TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVE NAVIGATION BASED ON USER PREFERENCES

• US 20080027631A1
• Filed: 08/03/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Calcar, Inc.
• Inventors: Schebesch, Steven, Pirtle, John, Obradovich, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In a navigation device in accordance with the invention, user profiles may be stored and used to navigate a user who may be driving in a vehicle, on foot, or in other mode of transportation. Each user profile corresponds to one of the user'"'"'s personae. For example, the user business profile corresponding to the user'"'"'s business persona may be different from the user personal profile corresponding to the user'"'"'s personal persona. For instance, the user business profile may include fine-dining type restaurants for business meetings while the user personal profile may instead include fast-food type restaurants for personal dining. The inventive navigation device provides the user with a navigated route, together with information concerning the favorite facilities and events surrounding the navigated route, which satisfy the preferences in a selected user profile. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, blockages may also be established using the device to avoid selected areas, e.g., high crime areas, in the navigated route, or to block transmission of selected information concerning, e.g., uninteresting facilities and events, to the inventive navigation device.

Claims

1-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A method for use in a navigation system which includes a display element, the method comprising:

storing records associated with different points of interest;

receiving user preference data;

suggesting a plurality of points of interest based on the user preference data;

presenting, on the display element, the plurality of points of interest;

allowing a user to select one of the plurality of points of interest;

retrieving a record associated with a user selected point of interest, the record containing at least connection data; and

allowing a user entry to cause a lookup of the connection data in the record to establish a communications connection with the selected point of interest using the connection data.

55. The method of claim 54 further comprising:

receiving a request for planning a route to a desired destination; and

planning the route in response to the request, wherein the plurality of points of interest are suggested based on locations thereof in relation to the planned route.

56. The method of claim 54 wherein the plurality of points of interest include goods or service providers.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the goods or service providers include a restaurant.

58. The method of claim 54 wherein the user entry includes a user selection of an option provided by the system.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the option is presented on the display element.

60. The method of claim 54 wherein the connection data includes a telephone number.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein the communications connection includes a telephonic connection.

62. The method of claim 54 wherein the record also contains advertising information concerning the selected point of interest.

63. A navigation system, comprising:

storage for storing records associated with different points of interest;

a device for receiving user preference data;

a processor configured to suggest a plurality of points of interest based on the user preference data;

a display element for presenting thereon the plurality of points of interest, a user being allowed to select one of the plurality of points of interest;

a mechanism for retrieving a record associated with a user selected point of interest, the record containing at least connection data; and

an interface for allowing a user entry to cause a lookup of the connection data in the record to establish a communications connection with the selected point of interest using the connection data.

64. The system of claim 63 wherein the processor is further configured to plan a route to a desired destination, and the plurality of points of interest are suggested based on locations thereof in relation to the planned route.

65. The system of claim 63 wherein the plurality of points of interest include goods or service providers.

66. The system of claim 65 wherein the goods or service providers include a restaurant.

67. The system of claim 63 wherein the user entry includes a user selection of an option provided by the system.

68. The system of claim 67 wherein the option is presented on the display element.

69. The system of claim 63 wherein the connection data includes a telephone number.

70. The system of claim 69 wherein the communications connection includes a telephonic connection.

71. The system of claim 63 wherein the record also contains advertising information concerning the selected point of interest.

72. The system of claim 63 wherein the interface includes the device.

73. The system of claim 63 wherein the interface includes an audio input.