Method and apparatus for specifying destination using previous destinations stored in navigation system

• US 20080040026A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hui, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US11/973,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040026A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

A method enables a user to quickly and easily specify a destination by selecting and modifying previous destinations stored in the navigation system. The method includes the steps of: creating a previous destination database by storing address information every time when a destination is set in a navigation system, selecting an input method which utilizes the address information in the previous destination database for specifying a new destination, displaying a list of previous destinations set in the previous destination database, selecting one of the previous destinations from the previous destination list; and selecting a part of address information of the selected previous destination and changing the selected part to create the new destination.

Claims

1. A method for specifying a new destination in a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

memorizing address information of a destination in a memory to create a previous destination database every time when a destination is set in the navigation system;

selecting a menu for specifying a destination through a main menu of the navigation system;

selecting an input method of previous destination for retrieving the address information in the previous destination database for specifying a new destination;

displaying a list of previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database;

selecting one of the previous destinations from the previous destination list;

displaying a plurality of selection keys simultaneously where the selection keys are respectively assigned to an address number, a street name, and a city name of the previous destination selected from the previous destination list, and

selecting a part of address information of the selected Previous destination by activating the corresponding selection key and changing the selected part of the address information to create the new destination.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of memorizing address information includes a step of collecting address information of the destination set by a user in the previous destination database without regard to whether or not the user actually visited the destination.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, prior to said step of displaying the list of previous destinations, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of sorting methods for sorting the previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database; and

selecting one of the sorting methods for specifying an order of listing the previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein said list of sorting methods includes at least a time method for listing the previous destinations in the order of time and an alphabetical method for listing the previous destinations in the alphabetical order.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said list of sorting methods further includes a category method for listing the previous destinations sorted by types of destinations.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of confirming the new destination and calculating a route to the new destination.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

11. An apparatus for specifying a new destination in a navigation system, comprising:

means for memorizing address information of a destination to create a previous destination database every time when a destination is set in a the navigation system;

means for selecting a menu for specifying a destination through a main menu of the navigation system;

means for selecting an input method of previous destination for retrieving the address information in the previous destination database for specifying a new destination;

means for displaying a list of previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database;

means for selecting one of the previous destinations from the previous destination list;

means for displaying a plurality of selection keys simultaneously where the selection keys are respectively assigned to an address number, a street name, and a city name of the previous destination selected from the previous destination list, and

means for selecting a part of address information of the selected previous destination by activating the corresponding selection key and changing the selected part of the address information to create the new destination.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for memorizing the address information includes means for collecting address information of the destination set by a user in the previous destination database without regard to whether or not the user actually visited the destination.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, prior to displaying the list of previous destinations, further comprising:

means for displaying a list of sorting methods for sorting the previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database; and

means for selecting one of the sorting methods for specifying an order of listing the previous destinations retrieved from the previous destination database.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said list of sorting methods includes at least a time method for listing the previous destinations in the order of time and an alphabetical method for listing the previous destinations in the alphabetical order.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein said list of sorting methods further includes a category method for listing the previous destinations sorted by types of destinations.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for confirming the new destination and calculating a route to the new destination.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)