NAVIGATION BASED ON USER-DEFINED POINTS AND PATHS

• US 20100145601A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: KURTTI, Jeffrey Wayne, RELYEA, Donald H. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

A device receives, from a user device, a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the user device, a user-defined destination point associated with the path, and one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point. The device also creates a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points, and provides the user-defined path to the user device.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a user device, a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the user device;

receiving, from the user device, a user-defined destination point associated with the path;

receiving, from the user device, one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point;

creating a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points; and

providing the user-defined path to the user device.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the user-defined path; and

providing, to the user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 2, where receiving information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

receiving mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving directional information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

receiving construction information associated with the user-defined path.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where providing the user-defined path comprises:

providing the user-defined path to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

6. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where receiving, from the user device, one or more user-defined intermediate points comprises one or more of:

receiving, from the user device, one or more user-defined roads provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

receiving, from the user device, one or more user-defined locations provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

receiving, from the user device, one or more user-defined landmarks provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more recommended intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point; and

providing, to the user device, the one or more recommended intermediate points.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, selection of at least one of the one or more recommended intermediate points; and

creating the user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, the one or more user-defined intermediate points, and the at least one of the one or more recommended intermediate points.

9. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer,

global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

10. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

providing, to a server, a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the computing device;

providing, to the server, a user-defined destination point associated with the path;

providing, to the server, one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point; and

receiving, from the server, a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points.

11. The computing device-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing, to the server, a request for information associated with the user-defined path; and

receiving, from the server, the information associated with the user-defined path.

12. The computing device-implemented method of claim 11, where the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path are received from the server when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

13. The computing device-implemented method of claim 11, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

directional information associated with the user-defined path,

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

14. The computing device-implemented method of claim 10, where each of one or more user-defined intermediate points comprises one or more of:

a user-defined road provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

a user-defined location provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

a user-defined landmark provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.

15. The computing device-implemented method of claim 10, where the computing device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer,

global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

16. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with a user device,

receive a user-defined destination point associated with the path,

receive a user-defined intermediate point provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

create a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the user-defined intermediate point, and

provide the user-defined path to the user device.

17. The device of claim 16, where the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

receive information associated with the user-defined path, and

provide, to the user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

18. The device of claim 17, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

directional information associated with the user-defined path,

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

19. The device of claim 17, where the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

store the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path.

20. The device of claim 17, where the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path are provided to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

21. The device of claim 16, where the user-defined intermediate point comprises one or more of:

a user-defined road provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

a user-defined location provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

a user-defined landmark provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.

22. The device of claim 16, where the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

determine a recommended intermediate point provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

provide the recommended intermediate point to the user device,

receive, from the user device, selection of the recommended intermediate point, and

create the user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, the user-defined intermediate point, and the recommended intermediate point.

23. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

provide, to a server, a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the device,

providing, to the server, a user-defined destination point associated with the path,

provide, to the server, a user-defined intermediate point provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

receive, from the server, a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points, and

receive, from the server, information associated with the user-defined path.

24. The device of claim 23, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

directional information associated with the user-defined path,

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

25. The device of claim 23, where the user-defined intermediate point comprises one or more of:

a user-defined road provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

a user-defined location provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

a user-defined landmark provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.