Method and apparatus to search and process POI information

• US 8,676,497 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Feng, Kyte, Peddi, Bharathi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAYNE, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US12/506,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 701/533, 701/437, 701/532, 701/426, 701/516, 701/201, 701/45, 701/117, 701/438, 455/456.3, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 701/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context

Abstract

An apparatus and method searches and provides additional Points-of-interest (POI) information to a user when basic POI information such as POI name, address, phone number, etc. is specified. In one aspect, the system includes an information managing unit to search, display and transmit POI information, a communication interface and a plurality of information providers adapted to stream information to the communication interface, and a communication network adapted to connect the information managing unit and the communication interface. The basic information and an additional POI information search request can be transmitted from the information managing unit to the communication interface to search for the additional POI information in the information providers and transmit the additional POI information back to the information managing unit. The additional POI information may be filtered and organized before presenting to the user.

Claims

1. A method of searching for Point-of-Interest (POI) information, comprising:

inputting at least a portion of basic POI information on an information managing unit, said basic POI information includes a POI name, a POI address and a POI phone number;

transmitting at least said portion of said basic POI information to a communication interface via a communication network;

searching and retrieving additional information of said POI from a plurality of website databases on a plurality of information providers via the communication interface;

transmitting said additional information of the POI from the communication interface to the information managing unit via the communication network; and

displaying said basic and additional information of the POI;

wherein the step of displaying said additional information of the POI comprises a step of processing said additional information provided by each information provider, and

wherein the step of processing said additional information includes a step of eliminating at least a portion of said additional information provided by at least one information provider if said portion of said additional information is inconsistent with the same portion of the additional information provided by a majority of the information providers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying said additional information includes a step of displaying information of other relevant POIs which are within a predetermined distance from a user'"'"'s current location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of displaying information of other relevant POIs includes a step of customizing said additional information according to the user'"'"'s preference.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of customizing said additional information according to the user'"'"'s preference further includes a step of retrieving the user'"'"'s preference either from the information managing unit or from an external database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional information includes friends'"'"' recommendation information.

5. An apparatus for searching POI information comprises:

a user interface;

a database to store basic POI information;

a wireless communication device adapted to wirelessly communicate with a communication interface; and

an information processing unit,

wherein at least a portion of the basic POI information is transmitted through the wireless communication device to the communication interface which is configured to search and retrieve additional POI information according to said portion of the basic POI information, and said additional POI information is transmitted from a plurality of website databases on a plurality of information providers via said communication interface to the information processing unit which is adapted to filter and organize said additional POI information before being displayed on the user interface; and

wherein the information processing unit processes said additional POI information provided by each information provider, and

wherein the information processing unit compares the additional POI information provided by each information provider and eliminates at least a portion of said additional POI information provided by at least one information provider if said portion of additional POI information is inconsistent with the same portion of the additional POI information provided by a majority of the information providers.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprises a position and distance measuring device adapted to determine a user'"'"'s current position, wherein the information processing unit is configured to provide information of other relevant POIs which are within a predetermined distance of the user'"'"'s current location.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user is allowed to customize the additional POI information to be displayed on the user interface according to the user'"'"'s preference which is obtained from the apparatus or an external database.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprises an information inputting device which is communicatively coupled with a voice recognizing unit adapted to receive, recognize the user'"'"'s spoken command, and allow the user to input at least a portion of the basic POI information by voice.

9. A navigation system comprises:

a user interface,

at least one database to store and provide maps, road networks, geographical features, and basic point-of-interest (POI) information, said basic POI information includes a POI name, a POI address and a POI phone number;

an information inputting device which allows a user to input at least a portion of said basic POI information;

a wireless communication device adapted to wirelessly communicate with a communication interface; and

an information processing unit,

wherein at least a portion of the basic POI information is transmitted through the wireless communication device to the communication interface which is configured to search and retrieve additional POI information according to said portion of the basic POI information, and said additional POI information is transmitted from a plurality of website databases on a plurality of information providers via said communication interface to the information processing unit which is adapted to filter and organize said additional POI information before being displayed on the user interface; and

wherein the information processing unit processes said additional POI information provided by each information provider, and

wherein the information processing unit compares the additional POI information provided by each information provider and eliminates at least a portion of said additional POI information provided by at least one information provider if said portion of additional POI information is inconsistent with the same portion of the additional POI information provided by a majority of the information providers.

10. The navigation system of claim 9 further comprises a position and distance measuring device adapted to determine a user'"'"'s current position, wherein the information processing unit is configured to provide information of other relevant POIs which are within a predetermined distance of the user'"'"'s current location.

11. The navigation system of claim 9, wherein the user is allowed to customize the additional POI information to be displayed on the user interface according to the user'"'"'s preference which is obtained from the apparatus or an external database.

12. The navigation system of claim 9 further comprises a voice recognizing unit which is adapted to receive and recognize the user'"'"'s spoken command, wherein the voice recognizing unit is communicatively coupled with the information inputting device to allow the user to input at least a portion of the basic POI information by voice.