Method and system of providing navigation services to cellular phone devices from a server

• US 6,314,365 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Nicholas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arthur, Gertrude
• Application Number:
  US09/484,144
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/212, 701/213, 701/214, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.13, 342/357.15, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 455/456, 455/524
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents

Abstract

A method and system for providing navigation services to portable communications devices, such as cellular phones. A cellular phone user uses a cellular phone to request navigation services. The cellular phone is located in a geographic area that has a cellular phone location determining system that determines the positions of cellular phones used throughout the area. The cellular phone location determining system is used to determine one or more locations of the cellular phone used to request the navigation services. A map matching program uses a map database that contains data indicating the locations of roads located throughout the geographic area to relate the position of the cellular phone to one or more roads. Optionally, a direction of travel of the cellular phone can be determined by the map matching program using data indicating multiple positions of the cellular phone over time. Data indicating the position with respect to roads located in the geographic area of the cellular phone used to request the navigation services is combined with the request for navigation services at a navigation services server. The navigation services server determines a response to the request for navigation services taking into account the location and/or direction of travel of the cellular phone.

Claims

1. A method of providing navigation services to a plurality of cellular phone users who are pedestrians comprising the steps of:

using a cellular phone location determining system to determine geographic positions of a plurality of cellular phones that are used by pedestrians in a geographic area;

receiving requests for navigation services from said plurality of cellular phones;

matching the positions of each of said plurality of cellular phones that are used by pedestrians to positions of roads represented by data in a geographic database;

using said geographic database to determine responses to said requests for navigation services; and

transmitting said responses to said plurality of cellular phones that are used by pedestrians.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

over a period of time, using the cellular phone location determining system to determine a direction of travel of each of said plurality of cellular phones for which said positions were determined.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said direction of travel for each cellular phone is determined relative to a road upon which said cellular phone is determined to be located.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said requests are for instructions for traveling to specified destinations.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said instructions for traveling to specified destinations are provided to cellular phone users in groups of one or more instructions, wherein each of said groups is provided as a cellular phone to which the instructions are being provided approaches a location to which said instructions are pertinent.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said requests are for locations of businesses of a specified type located around a cellular phone position.

7. A system for providing navigation services to cellular phone users who are pedestrians comprising:

a cellular phone system;

a cellular phone location determining system capable of determining locations of cellular phones that are used by pedestrians in a geographic area; and

a navigation services server that receives requests for navigation services from cellular phone users who are pedestrians using said cellular phone system and wherein said navigation services server also receives data from said cellular phone location determining system that indicates locations of cellular phones that are used by pedestrians from which said requests were made.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

a map matching program that references said locations of said cellular phones to roads represented by data in a map database.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said map matching program is part of said cellular phone location determining system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said map matching program is part of said navigation services server.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein some of said cellular phones include positioning system hardware that provides data indicating a geographic location of an associated cellular phone, and wherein said navigation services server receives said data indicating a geographic location of an associated cellular phone from said cellular phones that include said positioning system hardware.

12. A method of providing navigation guidance comprising the steps of:

from a first cellular phone, transmitting a request for navigation guidance to a navigation services server;

using a cellular phone location determining system that determines positions of a plurality of cellular phones throughout a geographic area to determine a first position of said first cellular phone at a first point in time;

transmitting data indicating said first position of said first cellular phone from said cellular phone location determining system to said navigation services server;

formulating a response to said request, wherein said response includes a series of traveling instructions to be provided to the first cellular phone;

providing said response to said first cellular phone;

after the step of formulating a response to said request, receiving an indication that a remaining portion of a route to a desired destination should be provided as walking instructions;

using the cellular phone location determining system to determine a second position of said first cellular phone, wherein said second position corresponds to when said indication was made; and

providing walking instructions from said second position of said first cellular phone to said desired destination.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

after the step of formulating a response to said request, using the cellular phone location determining system to continue to determine positions of said first cellular phone; and

providing said traveling instructions in separate groups of one or more traveling instructions, wherein each of said groups is provided as the first cellular phone approaches a location to which the traveling instructions pertain.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said traveling instructions are driving instructions.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said traveling instructions are walking instructions.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said traveling instructions are instructions for travel by bicycle.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

on the navigation services server, associating the request for navigation guidance with said data indicating said first position of said first cellular phone.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein said response is provided to a user of said first cellular phone while said first cellular phone is being used for a voice telephone call.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining a direction of travel of said first cellular phone along a road.

20. A method of providing navigation services to a user of a cellular phone that includes positioning system hardware, the method comprising the steps of:

on a navigation services server, receiving a request for navigation services from said cellular phone, wherein said request is accompanied by data from said positioning system hardware in said cellular phone that indicates a geographic position of said cellular phone;

using a map matching program located on said navigation services server to reference said geographic position of said cellular phone to a location on a road network represented by data in a map database associated with said navigation services server;

formulating a response to said request, wherein said response takes into account said location of said cellular phone on the road network; and

providing said response to said cellular phone.