Device, system and method of landmark-based routing and guidance
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for use in landmark-based routing, comprising:
- a landmark database which includes information describing a plurality of landmarks, wherein each landmark is a conspicuous object, item, or structure that can be used to distinguish or facilitate recognizing a locality or point-of-interest, and wherein the landmark database specifies, for each landmark;
a geographical, spatial, or geo-spatial location of the landmark,a rating value associated with the landmark that indicates the landmark'"'"'s relative usefulness for route guidance, wherein the rating value, at least in part, is based on at least one of a plurality of user input and a quality rating of each landmark'"'"'s location,a description associated with the landmark;
an updater module that enables one or more of a manual, automatic, and user feedback-based updating or modification or rating of landmarks in the landmark database; and
a route guidance generator which is adapted to generate route guidance information associated with moving from an origin to a destination, wherein, for a user, the route guidance generator;
selects, at least in part based on ratings, landmarks useful for guidance from within the landmark database,andcombines the landmark-based guidance with road-based guidance information to create a route guidance information to follow in moving from the origin to the destination.
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Abstract
Device, system and method of landmark-based routing and guidance; for example, an apparatus including a route guidance information generator adapted to generate route guidance information including one or more road-based references and one or more landmark-based references.
56 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus for use in landmark-based routing, comprising:
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a landmark database which includes information describing a plurality of landmarks, wherein each landmark is a conspicuous object, item, or structure that can be used to distinguish or facilitate recognizing a locality or point-of-interest, and wherein the landmark database specifies, for each landmark; a geographical, spatial, or geo-spatial location of the landmark, a rating value associated with the landmark that indicates the landmark'"'"'s relative usefulness for route guidance, wherein the rating value, at least in part, is based on at least one of a plurality of user input and a quality rating of each landmark'"'"'s location, a description associated with the landmark; an updater module that enables one or more of a manual, automatic, and user feedback-based updating or modification or rating of landmarks in the landmark database; and a route guidance generator which is adapted to generate route guidance information associated with moving from an origin to a destination, wherein, for a user, the route guidance generator; selects, at least in part based on ratings, landmarks useful for guidance from within the landmark database, and combines the landmark-based guidance with road-based guidance information to create a route guidance information to follow in moving from the origin to the destination. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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2. A method for use in landmark-based routing, comprising the steps of:
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providing a landmark database which includes information describing a plurality of landmarks, wherein each landmark is a conspicuous object, item, or structure that can be used to distinguish or facilitate recognizing a locality or point-of-interest, and wherein the landmark database specifies, for each landmark; a geographical, spatial, or geo-spatial location of the landmark, a rating value associated with the landmark that indicates the landmark'"'"'s relative usefulness for route guidance, wherein the rating value, at least in part, is based on at least one of a plurality of user input and a quality rating of each landmark'"'"'s location, and a description associated with the landmark; providing an updater module that enables at least one of a manual, automatic, and user feedback-based updating or modification or rating of landmarks in the landmark database; and generating route guidance information for a user moving from an origin to a destination, by; selecting, based at least in part on each landmark'"'"'s rating, landmarks to be used as landmark-based guidance, and combining the landmark-based guidance, with road-based guidance information, to create a route guidance information to follow in moving from the origin to the destination. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A machine-readable medium or article which stores an instruction or a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:
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providing a landmark database which includes information describing a plurality of landmarks, wherein each landmark is a conspicuous object, item, or structure that can be used to distinguish or facilitate recognizing a locality or point-of-interest, and wherein the landmark database specifies, for each landmark; a geographical, spatial, or geo-spatial location of the landmark, a rating value associated with the landmark that indicates the landmark'"'"'s relative usefulness for route guidance, wherein the rating value, at least in part, is based on at least one of a plurality of user input and a quality rating of each landmark'"'"'s location, and a description associated with the landmark; providing an updater module that enables one or more of a manual, automatic, and user feedback-based updating or modification or rating of landmarks in the landmark database; and generating route guidance information for a user moving from an origin to a destination, by selecting, based at least on each landmark'"'"'s rating useful landmarks to be used as landmark-based guidance, and combining the landmark-based guidance with road-based guidance information to create a route guidance information to follow in moving from the origin to the destination.
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24. An apparatus for use in landmark-based routing, comprising:
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a landmark database which includes information describing a plurality of landmarks, wherein each landmark is a conspicuous object, item, or structure that can be used to distinguish or facilitate recognizing a locality or point-of-interest, and wherein the landmark database specifies, for each landmark a geographical, spatial, or geo-spatial location of the landmark, a rating value associated with the landmark that indicates the landmark'"'"'s relative usefulness for route guidance, wherein the rating value, at least in part, is based on at least one of a plurality of user input and a quality rating of each landmark'"'"'s location, and a description associated with the landmark; and a route guidance generator which is adapted to generate route guidance information associated with moving from an origin to a destination, wherein, for a particular user, the route guidance generator; selects, based at least in part on each landmark'"'"'s rating, landmarks to be used as landmark-based guidance, and combines the landmark-based guidance with road-based guidance information to create a route guidance information to follow in moving from the origin to the destination, including selectively determining to use a first route segment or a first set of route segments, instead of a second route segment or a second set of route segments.
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Specification