NAVIGATION APPARATUS, SERVER APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PROVIDING POINT OF INTEREST DATA

• US 20110125398A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Bos, Tammo Cornelis
• Application Number:
  US12/736,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125398A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

A navigation apparatus includes a communications interface for communicating data via a communications network and a processing resource coupled to the interface and arranged to receive a request for point of interest information, and to communicate via the communications interface a message constituting a point of interest data request for receipt by a remote server. In at least one embodiment, the processing resource is capable of receiving via the communications interface POI data identifying a first POI and a second POI, the POI data being in response to the message and arranged to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second POIs. The processing resource is also arranged to respond to the request for POI information by identifying the first POI and the second POI and relative temporal proximity information relating thereto, the relative temporal proximity information being based upon the indication of relative temporal proximity received.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a communications interface for communicating data via a communications network;

a processing resource coupled to the communications interface, the processing resource being arranged, when in use, to receive a request for point of interest information, and to communicate via the communications interface a message constituting a point of interest data request for receipt by a remote server;

wherein

the processing resource is capable of receiving via the communications interface point of interest data identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest, the point of interest data being in response to the message and arranged to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second points of interest; and

the processing resource is arranged to respond to the request for point of interest information by identifying the first point of interest and the second point of interest and relative temporal proximity information relating thereto, the relative temporal proximity information being based upon the indication of relative temporal proximity received.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing resource is arranged to determine self-location information and the indication of relative temporal proximity is with respect to a location associated with the self-location information.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the point of interest data received is ordered by relative temporal proximity.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the point of interest data comprises respective temporal data for each of the first and second points of interest.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of relative temporal proximity is time data.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of relative temporal proximity is time of arrival data.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of relative temporal proximity is journey time data.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of relative temporal proximity is estimated.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing resource is arranged to support a user interface, and to receive the request for point of interest information via the user interface.

17. A navigation system comprising:

the navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 1; and

the a server apparatus comprising;

a communications interface for communicating data via a communications network; and

a processing resource coupled to the communications interface, the processing resource being arranged, when in use, to receive via the communications interface a message constituting a point of interest data request;

wherein

the processing resource is arranged to generate point of interest data in response to the received message and communicate via the communications interface the point of interest data for receipt by a navigation apparatus, the point of interest data identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest; and

the point of interest data is arranged to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second points of interest;

wherein the message and the point of interest data are communicated over the communications network.

10. A server apparatus comprising:

a communications interface for communicating data via a communications network; and

a processing resource coupled to the communications interface, the processing resource being arranged, when in use, to receive via the communications interface a message constituting a point of interest data request;

wherein

the processing resource is arranged to generate point of interest data in response to the received message and communicate via the communications interface the point of interest data for receipt by a navigation apparatus, the point of interest data identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest; and

the point of interest data is arranged to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second points of interest.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing resource is arranged to receive location information and to calculate a first optimum route from a location identified by the location information received to the first point of interest and an associated first temporal proximity of the location identified to the first point of interest.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing resource is arranged to receive location information and to calculate a second optimum route from a location identified by the location information received to the second point of interest and an associated second temporal proximity of the location identified to the second point of interest.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processing resource is arranged to access traffic data and to use the traffic data to calculate the indication of relative temporal proximity.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the traffic data is used to calculate the associated first temporal proximity relating to the calculated first optimum route.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the traffic data is used to calculate the associated second temporal proximity relating to the calculated second optimum route.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing resource is arranged to access calculated road speed data and to use the calculated road speed data to calculate the indication of relative temporal proximity.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processing resource is arranged to access traffic data and to use the traffic data to calculate the indication of relative temporal proximity.

18. A method of providing point of interest information, the method comprising:

a navigation apparatus receiving a request for point of interest information;

the navigation apparatus outsourcing the request for point of interest information to a remote server via a communications network; and

the navigation apparatus receiving point of interest data identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest, the point of interest data being in response to the message and arranged to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second points of interest.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

the navigation apparatus responding to the request for point of interest information by identifying the first point of interest and the second point of interest and relative temporal proximity information relating thereto, the relative temporal proximity information being based upon the indication of relative temporal proximity received.

21. A computer program element comprising computer program code segments to, when executed, make a computer execute the method as claimed in claim 18.

22. A computer program element as claimed in claim 21, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium.

20. A method of providing point of interest information, the method comprising:

receiving a message constituting a point of interest information request;

generating point of interest data in response to the received message so as to identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest and to provide an indication of relative temporal proximity of the first and second points of interest; and

communicating the point of interest data for receipt by a navigation apparatus.

23. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a communications interface for communicating data via a communications network;

a processing resource coupled to the communications interface, the processing resource being arranged, when in use, to receive a request for point of interest information;

wherein

the processing resource is arranged to outsource, when in use, the request for point of interest information to a remote server via the communications network and receive from the remote server point of interest data in reply, the point of interest data identifying a first point of interest and a second point of interest.