System and method of wireless downloads of map and geographic based data to portable computing devices

• US 8,014,945 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tierravision Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tierravision Incorporated
• Inventors: Cooper, Clive W. R., Wallner, Alfred M
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US12/543,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20100075643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 340/988, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• 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 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems and method of managing map data on electronic devices such as portable electronic devices include systems and methods of preloading map data, managing map data storage, sharing point of interest or pushpin data with other electronic devices, and displaying map data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving geographically referenced content from a mobile electronic first device, the first device comprising a wireless communications transceiver;

predicting a heading of the first device;

identifying at least one missing map segment along the heading that is not stored on the first device by determining a vector based on the heading;

sending the identified at least one missing map segment to the first device; and

sending, to the first device, geographically referenced content that is associated with the at least one missing map segment sent to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographically referenced content includes a current geographic position of the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a request from the first device for a portion of the missing map segment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the geographically referenced content in a log limited to a predetermined number of positions or to positions within a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the heading is predicted based on the current geographic position and the log.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the current geographic position is based upon two or more previous positions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing a length of the vector incrementally until the vector projects from the first device'"'"'s current geographic position to a second position for which the first device lacks at least one map segment, wherein the vector length is also increased based on a zoom level of a map.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vector length is also increased based on a map segment width at a current zoom level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of missing map segments sent to the first device is based on a number of map segments that fit within the storage space of the first device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the map segment sent to the first device replaces at least one map segment stored in the first device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving geographically referenced content from a mobile electronic second device, and sending at least a portion of the geographically referenced content that was received from the second device to the first device.

12. A device comprising:

an electronic processor configured to

receive geographically referenced content from a mobile electronic first device, the first device comprising a wireless communications transceiver,

predict a heading of the first mobile electronic device,

identify at least one missing map segment along the heading that is not stored on the first device by determining a vector based on the heading and increasing the length of the vector until the vector projects from the first device'"'"'s current geographic position to a second position for which the first device lacks at least one map segment,

send the identified at least one missing map segment to the first device, and

send to the first device geographically referenced content that is associated with the at least one missing map segment sent to the first device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the geographically referenced content includes a current geographic position of the first device.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to store the geographically referenced content in a log.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the heading is predicted based on the current geographic position and the log.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the vector length is also increased based on a zoom level of a map.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the vector length is also increased based on a map data segment width at a current zoom level.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein a number of missing map segments sent to the first device is based on a number of map segments that fit within the storage space of the first device.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to receive geographically referenced content from a mobile electronic second device, and send at least a portion of the geographically referenced content that was received from the second device to the first device.