Method and apparatus for utilizing geographic location information

• US 7,881,864 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Smith, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US11/421,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701201-213, 715/764, 715/781, 715/968, 715/230, 707/E17.142, 707/E17.019, 707/E17.018, 707/999.102, 707/732, 340/995.14
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide navigation devices (10) and methods for receiving and/or forming geoblogs. The provided navigation devices (10) are generally operable to retrieve a geoblog utilizing the current geographic location of the device (10) and a user input, form a geoblog utilizing the current geographic location of the device (10) and selected pre-defined comment, and/or automatically title a geoblog utilizing a current geographic location of the device (10). Such configurations and variations thereof enable users to easily share information related to a geographic location.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a location determining component operable to determine a current geographic location of the device;

a memory;

a display operable to present a listing of a plurality of pre-defined comments stored within the memory, wherein the pre-defined comments are associated with a particular geographic location in proximity to the current geographic location of the device;

a user interface operable to be functioned by a user to select one of the presented pre-defined comments; and

a processor coupled with the memory, the location determining component, the display, and the user interface, the processor operable to form a geoblog utilizing the current geographic location of the device and the selected pre-defined comment and store the formed geoblog within the memory.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined comments are presented according to the current geographic location of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined comments are displayed based upon a user-selected geoblog category.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined comments are displayed in a user-selected language.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor automatically titles the formed geoblog utilizing the current geographic location of the device.

6. The device of claim 1, further including a communications element coupled with the processor to enable the processor to communicate with a communications network to provide the formed geoblog to an external source.