Automatic updating of favorite places for navigation system upon change of home address

• US 8,249,805 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: de Silva, Andrew, Zhuang, Jianning, Mazas, Jose, Panganiban, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWDER, LINDSAY
• Application Number:
  US12/316,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20100152997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701207-210, 701/426, 701/450, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically updating information on favorite places upon change of home address. The method includes the steps of: checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address; searching for favorite places around the new home address equivalent to that around the old home address; determining whether the updating of the favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user; updating the favorite places by replacing the favorite places for the old home address with the equivalent favorite places for the new home address; and repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address.

Claims

1. A method for updating information on existing favorite places pre-established in a navigation system for an old home address to be appropriate to a new home address, comprising the following steps of:

checking, using a processor of the navigation system, data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address;

evaluating attribute data regarding the existing favorite places related to the old home address;

searching for new favorite places around the new home address equivalent to the existing favorite places around the old home address based on the attribute data regarding the existing favorite places;

determining whether the updating of the existing favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user;

updating the existing favorite places pre-established by the user and stored in the navigation system by replacing the existing favorite places for the old home address stored in the navigation system with the equivalent new favorite places for the new home address; and

repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address;

wherein the home address is an address selectively input by the user and is saved in the navigation system that serves as a basic location of the user for operation of the navigation system.

2. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, wherein said automatic updating of the existing favorite places is not conducted when the new home address is closer to the old home address than a predetermined distance.

3. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of receiving an instruction by the user in advance to allow the navigation system to automatically update the existing favorite places when the home address is changed.

4. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, after determining that the updating of the existing favorite places should be conducted upon instruction by the user, further comprising a step of waiting for an instruction by the user before updating the existing favorite places.

5. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of the user has been changed to the new home address includes a step of determining an address of a current location detected by the navigation system as the new home address.

6. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes a step of evaluating an overall cost of the new favorite place which includes a distance to the new favorite place.

7. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, wherein said attribute data include a brand name or chain of business related to the existing favorite place, and said step of searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes a step of selecting a particular new favorite place having the same brand name or chain of the existing favorite place around the old home address.

8. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes a step of prioritizing a particular new favorite place that is located in an area that the user more frequently visits or passes-by over a similar new favorite place that is located in an area that the user less frequently visits or passes-by even though the similar new favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

9. A method for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes a step of prioritizing a particular new favorite place that is located in an area that has a plurality of same type of favorite places over a similar new favorite place that is located in an area that has no or lesser number of same type of favorite places even though the similar new favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

10. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places pre-established in a navigation system for an old home address to be appropriate to a new home address, comprising:

means for checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address;

means for evaluating attribute data regarding the existing favorite places related to the old home address;

means for searching for new favorite places around the new home address equivalent to the existing favorite places around the old home address based on the attribute data regarding the existing favorite places;

means for determining whether the updating of the existing favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user;

means for updating the existing favorite places preestablished by the user and stored in the navigation system by replacing the existing favorite places for the old home address stored in the navigation system with the equivalent new favorite places for the new home address; and

means for repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address;

wherein the home address is an address selectively input by the user and is saved in the navigation system that serves as the basic location of the user for operation of the navigation system.

11. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, wherein said automatic updating of the existing favorite places is not conducted when the new home address is closer to the old home address than a predetermined distance.

12. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, further comprising means for receiving an instruction by the user in advance to allow the navigation system to automatically update the existing favorite places when the home address is changed.

13. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, further comprising means for waiting for an instruction by the user before updating the favorite places, after determining that the updating of the existing favorite places should be conducted upon instruction by the user.

14. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, said means for checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of the user has been changed to the new home address includes means for determining an address of a current location detected by the navigation system as the new home address.

15. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, said means for searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes means for evaluating an overall cost of the new favorite place which includes a distance to the favorite place.

16. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, wherein said attribute data include a brand name or chain of business related to the existing favorite place, and said means for searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes means for selecting a particular new favorite place having the same brand name or chain of the existing favorite place around the old home address.

17. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, said means for searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes means for prioritizing a particular new favorite place that is located in an area that the user more frequently visits or passes-by over a similar new favorite place that is located in an area that the user less frequently visits or passes-by even though the similar new favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

18. An apparatus for updating information on existing favorite places as defined in claim 10, said means for searching for new favorite places around the new home address includes means for prioritizing a particular new favorite place that is located in an area that has a plurality of same type of favorite places over a similar new favorite place that is located in an area that has no or lesser number of same type of new favorite places even though the similar new favorite place is located closer to the new home address.