SYSTEM, APPARATUS, OR METHOD FOR ENHANCED ROUTE DIRECTIONS

• US 20090306882A1
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Shivakumar, Sasidharan, Anand, Singhal, Arun, Seth, Abhishek, Agrawal, Ankit Kumar, Vijayakrishnan, Siddharth
• Application Number:
  US12/136,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20090306882A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with generating a textual explanation of a route including POI information are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating from stored geographic information a textual explanation of route directions that includes point of interest information, wherein said point of interest information includes at least one of the following;

specifying the number of potential turns between two actual turns;

landmark information based at least in part on proximity to an actual turn;

or one or more political boundaries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a textual explanation includes generating a structured representation of a route from the stored geographic information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises:

generating a textual explanation without using a calculated position of a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises:

generating a textual explanation without employing wireless signals to determine location.

5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

selectively including said point of interest information for one or more intersections including one or more roads having inadequate identifying information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said one or more roads having inadequate identifying information comprise at least one of an unnamed road, a road that is not well known, and an inadequately marked road.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a turn comprises an intersection of one or more roads.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an intersection comprises one or more determined edges having an angle between them greater than a threshold value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said threshold value comprises a value between 20 degrees and 30 degrees.

10. An article comprising:

a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein said instructions, if executed by a computing platform, enable said computing platform to;

generate from stored geographic information a textual explanation of route directions that includes point of interest information, wherein said point of interest information includes at least one of the following;

specifying the number of potential turns between two actual turns;

landmark information based at least in part on proximity to an actual turn;

or one or more political boundaries.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein said instructions, if executed by a computing platform, further enable said computing platform to generate a textual explanation by generating a structured representation of a route from the stored geographic information.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein said instructions, if executed by a computing platform, further enable said computing platform to:

generate a textual explanation without use of a calculated position of a user.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein said instructions, if executed by a computing platform, further enable said computing platform to:

generate a textual explanation without use of wireless signals to determine location.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein said instructions, if executed by a computing platform, enable said computing platform to:

selectively include said point of interest information for one or more intersections including one or more roads having inadequate identifying information.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein said one or more roads having inadequate identifying information comprise at least one of an unnamed road, a road that is not well known, or an inadequately marked road.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein a turn comprises an intersection of one or more roads.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein an intersection comprises one or more determined edges having an angle between them greater than a threshold value.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein said threshold value comprises a value between 20 degrees and 30 degrees.

19. A system comprising:

a computing platform;

wherein said computing platform is adapted to generate from stored geographic information a textual explanation of route directions that includes point of interest information, wherein said point of interest information includes at least one of the following;

specifying the number of potential turns between two actual turns;

landmark information based at least in part on proximity to an actual turn;

or one or more political boundaries.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing platform is further adapted to generate a structured representation of a route from the stored geographic information.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing platform is further adapted to generate a textual explanation without use of a calculated position of a user.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing platform is further adapted to generate a textual explanation without use of wireless signals to determine location.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing platform is further adapted to selectively include said point of interest information for one or more intersections including one or more roads having inadequate identifying information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said one or more roads having inadequate identifying information comprise at least one of an unnamed road, a road that is not well known, and an inadequately marked road.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein a turn comprises an intersection of one or more roads.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein an intersection comprises one or more determined edges having an angle between them greater than a threshold value.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said threshold value comprises a value between 20 degrees and 30 degrees.

28. A system comprising:

means for generating a structured representation of a route from stored geographic information;

means for associating point of interest information with one or more portions of the structured representation of a route; and

means for generating a textual explanation of route directions that includes point of interest information based at least in part on the structured representation of a route and the associated point of interest information.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said point of interest information includes at least one of the following:

specifying the number of potential turns between two actual turns;

landmark information based at least in part on proximity to an actual turn;

or one or more political boundaries.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said means for generating a textual explanation of a route is adapted to generate a textual explanation without use of a calculated position of a user.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said means for generating a textual explanation of a route is adapted to generate a textual explanation without use of wireless signals to determine location.