Reducing driving directions

• US 7,395,153 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nesbitt, David W., Swartz, Michael Dean, Gearhart, G. Duane
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/019,550
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

Techniques are provided for reducing the number of maneuvers presented in narrative driving directions for a route from an origin location to a destination location. To do so, driving directions are not provided for maneuvers for areas with which a person is likely to be familiar, such as neighborhood streets near the person'"'"'s house, office, or another familiar location. A route from a user-specified origin to a user-specified destination is determined. Driving directions are presented only for a portion of the route. The portion of the route for which driving directions are presented may be identified based on an arterial category of roads included in the route.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying driving directions having multiple maneuvers, the method comprising:

accessing route information for a route from an origin to a destination, the route including a first portion that includes one of the origin or the destination;

accessing, from computer-accessible storage, a user-determined trimming preference to reduce presented maneuvers to traverse the route, the trimming preference having been identified by a user requesting the route for application only to a route including an identified location;

applying the user-determined trimming preference to reduce presented maneuvers to traverse the route conditioned on the requested route having one of an origin or a destination being, the identified location; and

using the route information to enable presentation on a user system of a set of maneuvers for a second portion of the route that does not include the first portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the route information to generate a set of maneuvers for the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route,

wherein applying a trimming preference comprises eliminating maneuvers that correspond to the first portion of the route.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the route information for a route includes nodes and links, each link representing a road included in the route and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road included in the route, and

applying the trimming preference comprises eliminating from the route information at least one link included in the first portion of the route to produce a reduced set of route information,

the method further comprising using the reduced set of route information to generate the set of maneuvers for only the second portion of the route.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the route information for a route includes nodes and links, each link representing a road included in the route and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road included in the route, and

applying the trimming preference comprises eliminating from the route information at least one node included in the first portion of the route to produce a reduced set of route information,

the method further comprising using the reduced set of route information to generate the set of maneuvers for only the second portion of the route.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein apply the trimming preference comprises determining a focus point for use in identifying the second portion of the route.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising

eliminating a portion of the route from the origin to the focus point, wherein

using the route information to enable presentation comprises using the route information to enable presentation on a user system of a set of maneuvers for a portion of the route from the focus point to the destination.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising eliminating a portion of the route from the focus point to the destination, wherein using the route information to enable presentation comprises using the route information to enable presentation on a user system of a set of maneuvers for a portion of the route from the focus point to the destination.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the route information for a route includes nodes and links, each link representing a road included in the route and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road included in the route, and

the focus point comprises a link.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the route information for a route includes nodes and links, each link representing a road included in the route and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road included in the route, and

the focus point comprises a node.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route based on an address associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route based on a predetermined distance set by the user.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route that is within a predetermined distance from the origin location or the destination location.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route that is within a user-configurable predetermined distance of the origin location or the destination location.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route based on a first occurrence of an arterial category associated with a road in the route.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein determining a focus point for the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route based on a first occurrence of an arterial category characterizing a link in the route that is within a user-configurable predetermined distance of the origin location or the destination location.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a focus point for the second portion of the route comprises determining a focus point for identifying the second portion of the route based on a first occurrence of an arterial category associated with a road in the route.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling presenting on the user system of the route maneuvers for only the second portion of the route only after receiving confirmation from a user identity that only the second portion of the route is to be presented.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing comprises selecting from among multiple user-determined trimming preferences identified by the user requesting the route wherein a user-determined preference is associated with an identified location.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the multiple user-determined trimming preferences identified by the user requesting the route include:

a first user-determined trimming preference being associated with a home address of the user, and

a second user-determined trimming preference being associated with an office address of the user.