Systems, functional data, and methods to pack n-dimensional data in a PDA

• US 6,799,115 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Childs, Michael E., Beesley, Darin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/269,399
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/211, 701/200, 345/418, 345/208, 345/204, 345/173, 345/163, 345/762, 348/333.1, 709/203, 709/206, 709/221, 455/456, 707/200, 707/10, 340/994
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Devices, systems, functional data and methods are provided for packing n-dimensional data. The navigational device with n-dimensional data packing capabilities includes a processor communicating with a memory. Packing n-dimensional data within one or more coordinate data. Each coordinate data includes n-dimensional data and a control data. The control data are operable to determine which n-dimensional data are active within the coordinate data. Furthermore, each coordinate data are compressed or packed.

Claims

1. A personal digital assistant (PDA), comprising:

a calendar function;

an address book function;

a processor operable to communicate with a memory and a display;

wherein the PDA uses the memory in cooperation with the processor to pack a plurality of coordinate data and associate at least a portion of activation data with each coordinate data, each coordinate data having three or more dimensions, and wherein the activation data indicates whether select ones of the three or more dimensions are activated and whether select ones of the three or more dimensions are deactivated; and

wherein at least a portion of the coordinate data is dynamically communicated to the display.

2. The PDA of claim 1, further comprising an interface device operable to audibly communicate at least a portion of the coordinate data.

3. The PDA of claim 2, wherein at least one of the coordinate data exceed the delta size associated with packing the at least one coordinate data and wherein associating one or more special data ensures the at least one coordinate data are packed within the delta size associated with the coordinate data.

4. The PDA of claim 3, wherein:

each dimension is associated with a direction; and

if each direction within each dimension of each associated coordinate data proceeds in a same direction then using a single sign data for each dimension to pack each coordinate data.

5. The PDA of claim 1, wherein the PDA includes a telecommunication functionality operable for transmitting voice data.

6. The PDA of claim 1, wherein the PDA includes a Bluetooth capability.

7. A personal digital assistant (PDA), comprising:

a calendar function;

an address book function;

a processor operable to communicate with a memory and a display;

wherein the PDA uses the memory in cooperation with the processor to pack a plurality of coordinate data and associate at least a portion of activation data with each coordinate data, each coordinate data having three or more dimensions, and wherein each dimension includes a delta size associated with an optimal size to pack each coordinate data; and

wherein at least a portion of the coordinate data is dynamically communicated to the display.

8. A personal digital assistant (PDA), comprising:

a calendar function;

an address book function;

a processor operable to communicate with a memory and a display;

wherein the PDA uses the memory in cooperation with the processor to pack a plurality of coordinate data and associate at least a portion of activation data with each coordinate data, each coordinate data having three or more dimensions, and wherein at least one of the dimensions is associated with attribute data relating to at least one of the other dimensions; and

wherein at least a portion of the coordinate data is dynamically communicated to the display.

9. A PDA navigation system, comprising:

a mass storage device adapted to store navigation data;

a server adapted to communicate with the mass storage; and

a PDA operable to communicate with and retrieve navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the PDA includes a processor in communication with a memory, wherein the processor and memory cooperate to pack at least three dimensional data associated with the navigation data and activation data associated with the at least three dimensional data, and wherein each dimension includes a delta size that indicates an optimal size for packing the dimensional data.

10. The PDA navigation system of claim 9, wherein the communication channel includes a wireless channel.

11. A PDA navigation system, comprising:

a mass storage device adapted to store navigation data;

a server adapted to communicate with the mass storage; and

a PDA operable to communicate with and retrieve navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the PDA includes a processor in communication with a memory wherein the processor and memory cooperate to pack at least three dimensional data associated with the navigation data and activation data associated with the at least three dimensional data, and wherein the activation data are configurable to activate or deactivate each dimension within the at least three dimensional data of the navigation data.

12. The PDA navigation system of claim 11, wherein the navigation data are packed within the memory.

13. Functional data in a PDA to configure and use attribute data, comprising:

activation data operable to activate or deactivate one or more attributes associated with the attribute data;

packed data representing compressed activation data and compressed attribute data; and

instruction data to decompress the activation data and the attribute data and using the attribute data based on whether one or more of the attributes are activated by the activation data.

14. The functional data of claim 13, wherein the activation data represents at least three dimensions included within the attribute data.

15. The functional data of claim 14, wherein the at least three dimensions include at least one of longitudinal data, latitudinal data, depth data, bottom condition data, attitudinal data, marine data, aeronautical data, and landmark data.

16. The functional data of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the functional data is processed on the PDA.

17. The functional data of claim 13, further comprising plotting instruction data operable to interface with the instruction data and plot the attribute data.

18. The functional data of claim 17, wherein the plotting instruction data is further operable to communicate the plotted attribute data with at least one of an audio device and a visual device in the PDA.

19. The functional data of claim 13, further comprising present location data representing a present position of a PDA within the attribute data.

20. A method to pack three or more dimensions represented in cartographic data on a PDA, comprising:

in a PDA, receiving cartographic data including dimension control data operable to represent one or more coordinated data, each coordinate data having three or more dimensional data;

packing each coordinate data and the control data into the cartographic data wherein each dimensional data associated with each coordinate data are compressed into an optimal size; and

using one or more special data to represent at least one dimensional data having a length exceeding the optimal size for the at least one dimensional data permitting the coordinate data to be compressed into the optimal size.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selectively decompressing the cartographic data having at least one of the dimensional data based on the dimension control data.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising plotting the coordinate data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least three dimensional data represent at least one of longitudinal data, latitudinal data, depth data, bottom condition data, altitudinal data, marine data, aeronautical data, and landmark data.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the method includes using a PDA having cell phone capabilities.

25. A personal digital assistant (PDA), comprising:

a calendar function;

an address book function;

a processor operable to communicate with a memory and a display;

means for packing a plurality of coordinate data and associating at least a portion of activation data with each coordinate data, each coordinate data having three or more dimensions, and wherein portions of the activation data activate a number of the dimensions and other portions of the activation data deactivate a number of the dimensions; and

means for dynamically communicating at least a portion of the coordinate data to the display.