Electronic navigation related technology

• US 8,010,285 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jason A. Denise
• Inventors: Denise, Jason A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lang, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/241,551
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 701/120, 701/200, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

Techniques are described for monitoring whether a user is following directions to a destination during electronic navigation to the destination provided by an electronic navigation device. When the electronic navigation device determines that the user is not following directions to the destination (e.g., the user has missed several turns suggested by the electronic navigation device), the electronic navigation device determines that the user appears to be avoiding the route (or a primary component thereof) to the destination. In response to a determination that the user appears to be avoiding the route (or a primary component thereof) to the destination, the electronic navigation device may automatically, without human intervention, perform an operation directed to using an alternative route (or alternative primary component) to the destination despite the current route remaining preferred according to current routing settings.

Claims

1. A method of providing electronic navigation comprising:

receiving a search for a type of point of interest;

in response to the search, identifying multiple points of interest that match the type of point of interest included in the search;

selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a first point of interest;

identifying a first route to the first point of interest;

providing, to a user of an electronic navigation device, electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

monitoring, using the electronic navigation device, whether the user is following directions to the first point of interest, the monitoring comprising tracking times in which the user has followed a oath other than a oath included in directions to the first point of interest provided in electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

computing a metric that measures the user'"'"'s avoidance of the first point of interest based on tracking times in which the uses has followed a path other than a path included in directions to the first point of interest provided in electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

automatically, without user intervention, determining whether the user appears to be avoiding the first point of interest based on the computed metric that measures the user'"'"'s avoidance of the first point of interest; and

in response to a determination that the user appears to be avoiding the first point of interest, automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

automatically, without user intervention, identifying the second point of interest;

automatically, without user invention, changing to the second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the changing; and

displaying a notification message that indicates that a prior point of interest has been changed based on the user'"'"'s avoidance of the prior point of interest and that indicates that the prior point of interest remains a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the changing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

displaying a suggestion message that suggests identifying an alternative point of interest in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user; and

displaying, concurrently with or subsequent to the suggestion message, one or more user interface controls that enable the user to either control the electronic navigation device to pursue the alternative point of interest or control the electronic navigation device to maintain the first point of interest.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

identifying a geographic attribute that the user appears to be avoiding in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user, the first point of interest having the geographic attribute;

displaying a suggestion message that suggests avoiding the geographic attribute in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user; and

displaying, concurrently with or subsequent to the suggestion message, one or more user interface controls that enable the user to either control the electronic navigation device to avoid the geographic attribute in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user or control the electronic navigation device to maintain the first point of interest that has the geographic attribute.

5. A method comprising:

tracking multiple instances in which the user appears to be avoiding primary components in reaching destinations, the primary components being parts of preferred routes to the destinations based on routing settings of an electronic navigation device;

accessing attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

analyzing the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

based on the analysis, identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device; and

performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises displaying a suggestion message that suggests a change in the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

7. The method of claim 5:

wherein tracking multiple instances in which the user appears to be avoiding primary components in reaching destinations comprises, each time the electronic navigation device determines that the user appears to be avoiding a primary component and the user does not rebut this determination, storing data identifying the primary component the user avoided;

wherein analyzing the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises comparing the attribute information for the primary components the user has avoided and identifying trends within the attribute information based on the comparison of the attribute information;

wherein identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises identifying attributes that are often included in primary components the user has avoided based on the identified trends within the attribute information;

wherein comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises comparing the identified attributes that are often included in primary components the user has avoided to identify a particular routing setting that appears to be contrary to the user'"'"'s routing preferences; and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises performing an operation directed to changing the particular routing setting that appears to be contrary to the user'"'"'s routing preferences.

8. The method of claim 5:

wherein identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises identifying that the user tends to avoid primary components that include highways based on the analysis of the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

wherein comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises comparing the identification that the user tends to avoid primary components that include highways to an avoid highways routing setting of the electronic navigation device to determine whether the avoid highways routing setting is set to a yes setting or a no setting; and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises changing the avoid highways routing setting from the no setting to the yes setting based on a determination that the avoid highways routing setting is set to the no setting.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

tracking primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations in past routing situations;

identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations based on the tracking; and

inferring routing preferences of the user based on the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations,

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the inferred routing preferences of the user in addition to the comparison of the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

10. The method of claim 9:

wherein inferring routing preferences of the user based on the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations comprises determining that the user often prefers routes that include highways; and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the inferred routing preferences of the user in addition to the comparison of the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises identifying that a maximize highways routing setting may be a good candidate for a change from a no setting to a yes setting based on the determination that the user often prefers routes that include highways.

11. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search for a type of point of interest;

in response to the search, identifying multiple points of interest that match the type of point of interest included in the search;

selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a first point of interest;

identifying a first route to the first point of interest;

providing, to a user using an electronic navigation device, electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

monitoring, using the electronic navigation device, whether the user is following directions to the first point of interest, the monitoring comprising tracking times in which the user has followed a path other than a path included in directions to the first point of interest provided in electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

computing a metric that measures the user'"'"'s avoidance of the first point of interest based on tracking times in which the user has followed a path other than a path included in directions to the first point of interest provided in electronic navigation to the first point of interest;

automatically, without user intervention, determining whether the user appears to be avoiding the first point of interest based on the computed metric that measures the user'"'"'s avoidance of the first point of interest; and

in response to a determination that the user appears to be avoiding the first point of interest, automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

automatically, without user intervention, identifying the second point of interest;

automatically, without user invention, changing to the second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the changing; and

displaying a notification message that indicates that a prior point of interest has been changed based on the user'"'"'s avoidance of the prior point of interest and that indicates that the prior point of interest remains a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the changing.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

displaying a suggestion message that suggests identifying an alternative point of interest in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user; and

displaying, concurrently with or subsequent to the suggestion message, one or more user interface controls that enable the user to either control the electronic navigation device to pursue the alternative point of interest or control the electronic navigation device to maintain the first point of interest.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein automatically, without user intervention, controlling the electronic navigation device to perform an operation directed to selecting, from among the multiple points of interest, a second point of interest despite the first point of interest remaining a preferred point of interest according to routing settings at the time of the controlling comprises:

identifying a geographic attribute that the user appears to be avoiding in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user, the first point of interest having the geographic attribute;

displaying a suggestion message that suggests avoiding the geographic attribute in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user; and

displaying, concurrently with or subsequent to the suggestion message, one or more user interface controls that enable the user to either control the electronic navigation device to avoid the geographic attribute in finding the type of point of interest searched for by the user or control the electronic navigation device to maintain the first point of interest that has the geographic attribute.

15. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform, operations comprising;

tracking multiple instances in which the user appears to be avoiding primary components in reaching destinations, the primary components being parts of preferred routes to the destinations based on routing settings of an electronic navigation device;

accessing attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

analyzing the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

based on the analysis, identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device; and

performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises displaying a suggestion message that suggests a change in the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein tracking multiple instances in which the user appears to be avoiding primary components in reaching destinations comprises;

each time the electronic navigation device determines that the user appears to be avoiding a primary component and the user does not rebut this determination, storing data identifying the primary component the user avoided;

wherein analyzing the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises comparing the attribute information for the primary components the user has avoided and identifying trends within the attribute information based on the comparison of the attribute information;

wherein identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises identifying attributes that are often included in primary components the user has avoided based on the identified trends within the attribute information;

wherein comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises comparing the identified attributes that are often included in primary components the user has avoided to identify a particular routing setting that appears to be contrary to the user'"'"'s routing preferences; and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises performing an operation directed to changing the particular routing setting that appears to be contrary to the user'"'"'s routing preferences.

18. The system of claim 15:

wherein identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations comprises identifying that the user tends to avoid primary components that include highways based on the analysis of the attribute information for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations;

wherein comparing the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises comparing the identification that the user tends to avoid primary components that include highways to an avoid highways routing setting of the electronic navigation device to determine whether the avoid highways routing setting is set to a yes setting or a no setting; and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises changing the avoid highways routing setting from the no setting to the yes setting based on a determination that the avoid highways routing setting is set to the no setting.

19. The system of claim 15:

wherein the operations further comprise;

tracking primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations in past routing situations;

identifying attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations based on the tracking; and

inferring routing preferences of the user based on the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations;

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the comparison of the identified attributes to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the inferred routing preferences of the user in addition to the comparison of the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein inferring routing preferences of the user based on the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user has preferred in reaching destinations comprises determining that the user often prefers routes that include highways;

and

wherein performing an operation directed to changing the routing settings of the electronic navigation device based on the inferred routing preferences of the user in addition to the comparison of the identified attributes that are similar for the primary components that the user appears to be avoiding in reaching destinations to the routing settings of the electronic navigation device comprises identifying that a maximize highways routing setting may be a good candidate for a change from a no setting to a yes setting based on the determination that the user often prefers routes that include highways.