System and method for storing and using information associated with geographic locations of interest to a mobile user

• US 6,810,323 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2000
• Issued: 10/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Axel, Bullock, James Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/669,192
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 701/206, 701/210, 701/211, 701/208, 701/201, 701/215, 701/300, 701/202, 340/991, 340/993, 340/996, 340/989, 455/456, 455/457, 455/459
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A system (10) for storing and using information associated with geographic locations of interest to a mobile user comprises a mobile apparatus (100) and a remote apparatus (200). The mobile apparatus accepts and transmits information associated with a mobile user'"'"'s geographic position. The remote apparatus (200) receives the transmitted information, stores the information along with data indicative of the position and time as a waypoint, and allows the user to retrieve and manipulate waypoints. The system is preferably realized as a vehicle information system (20) that allows a vehicle user to store waypoints descriptive of different locations encountered during travel. Each waypoint includes the geographic position of its corresponding location, the time, and may include appended information such as a voice message or a picture. The waypoints are stored in a remote server accessible from both the vehicle and an auxiliary apparatus such as a standard telephone (310) or a personal computer (330). After retrieving a stored waypoint, the user has a number of options, such as receiving navigation instructions, modifying the information associated with the waypoint, and sharing the waypoint with a third party. A method (600) efficiently implements the aforementioned functions and other convenient features.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising:

a first mobile apparatus operable to transmit a waypoint comprising information associated with a first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position and to retrieve such information; and

a remote apparatus remotely located from, the first mobile apparatus, wherein the remote apparatus is operable to;

receive the waypoint transmitted by the fist mobile apparatus;

store the waypoint transmitted by the first mobile apparatus, the stored waypoint including data indicative of the first mobile user'"'"'s geographic position;

append the waypoint with a likely address for that geographic position;

allow the first mobile user to retrieve the waypoint;

provide the mobile user a list of addresses and descriptions thereof near the likely address;

receive an indication of the intended address; and

replace the position data of the waypoint with the intended address.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the first mobile user'"'"'s geographic position includes at least one of:

audio information; and

a text message composed by the first mobile user.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the first mobile user'"'"'s geographic position includes a visual image representing at least a portion of the environs at the first user'"'"'s geographic position.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the stored waypoint in the remote apparatus further includes data indicative of the time.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the stored waypoint is stored locally in the mobile apparatus.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the remote apparatus is operable to display stored waypoints with associated information for retrieval by the mobile apparatus upon selection of a particular waypoint by the mobile user.

7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein remote apparatus;

provides the mobile user with navigation instructions for guiding the mobile user to the geographic position corresponding to the selected waypoint.

8. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein the remote apparatus is further operable to allow the first mobile user to select the waypoint for transmittal to a second mobile user through a command.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the remote apparatus is further operable to allow the first mobile user to:

(i) append additional information to the waypoint after the waypoint has been stored; and

(ii) delete information from the waypoint after the waypoint has been stored.

10. A vehicle information system for storing and using information associated with geographic locations of interest to a mobile user, comprising:

a mobile apparatus operable to;

determine a mobile user'"'"'s geographic current position and the time;

accept descriptive information associated with the mobile user'"'"'s geographic position;

store the descriptive information, along with data representative of the mobile user'"'"'s geographic position and the time, as a waypoint within the mobile apparatus; and

transmit a copy of the waypoint; and

a remote apparatus remotely located from the mobile apparatus, wherein the remote apparatus is operable to;

receive the copy of the waypoint transmitted by the mobile apparatus, and store the waypoint within the remote apparatus;

append the waypoint with a likely address for that geographic position;

provide the mobile user a list of addresses and descriptions thereof near the likely address;

receive an indication of the intended address;

replace the position data of the waypoint with an intended address;

allow the mobile user to access the waypoint via the mobile apparatus and to select the waypoint for sharing with a third party;

modify the waypoint that was selected for sharing with a third party to include in the waypoint a label that identifies the waypoint as being sent by the mobile user; and

send the waypoint to the third party.

11. The vehicle information system of claim 10, wherein:

the remote apparatus is further operable to transmit at least a portion of the data and information of the waypoint back to a third party mobile apparatus; and

the third party mobile apparatus is operable to receive and locally store the data and information of the waypoint transmitted by the remote apparatus.

12. A system for storing, processing, and using information associated with geographic locations of interest to a vehicle user, comprising:

an in-vehicle apparatus, comprising;

a vehicle-positioning device operable, in response to a store command from the vehicle user, to supply data indicative of;

(i) the vehicle'"'"'s current geographic position; and

(ii) the time;

a vehicle interface coupled to tie vehicle-positioning device and operable, in response to a store command from the vehicle user, to accept descriptive information associated with the vehicle'"'"'s current geographic position; and

a vehicle transceiver coupled to the vehicle interface and operable, in response to the store command, to transmit the descriptive information along with the data indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s geographic position and the time;

a service-center apparatus remotely located from, the in-vehicle apparatus, the service-center apparatus comprising;

a service-center transceiver operable to receive the information and data transmitted by the vehicle transceiver;

a server operable to store the information and data received from by the service-center transceiver as a waypoint and append the waypoint with a likely address for that geographic position; and

a service-center interface coupled to the service-center transceiver and the server, and operable to provide the mobile user a list of addresses and descriptions thereof near the likely address;

receive an indication of the intended address; and

replace the position data of the waypoint with an intended address; and

wherein;

the server is further operable to receive and execute a command from the vehicle user requesting that a waypoint be made available to a third party;

the server is further operable to modify the waypoint to include a label that identifies the waypoint as being sent by the vehicle operator; and

the service-center transceiver is further operable to send the waypoint to the third parry in response to receiving the command that the waypoint be made available to the third party.

13. The system of claim 12 further including a third party mobile apparatus, wherein the third party mobile apparatus is operable, following the sending of the waypoint to the third party from the service-center apparatus, to provide the third party with navigation instructions for guiding the third party from the third party'"'"'s current geographic position to the geographic position corresponding to the waypoint.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the navigation instructions are sent to the third party mobile apparatus by the service-center apparatus.

15. A method of storing and using information relating to geographic locations of interest, comprising the steps of:

creating a waypoint comprising information relating to a first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position;

sending the waypoint to a remote server;

storing the waypoint in a database of the remote server;

modifying the waypoint to include a label that identifies the waypoint as being sent by the first mobile user;

appending the waypoint with a likely address for the waypoint;

providing a list of addresses and descriptions thereof near the likely address;

receiving an indication of the intended address; and

replacing the position data of the waypoint with the intended address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of creating a waypoint includes:

receiving a store command from the first mobile user;

determining the first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position and the current time;

prompting the first mobile user for additional information;

if the first mobile user provides additional information, accepting the additional information, wherein;

if the first mobile user provides additional information, the waypoint comprises the additional information in combination with data representative of the geographic position and the time; and

if the first mobile user provides no additional information, the waypoint comprises data representative of the geographic position and the time;

storing a copy of the waypoint in a local memory; and

updating a user profile to indicate that new data is to be sent to a remote server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of:

audio information; and

a visual image relating to at least a portion of the environs at the first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of modifying the waypoint includes:

accepting a telephone call from the first mobile user to a remote call center having access to the database of the remote server;

presenting a list of stored waypoints to the fist mobile user;

in response to the first mobile user'"'"'s selection of a specific waypoint from the list of stored waypoints, prompting the first mobile user for a command to be executed with regard to the specific waypoint, wherein the command comprises at least a user share command requesting that the waypoint be made available to a second mobile user.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of modifying the waypoint includes:

accepting a login from the first mobile user to a remote website having access to the database of the remote server;

displaying a list of stored waypoints to the first mobile user;

in response to the first mobile user'"'"'s selection of a specific waypoint from the list of stored waypoints, prompting the first mobile user for a command to be executed with regard to the specific waypoint, wherein the command comprises at least a user share command requesting that the waypoint be made available to the second mobile user.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of modifying the waypoint further includes:

accepting a user command requesting modification of the retrieved waypoint;

accepting additional information from the first mobile user and appending the additional information to the waypoint; and

storing the modified waypoint in the database of the remote server.

21. The method of claim 15 including thie further steps of:

notifying a second mobile user, from the label in the waypoint, that the waypoint is from the first mobile user; and

providing navigation instructions to the second mobile user to guide the second mobile user to the waypoint after sending the waypoint to the second mobile user.

22. A method of receiving, storing, and using information relating to geographic locations of interest to a first and second mobile user, comprising the steps of:

(1) creating a waypoint that includes information relating to the first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position and the current time, wherein the step of creating a waypoint comprises the steps of;

(a) receiving a save command from the first mobile user;

(b) determining the first mobile user'"'"'s current geographic position and the current time;

(c) prompting the first mobile user for additional information; and

(d) if the first mobile user provides additional information, accepting the additional information, wherein;

if the first mobile user provides additional information, the waypoint comprises the additional information in combination with data representative of the geographic position and the time; and

if the first mobile user provides no additional information, the waypoint comprises data representative of the user'"'"'s current geographic position and the time;

(e) locally storing a copy of the waypoint; and

(f) updating a user profile to indicate that new data is to be sent to a remote server;

(2) sending the waypoint to the remote server;

(3) storing the waypoint in a database of the remote server;

(4) appending the waypoint with a likely address for the waypoint;

(5) providing a list of addresses and descriptions thereof near the likely address;

(6) receiving an indication of the intended address;

(7) replacing the position data of the waypoint with the intended address;

(8) retrieving the waypoint in response to a user retrieve command, comprising the steps of;

(a) presenting a list of saved waypoints to the first mobile user; and

(b) in response to the first mobile user'"'"'s selection of a specific waypoint, prompting the first mobile user for a command to share the waypoint with the second mobile user; and

(9) accepting and executing the share command with regard to the specific waypoint selected during the step of retrieving, comprising the steps of;

(a) modifying the waypoint to include a label that identifies the waypoint as being sent by first mobile user;

(b) sending the waypoint to the second mobile user;

(c) providing navigation instructions for guiding the second mobile user to the geographic position corresponding to the waypoint.