Method and database for navigating a person from a starting point to a destination

• US 7,499,797 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mok, Swee M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/610,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/205, 701/206, 701/207, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 340/992, 340/996, 340/995.18, 340/995.28, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

An interactive system and method for navigating a person from a starting point to a destination, using a wireless location determining device and a wireless navigating device. The person sends a request for navigational directions via the wireless location determining device. Using a database that contains the geographic location and a corresponding name of the starting point and the destination, the request is answered and navigational information is sent to the wireless navigating device. The database was previously established by recording the movement of subjects, using a wireless location determining device, as the subjects moved from place to place in their environment. When the number of occurrences of subjects passing by any individual location reached a predetermined threshold, the subjects were prompted to enter a name that described and corresponded to that location. Using the provided navigational information, the person moves from the starting point toward the destination. Optionally, the wireless location determining device periodically sends the current geographic location of the person as he travels. Optionally the wireless location determining device periodically receives additional navigational information in response to the periodically sent information to update the person.

Claims

1. An interactive method of navigating a human user from a starting locale to a final locale, comprising:

providing, to the human user, a wireless location determining device and a wireless navigating device;

the human user, at the starting locale, sending a request via the wireless location determining device, for navigational directions from the starting locale to the final locale;

using a database comprising a geographic location and a corresponding human user decipherable location name of the starting locale and comprising a geographic location and a corresponding human user decipherable location name of the final locale, answering the request by providing navigational information to the wireless navigating device sufficient to enable the human user to move toward the final locale, wherein the database further comprises a plurality of geographic locations, each with one or more corresponding user decipherable location names, the plurality of geographic locations having been established by previously recording the movement of human subjects using a wireless location determining device as the human subjects moved about their environment, the human user decipherable location names of each of the plurality of geographic locations having been provided by the human subjects; and

the human user, following the provided navigational information, moving from the starting locale toward the final locale.

2. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein the database comprises three dimensional geographic locations.

3. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, further comprising the wireless location determining device periodically sending information comprising the current geographic location of the human user as the human user moves from the starting locale to the final locale.

4. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 3, further comprising the wireless location determining device periodically receiving additional navigational information in response to the periodically sent information.

5. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein the wireless location determining device and the wireless navigating device comprise a single unit.

6. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 5, wherein the wireless location determining device and the wireless navigating device comprise a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant.

7. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein the wireless location determining device comprises a Global Positioning System receiver, an inertial navigation system, or wireless local area network client.

8. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein the starting locale and the final locale are within a building.

9. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein the movements of the human user are outside of a building.

10. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 1, wherein when the movement of human subjects about a particular geographic location reaches a predetermined threshold, a geographic location is established.

11. The interactive method of navigating as described in claim 10, wherein when the geographic location is established, the human subjects are prompted to provide a human user decipherable location name for the established geographic location.

12. An interactive system for navigating a human user from a starting locale to a final locale, comprising:

a wireless location determining device for providing information regarding the locale of a human user;

a wireless navigating device for providing information to the human user on how to navigate from the starting locale to the final locale;

a database comprising a plurality of geographic locations and corresponding human user decipherable location names, including those of the starting locale and of the final locale, wherein the database has previously been established by recording the movement of human subjects using a wireless location determining device as the human subjects moved about their environment, the human user decipherable location names of each of the plurality of geographic locations having been provided by the subjects;

receiving means for receiving the provided information regarding the position of a human user;

processing means for determining the navigational route from the starting locale to the final locale; and

sending means for sending the navigational route to the wireless navigating device.

13. The interactive system for navigating as described in claim 12, wherein the wireless location determining device and the wireless navigating device comprise a single unit.

14. The interactive system for navigating as described in claim 13, wherein the wireless location determining device and the wireless navigating device comprise a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant.

15. The interactive system for navigating as described in claim 12, wherein the wireless location determining device comprises a Global Positioning System receiver, an inertial navigation system, or wireless local area network client.

16. The interactive system for navigating as described in claim 12, wherein the starting locale and the final locale are within a building.

17. A database for navigating a human user from a starting locale to a final locale, comprising a plurality of geographic locations and corresponding human user decipherable location names, including those of the starting locale and of the final locale, wherein the database has previously been established by recording the movement of human subjects using a wireless location determining device as the human subjects moved about their environment, the human user decipherable location names of some of the plurality of geographic locations having been provided by the subjects.

18. The database as described in claim 17, wherein a predetermined number of occurrences of human subjects moving about a single geographic location must take place before the single geographic location is established.

19. The database as described in claim 17, wherein the human user decipherable location names of some of the plurality of geographic locations is provided by an administrator.

20. The database as described in claim 17, wherein when the geographic location is established, the human subjects are prompted to provide a human user decipherable location name for the established geographic location.