Method and apparatus to select city name associated with street located on border of two cities

• US 8,150,618 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tran, Thai
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oh, Harry
• Application Number:
  US12/286,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.17, 701/25, 701200-202, 701206-209, 701/213, 701/214, 701/216, 715856-858, 715/780
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

A method and apparatus for identifying correct city involving a street that borders on two or more cities for a navigation system. The navigation system identifies a correct city name associated with such a border street based on a direction of a vehicle travelling on the border street. In another aspect, the navigation system identifies a correct city name associated with such a border street based on a cursor point on the map image as to which side of the street and city is more proximate to the cursor point. Further, the navigation system identifies a correct city name associated with such a border street based on an address number as to whether it is an odd number or even number thereby determining the side of the street and city.

Claims

1. A method for determining a correct city name for a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

specifying a street by a user;

determining, via a processor, whether the specified street is a border street that runs along a border between two or more cities;

selecting and applying a determination factor appropriate to a current situation associated with the border street;

determining and selecting a city name associated with the border street appropriate to the current situation; and

displaying the selected city name as a part of address information associated with the border street on a screen of the navigation system;

wherein the city represents a unit of any administrative region including town, county and state.

2. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of determining and selecting the city name includes a step of selecting the city name that is located at a side of the border street by applying the determination factor.

3. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 2, wherein said step of determining whether the specified street is a border street includes a step of evaluating map data stored in the data storage medium of the navigation system and retrieving information related to the border street and names of two or more associated cities.

4. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 2, wherein said border street is specified by the user when a vehicle of the user is travelling on the border street which is detected by the navigation system based on GPS signals.

5. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 2, wherein said border street is specified by the user when the user operates a cursor on a map image on the screen of the navigation system where the cursor on map image points to the border street.

6. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 2, wherein said border street is specified by the user when the user operates an address input screen of the navigation system where the user inputs a name of the border street.

7. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 4, wherein said determination factor is a travelling direction of the vehicle that runs on the border street to determine the side of the border street on which the vehicle is traveling.

8. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 5, wherein said determination factor is an exact location of the cursor point on the map image to determine the side of the border street at which the cursor point is located.

9. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 5, wherein said determination factor is an address number corresponding to the cursor point on the map image to determine the side of the border street at which the cursor point is located.

10. A method for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 6, wherein said determination factor is an address number specified by the user as to whether it is an odd number or an even number to determine the side of the border street at which the address number is located.

11. An apparatus for determining a correct city name for a navigation system, comprising:

means for specifying a street by a user;

means for determining whether the specified street is a border street that runs along a border between two or more cities;

means for selecting and applying a determination factor appropriate to a current situation associated with the border street;

means for determining and selecting a city name associated with the border street appropriate to the current situation; and

means for displaying the selected city name as a part of address information associated with the border street on a screen of the navigation system;

wherein the city represents a unit of any administrative region including town, county and state.

12. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for determining and selecting the city name includes means for selecting the city name that is located at a side of the border street by applying the determination factor.

13. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 12, wherein said means for determining whether the specified street is a border street includes means for evaluating map data stored in the data storage medium of the navigation system and retrieving information related to the border street and names of two or more associated cities.

14. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 12, wherein said border street is specified by the user when a vehicle of the user is travelling on the border street which is detected by the navigation system based on GPS signals.

15. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 12, wherein said border street is specified by the user when the user operates a cursor on a map image on the screen of the navigation system where the cursor on the map image points to the border street.

16. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 12, wherein said border street is specified by the user when the user operates an address input screen of the navigation system where the user inputs a name of the border street.

17. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 14, wherein said determination factor is a travelling direction of the vehicle that runs on the border street to determine the side of the border street on which the vehicle is traveling.

18. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 15, wherein said determination factor is an exact location of the cursor point on the map image to determine the side of the border street at which the cursor point is located.

19. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 15, wherein said determination factor is an address number corresponding to the cursor point on the map image to determine the side of the border street at which the cursor point is located.

20. An apparatus for determining a correct city name as defined in claim 16, wherein said determination factor is an address number specified by the user as to whether it is an odd number or an even number to determine the side of the border street at which the address number is located.