METHOD OF SENDING DESTINATION AND CURRENT LOCATIONS FROM A MOBILE DEVICE TO A CENTRAL VIEWING LOCATION

• US 20150237468A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Delorme Publishing Company Incorporated (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Noble, Charles Albert, Smith, Adrian Chamberland
• Granted Patent: US 9,578,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/02 Details of the space or ground control segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method of transmitting a destination along with the user'"'"'s current location to a central viewing site allowing the user set or change their travel plan while they are on their trip and minimize bandwidth use on expensive or slow networks. A byproduct of this method is the transmission device can record the detailed path traveled by the user while transmitting enough user locations to give the viewer at the central viewing site a good indication of where the user has been. The detailed route traveled by the user is uploaded to the central viewing site when the transmission device is connected to a faster or less expensive network.

Claims

1. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information that requires reduced bandwidth usage comprising of a two-way communications device, a transmission package, a network, and a web server.

2. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the two-way communications device comprises a network controller, a USB controller, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller, and real-time clock, a user input controller, programmable memory, and a display controller.

3. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the network controller is used to send transmission packages over a network to the web server.

4. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the USB controller is used to send data transmission packages to the web server via a connected computer device.

5. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the GNSS is used to collect locational information for the device.

6. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the real-time clock is used to trigger the device to collect locational data from the GNSS and store the data locally on the device.

7. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the real-time clock is used to trigger the device to collect locational data from the GNSS and transmit to the web server less frequently than what is getting stored on the device.

8. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the programmable memory contains a set of instructions that controls the other device modules.

9. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the user input controller is used by the user to select the destination option on the device display.

10. A two-way communications device according to claim 2 wherein the display controller is used to present the user with destination options.

11. A destination option according to claim 10 wherein is a geographic grid location.

12. A destination option according to claim 10 wherein is a point of interest linked to a geographic grid location.

13. A destination option according to claim 10 wherein is a route formed by an ordered list of geographic grid locations.

14. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the transmission package is a geographic grid location destination.

15. A transmission package for a geographic grid location according to claim 14 wherein comprises a package header, a device id, a time stamp, device'"'"'s current geographic grid location, device'"'"'s current direction of travel, device'"'"'s current speed, an icon id, and a label.

16. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the transmission package is a point of interest destination.

17. A transmission package for a point of interest destination according to claim 16 wherein comprises a package header, a device id, a time stamp, device'"'"'s current geographic grid location, device'"'"'s current direction of travel, device'"'"'s current speed, an point of interest id, an icon id, and a label.

18. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the transmission package is a route destination.

19. A transmission package for a route destination according to claim 18 wherein comprises a package header, a device id, a time stamp, device'"'"'s current geographic grid location, device'"'"'s current direction of travel, device'"'"'s current speed, a route id, a direction of travel along the route, and a label.

20. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the transmission package is the current location of the device.

21. A transmission package for the current location of the device according to claim 20 wherein comprises a package header, a device id, a time stamp, device'"'"'s current geographic grid location, device'"'"'s current direction of travel, device'"'"'s current speed, and positional accuracy.

22. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the network is comprised of a satellite system, a ground station and a gateway that connects the two-way communications device to the web server.

23. A ground station according to claim 22 wherein reviews the transmission packages and sends the package to the correct network owner'"'"'s gateway.

24. A gateway according to claim 22 wherein reviews the transmission packages and sends the package to the correct device owner'"'"'s web site.

25. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the web server interprets the correct procedure for the transmission packages received by reading the package header.

26. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a destination package and displays that destination along with the user'"'"'s current location oriented in the direction of travel on a map.

27. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a point of Interest destination package and displays the selected point of interest along with the user'"'"'s current location oriented in the direction of travel on a map.

28. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a route destination package and displays the selected route along with the user'"'"'s current location oriented in the direction of travel on a map.

29. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a current location package and displays the user'"'"'s current location oriented in the direction of travel on a map.

30. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a current location package and stores the user'"'"'s current location and direction of travel in a location log on the web server.

31. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a current location package and while in navigation mode estimates the time of arrival to the destination.

32. Where the estimated time of arrival to the destination according to claim 30 wherein is the distance to the destination from the current location multiplied by the user'"'"'s current speed.

33. Where the distance to the destination calculation according to claim 32 wherein is the shortest straight line distance to the destination when the destination is a geographic grid location or a point of interest.

34. Where the distance calculation according to claim 32 wherein is an accumulation of the straight line distance from the user'"'"'s current location to the next Route Point and all subsequent straight line distances between Route Points to the final destination Route Point when the destination is a route.

35. A web server according to claim 25 wherein receives a detailed location log and inserts the detailed locations into the location log stored on the web server based on the time stamp of each detailed location.

36. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the network has been selected by the user as a network that can handle large data transmissions.

37. A network according to claim 36 wherein the two-way communication device transmits or receives large amounts of data that has been stored on the two-way communications device or on the web server.

38. A communication network for transmitting and receiving navigation information according to claim 1 wherein the network has been selected by the two-way communications device as a network that can handle large data transmissions.

39. A network according to claim 38 wherein the two-way communication device transmits or receives large amounts of data that has been stored on the two-way communications device or on the web server.