Providing Sponsorship Information Alongside Traffic Messages

• US 20090237270A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq North America LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Saunders, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/49 for identifying locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations

Abstract

A method and system for providing sponsorship information to a user of a traffic message receiver is disclosed. Sponsorship messages are sent to the traffic message receiver and include data to be stored in the memory of the receiver. The transmission of the sponsorship messages is performed as a background routine to the regular transmission of traffic messages. The sponsorship data stored in the traffic message receiver is provided to the user of the traffic message receiver based on a triggering event, such as the end-user entering a point of interest string into the user interface of his navigation system or receipt of a message that includes an activated trigger flag.

Claims

1. A method of updating sponsorship data stored in a memory of a traffic message receiver, comprising:

receiving a traffic message at the traffic message receiver at a first rate;

receiving a sponsorship message at the traffic message receiver at a second rate, wherein the second rate is slower than the first rate, and wherein the sponsorship message includes data representing information that a party wants to send to a user of the traffic message receiver; and

storing the data in the sponsorship message in the memory of the traffic message receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship message includes data that identifies the party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship message includes data that identifies when to send the data in the sponsorship message to the user of the traffic message receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sponsorship message includes data that identifies a point of interest category.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the data includes updating the data stored in the memory on a regular basis.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a trigger that signals the traffic message receiver to retrieve at least some of the data stored in the memory of the traffic message receiver and provide the information that the party wanted to send to the user of the traffic message receiver.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the trigger is the user entering a point of interest string into the user'"'"'s navigation system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein an over-air trigger is sent to the traffic message receiver to cause a message to be presented to the end-user.

9. A method of providing sponsorship information to a user of a traffic message receiver, comprising:

updating data representing the sponsorship information stored in memory of the traffic message receiver on a regular basis;

identifying an event indicating that sponsorship information is to be sent to the user;

retrieving the data stored in the traffic message receiver'"'"'s memory that represents the sponsorship information; and

sending the sponsorship information to the user of the traffic message receiver via a user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the event is the user entering a point of interest string into the user interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the traffic message receiver identifies a point of interest category associated with the entered point of interest string.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the traffic message receiver identifies an active sponsor for the point of interest category.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the event is receiving a message that includes a trigger flag.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message further includes data indicating a point of interest category and an active sponsor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein retrieving data includes identifying the active sponsor for the point of interest category.

16. A method of providing sponsorship information to an end-user of a traffic message receiver, comprising:

obtaining an identifier to include in a first message that causes the traffic message receiver to recognize the first message;

receiving the first message at the traffic message receiver that causes the traffic message receiver to recognize a second message;

receiving the second message having data representing sponsorship information;

storing the data representing the sponsorship information in memory of the traffic message receiver; and

providing the sponsorship information to the end-user of the traffic message receiver upon identification of a triggering event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first message conforms to a traffic message broadcasting standard.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second message conforms to a proprietary protocol that can co-exist within the same transmission as the first message.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the triggering event is the end-user entering a point of interest string into the user'"'"'s navigation system.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the event is receiving a third message that includes a trigger flag.