Follow me navigation system

• US 8,965,692 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Patricia Ruey-Jane, Draznin, Sagiv, Kotecha, Lalit R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US13/423,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20130245939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 701/517, 701/484, 701/485
• US Class Current: 701/517
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes

Abstract

A first navigation device records first direction information as the first navigation device traverses a route from a first location to a second location, and transmits the first direction information to a second navigation device while the second navigation device is following the first navigation along the route. After recording the first direction information and while transmitting the first direction information, the first navigation device records second direction information as the first navigation device traverses the route from the second location to a third location. The first navigation device transmits the second direction information to the second navigation device. The first direction information and the second direction information include information that allows the second navigation device to follow the route traversed by the first navigation device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a first navigation device and to a second navigation device, a request to provide direction information to the second navigation device;

recording, by the first navigation device, the direction information as the first navigation device traverses a route from a first location to a second location,

recording the direction information comprising;

recording location information associated with the first navigation device,

recording messages provided by a first user of the first navigation device, and

creating the direction information based on the location information and the messages; and

transmitting, by the first navigation device and after a second user of the second navigation device accepts the request, the direction information to the second navigation device while the second navigation device is following the first navigation device along the route,

the direction information comprising;

information that allows the second navigation device to follow the route traversed by the first navigation device, and

the direction information being recorded by the first navigation device while the direction information is being transmitted to the second navigation device.

2. The method of claim 1,

where a first message, of the messages, is associated with a particular location of the route, and

where the direction information prompts the second navigation device to play the first message when the second navigation device is located at the particular location.

3. The method of claim 1, where the location information comprises information associated with at least one path and a distance traveled by the first navigation device along a highway or a street.

4. The method of claim 1, where the messages comprise at least one of audio messages, textual messages, images, or videos.

5. The method of claim 1, where providing the request comprises:

providing an interface to a user of the first navigation device; and

receiving an identifier of the second navigation device via the interface; and

providing the request based on the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the first navigation device, a command to terminate the recording of the direction information; and

terminating the recording of the direction information based on the command.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, based on the command, that the recording of the direction information has been terminated; and

transmitting, to the second navigation device, a signal that indicates that the recording of the direction information has been terminated.

8. The method of claim 6, where the first navigation device comprises at least one of a computer device or a mobile device.

9. A first navigation device comprising:

a processor to;

provide, to a second navigation device, a request to provide first direction information to the second navigation device;

record location information associated with the first navigation device,

record messages provided by a user of the first navigation device, and

create the first direction information based on the location information and the messages,

transmit, after a second user of the second navigation device accepts the request, the first direction information to the second navigation device while the second navigation device is following the first navigation device along the route,

record, after recording the first direction information and while transmitting the first direction information, second direction information as the first navigation device traverses the route from the second location to a third location, and

transmit the second direction information to the second navigation device,

the first direction information and the second direction information comprising information that allows the second navigation device to follow the route traversed by the first navigation device.

10. The first navigation device of claim 9, where the request includes an identifier of the second navigation device.

11. The first navigation device of claim 9, where, when transmitting the first direction information to the second navigation device, the processor is to:

transmit the first direction information to a server that forwards the first direction information to the second navigation device.

12. The first navigation device of claim 9, where the processor is further to:

determine whether the recording of the second direction information has been terminated, and

transmit, to the second navigation device, a signal that indicates that the recording of the second direction information has been terminated when the recording of the second direction information has been terminated.

13. The first navigation device of claim 12, where, when determining whether the recording of the second direction information has been terminated, the processor is to:

determine that the recording of the second direction information has been terminated when a user of the first navigation device commands the first navigation device to terminate the recording of the second direction information or to turn off the first navigation device.

14. The first navigation device of claim 9, where the first direction information and the second direction information comprise:

identifiers of one or more paths traveled by the first navigation device while traversing the route, and

one or more distances traveled by the first navigation device along each of the one or more paths.

15. The first navigation device of claim 14, where the first direction information and the second direction information further comprise at least two of:

an audio message associated with a first location of the route,

a text message associated with a second location of the route, or

a speed of the first navigation device at the first location or the second location.

16. The first navigation device of claim 9, where the first direction information prompts the second navigation device to provide, for output, one or more of the messages when the second navigation device is located at one or more particular locations traversed by the first navigation device along the route.

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

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first device, cause the one or more processors to;

provide, to a second device, a request to receive direction information from the second device;

determine a first location of the first device while the first device is following a second device along a route,

receive, after the second device accepts the request, the direction information from the second device while the first device is following the second device along the route,

the direction information comprising a second location of the second device,

determine the route based on the first location and the direction information,

provide, for display, driving directions for the first device based on the route,

the driving directions including information directing the first device to the second location,

provide, for display, a first item that corresponds to the first device at the first location, and

provide, for display and while providing the driving directions and the first item, a second item that corresponds to the second device at the second location.

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

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a third location of the first device,

receive additional direction information from the second device,

the additional direction information comprising a fourth location of the second device,

determine the route, for the first device, based on the second location, the third location, and the fourth location, and

provide, for display, new driving directions for the first device based on the route,

the new driving directions including information directing the first device to the fourth location via the second location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the instructions further comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a distance between the first device and the second device based on the first location and the second location, and

provide, for display, information that specifies the determined distance.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,

where the direction information further comprises a voice message recorded by the user of the second device at the second location, and

where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the one or more processors to;

provide, for output, the voice message when the first device is at the second location.