METHOD FOR INCORPORATING IMAGES WITH A USER PERSPECTIVE IN NAVIGATION
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An image-based navigation method and system are provided. In response to a user request submitted to a navigation system, the image-based navigation system provides directions to the user, wherein the directions include one or more route segments, and at least one digital image of a view along at least one of the route segments. In a further aspect, the directions are provided to the user by displaying a map of the route along with the route segments, wherein when each of the route segments is displayed, any images associated with the corresponding route segment are also displayed.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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19. A method for providing an online image-based navigation directory service, comprising:
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receiving by a server uploaded digital images, wherein each of the uploaded images is tagged with location data and metadata, wherein the location data specifies geographic coordinates of the image capture, and the metadata includes a time and date of the image capture and optionally user annotations describing the image;
storing the digital images in an image database that is indexed by the location data;
allowing a user of a navigation system to log into the server and to submit a request for directions that is wirelessly transmitted to the server;
in response to receiving the request for directions, accessing a map database and calculating directions for the route, including route segments;
for each segment identified along the route, searching the image database for any digital images that have location data that matches the location of the segment; and
transmitting the set of images found for the directions from the server to the navigation system for display to the user along with the directions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21)
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22. An image-based navigation system, comprising:
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at least one server;
an image database for storing digital images uploaded from image capture devices to the server, wherein each of the uploaded images is tagged with location data and metadata, the location data specifies geographic coordinates of the image capture, the metadata includes a time and date of the image capture and optionally user annotations describing the image, and the image database is indexed by the location data; and
a map database for storing map and directions data;
wherein the server is configured to perform functions for receiving a request for directions from a user of a navigation system, in response to receiving the request for directions, accessing the map database to calculate directions based on the request, wherein the directions include one or more route segments;
searching the image database for any digital images that have location data that match locations of the route segments; and
returning the route segments and corresponding images found to the navigation system for display along with the directions. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for operating a navigation system comprising:
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enabling a user to submit a request for directions;
transmitting the request to an online navigation directory service for processing the request;
receiving the directions from the online navigation directory service, wherein the directions include one or more route segments and at least one digital image uploaded from an image capture device to the navigation directory service, the at least one digital image tagged with location data and metadata, the location data specifying geographic coordinates of the image capture, the metadata including a time and date of the image capture and optionally user annotations describing the image, and the at least one digital image has location data that matches a location of at least one of the route segments; and
displaying the directions to the user by sequentially displaying the route segments along with any images having location data that matches the locations of the route segments.
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26. A computer readable medium containing programming instructions, executable by a machine, for providing image-based navigation, the instructions for:
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receiving by a server uploaded digital images, wherein each of the uploaded images is tagged with location data and metadata, wherein the location data specifies geographic coordinates of the image capture, and the metadata includes a time and date of the image capture and optionally user annotations describing the image;
storing the digital images in an image database that is indexed by the location data;
allowing a user of a navigation system to log into the server and to submit a request for directions that is wirelessly transmitted to the server;
in response to receiving the request for directions accessing a map database and calculating directions for the route, including route segments;
for each segment identified along the route, searching the image database for any digital images that have location data that matches the location of the segment; and
transmitting the set of images found for the directions from the server to the navigation system for display to the user along with the directions. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 37, 38)
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32. (canceled)
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Specification