NAVIGATION DEVICE, METHOD & SYSTEM

• US 20110131154A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Faber, Joost Benedictus Leonardus, Jones, Rory
• Application Number:
  US12/736,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131154A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A navigation device is arranged to communicate information to a server. In at least one embodiment, the navigation device is arranged to determine a period of time for which a vehicle carrying the navigation device is parked, and to communicate information to the server associated with the period of time.

Claims

1. A navigation device arranged to communicate information to a server is arranged to determine a period of time for which a vehicle carrying the navigation device is parked, and arranged to communicate information to the server associated with the period of time.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is arranged to determine that the vehicle is parked according to one or more of:

a location of the navigation device and receiving a user input indicating that the vehicle is parked.

3. The navigation device of claim 2, wherein the navigation device is arranged to determine that the vehicle is parked according to the location of the vehicle when the location of the vehicle does not substantially change for more than a predetermined period of time.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is arranged to communicate information to the server indicating a beginning and an end of the period for which the vehicle is parked.

5. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is arranged to determine that parking-payment is supported in a location at which the vehicle is parked according to stored data or by communication with the server.

6. The navigation device of claim 5, wherein the stored data is one of:

data indicating a location of one or more parking locations received from the server or map data.

7. A method of facilitating payment for a service, the method comprising:

determining a period of time during which a vehicle carrying a navigation device is parked;

communicating information associated with the period of time from the navigation device to the server; and

facilitating payment for the period of time which the vehicle is parked.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising determining whether payment is supported in a parking location.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising receiving information at the navigation device from the server indicating one or more parking locations.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising:

communicating from the navigation device to the server information indicating a start of the period of time during which the vehicle is parked;

communicating from the navigation device to the server information indicating an end of the period of during which the vehicle is parked; and

determining at the sever a duration of the period of time during which the vehicle is parked, wherein the payment for the period of time is at least partly based on the determined duration.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising:

determining one or both of a start and an of the period of time during which the vehicle is parked according to at least one of a location of the navigation device and an input received from the user.

12. A system, comprising:

a navigation device in wireless communication with a server;

wherein the navigation device is arranged to communicate information to the server associated with a period of time during which a vehicle carrying the navigation device is parked; and

the server is arranged to facilitate payment for the period of time for which the vehicle is parked.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the navigation device is arranged to:

determine when the vehicle parks and to communicate to the server information indicating a beginning of the period of time during which the vehicle is parked; and

determine when the vehicle ceases to be parked and to communicate to the server information indicating an end of the period of time during which the vehicle is parked.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the navigation device is arranged to communicate to the server information indicative of a location; and

the server is arranged to communicate to the navigation device information indicative of one or more parking locations determined according to the received location.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the navigation device is arranged to communicate to the server information indicative of a location; and

the server is arranged to communicate information to the navigation device indicative of whether the server is able to facilitate payment at the location.