Portable electronic navigation aid
First Claim
1. A portable electronic navigation apparatus utilizing universal latitude and longitude coordinates for determining current location or a specific destination and the distance and bearing thereof relative to landmark data input by a user comprising:
- a portable housing;
a microcomputer contained within said housing including;
a first memory having stored navigational data representing the identity and latitude and longitude coordinates for the approximate physical center of various points or landmarks in a geographical area to be navigated, a second memory having stored calculation programs to calculate differences in latitude and longitude coordinates, convert the calculated differences to mileage and determine the bearing or direction between the latitude and longitude coordinates, a temporary memory for temporarily storing data in the course of computation, a video display controller, input and output ports, and a central processing unit responsive to user input to control the operation of said memories, said input and output ports, and said video display controller;
a video display screen operatively connected to said microcomputer video display controller;
a keyboard operatively connected to said microcomputer and having user input keys for inputting data and operation control keys for controlling the operation of said microcomputer;
power connection means operatively connected to said microcomputer for connecting said microcomputer to a source of electrical power,external memory receiving means operatively connected to said microcomputer for removably receiving external memory means,external memory means removably received within said external memory receiving means and having additional stored navigation data representing the identity and latitude and longitude coordinates for the approximate physical center of various points or landmarks in a geographical area to be navigated,said navigational data being read from said first memory said external memory means into said temporary memory and processed by said central processing unit responsive to user input from said keyboard and calculated by said programs in said second memory relative to other data inputted by the user and the results of the calculations displayed on said video display screen by said video controller, wherebyupon the user typing in a destination location said microcomputer records the destination location in said temporary memory and retrieves from said first memory or said external memory means the identity of the destination location and its latitude and longitude coordinates and displays the retrieved information on said video display screen or indicates that the destination location does not exist in said first memory or said external memory means, and the user can selectively edit the retrieved information or add the destination location data by typing in the identity or latitude and longitude coordinates for the destination location and record the edited data in said temporary memory, andupon the user typing in a starting location or a current location said microcomputer records the starting location or current location in said temporary memory and retrieves from said first memory or said external memory means the identity of the starting location or current location and its latitude and longitude coordinates and displays the retrieved information on said video display screen or indicates that the starting or current location does not exist in said first memory or said external memory means, and the user can selectively edit the retrieved information or add the starting location or current location data by typing in the identity or latitude and longitude coordinates for the starting location or current location and record the edited data in said temporary memory, andafter the destination location and starting location or current location data have been entered into said temporary memory, the user presses a key to cause one of said programs in said second memory to calculate the differences between the latitude and longitude coordinates of the destination location and the starting location or current location, convert the calculated differences to mileage, determine the bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location, and display the mileage and bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location on said video display screen.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electronic navigation apparatus and method utilizes universal latitude and longitude coordinates of geographic points and landmarks for determining current location or a specific destination and the distance and bearing thereof relative to landmark data input by the user. Latitude and longitude of population centers (e.g., cities, towns), major buildings, airports, and other landmarks in a geographical area are stored in a first memory. Latitudinal and longitudinal data for roadways in the area are stored in a second memory. A third permanent memory stores programs to; calculate the distance between two known points; look up and retrieve stored information; store and erase data upon the user'"'"'s instruction; accept corrections to stored data; and to display the data on a screen in relation to its latitude and longitude along with name, mileage, and bearing or destination data corresponding to the related geographical feature or landmark. Destination, current or hypothetical location, latitude and longitude adjustments, other data, and requests for navigational information is input by a keyboard. Roads, population centers, airports, buildings, other landmarks, mileages, and bearings or directions according to the oeprator'"'"'s request is displayed visually or vocally. The user may specify a radius around the current or destination location, and receive the distance between the destination and any other geographical feature, landmark, or roadway within the designated radius or within the designated path width.
308 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A portable electronic navigation apparatus utilizing universal latitude and longitude coordinates for determining current location or a specific destination and the distance and bearing thereof relative to landmark data input by a user comprising:
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a portable housing; a microcomputer contained within said housing including;
a first memory having stored navigational data representing the identity and latitude and longitude coordinates for the approximate physical center of various points or landmarks in a geographical area to be navigated, a second memory having stored calculation programs to calculate differences in latitude and longitude coordinates, convert the calculated differences to mileage and determine the bearing or direction between the latitude and longitude coordinates, a temporary memory for temporarily storing data in the course of computation, a video display controller, input and output ports, and a central processing unit responsive to user input to control the operation of said memories, said input and output ports, and said video display controller;a video display screen operatively connected to said microcomputer video display controller; a keyboard operatively connected to said microcomputer and having user input keys for inputting data and operation control keys for controlling the operation of said microcomputer; power connection means operatively connected to said microcomputer for connecting said microcomputer to a source of electrical power, external memory receiving means operatively connected to said microcomputer for removably receiving external memory means, external memory means removably received within said external memory receiving means and having additional stored navigation data representing the identity and latitude and longitude coordinates for the approximate physical center of various points or landmarks in a geographical area to be navigated, said navigational data being read from said first memory said external memory means into said temporary memory and processed by said central processing unit responsive to user input from said keyboard and calculated by said programs in said second memory relative to other data inputted by the user and the results of the calculations displayed on said video display screen by said video controller, whereby upon the user typing in a destination location said microcomputer records the destination location in said temporary memory and retrieves from said first memory or said external memory means the identity of the destination location and its latitude and longitude coordinates and displays the retrieved information on said video display screen or indicates that the destination location does not exist in said first memory or said external memory means, and the user can selectively edit the retrieved information or add the destination location data by typing in the identity or latitude and longitude coordinates for the destination location and record the edited data in said temporary memory, and upon the user typing in a starting location or a current location said microcomputer records the starting location or current location in said temporary memory and retrieves from said first memory or said external memory means the identity of the starting location or current location and its latitude and longitude coordinates and displays the retrieved information on said video display screen or indicates that the starting or current location does not exist in said first memory or said external memory means, and the user can selectively edit the retrieved information or add the starting location or current location data by typing in the identity or latitude and longitude coordinates for the starting location or current location and record the edited data in said temporary memory, and after the destination location and starting location or current location data have been entered into said temporary memory, the user presses a key to cause one of said programs in said second memory to calculate the differences between the latitude and longitude coordinates of the destination location and the starting location or current location, convert the calculated differences to mileage, determine the bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location, and display the mileage and bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location on said video display screen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30)
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23. An electronic navigation method utilizing universal latitude and longitude coordinates for determining current location or a specific destination and the distance and bearing thereof relative to landmark data input by a user comprising the steps of:
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providing a portable microcomputer including;
a first permanent memory having stored data representing the identity and the latitude and longitude coordinates for the approximate physical center of various points or landmarks in a geographical area to be navigated, a second permanent memory having stored programs for processing data and controlling the operations of the microcomputer, a temporary memory for temporarily storing data in the course of computation, a keyboard for inputting data and operational commands, and a video display screen,entering the identity of a destination location from said keyboard, recording it in said temporary memory, and retrieving from said first permanent memory the coordinates corresponding to the destination location identity, and visibly displaying the retrieved destination location data or indicating that no data exists in said first permanent memory, entering the identity of a starting location from said keyboard, recording it in said temporary memory, and retrieving from said first permanent memory the coordinates corresponding to the starting location identity, and visibly displaying the retrieved starting location data or indicating that no data exists in said first permanent memory, upon an indication that no destination location data or starting location data exists in said first permanent memory, inputting from the keyboard the identity or latitude and longitude coordinates for the destination location or starting location, and recording said input identity or said latitude and longitude coordinates in said temporary memory, and after the destination and starting location data have been entered into said temporary memory, pressing a keyboard key to activated a calculation program in said second permanent memory to calculate the differences in the latitude and longitude coordinates between the starting location and the destination location, convert the calculated differences to mileage, determine the bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location, and visually display the mileage and bearing or direction from the starting location to the destination location. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31)
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Specification