Systems and methods for transferring navigation data

• US 8,914,229 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stracke, John Richard Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/841,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20140278094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 701450-453, 701/491, 701/526, 701/533, 701/541, 701/420, 701/421
• US Class Current: 701/421
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route

Abstract

Systems and methods for transferring navigation data are provided. A system includes a map module configured to receive, at a first mobile device, the navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination. The navigation data includes at least one of the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising the beginning location and the target destination. The system includes an extraction module configured to determine a portion of the navigation data, which includes at least one of the target destination, directions from a current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map tiles that cover a route from the current location to the target destination. The system includes a communications module configured to transmit the portion of the navigation data from the first mobile device to a second mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for transferring navigation data, the system comprising:

a map module configured to receive, at a first mobile device, the navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination, the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising a path from the beginning location to the target destination;

an extraction module configured to determine a portion of the navigation data, the portion of the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from a current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map tiles that cover a portion of the path from the current location to the target destination, wherein the current location is different from the beginning location and the current location is along the path from the beginning location to the target destination; and

a communications module configured to transmit the portion of the navigation data from the first mobile device to a second mobile device based on a battery level of the first mobile device,

wherein the portion of the navigation data excludes map tiles covering a portion of the path from the beginning location to the current location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the map tiles that cover the geographic area comprise one or more tiles that do not cover the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the current location is a location of at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of map tiles excludes tiles that do not cover the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the directions from the current location to the target destination before the subset of map tiles is transmitted.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the communications module is configured to progressively transmit the subset of map tiles along the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination starting from one of the subset of map tiles covering the current location and ending at one of the subset of map tiles covering the target destination.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the progressively transmitted subset of map tiles comprises at least one of primary information and secondary information, the primary information comprising a respective portion of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination, the secondary information comprising at least one of a street not part of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination and point of interest data.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the progressively transmitted subset of map tiles comprises primary information, the primary information comprising a respective portion of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communications module is configured to transmit secondary information associated with each of the progressively transmitted subset of map tiles after the primary information of each of the subset of map tiles is progressively transmitted, the secondary information comprising at least one of a street not part of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination and point of interest data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the communications module is configured to progressively transmit the secondary information along the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination starting from the secondary information associated with one of the subset of map tiles covering the current location and ending at the secondary information associated with one of the subset of map tiles covering the target destination.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the portion of the navigation data via at least one of Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), WiFi, infrared, universal serial bus (USB), and barcode scanning.

12. A computer-implemented method for transferring navigation data, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first mobile device, the navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination, the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising a path from the beginning location to the target destination;

determining a portion of the navigation data, the portion of the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from a current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map tiles that covers a portion of the path from the current location to the target destination wherein the current location is different from the beginning location and the current location is along the path from the beginning location to the target destination; and

progressively transmitting the portion of the navigation data from the first mobile device to a second mobile device based on a priority of the navigation data beginning with the directions from the current location to the target destination followed by the subset of the map tiles,

wherein the portion of the navigation data excludes map tiles covering a portion of the path from the beginning location to the current location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the portion of the navigation data is transmitted from the first mobile device to the second mobile device without transmitting entirety of the navigation data.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for a method of transferring navigation data, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first mobile device, the navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination, the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising a path from the beginning location to the target destination, the map tiles that cover the geographic area comprising one or more tiles that do not cover a portion of the path from a current location to the target destination;

determining a portion of the navigation data, the portion of the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from the current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map tiles that cover the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination, wherein the current location is different from the beginning location and the current location is along the path from the beginning location to the target destination, the subset of map tiles excluding tiles that do not cover the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination; and

progressively transmitting the portion of the navigation data from the first mobile device to a second mobile device based on a priority of the navigation data, wherein the directions from the current location to the target destination have a higher priority than the subset of the map tiles.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the subset of map tiles is progressively transmitted along the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination starting from one of the subset of map tiles covering the current location and ending at one of the subset of map tiles covering the target destination.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein each of the progressively transmitted subset of map tiles comprises primary information, the primary information comprising a respective portion of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein secondary information having a lower priority than the primary information and associated with each map tile of the progressively transmitted subset of map tiles is transmitted after the primary information of each map tile of the subset of map tiles is progressively transmitted, the secondary information comprising at least one of a street not part of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination and point of interest data.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the portion of the navigation data is transmitted from the first mobile device to the second mobile device based on a battery level of the first mobile device.

19. A method for transferring navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination, the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising a path from the beginning location to the target destination, the method comprising:

progressively receiving, at a first mobile device from a second mobile device, a first portion of the navigation data based on a priority of the navigation data, the first portion of the navigation data comprising the target destination, directions from a current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map files that cover a portion of the path from the current location to the target destination, wherein the current location is different from the beginning location and the current location is along the path from the beginning location to the target destination;

transmitting, from the first mobile device to a service provider, a request for a second portion of the navigation data, the second portion comprising data for navigating from the current location to the target destination that is not part of the first portion received from the second mobile device; and

receiving, at the first mobile device from the service provider, the second portion of the navigation data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the directions from the current location to the target destination have a higher priority than the subset of map tiles, and

wherein progressively receiving the first portion comprises receiving the directions from the current location to the target destination before the subset of map tiles is received.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein progressively receiving the first portion of the navigation data comprises progressively receiving the subset of map tiles along the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination starting from one of the subset of map tiles covering the current location and ending at one of the subset of map tiles covering the target destination.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the progressively received subset of map tiles comprises primary information, the primary information comprising a respective portion of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein progressively receiving the subset of map tiles comprises receiving secondary information having a lower priority than the primary information and associated with each map tile of the progressively received subset of map tiles after the primary information of each map tile of the subset of map tiles is progressively received, the secondary information comprising at least one of a street not part of the portion of the path from the current location to the target destination and point of interest data.