Method for displaying activity information on a navigation device and related navigation device

• US 8,423,286 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Modena Navigation LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hung, Shun-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/905,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 701/426
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

A navigation method includes receiving a positioning signal, displaying a navigation map corresponding to the positioning signal, receiving a plurality of activity information with latitude and longitude, providing an information preference menu, and displaying an activity icon of corresponding activity information on a corresponding activity location of the navigation map according to the setting of the information preference menu and the latitude and longitude.

Claims

1. A method for displaying activity information on a navigation device, the method comprising:

receiving a positioning signal;

displaying a navigation map corresponding to the positioning signal;

receiving a plurality of activity information with latitude and longitude;

providing an information preference menu;

displaying an activity icon of corresponding activity information on a corresponding activity location of the navigation map according to the setting of the information preference menu and the latitude and longitude; and

providing a reminder message when a current location of the navigation device is closer within a predetermined distance from the activity icon on the navigation map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of activity information comprises:

inputting query information;

connecting to a system server wirelessly;

transmitting the positioning signal and the query information to the system server; and

receiving the plurality of activity information corresponding to the positioning signal and the query information from the system server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of activity information comprises:

connecting to a system server through TMC (Traffic Message Channel) broadcasting communication or 3G (Third Generation) wireless communication; and

receiving the plurality of activity information from the system server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the activity icon of the corresponding activity information on the corresponding activity location of the navigation map according to the setting of the information preference menu and the latitude and longitude comprises:

displaying the activity icon of the corresponding activity information on the corresponding activity location of the navigation map when determining the latitude and longitude of the activity location are located on the navigation map.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of activity information comprises:

receiving the plurality of activity information in a manually-inputting manner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the activity icon of the corresponding activity information on the corresponding activity location of the navigation map according to the setting of the information preference menu and the latitude and longitude comprises:

displaying a plurality of activity icons at the activity location in a stacked manner, the plurality of activity icons respectively corresponding to activity information located at the activity location.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a navigation related message when the activity icon is selected.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the navigation related message when the activity icon is selected comprises:

displaying an enlarged window on the navigation map when the activity icon is selected, the enlarged window comprising text description for an activity organizer, an activity introduction, and an activity duration of the activity information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the navigation related message when the activity icon is selected comprises:

displaying a navigation icon on the activity icon; and

automatically performing a navigation function for planning a route to the corresponding activity location after the navigation icon is selected.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting display of the activity icon according to a compared result of a current time and an activity duration of the activity information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting display of the activity icon according to the compared result of the current time and the activity duration of the activity information comprises:

displaying the activity icon in a specific color when determining the current time lies in the activity duration of the activity information or is earlier than a start time of the activity duration.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting display of the activity icon according to the compared result of the current time and the activity duration of the activity information comprises:

stopping displaying the activity icon when determining the current time is later than the activity duration of the activity information.

13. A navigation device capable of displaying activity information, the navigation device comprising:

a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit for receiving a positioning signal;

a data storage unit for storing a navigation map;

a display unit for displaying the navigation map corresponding to the positioning signal;

an information transceiver for receiving a plurality of activity information with latitude and longitude;

a processing unit for providing an information preference menu and for controlling the display unit to display an activity icon of corresponding activity information on a corresponding activity location of the navigation map according to the setting of the information preference menu and the latitude and longitude, and the processing unit being further for providing a reminder message when determining a current location of the navigation device is closer within a predetermined distance from the activity icon on the navigation map.

14. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the data storage unit is used for providing a user interface, the information transceiver is further used for transmitting the positioning signal and query information to a system server wirelessly and receiving the plurality of activity information from the system server when inputting the query information via the user interface, and the plurality of activity information corresponds to the positioning signal and the query information.

15. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display the activity icon of the corresponding activity information on the corresponding activity location of the navigation map when determining the latitude and longitude of the activity information are located on the navigation map.

16. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the information transceiver receives the plurality of activity information in a manually-inputting manner.

17. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display the plurality of activity icons at the activity location in a stacked manner, and the plurality of activity icons respectively corresponds to activity information located at the activity location.

18. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display a navigation related message corresponding to the activity icon.

19. The navigation device of claim 18, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display an enlarged window corresponding to the activity icon on the navigation map, and the enlarged window includes text description for an activity organizer, an activity introduction, and an activity duration of the activity information.

20. The navigation device of claim 18, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display a navigation icon on the activity icon and for performing a navigation function for planning a route to the corresponding activity location corresponding to the activity icon.

21. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to adjust display of the activity icon according to a compared result of a current time and an activity duration of the activity information.

22. The navigation device of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to display the activity icon in a specific color when determining the current time lies in the activity duration of the activity information or is earlier than a start time of the activity duration.

23. The navigation device of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further used for controlling the display unit to stop displaying the activity icon when the current time is later than a close time of the activity duration.