Frequency-Based Direction Guidance

• US 20160091335A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bhatt, Nikhil, Bhatt, Ravi Nikhil, Bhatt, Mira Nicole
• Granted Patent: US 9,945,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

Frequency-based direction guidance is disclosed. In some implementations, a navigation system leverages frequent location information to filter navigation directions that are presented to a user of a navigation device. If a destination is a frequent location, the navigation system filters the navigation directions so that navigation directions associated with the destination are not presented to the user. If a departure location is a frequent location, the navigation system filters the directions so that directions associated with the departure location are not presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a navigation device, a route request including a departure location and a destination location;

determining, by the navigation device, that the departure location or destination is a frequent location associated with the navigation device;

generating, by the navigation device, navigation directions; and

presenting, by the navigation device, a subset of the navigation directions, the subset of navigation directions excluding one or more navigation directions for leaving the departure location if the departure location is determined to be a frequent location or excluding one or more navigation directions for arriving at the destination location if the destination location is determined to be a frequent location.

2. The method of claim 1, where presenting, by the navigation device, a subset of the navigation directions, further comprises:

displaying the subset of directions on a navigation display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element on the navigation display;

receiving user input directed to the user interface element;

responsive to the input, presenting additional navigation directions on the navigation display that are not included in the subset of navigation instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to presenting, by the navigation device, a subset of the navigation directions,

determining that a timestamp associated with the frequent location meets a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, where the departure location or the destination location is an intermediate frequent location.

6. The method of claim 1, where the frequent location is defined by a geographic boundary, further comprising:

determining that a route segment is within the geographic boundary;

determining navigation directions associated with the route segment; and

including the determined navigation directions in the subset of navigation directions.

7. The method of claim 6, where the geographic boundary defines a circular geographic area having a size determined by a radius value.

8. The method of claim 6, where the radius value is specified by a user of the navigation device.

9. The method of claim 1, where the frequent location is determined from a description in a contact of a virtual address book.

10. The method of claim 1, where the frequent location is determined by meeting or exceeding a threshold number of recorded locations of the navigation device over a period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, where excluding one or more navigation directions for leaving the departure location includes excluding directions from the departure location until a road having a specified road priority is reached.

12. The method of claim 11, where a road priority is determined by map data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising avoiding recalculating navigation directions until the navigation device reaches a first direction after the excluded directions.

14. A navigation device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing directions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a route request including a departure location and a destination location;

determining that the departure location or destination is a frequent location associated with the navigation device;

generating navigation directions; and

presenting a subset of the navigation directions, the subset of navigation directions excluding one or more navigation directions for leaving the departure location if the departure location is determined to be a frequent location or excluding one or more navigation directions for arriving at the destination location if the destination location is determined to be a frequent location.

15. The navigation device of claim 14, where presenting a subset of the navigation directions, further comprises:

displaying the subset of directions on a navigation display.

16. The navigation device of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element on the navigation display;

receiving user input directed to the user interface element;

responsive to the input, presenting additional navigation directions on the navigation display that are not included in the subset of navigation instructions.

17. The navigation device of claim 14, further comprising:

prior to presenting a subset of the navigation directions, determining that a timestamp associated with the frequent location meets a threshold value.

18. The navigation device of claim 14, where the departure location or the destination location is an intermediate frequent location.

19. The navigation device of claim 14, where the frequent location is defined by a geographic boundary, further comprising:

determining that a route segment is within the geographic boundary;

determining navigation directions associated with the route segment; and

including the determined navigation directions in the subset of navigation directions.

20. The navigation device of claim 19, where the geographic boundary defines a circular geographic area having a size determined by a radius value.

21. The navigation device of claim 19, where the radius value is specified by a user of the navigation device.

22. The navigation device of claim 14, where the frequent location is determined from a description in a contact of a virtual address book.

23. The navigation device of claim 14, where the frequent location is determined by meeting or exceeding a threshold number of recorded locations of the navigation device over a period of time.

24. The navigation device of claim 14, where excluding one or more navigation directions for leaving the departure location includes excluding directions from the departure location until a road having a specified road priority is reached.

25. The navigation device of claim 24, where a road priority is determined by map data.

26. The navigation device of claim 14, further comprising avoiding recalculating navigation directions until the navigation device reaches a first direction after the excluded directions.