USING ROUTE NARRATIVE SYMBOLS

• US 20100204913A1
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MapQuest, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmitz, Michael David
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,426 B2
• 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

Abstract

Techniques are provided for displaying a route symbol with narrative driving directions. A route symbol for a particular maneuver may be used to represent the road to which the maneuver relates. For example, one type of a route symbol that may be used to represent a road may be an interstate route symbol that has substantially the same appearance (e.g., substantially the same or similar shape, and/or substantially the same coloration) as an interstate route sign used to mark the interstate itself. Another example of a type of a route symbol that represents a road is an highway route symbol that looks substantially the same as a highway route sign used to mark a state highway. A route symbol used for the display of a maneuver also may include route symbols that are related to the type of maneuver, such as the type of a turn, described by the maneuver.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method for displaying driving directions having multiple maneuvers, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a route from an origin to a destination;

determining maneuvers to be included in the route from the origin to the destination;

accessing maneuver information for the determined route from the origin to a destination, the maneuver information being associated with a first maneuver that involves at least a first road and a second maneuver that involves at least the first road;

selecting, based on the accessed maneuver information associated with the first maneuver that involves at least the first road and the second maneuver that involves at least the first road, a graphical road-identifying symbol;

presenting, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the first maneuver along with textual information;

presenting the graphical road-identifying symbol as visually associated with the first maneuver; and

presenting, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the second maneuver along with textual information and without being visually associated with a graphical road-identifying symbol.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein accessing maneuver information includes accessing a list of interstate numbers that are referenced in the determined maneuvers to be included in the route from the origin to the destination.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein selecting the graphical road-identifying symbol includes determining, based on the accessed list, whether the first maneuver is a first instance of a particular interstate in the driving directions for the route.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising presenting a turn route symbol as visually associated with the second maneuver based on a determination that the second maneuver is not a first instance of a particular interstate in the driving directions.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein presenting the turn route symbol comprises presenting a slight left turn route symbol.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein presenting the turn route symbol comprises presenting a merge route symbol.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein presenting the turn route symbol comprises presenting an exit route symbol.

37. The method of claim 30 wherein presenting the graphical road-identifying symbol includes presenting a graphical road-identifying symbol that has substantially the same shape as a road sign and includes a road number.

38. The method of claim 30 wherein presenting the graphical road-identifying symbol includes presenting a graphical road-identifying symbol that has substantially the same coloration as a road sign and includes a road number.

39. The method of claim 30 wherein the driving directions are displayed by a system provided through an Internet service provider.

40. The method of claim 30 wherein the driving directions are displayed by a display device associated with a vehicle on-board navigation system.

41. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program configured to display driving directions having multiple maneuvers, the medium comprising one or more code segments configured to:

receive a request for a route from an origin to a destination;

determine maneuvers to be included in the route from the origin to the destination;

access maneuver information for the determined route from the origin to a destination, the maneuver information being associated with a first maneuver that involves at least a first road and a second maneuver that involves at least the first road;

select, based on the accessed maneuver information associated with the first maneuver that involves at least the first road and the second maneuver that involves at least the first road, a graphical road-identifying symbol;

present, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the first maneuver along with textual information;

present the graphical road-identifying symbol as visually associated with the first maneuver; and

present, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the second maneuver along with textual information and without being visually associated with a graphical road-identifying symbol.

42. The medium of claim 41 wherein, to access maneuver information, the code segments are configured to access a list of interstate numbers that are referenced in the determined maneuvers to be included in the route from the origin to the destination.

43. The medium of claim 42 wherein, to select the graphical road-identifying symbol, the one or more code segments are configured to determine, based on the accessed list, whether the first maneuver is a first instance of a particular interstate in the driving directions for the route.

44. The medium of claim 43 wherein the one or more code segments are configured to present a turn route symbol as visually associated with the second maneuver based on a determination that the second maneuver is not a first instance of a particular interstate in the driving directions.

45. The medium of claim 41 wherein, to present the graphical road-identifying symbol, the one or more code segments are configured to present a graphical road-identifying symbol that has substantially the same shape as a road sign and includes a road number.

46. The medium of claim 41 wherein, to present the graphical road-identifying symbol, the one or more code segments are configured to present a graphical road-identifying symbol that has substantially the same coloration as a road sign and includes a road number.

47. The medium of claim 41 wherein the driving directions are displayed by a system provided through an Internet service provider.

48. The medium of claim 41 wherein the driving directions are displayed by a display device associated with a vehicle on-board navigation system.

49. A method for displaying driving directions having multiple maneuvers, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a route from an origin to a destination;

determining maneuvers to be included in the route from the origin to the destination;

accessing maneuver information for the determined route from the origin to a destination, the maneuver information being associated with a first maneuver that involves at least a first road and a second maneuver that involves at least the first road;

means for selecting, based on the accessed maneuver information associated with the first maneuver that involves at least the first road and the second maneuver that involves at least the first road, a graphical road-identifying symbol;

presenting, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the first maneuver along with textual information;

presenting the graphical road-identifying symbol as visually associated with the first maneuver; and

means for presenting, as a constituent part of the driving directions, the second maneuver along with textual information and without being visually associated with a graphical road-identifying symbol.