comprising;

means for receiving said itinerary search request;

means for computing at least one itinerary from said search criterion by using a transport database;

means for selecting at least one provider providing said service and fulfilling at least one proximity condition with respect to the computed itinerary by using a database of service providers;

means for sending, to said user entity via said communication network, a response comprising the computed itinerary with localization of the selected provider.

2. A server entity comprising:

means for receiving an itinerary search request, said request comprising at least one search criterion and at least one service;

means for computing at least one itinerary from said search criterion by using a transport database;

means for selecting at least one provider providing said service and fulfilling at least one proximity condition with respect to the computed itinerary by using a database of service providers;

means for sending a response comprising the computed itinerary with localization of the selected provider.

8. A signal conveying an itinerary search request comprising at least one itinerary search criterion and at least one service, said request being addressed to a server entity as claimed in claim 2.

9. A signal conveying a response to an itinerary search request, said response being sent by a server unit as claimed in claim 2 and comprising at least one itinerary with localization of at least one service provider.

3. A search method comprising the steps of:

defining at least one itinerary search criterion and at least one service;

computing at least one itinerary responding to said search criterion by using a transport database;

selecting at least one provider providing said service which fulfills at least one proximity condition with respect to the computed itinerary by using a database of service providers;

presenting the computed itinerary with localization of the selected provider.

4. A search method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a transport mode is defined as the itinerary search criterion and said proximity condition is adapted as a function of said transport mode.

5. A search method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the computed itinerary traverses one or several zones each being of a certain type, and said proximity condition is adapted accordingly as a function of the type of traversed zones.

6. A search method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said step of defining the service can be executed independently of the itinerary computation, and in that the services defined are stored in a current list intended to be used during the itinerary computation.

7. A program comprising instructions for performing an itinerary search method as claimed in claim 3, when it is executed by a processor.