Telephone providing directions to a location

• US 6,674,849 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Froeberg, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, BING Q
• Application Number:
  US09/627,547
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/201.06, 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/207.12, 379/207.15, 379/355.02, 379/355.04, 701/201, 701/202
• US Class Current: 379/201.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A system providing a map and driving directions to a user of a user telephone for a remote location associated with a remote telephone number. The system includes the user telephone and a server connected through a telephone system. The user telephone includes a location number designator for designating a remote telephone number and an object decoder for decoding software objects such as a map object having map information for the area about the location of a remote address associated with the remote telephone number and a driving directions object having driving directions information for traveling to the remote location. The server includes a map object generator for generating the map object from the remote telephone number and a driving directions object generator for generating the driving directions object from the remote telephone number and user location determination information for a local address, a local telephone number, or geodetic coordinates provided by a geodetic location device in the user telephone.

Claims

1. A method for generating driving directions, comprising steps of:

designating a remote telephone number in a user telephone having a local telephone number different than said remote telephone number;

determining local geodetic coordinates at said user telephone;

transmitting an outgoing telephone call having said local geodetic coordinates and information for said remote telephone number to a server having a server telephone number different than said remote telephone number;

converting said local geodetic coordinates to a local street network segment in said server;

transmitting a return message to the user telephone number from said server, said return message having driving directions from a local location of the user telephone to said remote location; and

using said local street network segment as a start and said remote street network segment as a destination for generating said driving directions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of designating said remote telephone number comprises steps of receiving at said user telephone an incoming telephone call from a remote telephone having said remote telephone number and designating said remote telephone number from header data in said incoming telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of designating said remote telephone number comprises steps of retrieving a stored telephone number and designating said stored telephone number as said remote telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting said remote telephone number to a remote street network segment in said server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

converting said local telephone number to a local street network segment in said server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

using said local street network segment as a start and said remote street network segment as a destination for generating said driving directions;

encoding said driving directions as a driving directions object; and

decoding said driving directions object in said user telephone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a local address at said user telephone;

transmitting said local address in said outgoing telephone call; and

converting said local address to a local street network segment in said server.

8. A system for generating driving directions, comprising:

a user telephone having a local telephone number and a geodetic location device for providing local geodetic coordinates, the user telephone for transmitting an outgoing telephone call including message data having said geodetic coordinates and a remote telephone number different than said local telephone number to a server having a server telephone number different than said remote telephone number and receiving an incoming message having driving directions information from a local location of the user telephone to a remote location associated with said remote telephone number; and

the server including a server receiver for receiving said outgoing telephone call;

a driving directions generator for generating said driving directions information, the driving directions generator including a reverse street segment geocoder for reverse geocoding said geodetic coordinates to a local street network segment and a route generator for using said local street network segment as a start location for said driving directions; and

a server transmitter for transmitting said incoming message back to the user telephone.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

said driving directions generator includes a number-address converter for converting said remote telephone number to a remote address, a street segment geocoder for geocoding said remote address to a remote street network segment, and a route generator for using said remote street network segment for generating driving directions to said remote address.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

said driving directions generator includes a number-address converter for converting said local telephone number to a local address, a street segment geocoder for geocoding said local address to a local street network segment, and a route generator for using said remote street network segment as a start location for said driving directions.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein:

said outgoing telephone call includes a local address of the local telephone number; and

said driving directions generator includes a street segment geocoder for geocoding said local address to a local street network segment and a route generator for using said local street network segment as a start location for said driving directions.

12. A cellular telephone having a local telephone number for providing driving directions, comprising:

a location number designator for designating a remote telephone number different than said local telephone number;

a geodetic location device for providing local geodetic coordinates of the cellular telephone;

a transmitter for transmitting an outgoing telephone call to a server telephone number different than said remote telephone number, said outgoing telephone call including said remote telephone number and information for said local geodetic coordinates; and

a receiver for receiving an incoming message including driving directions information for a route between a local location of the cellular telephone and a remote location derived from said remote telephone number.

13. The telephone of claim 12, wherein:

said driving directions information is formed as a driving directions object.

14. The telephone of claim 12, wherein:

said outgoing telephone call includes information for a local address associated with the telephone.

15. The telephone of claim 12, further comprising:

a caller identifier for receiving said remote telephone number in an incoming telephone call; and

wherein;

the location number designator is coupled to the caller identifier for designating said remote telephone number.