Providing guiding service by means of a wireless terminal

• US 7,155,338 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kauvo, Kimmo, Kivento, Teppo, Koskinen, Harri
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/324,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701207-213, 340/988, 340/998, 340/995.12, 340/995.24, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/517
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention relates to a guiding system for wireless terminals. In the system, position-specific information of route points of the route on which a first wireless terminal travels is determined and it is sent to a guiding server. Supplementary data used for guiding the route are stored in the first terminal in response to a request of the user. The supplementary data are associated with the position information, and the guiding server compiles and stores route information comprising position information and supplementary data. The route information is transmitted from the guiding server to at least one wireless terminal in response to the route request. The position of the terminal is determined and the received route information is presented in the terminal so that said supplementary data are presented when the terminal is in places with which the supplementary data are associated.

Claims

1. A guiding system comprising means for determining position information of a wireless first terminal determining a route at route points of the first terminal, the first terminal comprising means for storing supplementary data, wherein

the system also comprises a separate guiding server, to which the position information of the first terminal is arranged to be transferred,

the system comprises means for associating the supplementary data to be used for guiding with the position information of one or more route points,

the first terminal comprises means for transmitting the supplementary data to be used for guiding to the guiding server,

the guiding server comprises means for compiling and storing route information, which route information can be identified by a route identifier and comprises at least the route formed by the position information of the first terminal and position-specific supplementary data,

the guiding server comprises means for transmitting the route information to at least one wireless second terminal using the route, and

the second terminal comprises means for determining its position and means for presenting the received route information to the user so that said supplementary data are presented when the second terminal is in places with which the supplementary data are associated.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second terminal comprises means for transmitting a request to the guiding server, in which request the desired route information is indicated by a route identifier, and

the guiding server comprises means for selecting the route information for the transmission according to the route identifier indicated in the request received from the second terminal.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary data comprise at least one of the following:

stored picture information on the environment, recorded speech information of the user or a text sequence entered by the user.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the guiding server comprises means for determining route points according to the position information in the map data,

the guiding server comprises means for forming at least one route between the route points determined in the map data,

the guiding server comprises means for associating the map data and at least one route determined therein with said route information, and

the second terminal comprises means for displaying the map data and the route points determined therein.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding server comprises means for associating the route determined in the map data with supplementary guiding information, and

the second terminal comprises means for presenting the guiding information.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first terminal also comprises

means for taking a photo of the environment, displaying the photo to the user and storing the photo in said supplementary data,

means for determining heading information of the terminal at the moment the photo is taken, and

means for associating the heading information with the photo.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first terminal comprises means for transmitting the position information it has determined to the server,

the first terminal comprises means for associating time stamps with the position information of the route points,

the guiding server comprises means for receiving the position information from the first terminal, and

the guiding server comprises means for associating temporal instructions calculated on the basis of the comparison between the time stamps of different route points with the route information.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding server comprises means for adapting the route information according to the properties of the second terminal and/or user preferences before transmitting the route information to the second terminal.

9. A wireless terminal comprising:

means for determining its position information,

means for storing supplementary data,

means for associating the supplementary data with the position information of one or more route points, and

means for transmitting position-specific supplementary data and position information associated with a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points to a guiding server.

10. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the supplementary data comprise at least one of the following:

stored picture information on the environment, recorded speech information of the user or a text sequence entered by the user.

11. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to receive the route identifier from the guiding server.

12. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to associate a time stamp with the position information.

13. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal further comprises means for taking a photo of the environment, displaying the photo to a user and storing the photo in said supplementary data,

means for determining heading information of the terminal at the moment the photo is taken, and

means for associating the heading information with the photo.

14. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to transmit a delivery message comprising the route identifier to terminals intended to use the route, or the terminal is configured to transmit to the guiding server information on the receivers of the route.

15. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to transmit the position-specific supplementary data and the position information associated with the route identifier to the guiding server only after all route points a user needs have been determined.

16. A wireless terminal comprising:

means for determining its position information,

means for transmitting a request to a guiding server included in a guiding system, in which request the desired route information is indicated by a route identifier,

means for receiving the route information from the guiding server, the route information comprising at least position information of route points on the route and position-specific supplementary data provided by another wireless terminal, and

means for presenting the received route information to the user so that route information and position-specific supplementary data included therein are presented according to the position information determined by the terminal in places with which the supplementary data are associated.

17. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein the supplementary data comprise at least one of the following:

stored picture information on the environment, recorded speech information of the user or a text sequence entered by the user.

18. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein map data and at least one route determined therein is associated with said route information and the route determined in the map data is associated with supplementary guiding information,

the wireless terminal is configured to display the map data and the route points determined therein, and

the wireless terminal is configured to present the guiding information.

19. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to transmit the request on the basis of a delivery message from the guiding server or from another wireless terminal, the delivery message comprising the route identifier.

20. A wireless terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein the wireless terminal is configured to transmit information on its properties and/or user preferences to the guiding server to adapt the route information or the transmission of the route information accordingly.

21. A guiding server for supporting the guiding of at least one wireless terminal, the guiding server comprising:

means for compiling and storing route information, which route information can be identified by a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points, and it comprises at least a route formed by position information of multiple route points of a terminal and position-specific supplementary data received from the terminal,

means for selecting the route information according to the route identifier indicated in a received request, and

means for transmitting the requested route information to at least one terminal.

22. A guiding server as claimed in claim 21, wherein the guiding server is configured to determine the route identifier for the route to be formed, and

the guiding server is configured to send the route identifier to the terminal determining the route.

23. A guiding server as claimed in claim 21, wherein the guiding server is configured to determine route points according to the position information in map data,

the guiding server is configured to form at least one route between the route points determined in the map data,

the guiding server is configured to associate the map data and at least one route determined therein with said route information, and

the guiding server is configured to associate the route determined in the map data with supplementary guiding information.

24. A guiding server as claimed in claim 21, wherein the guiding server is configured to receive route receiver information from the terminal determining the route, and

the guiding server is configured to transmit the route information on the basis of the route receiver information.

25. A guiding server as claimed in claim 21, wherein the guiding server is configured to adapt route information or the transmission of the route information according to properties of and/or user preferences from the terminal to which the route information is to be transferred.

26. A method of providing a guiding service in a guiding system wherein the guiding system comprises a guiding server to which position information of a first terminal is transferred, the method comprising:

determining position information of the first terminal for determining a route at route points of the route on which the first terminal travels,

storing supplementary data to be used for guiding the route when the route is determined in the first terminal,

associating in the system the supplementary data with the position information of one or more route points so as to generate position-specific supplementary data,

transmitting the position-specific supplementary data from the first terminal to the guiding server,

compiling and storing route information in the guiding server, which route information can be identified by a route identifier and comprises at least a route formed by position information of the first terminal and position-specific supplementary data,

transmitting the route information requested according to the route identifier to at least one second terminal using the route, and

determining the position of the second terminal and presenting the received route information in the second terminal so that said supplementary data are presented when the second terminal is in places with which supplementary data are associated.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the supplementary data comprise at least one of the following:

stored picture information on the environment, recorded speech information of the user or a text sequence entered by the user.

28. A method as claimed in claim 26, the method further comprising adapting route information in the guiding server according to the properties of the second terminal before the route information is transmitted to the second terminal.

29. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, said computer program comprising a program code, for causing a computer to:

compile and store route information, which route information can be identified by a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points, and it comprises at least a route formed by position information of multiple route points of a wireless terminal and received by the computer, and position-specific supplementary data received from the wireless terminal,

select the route information according to the route identifier indicated in the received request, and

transmit the requested route information to at least one wireless terminal.

30. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, said computer program comprising a program code for causing a wireless terminal to:

determine its position information,

store supplementary data,

associate the supplementary data with the position information of one or more route points, and

transmit position-specific supplementary data and position information associated with a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points to a guiding server.

31. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, said computer program comprising a program code for causing a wireless terminal to:

determine its position information,

transmit a request to a guiding server included in a guiding system, in which request the desired route information is indicated by a route identifier,

receive the route information from the guiding server, the route information comprising at least position information of route points on the route and position-specific supplementary data provided by another wireless terminal, and

present the received route information to the user so that route information and position-specific supplementary data included therein are presented according to the position information determined by the terminal in places with which the supplementary data are associated.

32. A wireless terminal comprising:

a satellite-based positioning device for determining its position information;

a memory for storing supplementary data;

a processor for associating the supplementary data with the position information of one or more route points; and

a transceiver for transmitting position-specific supplementary data and position information associated with a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points to a guiding server.

33. A wireless terminal comprising:

a satellite-based positioning device for determining its position information;

a transceiver for transmitting a request to a guiding server included in a guiding system, in which request the desired route information is indicated by a route identifier and for receiving the route information from the guiding server, the route information comprising at least position information of route points on the route and position-specific supplementary data provided by another wireless terminal; and

a user interface for presenting the received route information to the user so that route information and position-specific supplementary data included therein are presented according to the position information determined by the terminal in places with which the supplementary data are associated.

34. A guiding server for supporting the guiding of at least one wireless terminal, the guiding server comprising:

a memory for compiling and storing route information, which route information can be identified by a route identifier identifying a route of multiple route points, and it comprises at least a route formed by position information of multiple route points of a terminal and position-specific supplementary data received from the terminal;

a processor for selecting the route information according to the route identifier indicated in a received request; and

a transceiver for transmitting the requested route information to at least one terminal.