Technique for audibly providing driving directions using a mobile telephone

• US 20060212220A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, James R., Davis, Brent L., Jaiswal, Peeyush, Bou-Ghannam, Akram A., Wang, Fang
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for providing driving directions can include the step of within a mobile telephone device, associating one or more of audio files with enabling GPS coordinates. The audio files can include digitally encoded speech that specify driving instructions. Current GPS coordinates for the mobile telephone device can be ascertained. When the current GPS coordinates match enabling GPS coordinates, the audio file associated with the enabling GPS coordinates can be played.

Claims

1. A mobile telephony device comprising:

GPS electronics configured to determine GPS coordinates of the mobile telephony device;

an audio transducer configured to audibly present at least one audio file;

a data store configured to store a plurality of audio files and associated enabling GPS coordinates, wherein said mobile telephone device is programmatically configured to;

compare GPS coordinates determined by the GPS electronics against enabling GPS coordinates stored within the data store; and

responsive to a favorable comparison, audibly present an audio file associated with the favorably compared enabling GPS coordinates via the audio transducer.

2. The mobile telephony device of claim 1, wherein the GPS electronics operate independent of transceiver operations so that the mobile telephone is capable of comparing GPS coordinates and responsively audibly presenting audio files without being communicatively linked to a telephony network.

3. The mobile telephony device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of audio files comprise digitally encoded speech that specify driving instructions.

4. The mobile telephony device of claim 3, further comprising:

an interface to a remotely located computer, wherein the plurality of audio files and associated enabling GPS coordinates are provided to the mobile telephony device over the interface.

5. The mobile telephony device of claim 4, wherein said interface comprises:

a transceiver configured to wirelessly interface with the remotely located computer.

6. The mobile telephony device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of audio files are organized within a plurality of different sets of audio files, wherein each set of audio files is selectively enableable by the mobile telephony device, wherein only those enabling GPS coordinates associated with audio files included in a set of audio files that are enabled are compared against coordinates determined by the GPS electronics.

7. The mobile telephony device of claim 1, further comprising:

a Web browsing interface configured to provide a starting location and an ending location for a driving trip to a remotely located Web site, wherein the plurality of audio files and associated enabling GPS coordinates are generated based upon the starting location and the ending location.

8. A method for providing driving directions comprising the steps of:

within a mobile telephone device, associating a plurality of audio files with enabling GPS coordinates, said audio files including driving instructions;

ascertaining current GPS coordinates for the mobile telephone device; and

when the current GPS coordinates match at least one enabling GPS coordinate, audibly presenting the audio file associated with the enabling GPS coordinate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ascertaining and presenting steps occur independent of the mobile telephone device being communicatively linked to a telephony network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of audio files is associated with a range of at least two GPS coordinates, wherein the current GPS coordinates match the at least one enabling GPS coordinate when a current GPS coordinate is between the range.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two GPS coordinates comprise at least four GPS coordinates that include two latitude coordinates establishing a latitude range and two longitude coordinates establishing a longitude range, wherein the current GPS coordinates include a current GPS latitude and a current GPS longitude, wherein in order for the current GPS coordinates to match the at least one enabling GPS coordinate, the current GPS latitude must be between the latitude range and the current GPS longitude must be between the longitude range.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least four GPS coordinates comprise at least six GPS coordinates that include two altitude coordinates establishing an altitude range, wherein the current GPS coordinates include a current GPS altitude, wherein in order for the current GPS coordinates to match the at least one enabling GPS coordinate, the current GPS altitude must be between the altitude range.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

wirelessly linking the mobile telephone to a remotely located computing device; and

conveying the plurality of audio files and enabling GPS coordinates from the remotely located computing device to the mobile telephone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the audio files and enabling GPS coordinates are generated by a Web site configured to provide driving directions.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

providing a starting location and an ending location to the Web site; and

said Web site dynamically generating the audio files and enabling GPS coordinates based upon the starting location and the ending location.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a deviation from a driving pathway; and

responsively updating the plurality of audio files and associated enabling GPS coordinates based upon the deviation detecting step.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the detecting occurs automatically based upon current GPS coordinates of the ascertaining step.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the updating step further comprises the steps of:

wirelessly linking the mobile telephone to the Web site; and

retrieving new audio files and associated enabling GPS coordinates from the Web site.

19. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

within a mobile telephone device, associating a plurality of audio files with enabling GPS coordinates, said audio files including driving instructions;

ascertaining current GPS coordinates for the mobile telephone device; and

when the current GPS coordinates match at least one enabling GPS coordinate, audibly presenting the audio file associated with the enabling GPS coordinate.

20. The machine-readable storage of claim 19, wherein the ascertaining and presenting steps occur independent of the mobile telephone device being communicatively linked to a telephony network.