Portable navigational planning device
First Claim
1. Navigation planning apparatus comprising:
- input means for entering selected navigation planning data;
output means for sorting, selecting and providing navigation plan information to a pilot;
storage means for storing navigation-related data in a selected format as a database;
processor means for generating user prompts at said input means to prompt a user to input said navigation planning data in a preselected format and responsive to said input data to sort, select, and access data in said database in storage means to generate said navigation plan information at said output means; and
said input means, data storage means, including said database, and processor means being contained within a common, portable package.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present application discloses an on-demand, portable mass data storage device useful for navigational planning and other applications. One embodiment comprises a flight planning apparatus having a formatted database and a processor control system which accesses the database in response to user inputs. User inputs are prompted to be coordinated with the formatting of the database to provide for optimal accessing. Particular data records may then be retrieved from the database in response to individualized user inputs, for example, in conjunction with flight planning in which particular approach and other navigational aids must be filtered from a large volume of similar information. In the preferred embodiment, sorting of the information may be done on either a geographic or a named basis. Output of the system comprises information which the user find necessary for the particular planning application. For example, air navigation flight charts may be printed in conjunction with a trip confirmation and an FAA flight plan. Also, ready cross reference between named locations and geographical identification of those named places, such as airway intersections, may be accomplished. Additionally, real time information may be provided through direct phone links. Further, customized cartographic aids may be generated for each user application by review of data in a database and generation of a symbol for particular data records with a corresponding textual identification.
123 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. Navigation planning apparatus comprising:
-
input means for entering selected navigation planning data; output means for sorting, selecting and providing navigation plan information to a pilot; storage means for storing navigation-related data in a selected format as a database; processor means for generating user prompts at said input means to prompt a user to input said navigation planning data in a preselected format and responsive to said input data to sort, select, and access data in said database in storage means to generate said navigation plan information at said output means; and said input means, data storage means, including said database, and processor means being contained within a common, portable package. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 11)
-
-
6. A method for providing flight plan information at remote locations comprising:
-
storing flight data including at least approach and departure charts as a database in compact, portable storage means in a preselected format; providing user prompts to prompt the user to input planning data corresponding to said selected format; sorting, selecting and accessing data in said database said storage means to retrieve selected portions of said flight data in response to said prompted user inputs; and processing said input planning data in conjunction with retrieved portions of said flight data to provide flight plan information, including approach and departure charts, corresponding to pilot needs.
-
-
7. A method for providing navigational information at remote locations including airborne locations comprising:
-
storing a database comprising selected navigational data in compact, portable storage means in a preselected format; providing user prompts in conjunction with said portable storage means to prompt the user to input planning data corresponding to said preselected format of said database; sorting, selecting and accessing data in said database in said storage means to retrieve selected portions of said navigational data in response to said prompted user inputs; and processing said input data in conjunction with said retrieved portions of said navigational data from said database to provide navigational plan information to a pilot at said remote location.
-
-
8. Portable navigational planning apparatus comprising:
-
compact data storage means for storing flight path and approach chart information in a data base; user input means associated with said data base for entering planning data and sorting and selecting data in said data base; output means for providing a user with selectable navigational information from said database; processor means for providing user prompts to said input means to prompt a user to input selected planning data in a preselected format and responsive to said input data to retrieve at least a predetermined array of flight path and approach chart information; and means for generating an output display including a cartographic representation of the flight plan and cartographic displays of the appropriate terminal approach charts.
-
-
9. Portable navigational planning apparatus comprising:
-
compact data storage means for storing a data base comprising selected navigational information; user input means associated with said compact data storage means for entering planning data and for sorting, selecting and accessing data in said database. output means for providing a user with selectable navigational plan information from said database; and processor means for providing user prompts to said input means to prompt a user to input selected planning data in a preselected format and responsive to said input data for accessing said data storage means to retrieve at least a predetermined array of navigational information from said database in a selected pattern for output, providing said patterned navigational information at said output means and processing said input information to provide associated information unique to said input data at said output means to a user in conjunction with said navigational information; said data storage means, including said database, input means, output means and processor means being contained within a common, portable cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification