Vehicle navigation system with location-based multi-media annotation

• US 6,360,167 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Beacon Navigation GmbH (Beacon Navigation Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magellan DIS, Inc.
• Inventors: Lambie, Michael G., Spencer, Larry E. II, Long, Donald J., Eklund, Richard, Millington, Jeffrey Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/239,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357-1-3, 701/207-216
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A navigation system provides multimedia annotations based upon the present location of the vehicle. These presentations may comprise advertising or text or other information entered by the user and associated with a specific location or locations. The navigation system also provides a removable media reader which obtains additional information based upon which the navigation system operates. This additional information may include multimedia annotations which are location-based. The navigation system further includes a wireless communication system which interacts with and provides further location-based multimedia annotations.

Claims

1. A method for communication information in a vehicle navigation system including the steps of:

(a) determining a vehicle position relative to a database of roads;

(b) selecting an ad based upon the vehicle position;

(c) displaying the selected ad in a first portion of a screen; and

(d) displaying route guidance information in a second portion of the screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

(e) associating each of a plurality of ads, including said selected ad, with at least one of a plurality of categories;

(f) selecting one of the plurality of categories, wherein said step (b) limits the selection to ads associated with said selected category.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

(e) requesting route guidance instructions to a destination associated with said selected ad in response to said step (c); and

(f) displaying route guidance instructions to said destination in response to said step (e).

4. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

(e) requesting additional information in response to said step (c); and

(j) displaying additional information associated with the ad displayed on the first portion of the screen in response to said step (e).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said additional information includes a restaurant menu.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said additional information is transmitted via a wireless signal.

7. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

at least one position determining device;

a processor determining a position of the system based upon data received from said at least one position determining device;

an output device for indicating the position of the system as determined by the processor;

an input device connected to the processor, said navigation system including a locked mode in which at least one function of the navigation system is disabled, said navigation system enabling said at least one function upon entry of a code via the input device.

8. The navigation system of claim 7, wherein said input device is a user input device.

9. The navigation system of claim 8, wherein the code is an alphanumeric code entered sequentially by the user input device.

10. The navigation system of claim 7, wherein said at least one function includes a database of roads in a selected first geographic area.

11. The navigation system of claim 10, wherein said navigation system is enabled to access a database of roads in a second geographic area but not said first geographic area when in said locked state.

12. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, wherein said vehicle navigation system provides no indication of the position of the system via the output device when in said locked mode.

13. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, wherein said processor does not determine the position of the system when in said locked mode.

14. The vehicle navigation system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is not disabled in said locked mode.

15. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, wherein said code enables said vehicle navigation system for a predetermined time period.

16. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, wherein said code indicates a starting time and an ending time to the navigation system for the enabled state.

17. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, wherein said code indicates a selected geographic area to be enabled.

18. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, further including a key which is physically portable relative to the processor, said key communicating said code to said navigation system via the input device.

19. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, wherein said key indicates specific geographic areas to be enabled.

20. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, wherein said key indicates a selected time period for the navigation system to be enabled.

21. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, wherein said key is programmable.

22. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, wherein said key includes route guidance information.

23. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, wherein said output device includes a speaker generating audible route guidance instructions, said key further including language data, said language data enabling said navigation system to generate said audible route guidance instructions in an additional language.

24. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

at least one position determining device;

a processor determining a position of the system based upon data received from said at least one position determining device and indicating said position of the system;

removable media storing data; and

said navigation system operating based upon said data from said removable media.

25. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 wherein said data includes a plurality of geographic locations.

26. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 further including a database of roads, said data including a plurality of geographic locations relative to said database.

27. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 further including a programming computer including a user input device at a location remote from said navigation system, said programming computer storing said data on said removable media based upon input from said user input device.

28. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 wherein said data includes a code for enabling at least one function of said vehicle navigation system.

29. The vehicle navigation system of claim 28 wherein said at least one function includes a database of roads in a selected first geographic area.

30. The navigation of system claim 28 wherein said vehicle navigation system provides no indication of the position of the system if not enabled.

31. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 wherein said data includes audible instruction data, wherein said output device provides audible route guidance instructions based upon said audible instruction data.

32. A method for communicating information in a vehicle navigation system including the steps of:

(a) determining a position of the system relative to a database of roads;

(b) associating each of a plurality of ads with at least one of a plurality of categories;

(c) selecting one of the plurality of categories;

(d) selecting one of said ads associated with said selected category based upon said position; and

(e) displaying the selected ad.

33. The method of claim 32 flirther including the step of:

sending a signal to a remote location remote from the position indicating the selection made in said step (d).

34. The method of claim 33 further including the step of tallying the selections of each of the plurality of ads at the remote location.

35. The method of claim 34 further including the step of calculating a charge based upon said step of tallying.

36. The method of claim 32 further including the step of determining the time that the ad is displayed.

37. The method of claim 36 further including the step of sending a signal from the remote location to the system altering the display of the ad.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said step (a) is performed utilizing a user input device associated with the vehicle navigation system.

39. The method of claim 32 further including the step of sending a signal from a remote location to the system indicating that at least one of said ads should not be displayed.

40. A method for operating a vehicle navigation system including the steps of:

(a) entering information into the vehicle navigation system;

(b) storing said information on the vehicle navigation system;

(c) associating the information with at least one geographic location;

(d) determining a position of the navigation system; and

(e) recalling the information based upon said steps (d) and (c).

41. A method for communicating information in a vehicle navigation system including the steps of:

(a) associating each of a plurality of annotations with each of a plurality of locations along a route;

(b) moving a vehicle along said route;

(c) determining a position of the vehicle relative to the route and the plurality of locations during said step (b);

(d) comparing the position of the vehicle as determined in step (c) with the plurality of locations; and

(e) displaying each of the plurality of annotations based upon said step (d).

42. The method of claim 41 further including the step of:

(f) storing the route in the navigation system prior to said step (b); and

(g) guiding the vehicle along the route based upon the determined position of the vehicle as determined in said step (c).

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the route is a tour including at least three of the locations each having an associated one of the annotations.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the annotations are multimedia annotations.