Emphasizing Revisited Featured Locations

• US 20140163880A1
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Teicher, Mordechai
• Application Number:
  US14/179,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20140163880A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/537
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting to a user audio and/or multimedia descriptions of previously-visited featured locations, so that the same descriptions are not presented in repeated visits to the same locations. Description may be selected to fit between consecutive turn-by-turn navigation instructions.

Claims

1. A computerized method for enhancing the travel experience of a user in vicinity of previously-visited featured locations, the method comprising:

planning, by a processor, a route according to an origin point and a destination point;

accessing, by a processor, a featured location database, the database including a plurality of featured locations and at least one description for each featured location;

accessing, by a processor, a travel history log of the user;

seeking, by a processor, from the plurality of featured locations, a previously-visited featured location along the route and a selected description of the previously-visited featured location, according to selection criteria that include, at least;

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the previously-visited featured location has been presented to the user in a previous visit, and

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the selected description has not yet been presented to the user;

providing the selected description for presentation to the user; and

recording the selected description in the travel history log of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by a processor, turn-by-turn navigation instructions for traveling along the planned route;

wherein the selection criteria further include;

that a time duration of the selected description is less than a predicted time interval between two consecutive turn-by-turn navigation instructions in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria further include:

that the selected description complies with a preference of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing the selected description for presentation to the user is made when the user is in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected description is an ephemeral description.

6. A server operative to enhance the travel experience of a user in vicinity of previously-visited featured locations, the server comprising:

a featured location database that includes a plurality of featured locations and at least one description for each featured location;

a user database that includes a travel history log of the user; and

a processor programmed to;

plan a route according to an origin point and a destination point;

seek, in the featured location database, a previously-visited featured location along the route and a selected description of the previously-visited featured location, according to selection criteria that include, at least;

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the previously-visited featured location has been presented to the user in a previous visit, and

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the selected description has not yet been presented to the user;

send the selected description to a navigation device of the user for presentation to the user; and

record the selected description in the travel history log of the user.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the processor is further programmed to send to the navigation device of the user turn-by-turn navigation instructions for traveling along the planned route, and wherein the selection criteria further include:

that a time duration of the selected description is less than a predicted time interval between two consecutive turn-by-turn navigation instructions in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

8. The server of claim 6, wherein the selection criteria further include:

that the selected description complies with a preference of the user.

9. The server of claim 6, wherein the processor is further programmed to provide the selected description for presentation to the user, when the user is in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

10. The server of claim 6, wherein the selected description is an ephemeral description.

11. A navigation apparatus operative to enhance the travel experience of a user in vicinity of previously-visited featured locations, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a featured location database that includes a plurality of featured locations and at least one description for each featured location;

a travel history log of the user; and

a processor programmed to;

plan a route according to an origin point and a destination point;

seek, in the featured location database, a previously-visited featured location along the route and a selected description of the previously-visited featured location, according to selection criteria that include, at least;

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the previously-visited featured location has been presented to the user in a previous visit, and

that, according to the travel history log of the user, the selected description has not yet been presented to the user;

present the selected description to the user; and

record the selected description in the travel history log of the user.

12. The navigation apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to present to the user turn-by-turn navigation instructions for traveling along the planned route, and wherein the selection criteria further include:

that a time duration of the selected description is less than a predicted time interval between two consecutive turn-by-turn navigation instructions in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

13. The navigation apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selection criteria further include:

that the selected description complies with a preference of the user.

14. The navigation apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to present the selected description to the user, when the user is in the vicinity of the previously-visited featured location.

15. The navigation apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selected description is an ephemeral description.