NAVIGATING AT A WIRELESS DEVICE

• US 20100179750A1
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gum, Arnold Jason
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,914 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

Abstract

Apparatuses and Methods of navigating from a current position to a destination location at a mobile device are provided. A navigation program is launched at the mobile device, and a selection of a calendar event from a calendar program is received, where the calendar event is an entry in the calendar program. A location associated with the received calendar event location is determined, and a destination location is determined based on the associated location. The navigation program generates navigation instructions (e.g., turn-by-turn directions, map information, etc.) from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location. In an alternative aspect, instead of a calendar program, the associated location can be retrieved from a given contact in a contact list or program.

Claims

1. A method of navigating, from a current position to a destination location, at a mobile device, comprising:

launching a navigation program at the mobile device;

receiving a selection of a calendar event from a calendar program, the calendar event being an entry in the calendar program;

determining a location associated with the calendar event;

determining the destination location based on the associated location; and

generating navigation instructions to travel from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the calendar program is formatted for location, the calendar program being formatted for location if at least one calendar event in the calendar program is stored in association with a location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

attempting to format the calendar program for location if the calendar program is determined not to be formatted for location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the attempting step includes synchronizing a first version of the calendar program maintained at the mobile device with a second version of the calendar program maintained at a remote device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the remote device is one of a laptop computer or a desktop computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the associated location is sufficient for the navigation program to plot a route from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location, determining the destination location sets the destination location equal to the associated location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the destination location includes obtaining the destination location based at least in part on the associated location if the associated location is not sufficient for the navigation program to provide navigation instructions from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the associated location refers to a contact'"'"'s location that is maintained in a contact list, and the destination location is obtained from the contact list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the contact list is an address book maintained at the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the associated location is not sufficient for the navigation program to plot a route from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location, determining the destination location includes:

prompting a user to enter the destination location for the navigation program;

receiving user input indicating the destination location in response to the prompting step.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating the calendar program to associate the received calendar event with the destination location.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating a contact list to include the destination location for the associated contact, wherein the received calendar event is associated with a contact from the contact list maintained at the mobile device,

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the current location of the mobile device is obtained via one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) or a cellular-based positioning system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step provides navigation instructions by displaying map information related to the destination location.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step provides navigation instructions by outputting turn-by-turn directions.

16. A method of navigating, from a current position to a destination location, at a mobile device, comprising:

launching a navigation program at the mobile device;

receiving a selection of a contact from a contact list at the mobile device;

determining whether at least one location is associated with the selected contact;

selecting, if the determining step determines that at least one location is associated with the selected contact, the destination location from the at least one location of the selected contact; and

generating navigation instructions from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location if the determining step determines that at least one location is associated with the selected contact, the associated location being the destination location of the navigation program.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

prompting a user to enter at least one location for the selected contact if the determining step determines that at least one location is not associated with the selected contact.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

updating the contact list to include the at least one location for the selected contact.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein, if the determining step determines multiple locations are included within the at least one location, further comprising:

prompting the user to select one of the multiple locations; and

setting the destination location equal to the selected one of the multiple locations.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the contact list is an address book maintained at the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the current location of the mobile device is obtained via one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) or a cellular-based positioning system.

22. A mobile communications device for navigating from a current position to a destination location, comprising:

means for launching a navigation program at the mobile device;

means for receiving a selection of a calendar event from a calendar program, the calendar event being an entry in the calendar program;

means for determining a location associated with the received calendar event location;

means for determining the destination location based on the associated location; and

means for generating navigation instructions to travel from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

23. The mobile communications device of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining whether the calendar program is formatted for location, the calendar program being formatted for location if at least one calendar event in the calendar program is stored in association with a location.

24. The mobile communications device of claim 23, further comprising:

means for synchronizing a first version of the calendar program maintained at the mobile device with a second version of the calendar program maintained at a remote device.

25. The mobile communications device of claim 22, wherein the current location of the mobile device is obtained via one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) or a cellular-based positioning system.

26. The mobile communications device of claim 22, wherein, if the associated location is sufficient for the navigation program to plot a route from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location, the means for determining the destination location sets the destination location equal to the associated location.

27. The mobile communications device of claim 22, wherein the means for determining the destination location includes means for obtaining the destination location based at least in part on the associated location if the associated location is not sufficient for the navigation program to provide navigation instructions from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

28. The mobile communications device of claim 27, wherein the associated location refers to a contact'"'"'s location that is maintained in a contact list, and the destination location is obtained from the contact list.

29. The mobile communications device of claim 27, wherein the contact list is an address book maintained at the mobile device.

30. A mobile communications device for navigating from a current position to a destination location, comprising:

logic configured to launch a navigation program at the mobile device;

logic configured to receive a selection of a calendar event from a calendar program, the calendar event being an entry in the calendar program;

logic configured to determine a location associated with the received calendar event location;

logic configured to determine the destination location based on the associated location; and

logic configured to generate navigation instructions to travel from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

31. The mobile communications device of claim 30, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether the calendar program is formatted for location, the calendar program being formatted for location if at least one calendar event in the calendar program is stored in association with a location.

32. The mobile communications device of claim 30, further comprising:

logic configured to synchronize a first version of the calendar program maintained at the mobile device with a second version of the calendar program maintained at a remote device.

33. The mobile communications device of claim 30, wherein the current location of the mobile device is obtained via one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) or a cellular-based positioning system.

34. The mobile communications device of claim 30, wherein the logic configured to determine the destination location includes logic configured to obtain the destination location based at least in part on the associated location, if the associated location is not sufficient for the navigation program to provide navigation instructions from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

35. The mobile communications device of claim 34, wherein the associated location refers to a contact'"'"'s location that is maintained in a contact list, and the destination location is obtained from the contact list.

36. The mobile communications device of claim 35, wherein the contact list is an address book maintained at the mobile device.

37. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a mobile communications device within a wireless communications system for navigating from a current position to a destination location, cause the communication entity to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to launch a navigation program at the mobile device;

program code to receive a selection of a calendar event from a calendar program, the calendar event being an entry in the calendar program;

program code to determine a location associated with the received calendar event location;

program code to determine the destination location based on the associated location; and

program code to generate navigation instructions to travel from a current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, further comprising:

program code to determine whether the calendar program is formatted for location, the calendar program being formatted for location if at least one calendar event in the calendar program is stored in association with a location.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising:

program code to attempt to format the calendar program for location if the calendar program is determined not to be formatted for location.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the program code to attempt includes program code to synchronize a first version of the calendar program maintained at the mobile device with a second version of the calendar program maintained at a remote device.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the program code to determine the destination location includes program code to obtain the destination location based at least in part on the associated location, if the associated location is not sufficient for the navigation program to provide navigation instructions from the current location of the mobile device to the destination location.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the associated location refers to a contact'"'"'s location that is maintained in a contact list, and the destination location is obtained from the contact list.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the contact list is an address book maintained at the mobile device.