Methods and systems for facilitating a navigation of a facility

• US 9,772,745 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hendricks Investment Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Hendricks Investment Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Hasenei, Stephen Ignatius
• Primary Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US13/785,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20130239037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 715708, 715771, 715811, 715835-839, 715853-855, 715864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a navigational tool usable on a web platform or on a smart device platform, where a user may interactively navigate a given facility and obtain desired information faster and more efficiently than via conventional applications that do not offer interactivity. One or more hot spots are provided on an image of the facility, and when a selection of one of the hot spots is received from the user, other hot spots, text, images and videos are provided to the user, wherein the hot spots are embedded in a displayed image of the facility, each hot sport corresponding to a specific portion of the facility, and a selection of a hot spot by the user provides the user with at least one of menus, text, images and videos related to the portion of the facility to which the hot spot corresponds.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating navigation of a facility to a user of a smart device comprising:

providing a plurality of selectable menu items on an image of the facility displayed on a screen of the smart device, wherein at least one of the selectable menu items have at least a plurality of predetermined hot spots associated with the menu item;

receiving a selection of one of the selectable menu items from the user;

providing the plurality of predetermined hot spots and a plurality of horizontally arranged adjacent directly selectable sub-menu items to the user in response to receiving the selection of the selectable menu item, wherein the sub-menu items are selected from a predetermined group of sub-menu items previously determined to be relevant to each respective hot spot of the plurality of predetermined hot spots;

the selectable menu item being selected via flicking of the screen by the user;

displaying at least one image to the user;

presenting a postcard menu item to the user, wherein upon user selection of the image and the postcard menu item, a virtual postcard of the selected image is generated that can be sent by the user via electronic message;

receiving user input including at least one selected from a group consisting of a user address and a message; and

sending a personalized virtual postcard comprising the user input along with the selected image;

wherein the selectable menu items and the selectable sub-menu items provide information to facilitate the navigation of the facility by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of predetermined hot spots are embedded in a displayed image of the facility, each hot spot corresponding to a specific portion of the facility; and

a selection of one of the hot spots by the user provides the user with at least one of menus, text, images or videos related to the portion of the facility to which the selected hot spot corresponds.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of one of the selectable menu items from the user is achieved via the display screen of the smart device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation of the facility is provided as an application for use on the smart device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein information is input into the application by a content management system, the content management system configured to receive content from an administrator and to enter the content into the application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the content management system is configured to grant multiple tiers of administrative access, the method further comprising:

providing administrative access to the entire content of the application to a first level of administrator; and

providing administrative access to a limited portion of the application to a second level of administrator, the limited portion comprising at least one hot spot.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable sub-menu items include selectable sub-menu items relating to at least two selected from a group consisting of activities, geology, amenities, attractions, reservations, and lodging associated with the hot spot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual postcard is configured to be sent by the user via at least one selected from a group consisting of a text message and email.

9. A system for facilitating navigation of a facility on a smart device, the system comprising:

means for providing a plurality of selectable menu items on an image of the facility displayed on a screen of the smart device, wherein at least one of the selectable menu items have at least a plurality of predetermined hot spots associated with the menu item;

means for receiving a selection of one of the selectable menu items from the user;

means for providing the plurality of predetermined hot spots and a plurality of horizontally arranged adjacent directly selectable sub-menu items to the user in response to receiving the selection of the selectable menu item, wherein the sub-menu items are selected from a predetermined group of sub-menu items previously determined to be relevant to each respective hot spot of the plurality of predetermined hot spots;

the selectable menu item being selected via flicking of the screen by the user;

means for displaying at least one image to the user;

means for presenting a postcard menu item to the user, wherein upon user selection of the image and the postcard menu item, a virtual postcard of the selected image is generated that can be sent by the user via electronic message;

means for receiving user input including at least one selected from a group consisting of a user address and a message; and

means for sending a personalized virtual postcard comprising the user input along with the selected image;

wherein the selectable menu items and the selectable sub-menu items provide information to facilitate the navigation of the facility by the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the plurality of predetermined hot spots are embedded in a displayed image of the facility, each hot spot corresponding to a specific portion of the facility; and

a selection of one of the hot spots by the user provides the user with at least one of menus, text, images or videos related to the portion of the facility to which the selected hot spot corresponds.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to facilitate navigation of a facility on a smart device, the control logic comprising:

computer readable program code means for providing a plurality of selectable menu items on an image of the facility displayed on a screen of the smart device, wherein at least one of the selectable menu items have at least a plurality of predetermined hot spots associated with the menu item;

computer readable program code means for receiving a selection of one of the selectable menu items from the user; and

computer readable program code means for providing the plurality of predetermined hot spots and a plurality of horizontally arranged adjacent directly selectable sub-menu items to the user in response to receiving the selection of the selectable menu item, wherein the sub-menu items are selected from a predetermined group of sub-menu items previously determined to be relevant to each respective hot spot of the plurality of predetermined hot spots;

the selectable menu item being selected via flicking of the screen by the user;

computer readable program code means for displaying at least one image to the user;

computer readable program code means for presenting a postcard menu item to the user, wherein upon user selection of the image and the postcard menu item, a virtual postcard of the selected image is generated that can be sent by the user via electronic message;

computer readable program code means for receiving user input including at least one selected from a group consisting of a user address and a message; and

computer readable program code means for sending a personalized virtual postcard comprising the user input along with the selected image;

wherein the selectable menu items and the selectable sub-menu items provide information to facilitate the navigation of the facility by the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of predetermined hot spots are embedded in a displayed image of the facility, each hot spot corresponding to a specific portion of the facility; and

a selection of one of the hot spots by the user provides the user with at least one of menus, text, images or videos related to the portion of the facility to which the selected hot spot corresponds.

13. A system for facilitating navigation of a facility on a smart device, the system comprising:

a terminal;

a user interface functioning via the terminal; and

a repository accessible via a processor using the terminal;

wherein the terminal is configured to;

provide a plurality of selectable menu items on an image of the facility displayed on a screen of the smart device, wherein at least one of the selectable menu items have at least a plurality of predetermined hot spots associated with the menu item;

provide a selection option for at least of one of the selectable menu items for the user to select via the screen of the smart device; and

provide the plurality of predetermined hot spots and a plurality of horizontally arranged adjacent directly selectable sub-menu items to the user in response to receiving the selection of the selectable menu item, wherein the sub-menu items are selected from a predetermined group of sub-menu items previously determined to be relevant to each respective hot spot of the plurality of predetermined hot spots;

the selectable menu item being selected via flicking of the screen by the user;

display at least one image to the user;

present a postcard menu item to the user, wherein upon user selection of the image and the postcard menu item, a virtual postcard of the selected image is generated that can be sent by the user via electronic message;

receive user input including at least one selected from a group consisting of a user address and a message; and

send a personalized virtual postcard comprising the user input along with the selected image

wherein the selectable menu items and the selectable sub-menu items provide information to facilitate the navigation of the facility by the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the plurality of predetermined hot spots are embedded in a displayed image of the facility, each hot spot corresponding to a specific portion of the facility; and

a selection of one of the hot spots by the user provides the user with at least one of menus, text, images or videos related to the portion of the facility to which the selected hot spot corresponds.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the terminal is selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a minicomputer, a main frame computer, a microcomputer, a hand held device, and a telephonic device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the processor is housed on a server selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a minicomputer, a microcomputer, and a main frame computer; and

the server is coupled to a network via a coupling selected from a group consisting of a wired connection, a wireless connection, and a fiberoptic connection.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the repository is housed on the server.