Navigation device and method for exchanging data between resident applications

• US 20090326803A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom NV
• Inventors: Gretton, Mark, Neef, Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, navigation software is integrated with other kinds of software running on the same device so that capabilities of the navigation software can be made available from within the other applications. In one example embodiment, those applications can export street, city or postcode format address data to the navigation software. The address data can then be converted to a co-ordinate system based address by the navigation software, which can then automatically be set as the destination address used by the navigation software in calculating the route and/or automatically marked on a map generated and displayed by the navigation software.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method of displaying information on a navigation device programmed with a map database and navigation software that enables a route to be planned to a destination, the method comprising:

displaying a menu option on a display of the navigation device;

exporting address data to the navigation software, upon the displayed menu item being selected, the exported address data being usable by an application resident on the navigation device;

causing a conversion, by the navigation software, of the exported address data to a co-ordinate system based address; and

automatically setting the co-ordinate system based address as the destination used by the navigation software in planning the route.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the co-ordinate system based address is automatically returned to the application, or to a different application resident on the navigation device, and is stored as part of the data held by or accessible by the application or the different application.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the co-ordinate system based address is automatically marked on a map generated and displayed by the navigation software.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the navigation software makes available a geocoding capability of the navigation software, to the application by receiving non-geocoded location data from the application, deriving corresponding geocoded location data and returning the derived corresponding geocoded location data to the application.

20. The method device of claim 16, wherein the navigation software makes available a reverse geocoding capability to another application by receiving geocoded location data from the another application, deriving corresponding non-geocoded location data in street, city format and returning the derived non-geocoded location data in street, city format to the application.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the application resident on the navigation device is a contacts application.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the application resident on the navigation device is a browser application.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the application resident on the navigation device is a messaging application.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the location data is part of presence data.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the menu option is an option to navigate to an address in the contacts application and selecting that option automatically deploys the navigation software and sets the address as the destination address.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the menu option is an option to show on a map an address in the contacts application and selecting that option automatically deploys the navigation software and causes the location of the address to be indicated on a map.

27. A computer readable medium including the navigation software for, when executed on the navigation device, causing the navigation device to implement the method of claim 16.

28. A method of displaying information on a navigation device programmed with a map database and navigation software that enables route calculation to a destination, the method comprising:

running a contacts application on the navigation device;

displaying a selectable menu icon of a contact record on a touch screen of the navigation device;

exporting a contact address used in the contacts application, upon the selectable menu icon being selected via the touch screen, to a navigation application run by a processor of the navigation device;

geocoding the exported contact address; and

automatically setting the geocoded contact address as the destination used in the route calculation by the navigation application.

29. The method of claim of claim 28, wherein the selectable menu icon is a “

navigate to”

icon, and wherein selection of the “

navigate to”

icon initiates a conversion of address data of the address used in the contacts application to a co-ordinate system based address by the navigation application, without any further user interaction with the navigation device.

30. The method of claim of claim 28, wherein the selectable menu icon is sized, to allow selection by activation via a fingertip alone, to at least 0.7 cm² in area.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein a WGC84 co-ordinate system based address is automatically returned to the contacts application, or a different application resident on the navigation device and is stored as part of the data held by or accessible by the contacts or different application.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the geocoded contact address is used by the navigation device in a location based service.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the navigation application makes available its geocoding capability to the contacts application by receiving non-geocoded location data from the contacts application, deriving corresponding geocoded location data and returning the derived geocoded location data to the contacts application.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the navigation application makes available a reverse geocoding capability to the contacts application by receiving geocoded location data from the navigation application, deriving corresponding non-geocoded location data in street, city format and returning the derived street, city format location data to the contacts application.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein geocoded data, incoming to the navigation device from an external source, is passed through to the navigation application and the location associated with the geocoded data is then displayed on a map generated by the navigation application.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the processor is further useable to run a messaging application, the geocoded data being part of data handled by the messaging application.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the geocoded data relates to presence data received by the navigation device.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein the navigation application reverse geocodes the geocoded data, incoming to the navigation device, to generate a street, city format address.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the street city format address is displayed as an annotation to a POI on a map generated by the navigation application.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein, if a web page includes an address in street, city or postcode format, then the address of the web page is set to the navigation application and the navigation application then displays a map showing the location of the address of the web page.

41. A computer readable medium including the navigation software for, when executed on the navigation device, causing the navigation device to implement the method of claim 28.