NAVIGATION BASED ON DIRECTION OF TRAVEL/USER-DEFINED PATH

• US 20100268463A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtti, Jeffery Wayne, Relyea, Donald H. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 9,097,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• 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

Abstract

A device receives global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with a mobile user device, and determines a direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the global navigation satellite system coordinates. The device creates a user-defined path based on a user-defined starting point, a user-defined destination point, and one or more user-defined intermediate points received from the mobile user device, and receives, from the mobile user device, a search request for points of interest in one of the direction of travel or along the user-defined path. The device further determines, based on the search request, one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path, and provides, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with a mobile user device;

determining, by a processor of the computing device, a direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the global navigation satellite system coordinates;

creating, by the processor, a user-defined path based on a user-defined starting point, a user-defined destination point, and one or more user-defined intermediate points received from the mobile user device;

receiving, from the mobile user device, a search request for points of interest in one of the direction of travel or along the user-defined path;

determining, by the processor and based on the search request, one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path; and

providing, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where determining a direction of travel of the mobile user device comprises:

receiving, at a first time period, first global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device;

receiving, at a second time period different than the first time period, second global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device; and

determining the direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the first global navigation satellite system coordinates and the second global navigation satellite system coordinates.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the search request comprises a search associated with one or more of:

stores,

restaurants,

gas stations,

hospitals,

hotels,

motels,

amusement parks,

historical sites,

police stations,

airports, or

train stations.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where determining one or more points of interest comprises:

comparing the search request to a database of points of interest;

generating search results of points of interest based on the comparison; and

filtering the search results, to search results in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path, to generate the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the mobile user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer,

global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

6. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a mobile user device;

a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the user device,

a user-defined destination point associated with the path, and

one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point;

creating, by a processor of the computing device, a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points;

providing the user-defined path to the mobile user device;

receiving global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device traversing the user-defined path;

receiving, from the mobile user device, a search request for points of interest along the user-defined path;

determining, by the processor and based on the search request, one or more points of interest along the user-defined path; and

providing, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest along the user-defined path.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the global navigation satellite system coordinates, where the search request includes a request for points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path;

determining, by the processor and based on the search request, one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path; and

providing, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 7, where determining a direction of travel of the mobile user device comprises:

receiving, at a first time period, first global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device;

receiving, at a second time period different than the first time period, second global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device; and

determining the direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the first global navigation satellite system coordinates and the second global navigation satellite system coordinates.

9. The computing device-implemented method of claim 7, where the search request comprises a search associated with one or more of:

stores,

restaurants,

gas stations,

hospitals,

hotels,

motels,

amusement parks,

historical sites,

police stations,

airports, or

train stations.

10. The computing device-implemented method of claim 7, where determining one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path comprises:

comparing the search request to a database of points of interest;

generating search results of points of interest based on the comparison; and

filtering the search results, to search results in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path, to generate the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path.

11. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, where the mobile user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer,

global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

12. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the user-defined path; and

providing, to the mobile user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

13. The computing device-implemented method of claim 12, where receiving information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

receiving mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving directional information associated with the user-defined path,

receiving traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

receiving construction information associated with the user-defined path.

14. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, where providing the user-defined path comprises:

providing the user-defined path to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

15. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive, from a mobile user device;

a user-defined starting point associated with a path to be navigated by a user associated with the user device,

a user-defined destination point associated with the path, and

one or more user-defined intermediate points provided between the user-defined starting point and the user-defined destination point,

create a user-defined path based on the user-defined starting point, the user-defined destination point, and the one or more user-defined intermediate points,

provide the user-defined path to the mobile user device,

receive global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device traversing the user-defined path,

receive, from the mobile user device, a search request for points of interest along the user-defined path,

determine, based on the search request and the global navigation satellite system coordinates, one or more points of interest along the user-defined path, and

provide, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest along the user-defined path.

16. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

determine a direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the global navigation satellite system coordinates, where the search request includes a request for points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path,

determine, based on the search request, one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path, and

provide, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path.

17. The device of claim 16, where, when determining a direction of travel of the mobile user device, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

receive, at a first time period, first global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device,

receive, at a second time period different than the first time period, second global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device, and

determine the direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the first global navigation satellite system coordinates and the second global navigation satellite system coordinates.

18. The device of claim 16, where the search request comprises a search associated with one or more of:

stores,

restaurants,

gas stations,

hospitals,

hotels,

motels,

amusement parks,

historical sites,

police stations,

airports, or

train stations.

19. The device of claim 16, where, when determining one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

compare the search request to a database of points of interest,

generate search results of points of interest based on the comparison, and

filter the search results, to search results in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path, to generate the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel and along the user-defined path.

20. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

receive information associated with the user-defined path, and

provide, to the mobile user device, the information associated with the user-defined path.

21. The device of claim 20, where the information associated with the user-defined path comprises one or more of:

mileage information associated with the user-defined path,

directional information associated with the user-defined path,

traffic information associated with the user-defined path, or

construction information associated with the user-defined path.

22. The device of claim 15, where, when providing the user-defined path, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

provide the user-defined path to the user device when the user is navigating the user-defined path.

23. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with a mobile user device,

determine a direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the global navigation satellite system coordinates,

create a user-defined path based on a user-defined starting point, a user-defined destination point, and one or more user-defined intermediate points received from the mobile user device,

receive, from the mobile user device, a search request for points of interest in one of the direction of travel or along the user-defined path,

determine, based on the search request, one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path, and

provide, to the mobile user device, the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path.

24. The device of claim 23, where, when determining a direction of travel of the mobile user device, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

receive, at a first time period, first global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device,

receive, at a second time period different than the first time period, second global navigation satellite system coordinates associated with the mobile user device, and

determine the direction of travel of the mobile user device based on the first global navigation satellite system coordinates and the second global navigation satellite system coordinates.

25. The device of claim 23, where, when determining one or more points of interest, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

compare the search request to a database of points of interest,

generate search results of points of interest based on the comparison, and

filter the search results, to search results in the direction of travel or along the user-defined path, to generate the determined one or more points of interest in the direction of travel.