Automatic updating of favorite places for navigation system upon change of home address

• US 20100152997A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhuang, Jianning, de Silva, Andrew, Mazas, Jose, Panganiban, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically updating information on favorite places upon change of home address. The method includes the steps of: checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address; searching for favorite places around the new home address equivalent to that around the old home address; determining whether the updating of the favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user; updating the favorite places by replacing the favorite places for the old home address with the equivalent favorite places for the new home address; and repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address.

Claims

1. A method for updating information on favorite places pre-established in a navigation system for an old home address to be appropriate to a new home address, comprising the following steps of:

checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address;

searching for favorite places around the new home address equivalent to that around the old home address;

determining whether the updating of the favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user;

updating the favorite places by replacing the favorite places for the old home address stored in the navigation system with the equivalent favorite places for the new home address; and

repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address.

2. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, wherein said automatic updating of the favorite places is not conducted when the new home address is closer to the old home address than a predetermined distance.

3. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of receiving an instruction by the user in advance to allow the navigation system to automatically update the favorite places when the home address is changed.

4. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, after determining that the updating of the favorite places should be conducted upon instruction by the user, further comprising a step of waiting for an instruction by the user before updating the favorite places.

5. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of the user has been changed to the new home address includes a step of determining an address of a current location detected by the navigation system as the new home address.

6. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for favorite places around the new home address includes a step of evaluating an overall cost of the favorite place which includes a distance to the favorite place.

7. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for favorite places around the new home address includes a step of evaluating attribute data attached to the favorite place associated with the old home address.

8. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, wherein said attribute data include a brand name or chain of business related to the favorite place, and said step of searching for favorite places around the new home address includes a step of selecting a particular favorite place having the same brand name or chain of the favorite place around the old home address.

9. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for favorite places around the new home address includes a step of prioritizing a particular favorite place that is located in an area that the user more frequently visits or passes-by over a similar favorite place that is located in an area that the user less frequently visits or passes-by even though the similar favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

10. A method for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 1, said step of searching for favorite places around the new home address includes a step of prioritizing a particular favorite place that is located in an area that has a plurality of same type of favorite places over a similar favorite place that is located in an area that has no or lesser number of same type of favorite places even though the similar favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

11. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places pre-established in a navigation system for an old home address to be appropriate to a new home address, comprising:

means for checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of a user has been changed to the new home address;

means for searching for favorite places around the new home address equivalent to that around the old home address;

means for determining whether the updating of the favorite places should be conducted automatically or upon instruction by the user;

means for updating the favorite places by replacing the favorite places for the old home address stored in the navigation system with the equivalent favorite places for the new home address; and

means for repeating the above steps every time when there is a change in the home address.

12. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, wherein said automatic updating of the favorite places is not conducted when the new home address is closer to the old home address than a predetermined distance.

13. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for receiving an instruction by the user in advance to allow the navigation system to automatically update the favorite places when the home address is changed.

14. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, after determining that the updating of the favorite places should be conducted upon instruction by the user, further comprising means for waiting for an instruction by the user before updating the favorite places.

15. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, said means for checking data received by the navigation system to detect whether the old home address of the user has been changed to the new home address includes means for determining an address of a current location detected by the navigation system as the new home address.

16. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, said means for searching for favorite places around the new home address includes means for evaluating an overall cost of the favorite place which includes a distance to the favorite place.

17. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, said means for searching for favorite places around the new home address includes means for evaluating attribute data attached to the favorite place associated with the old home address.

18. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, wherein said attribute data include a brand name or chain of business related to the favorite place, and said means for searching for favorite places around the new home address includes means for selecting a particular favorite place having the same brand name or chain of the favorite place around the old home address.

19. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, said means for searching for favorite places around the new home address includes means for prioritizing a particular favorite place that is located in an area that the user more frequently visits or passes-by over a similar favorite place that is located in an area that the user less frequently visits or passes-by even though the similar favorite place is located closer to the new home address.

20. An apparatus for updating information on favorite places as defined in claim 11, said means for searching for favorite places around the new home address includes means for prioritizing a particular favorite place that is located in an area that has a plurality of same type of favorite places over a similar favorite place that is located in an area that has no or lesser number of same type of favorite places even though the similar favorite place is located closer to the new home address.