Navigation based on user-defined points and paths

• US 8,682,576 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: KURTTI, Jeffrey Wayne, RELYEA, JR., Donald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOREY, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US12/327,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-300, 701/426
• US Class Current: 701/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• 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: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

A device receives, from a user device, a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the user device, a user-defined destination point associated with the path, and one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point. The device also creates a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points, and provides the user-defined path to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server and from a user device, information identifying a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a first user associated with the user device;

receiving, by the server and from the user device, information identifying a user-defined destination point associated with path;

identifying, by the server and based on information stored by the server, a second user that traveled from the user-defined starting point to the user-defined destination point;

determining, by the server and based on identifying the second user, an intermediate point that the second user stopped at or traveled by while traveling from the user-defined starting point to the user-defined destination point;

providing, by the server and to the user device, information identifying the intermediate point as a recommendation;

receiving, by the server and from the user device, a selection of the intermediate point;

creating, by the server, a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the intermediate point; and

providing, by the server, the user-defined path to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the user-defined path; and

providing, to the user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

3. The method of claim 2, where receiving information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

receiving mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving directional information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

receiving construction information associated with the user-defined path.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more other intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

the one or more other intermediate points being recommended by one or more other users; and

providing, to the user device, information identifying the one or more other intermediate points.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, a selection of at least one of the one or more other intermediate points,

where creating the user-defined path comprises;

creating the user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, the intermediate point, and the at least one of the one or more other intermediate points.

7. The method of claim 1, where providing the user-defined path comprises:

providing the user-defined path to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, information identifying one or more user-defined intermediate points,

where receiving, from the user device, the information identifying the one or more user-defined intermediate points comprises one or more of;

receiving, from the user device, information regarding one or more user-identified roads provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

receiving, from the user device, information regarding one or more user-identified locations provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

receiving, from the user device, information regarding one or more user-identified landmarks provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, and

where creating the user-defined path comprises;

creating the user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, the intermediate point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points.

9. The method of claim 1, where the user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer,

a global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

10. A server comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive information identifying a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a first user associated with a user device,

receive information identifying a user-defined destination point associated with the path,

identify, based on information stored by the server, a second user that traveled from the user-defined starting point to the user-defined destination point,

determine, based on identifying the second user, an intermediate point that the second user stopped at or traveled by while traveling from the user-defined starting point to the user-defined destination point,

provide, to the user device, a recommendation that includes information identifying the intermediate point,

receive a selection of the intermediate point,

create a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the intermediate point, and

provide the user-defined path to the user device.

11. The server of claim 10, where the processor is further configured to:

receive information associated with the user-defined path, and

provide, to the user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

12. The server of claim 11, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

directional information associated with the user-defined path,

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

13. The server of claim 11, where the processor is further configured to:

store the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path.

14. The server of claim 11, where the user-defined path and the information associated with the user-defined path are provided to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

15. The server of claim 10, where the intermediate point comprises one or more of:

information regarding a road between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

information regarding a location between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point, or

information regarding a landmark between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.

16. The server of claim 10, where the processor is further configured to:

determine another intermediate point provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

the other intermediate point being recommended by one or more other users,

provide another recommendation that includes information identifying the other intermediate point to the user device,

receive, from the user device, a selection of the recommended intermediate point,

create a new user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, the intermediate point, and the recommended intermediate point, and

provide the new user-defined path to the user device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a server, cause the at least one processor to;

receive first information identifying a starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a first user associated with a user device;

receive second information identifying a destination point associated with the path;

identify a second user that traveled from the starting point to the destination point based on the first information identifying the starting point and the second information identifying the destination point;

determine, based on identifying the second user, an intermediate point that the second user stopped at or traveled by while traveling from the starting point to the destination point;

provide, to the user device, a recommendation that includes information identifying the intermediate point;

receive, from the user device, a selection of the intermediate point; and

determine a user-defined path based on the starting point, the destination point, and the intermediate point.

18. non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine one or more other intermediate points that are recommended by one or more other users; and

provide, to the user device, information identifying the one or more other intermediate points.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, where the one or more other intermediate points are provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, where the plurality of instructions to create the user-defined path comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive a selection of one or more of the one or more other intermediate points; and

determine the user-defined path based on the starting point, the destination point, the intermediate point, and the one or more of the one or more other intermediate points.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine information associated with the user-defined path; and

provide, to the user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path, or

directional information associated with the user-defined path.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the intermediate point comprises information regarding a geographic location between the starting point and the destination point.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the information associated with user-defined path comprises one or more of:

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the plurality of instructions to create the user-defined path comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive, from the user device, third information identifying one or more user-defined intermediate points, and

determine the user-defined path based on the starting point, the destination point, the intermediate point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points.