Presenting a travel route

• US 7,925,430 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nesbitt, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US12/750,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/209, 340/995.11, 340/995.19, 715/764, 715/230
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

Techniques are provided for presenting a route using a route presentation that provides both a context map and one or more detail route maps. Narrative instructions for the route also may be presented. The presentation of the context map and the one or more detail route maps may be interactive. The route presentation also may be user controllable such that a user may control the portions of a route that are printed. The route presentation also may include a re-routing feature that allows a user to request that a new route be identified that avoids a particular maneuver or maneuvers in a route.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting a route, the method comprising:

accessing route information for a route that includes an origin location and a destination location;

generating a context map that includes the origin location, the destination location, and a route between the origin location and destination location, the route including a series of maneuvers;

identifying, within the series of maneuvers, at least two maneuvers based on a relationship between the at least two maneuvers;

generating, based at least in part on the identified maneuvers within the series of maneuvers, at least one detail map which is associated with the context map and includes a portion of the route such that the detail map includes at most one of the origin location or the destination location and includes the two maneuvers within the series of maneuvers;

enabling generation of a graphical user interface which includes the context map and the detail map generated based on the identified maneuvers within the series of maneuvers such that at least a portion of the route is concurrently included in both the context map and the detail map; and

enabling displaying of the generated graphical user interface on a display associated with a user system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the relationship is a distance between the two maneuvers within the series of maneuvers, and the two maneuvers are identified based on a distance therebetween.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating the context map to the user system for presentation on the display.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the context map comprises generating the context map to include an indication of the location of one of the at least one detail map.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the context map comprises generating the context map using a highlighted style to display elements on the route and using a faded style to display elements that are not on the route.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the context map comprises a context map including a variable road network map showing finer detail for geographic features near the route and less detail for geographic features farther from the route.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the display associated with the user system comprises a display screen associated with the user system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the display associated with the user system comprises a dashboard display screen associated with a vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating at least one detail map comprises generating at least one detail map to include a predetermined number of identified maneuvers.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the at least one detail map comprises causing the at least one detail map to include at least one point of interest.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating narrative text associated with the route and enabling displaying on the display associated with the user system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the route is a driving route.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the route is a walking route.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating an animation of traveling the route, the animation including the route and at least one point of interest along the route.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the animation is user-controllable such that a user controls starting and the stopping of displaying the route, and when the animation is stopped, the animation displays the at least one point of interest associated with the point of the route at which the animation is stopped.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one detail map that includes a portion of the route may be generated by a user input when the detail map has not been automatically generated.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one detail map that includes a portion of the route is displayed within the context map.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a list of maneuvers which includes at least the maneuvers illustrated in the detail map, wherein the graphical user interface also includes the generated list of maneuvers.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling generation of the graphical user interface which includes the context map and the detail map includes enabling generation of a single display configured to concurrently render both the context map and the detail map and to provide a mechanism for concurrent perception of at least a portion of the route with both of the context map and the detail map.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling displaying of the generated graphical user interface includes enabling concurrent display of the context map and the detail may by arranging the context map and the detail map on a single display screen.

21. A computer-implemented method for presenting a route, the method comprising:

accessing route information for a route that includes an origin location and a destination location;

generating a context map that includes the origin location, the destination location, and a route between the origin location and destination location, the route including a series of maneuvers;

steps for identifying, within the series of maneuvers, at least two maneuvers based on a relationship between the at least two maneuvers;

generating, based at least in part on the identified maneuvers within the series of maneuvers, at least one detail map which is associated with the context map and includes a portion of the route such that the detail map includes at most one of the origin location or the destination location and includes the two maneuvers within the series of maneuvers;

enabling generation of a graphical user interface which includes the context map and the detail map generated based on the identified maneuvers within the series of maneuvers such that at least a portion of the route is concurrently included in both the context map and the detail map; and

enabling displaying of the generated graphical user interface on a display associated with a user system.