Tour Guidance Systems

• US 20140344681A1
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Geovector Corporation
• Original Assignee: Geovector Corporation
• Inventors: Ellenby, Peter Malcolm, Ellenby, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/895,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20140344681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A tour guidance system is formed of a computer-based processor made responsive to location, time of day, manual user inputs, among others to provide visitor site suggestions based upon information stored as site descriptors. In response to user requests in combination with present conditions such as time, location weather, etc., a database request is executed against stored site data to produce a resultset of site descriptors. These site descriptors are used both manually and automatically to assist a user-tourist in executing a visit in agreement with the prescribed parameters.

Claims

1. ) Electronic tour guidance systems comprising:

a programmed computer;

a tour library;

an interactive control module; and

a display type user interface,

said tour library is coupled to said programmed computer whereby stored site descriptors may be recalled and presented at said display type user interface, whereby said recalled tour descriptors characterize and express viewing states of a prescribed and predefined visit opportunity.

2. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said systems are integrated as a handheld self-contained system.

3. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 2, in the form and format of a mobile computing package.

4. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 3, said systems are coupled to remote servers via radio transceivers characterized as WiFi or cellular communications networks.

5. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said programmed computer is further characterized as comprising executable program code including a plurality of functional methods which may be invoked or called for execution by a control system or menu.

6. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said site descriptors include definitions of site viewing instances.

7. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 6, each of said site descriptors are embodied as a program code Objects with prescribed name-value pairs for object properties.

8. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 6, said viewing instance is further characterized as including viewing states defined by either of:

viewpoint, view orientation, and/or time of day.

9. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 6, portions of said site descriptors are presented graphically at a user interface including a display device.

10. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, further comprises a GPS, said site descriptor recall is based upon current position as determined by the GPS.

11. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said programmed computer comprises application specific code arranged to administer a visitor tour.

12. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 11, said visitor tour is characterized as presentation of a series of site descriptors in a logical manner.

13. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 12, said logical manner includes an orderly spatial plan.

14. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 12, said logical manner includes plurality of viewpoints all coupled by a common landmark in a ‘

walking tour’

characterized as taking place along a continuous walking route or path.

15. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 13, said orderly spatial plan is characterized as synchronization with either from the group:

city bus route;

map guide;

metro routes; and

city tour.

16. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said programmed computer comprises application specific code arranged to administer a history lesson.

17. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 16, said history lesson is characterized as an exploration of various time periods.

18. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 1, said systems further comprising a control module with tactile input systems.

19. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 6, further comprising a site visit status checklist.

20. ) Electronic tour guidance systems of claim 19, said checklist further comprises status indicators one for each site, said indicators have binary states to indicate a completed site visit.