Parking Information Based on Destination

• US 20140278081A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Iwuchukwu, Tochukwu
• Granted Patent: US 9,200,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/519
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• 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 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles

Abstract

In one embodiment, a mobile device includes position circuitry and routing algorithms for generating routing instructions from a current position of the mobile device to a destination. The destination is specified in a navigation request and may describe a point-of-interest. A database associates points-of-interest individually or by category with estimated parking durations. The mobile device accesses an estimated parking duration and selects a preferred parking location based on the estimated parking duration. Considerations for selecting the preferred parking location include cost, parking restrictions, and/or distance. For example, the preferred parking location may be the available parking spot that is the least expensive during the estimated parking duration and avoids no parking zones or other time constraints.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a navigation request for a point-of-interest at a geographic location;

identifying, via a processor, a plurality of parking locations based on the geographic location;

comparing, via the processor, the plurality of parking locations according to a type of the point-of-interest;

selecting, via the processor, a preferred parking location from the plurality of parking locations based on the type of the point-of-interest; and

generating a message including the preferred parking location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes a category of the point-of-interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes an estimated time spent value for the point-of-interest.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the estimated time spent value is based on past entry and exit times associated with at least one of the plurality of parking locations or the point-of-interest.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes is associated with a parking time constraint for at least one of the plurality of parking locations and a distance from each of the plurality of parking locations to the geographic location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the message including the preferred parking location to a mobile device, wherein the navigation request was received from the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the message including the preferred parking location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes:

a first weight for an estimated time spent value for the point-of-interest; and

a second weight specific to a user of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes an estimated time spent value for the point-of-interest, and the preferred parking location is selected by comparing costs of the plurality of parking locations according to the estimated time spent value.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store estimated parking durations; and

a controller configured to identify a point-of-interest from a navigation request and select a preferred parking location from a plurality of parking locations based on one of the estimated parking durations associated with the point-of-interest.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a display configured to display a message including the preferred parking location.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

position circuitry configured to determine a geographic location of the apparatus, wherein the plurality of parking locations is selected based on the geographic location.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive entry times and exit times associated with at least one of the plurality of parking locations, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the estimated parking durations from differences between the entry times and exit times.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory includes a lookup table that associates names of points-of-interest with estimated parking durations.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory includes a lookup table that associates categories of points-of-interest with estimated parking durations.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to identify the plurality of parking locations based on a threshold distance from a geographic location of the apparatus.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that when executed are operable to:

receive data indicative of a point-of-interest;

receive identification of a plurality of parking locations within a threshold distance of the geographic location;

compare the plurality of parking locations based according to a type of the point-of-interest;

select a preferred parking location from the plurality of parking locations based on the type of the point-of-interest; and

generate a message including the preferred parking location.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the type of the point-of-interest includes an estimated parking duration associated with the point-of-interest.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the estimated parking duration is calculated based on past parking times for the point-of-interest.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, the instructions operable to:

monitor a current position of a navigation device;

record an entry time when the current position of the navigation device arrives at the preferred parking location;

record an exit time when the current position of the navigation device leaves the preferred parking location; and

update the estimated parking duration based on a difference between the exit time and the entry time.