In-transit two-way route communication between a handheld positioning device and a service provider

• US 7,653,481 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tramel, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/420,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200, 701/209, 340/988, 700/200, 700/208
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times

Abstract

A system, method, and article for in-transit communication and exchange of routing data between a service provider and a vehicle'"'"'s onboard computer, facilitating the exchange and updating of information on a positioning device, such as a global positioning satellite positioning device.

Claims

1. A method of updating routing information stored in a mobile positioning device, wherein the routing information corresponds to a predetermined route, comprising:

dividing the predetermined route into a plurality of segments for delivery as requested by a computer integrated into a vehicle, the total number of segments being determined by dividing the amount of data representing the predetermined route by a number no larger than the amount of memory capacity of the mobile positioning device available for storing the received routing information;

receiving the routing information serially from a server by the computer integrated into a vehicle over a wireless interface established between the server and the computer; and

establishing a communication session between the computer and the mobile positioning device using an interface within the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the routing information received from the server to the mobile positioning device using the communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving tracking data from the mobile positioning device using the communication session; and

sending the tracking data over the wireless interface to the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received routing information corresponds to one of the plurality of segments making up the predetermined route and represents the predetermined route with a predetermined level of specificity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile positioning device calculates position using data received from global positioning satellites.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving verbal commands; and

navigating through a menu of operations to initiate the receiving and sending of the routing information in response to the commands.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving non-verbal commands made through the selection one or more buttons; and

navigating through a menu of operations to initiate the receiving and sending of the routing information in response to the commands.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the routing information received from the server is from the predetermined route of a user stored on the server for retrieval by the computer while traveling the predetermined route.

9. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for routing information over a wireless communication link from an onboard computer in a vehicle, wherein the routing information comprises a predetermined route and is stored on a server;

dividing routing information into portions, such that the size of the portions is a function of an amount of data required to provide a predetermined amount of routing information detail and the memory storage capacity of a positioning device that receives the routing information from the onboard computer; and

sending the routing information serially from the server over the wireless communication link to the onboard computer in response to the request.

10. The article of claim 9, further comprising storing the routing information designated by a user on the server for retrieval by the onboard computer.

11. The article of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving tracking data over the wireless communication link from the onboard computer, the tracking data communicated from a positioning device during a communication session with the onboard computer; and

storing the tracking data on the server.

12. The article of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request for the tracking data from a remote client device over a network; and

providing the tracking data to the remote client device in response to the request.

13. A system for providing routing information to a mobile positioning device, the system comprising:

a server storing routing information showing a route in a predetermined amount of detail; and

a computer integrated in a transportation means capable of accessing the server wirelessly to exchange routing information with the server, wherein the computer is configured to communicate with a mobile positioning device and to serially deliver routing information to the mobile positioning device in segments determined based, at least in part, on a memory capacity of the mobile positioning device.

14. The system of claim 13, the mobile positioning device having a communication session with the computer.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the server sends the routing information to the computer which then communicates the routing information to the mobile positioning device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the routing information is divided into a plurality of segments, such that an amount of data present in each segment fits within the memory capacity of the mobile positioning device, and presents the routing information in a predetermined degree of detail.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server sends the routing information for one of the plurality of segments when requested by the computer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer receives tracking data corresponding to a just completed segment of the plurality of segments from the mobile positioning device during the communication session.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer sends the tracking data to the server for storage thereon.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a personal computer through which a user networks with the server to store the routing information thereon, and retrieve tracking data therefrom.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer is adapted to interact with the positioning device in order to acquire from the server and send to the positioning device the routing information for the next segment of the route after completion of each segment currently contained in the memory of the positioning device.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the communications session between the positioning device and the computer is established by a user who maneuvers through a menu options to initiate by command updating of the routing information on the positioning device.