NAVIGATION METHOD, SYSTEM OR SERVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20060265119A1
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McMahan, Paul F., Uthe, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A navigation method, system, service and computer program product may include providing enhanced travel instructions in response to receiving a destination and detailed travel directions from at least one waypoint to the destination being available.

Claims

1. A navigation method, comprising:

receiving a destination; and

providing enhanced travel instructions in response to detailed travel directions from at least one waypoint to the destination being available.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user for a travel time and date in response to time sensitive detailed travel directions being available from the at least one waypoint to the destination.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a list of different multiple detailed travel directions in response to multiple detailed directions being available.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a ranked list of different multiple sets of detailed travel directions in response to different multiple sets of detailed travel directions being available, wherein the different multiple sets of detailed travel directions are ranked according to at least one predetermined criteria, the at least one predetermined criteria comprising any time sensitive information, previous user feedback, previous user ranking, most scenic routes, shortest travel time, shortest travel distance, most use of expressways, least use of expressways and any other parameters entered by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of missed destination visual cues and recovery instructions.

6. A system or service operable for performing the method of claim 1.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance of a path defined by the detailed travel directions; and

one of;

ignoring the detailed travel directions in response to the distance of the path exceeding a predetermined threshold; and

ranking the detailed travel directions as less favorable compared to any other detailed travel directions in response to the distance of the path exceeding the predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing any graphical representations of the detailed travel directions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one set of detailed travel directions are providable and customizable by at least one of an entity associated with the destination and any other entities.

16. The navigation service of claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

a set of time sensitive detailed directions;

a list of multiple sets of detailed directions sorted or ranked by at least one predetermined criteria;

a set of visual cues available in response to passing the destination;

a set of recovery directions available in response to passing the destination; and

a set of graphical representations of a route defined by the at least one set of detailed directions.

17. The navigation service of claim 15, wherein the at least one predetermined criteria for sorting or ranking the multiple sets of detailed directions comprises any time sensitive information, previous user feedback, previous user ranking, most scenic routes, shortest travel time, shortest travel distance, most use of expressways, least use of expressways and any other parameters entered by a user.

11. A navigation method, comprising:

invoking a navigation service in response to activation of a predefined feature; and

passing a parameter for at least one set of detailed directions to a destination in response to invoking the navigation service.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predefined feature is a map feature on a website.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the parameter comprises a URL to detailed direction metadata.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one set of detailed directions comprises at least one of:

a set of time sensitive detailed directions;

a list of multiple sets of detailed directions sorted or ranked by at least one predetermined criteria;

a set of visual cues available in response to passing the destination;

a set of recovery directions available in response to passing the destination; and

a set of graphical representations of a route defined by the at least one set of detailed directions.

15. A navigation service, comprising:

at least one set of detailed travel directions from at least one waypoint to a destination; and

means to provide enhanced travel instructions to the destination based on the at least one set of detailed travel directions.

18. The navigation service of claim 15, further comprising a safeguard to determine if a distance of a path defined by the at least one set of detailed travel directions exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The navigation service of claim 15, wherein the at least one set of detailed travel instructions are providable and customizable by at least one of an entity associated with the destination and any other entities.

20. A computer program product to improve navigation accuracy, comprising:

computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable medium comprising;

computer readable program code configured to provide enhanced travel instructions in response to receiving a destination and detailed travel directions from at least one waypoint to the destination being available.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code configured to prompt a user for a travel time and date in response to time sensitive detailed travel directions being available from the at least one waypoint to the destination.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code configured to provide at least one of:

a set of time sensitive detailed directions;

a list of multiple sets of detailed directions sorted or ranked by at least one predetermined criteria;

a set of visual cues available in response to passing the destination;

a set of recovery directions available in response to passing the destination; and

a set of graphical representations of a route defined by the at least one set of detailed directions.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine a distance of a path defined by the detailed travel directions;

and

one of;

ignoring the detailed travel directions in response to the distance of the path exceeding a predetermined threshold; and

ranking the detailed travel directions as less favorable compared to any other detailed travel directions in response to the distance of the path exceeding the predetermined threshold.