Driving directions with selective printing

• US 20080037730A1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cubillo, Pedro Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

In one of many possible embodiments, an exemplary system includes a driving directions subsystem configured to provide data representative of driving directions to an access device communicatively coupled to the driving directions subsystem. The driving directions subsystem is further configured to provide at least one selection tool to the access device. The selection tool enables a user of the access device to select a subset of the driving directions for printing. In certain embodiments, the driving directions include a plurality of driving steps, and the selection tool enables the user of the access device to select, for each driving step, between including the driving step in and omitting the driving step from the printing.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a driving directions subsystem configured to

provide data representative of driving directions to an access device communicatively coupled to said driving directions subsystem, and

provide at least one selection tool to the access device, said at least one selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select a subset of said driving directions for printing, said subset including less than all of said driving directions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select, for each of said driving steps, between including said driving step in and omitting said driving step from said printing.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one selection tool enables the user of the access device to select non-consecutive ones of said plurality of driving steps for inclusion in said printing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said driving directions subsystem is further configured to provide a print control tool to the access device, said print control tool enabling the user of the access device to initiate said printing.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access device is configured to present a graphical user interface for consideration by the user, said graphical user interface being configured to display said driving directions and said at least one selection tool for consideration by the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface is configured to display a selection status for each of said at least one selection tool.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select, for each of said driving steps, between displaying said driving step and hiding said driving step from view in a graphical user interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps and said at least one selection tool includes a plurality of selection tools, said driving directions subsystem being further configured to associate each of said selection tools with a different one of said driving steps.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of selection tools is configured to direct the access device to:

identify at least one of said driving steps for inclusion in said printing when a first of said selection tools is selected, said first of said selection tools being associated with said at least one of said driving steps; and

identify at least another of said driving steps for omission from said printing when a second of said selection tools is selected, said at least another of said selection tools being associated with said second of said driving steps.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said plurality of selection tools is configured to direct the access device to:

display said at least one of said driving steps in a graphical user interface when said first of said selection tools is selected; and

hide said at least another of said driving steps from view in said graphical user interface when said second of said selection tools is unselected.

11. A method comprising:

providing data representative of driving directions to an access device; and

providing at least one selection tool to the access device, said at least one selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select a subset of said driving directions, said subset including less than all of said driving directions;

wherein said data representative of said driving directions and said at least one selection tool are provided to the access device via a communication network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select, for each of said driving steps, between including said driving step in and omitting said driving step.

13. The method of claim 12, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select non-consecutive ones of said plurality of driving steps for inclusion.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a print control tool to the access device over the communication network, said print control tool enabling the user of the access device to initiate printing of said subset of said driving directions.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising printing said subset of said driving directions when said print control tool is selected.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying said at least one selection tool, said print control tool, and said driving directions in a single graphical user interface window.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, in a graphical user interface, a selection status for each of said at least one selection tool.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select, for each of said driving steps, between displaying said driving step and hiding said driving step from view in a graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying each of said driving steps associated with a selected one of said at least one selection tool in said graphical user interface; and

hiding each of said driving steps associated with an unselected one of said at least one selection tool from view in said graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said driving directions include a plurality of driving steps and said at least one selection tool includes a plurality of selection tools, the method further comprising associating each of said selection tools with a different one of said driving steps.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

identifying at least one of said driving steps for inclusion when a first of said selection tools is selected, said first of said selection tools being associated with said at least one of said driving steps; and

identifying at least another of said driving steps for omission when a second of said selection tools is selected, said second of said selection tools being associated with said at least another of said driving steps.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying said at least one of said driving steps in a graphical user interface when said first of said selection tools is selected; and

hiding said at least another of said driving steps from view in said graphical user interface when said second of said selection tools is unselected.

23. A method comprising:

providing data representative of said driving directions to an access device, said data being provided to the access device via a communication network, said driving directions including a plurality of driving steps;

providing at least one selection tool to the access device via the communication network, said at least one selection tool enabling the user of the access device to select, for each of said driving steps, between including said driving step in and omitting said driving step from a printing;

providing a print control tool to the access device over the communication network, said print control tool enabling the user of the access device to initiate said printing;

displaying said at least one selection tool, said print control tool, and at least a subset of said driving directions in a single graphical user interface window; and

printing selected ones of said driving steps when said print control tool is selected.