Displaying a map having a close known location

• US 9,423,265 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Suomela, Riku, Lakkala, Harri, Salminen, Ilkka
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US11/931,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,219 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096855 where the output is provided in a suitable form to the driver details on I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method is provided for displaying a map having a close known location and a destination and for providing navigation recommendations for traveling from the close known location to the destination. A user may use a mobile device to submit a request for navigation instructions for navigating from a starting point to a destination. The request may be submitted to a web server, to the mobile device itself, or to another device that can provide navigation instructions. The web server/mobile device or other device determines a recommended route based on the starting point and the destination, and attempts to locate a close known location to the destination near the recommended route. Navigation instructions are provided to the user including directions from the close known location to the destination.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive a request for navigation instructions for navigating to a destination;

determine a path to the destination;

evaluate, whether a location that is within a predetermined distance from the path is a known location to a requester that makes the request, using one or more probability values indicating user knowledge of the location, wherein the one or more probability values includes a novelty index value or a familiarity value of the location; and

cause, at least in part, sending navigation information to the requester at a current location, wherein the navigation information includes instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination, and the known location is different from the current location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the novelty index value indicates a relative novelty of a geographical area that includes the location.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a mobile device and the apparatus is further caused to:

select the location from a database of locations based on an acceptance parameter,

wherein the navigation information sent to the requester includes the instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination while excluding instructions for navigating from the current location to the known location.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the acceptance parameter comprises a first distance between the location and the destination, a second distance between the location and a point in the path closest to the location, and an acceptable estimated travel for traveling time for traveling from the location to the destination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation instructions comprise a navigation map showing the known location and an image of the destination from an angle that the user probably will reach the destination.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the navigation map comprises a plurality of known locations, and the apparatus is further caused to:

receive a user selection of a second known location from the plurality of known locations; and

cause, at least in part, sending second navigation instructions to the requester for navigating from the second known location to the destination.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second navigation instructions includes second textual instructions for navigating from the second known location to the destination and a second navigation map showing the second known location and the destination.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request requests for navigation instructions from a starting point to the destination, and the starting point comprises a current location for a device sending the request.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request requests for navigation instructions from a starting point to the destination, and the starting point comprises a starting location selected by the requester.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the evaluating includes a terrain parameter between the location and the destination.

11. the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the familiarity value is calculated based, at least in part, on one or more visits per month to the location, a total number of visits to the location, a period of time since a previous visit, or a combination thereof.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive a request for navigation instructions for navigating from a starting point to a destination;

determine a path from the starting point to the destination;

select a known location from a database of known locations, wherein the known location is different from the starting point;

determine navigation instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination;

cause, at least in part, sending navigation information to a requester at the starting point providing instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination;

receive information identifying the present location of the requester; and

update a visit count for an entry in a location visited database for the present location.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request is received from a mobile device and the apparatus is further caused to:

select the known location from a database of known locations based on an acceptance parameter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the acceptance parameter comprises a first distance between the known location and the destination, and a second distance between the known location and a point in the path closest to the known location.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the navigation instructions comprise a navigation map showing the known location and the destination.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the navigation map comprises a plurality of known locations, and the apparatus is further caused to:

receive a user selection of a second known location from the plurality of known locations; and

cause, at least in part, sending second navigation instructions to the requester for navigating from the second known location to the destination.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second navigation instructions include second textual instructions for navigating from the second known location to the destination and a second navigation map showing the second known location and the destination.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request requests for navigation instructions from a starting point to the destination, and the starting point comprises a current location for a device sending the request.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request requests for navigation instructions from a starting point to the destination, and the starting point comprises a starting location selected by the requester.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a request for navigation instructions for navigating to a destination;

determining, by the processor, a path to the destination;

evaluating, by the processor, whether a location that is within a predetermined distance from the path is a known location to a requester that makes the request, using one or more probability values indicating user knowledge of the location, wherein the one or more probability values includes a novelty index value or a familiarity value of the location; and

causing, at least in part by the processor, sending navigation information to the requester at a current location, wherein the navigation information includes instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination, and the known location is different from the current location.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining a path to the destination includes determining a path from a starting point to the destination, the starting point and the known location being different.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the novelty index value indicates a relative novelty of a geographical area that includes the location.

23. A method comprising facilitating access to at least one interface configured to allow access to at least one service, the at least one service configured to perform at least the following:

receiving a request for navigation instructions for navigating to a destination;

determining a path to the destination;

selecting a location that is within a predetermined distance from the path from one or more databases including a database of known locations;

evaluating whether the selected location is known to a requester that makes the request, using one or more probability values indicating user knowledge of the location, wherein the one or more probability values includes a novelty index value or a familiarity value of the location;

determining navigation instructions for navigating from the known location to the destination; and

causing, at least in part, sending to the requester at a current location the navigation instructions, wherein the known location is different from the current location.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the navigation instructions are sent to a mobile terminal.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the known location is selected from the database based on an acceptance parameter.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the acceptance parameter comprises a first distance between the known location and the destination, and a second distance between the known location and a point in a path between a starting point and the destination closest to the known location.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the database is located at a location of a service provider providing the at least one service.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the database is located remote from a location of a service provider providing the at least one service.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the database is located at a mobile terminal.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the novelty index value indicates a relative novelty of a geographical area that includes the location.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more databases include a location visited database, wherein the present location of a mobile terminal is determined and the location visited database is updated based on the determined present location.