Navigation method of mobile terminal and apparatus thereof

• US 9,347,788 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Kyu-Tae
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amsdell, Dana
• Application Number:
  US12/819,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20110130959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal and an method searches a point of interest (POI). The navigation apparatus of a mobile terminal includes a storage unit configured to store map data, a display unit configured to display the map data, and a controller configured to search a destination from the map data, display the searched destination on the display unit, and display an icon for searching points of interest near the destination.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display map data; and

a controller configured to;

search at least one destination from the map data;

display, on the display unit, a destination search result list comprising the at least one destination;

display a first icon for searching at least one points of interest (POI) on the basis of the at least one destination on the destination search result list;

display points of interest (POI) categories comprising at least one nearby POI;

select at least one POI category from the POI categories;

search the at least one nearby POI associated with the selected at least one POI category from the map data;

display the searched at least one nearby POI on the displayed map data,

display a second icon for displaying a first item, a second item, a third item and a fourth item on the destination search result list;

display the first item, the second item, the third item and the fourth item on the destination search result list when the second icon is selected;

calculate and display a first distance from a prestored point to the at least one destination when the first item is selected;

calculate and display a second distance from a current location of the navigation apparatus to the at least one destination when the second item is selected;

calculate and display a third distance from a preset destination to the at least one destination when the third item is selected; and

display a plurality of nearby POIs associated with the selected at least one POI category from the map data in alphabetical order when the fourth item is selected,

wherein the prestored point and the preset destination are different to each other.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller displays a third icon corresponding with each of the POI categories on the display unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller displays at least one icon corresponding with the at least one nearby POI on the displayed map data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller automatically searches the nearby POI categories of the interest location based on the interest location input.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

provide a point of interest (POI) search function on the display unit;

search for at least one POI associated with a location using the POI search function;

display on the display unit the POI categories based on the search result; and

display on the display unit a selectable POI icon for each of the POI categories for obtaining at least one POI associated with the corresponding POI category.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller searches the at least one points of interest (POI) on the basis of the at least one destination when the first icon is selected.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the display unit displays the POI categories and the selectable POI for each of the POI categories simultaneously.

8. A navigation method, comprising:

displaying map data on a display unit;

searching at least one destination from the map data;

displaying, on the display unit, a destination search result list comprising the at least one destination;

display a first icon for searching at least one points of interest (POI) on the basis of the at least one destination on the destination search result list;

displaying points of interest (POI) categories comprising at least one nearby POI associated with a location of the selected destination;

selecting at least one nearby POI category from the POI categories;

searching at least one nearby POI associated with the selected at least one POI category from the map data;

displaying the searched at least one nearby POI on the displayed map data;

displaying a second icon for displaying a first item, a second item, a third item and a fourth item on the destination search result list;

displaying the first item, the second item, the third item and the fourth item on the destination search result list when the second icon is selected;

calculating and displaying a first distance from a prestored point to the at least one destination when the first item is selected;

calculating and displaying a second distance from a current location of the navigation apparatus to the at least one destination when the second item is selected;

calculating and displaying a third distance from a preset destination to the at least one destination when the third item is selected; and

displaying a plurality of nearby POIs associated with the selected at least one POI category from the map data in alphabetical order when the fourth item is selected.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising simultaneously displaying the POI categories and the at least one nearby POI.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

searching a first point of interest (POI) from the map data, and displaying the first POI on the display unit; and

displaying a third icon for searching points of interest near the first POI.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said displaying the third icon comprises displaying an icon for searching points of interest within a preset radius of a center, the center being the first POI or the at least one destination.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

searching points of interest within a preset radius of the at least one destination when the first icon is selected and displaying the searched points of interest on the display unit.