Navigation based on popular user-defined paths

• US 8,335,647 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Relyea, Donald H. Jr., Roberts, Brian F., Kurtti, Jeffrey Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US12/327,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/209, 701/533
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

A device receives, from one or more user devices, one or more user-defined paths associated with a starting point and a destination point, and receives, from the one or more user devices, information associated with the one or more user-defined paths. The device also aggregates the one or more user-defined paths and the associated information, and determines one or more popular paths based on the aggregation of the one or more user-defined paths and the associated information, where the one or more popular paths are capable of being utilized by the one or more user devices for selection of a path for navigation.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by the computer device and from one or more user devices, information associated with paths traversed by the one or more user devices;

aggregating, by the computer device, the information associated with the paths;

determining, by the computer device and based on aggregating the information associated with the paths, one or more paths, of the paths, that are most frequently traversed by the one or more user devices;

receiving, by the computer device and from a user device, a starting point and a destination point;

determining, by the computer device, a particular path, of the one or more paths, based on the starting point and the destination point;

providing, by the computer device and to the user device, information associated with the particular path;

receiving, by the computer device and from the user device, reported information associated with traversing the particular path by the user device,

the receiving of the reported information including;

receiving a portion of the reported information after traversal of the particular path by the user device; and

aggregating, by the computer device, the information associated with the paths and the reported information associated with traversing the particular path.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where receiving the reported information includes:

receiving a portion of the reported information during traversal of the particular path by the user device.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where receiving the reported information comprises:

receiving, from the user device, one or more of;

duration information associated with a time period for traversing the particular path by the user device,

mileage information associated with the particular path,

one or more user comments associated with the particular path,

media information associated with the particular path,

description information associated with the particular path, or

rating information associated with the particular path.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where receiving the information associated with the paths comprises:

receiving one or more of;

duration information associated with traversing the paths,

mileage information associated with the paths,

one or more user comments associated with the paths,

media information associated with the paths,

description information associated with the paths, or

rating information associated with the paths.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 4, where determining the particular path comprises:

determining the particular path further based on the received at least one of;

the duration information,

the mileage information,

the one or more user comments,

the media information,

the description information, or

the rating information.

6. The computing device-implemented method of claim 4, where:

the duration information includes time periods for traversing the paths,

the mileage information includes mileage associated with the paths,

the one or more user comments include comments provided by users associated with the one or more user devices traversing the paths,

the media information includes one or more of images, videos, or audio associated with the paths and provided by the users associated with the one or more user devices,

the description information includes descriptions about the paths, and

the rating information includes ratings provided by the users associated with the one or more user devices.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where each of the one or more user devices comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a personal computer,

a laptop computer,

global positioning system (GPS) navigation device, or

an in-vehicle GPS navigation system.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, one or more intermediate points, and

determining the particular path further based on the one or more intermediate points.

9. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute one or more of the plurality of instructions in the memory to;

receive, from one or more user devices, information associated with paths traversed by the one or more user devices,

aggregate the information associated with the paths,

determine, based on the aggregation of the information associated with the paths, one or more paths, of the paths, that are most frequently traversed by the one or more user devices,

receive, from a particular user device, a starting point and a destination point,

determine a particular path, of the one or more paths, based on the starting point and the destination point,

provide, to the particular user device, information associated with traversing the particular path,

receive, from the particular user device, reported information associated with traversing the particular path,

the processor, when receiving the reported information, further executing one or more of the plurality of instructions in the memory to;

receive a portion of the reported information during traversal of the particular path by a user associated with the particular user device,

receive another portion of the reported information after the traversal of the particular path by the user associated with the particular user device, and

aggregate the information associated with the paths and the reported information associated with traversing the particular path.

10. The device of claim 9, where, when receiving, from the particular user device, the reported information, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

receive one or more of;

duration information associated with the particular path,

mileage information associated with the particular path,

one or more user comments associated with the particular path,

media information associated with the particular path,

description information associated with the particular path, or

rating information associated with the particular path.

11. The device of claim 9, where, when receiving, from the one or more user devices, the information associated with the paths, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

receive one or more of;

duration information associated with the paths,

mileage information associated with the paths,

one or more user comments associated with the paths,

media information associated with the paths,

description information associated with the paths, or

rating information associated with the paths.

12. The device of claim 11, where, when determining the particular path, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

determine the particular path based on the received one or more of;

the duration information,

the mileage information,

the one or more user comments associated with the particular path,

the media information,

the description information, or

the rating information.

13. The device of claim 11, where:

the duration information includes time periods for traversing the paths,

the mileage information includes mileage associated with the paths,

the one or more user comments include comments associated with the paths and provided by users associated with the one or more user devices,

the media information includes one or more of images, videos, or audio associated with the paths and provided by the users associated with the one or more user devices,

the description information includes descriptions about the paths, and

the rating information includes ratings provided by the users associated with the one or more user devices.

14. The device of claim 9, where the processor, when determining the particular path, further executes instructions in the memory to:

receive, from the particular user device, one or more intermediate points, and

determine the particular path further based on the one or more intermediate points.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium to store instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive, from one or more user devices, information associated with paths traversed by the one or more user devices;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to aggregate the information associated the paths;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, based on the aggregation of the information associated with the paths, one or more paths, of the paths, that are most frequently traversed by the one or more user devices;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, from a particular user device, a starting point and a destination point;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a particular path, of the one or more paths, based on the starting point and the destination point;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide, to the particular user device, information associated with the particular path;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, from the particular user device, reported information associated with the particular path, the one or more instructions to receive the reported information including;

one or more instructions to receive a portion of the reported information during traversal of the particular path by a user associated with the particular user device, and

one or more instructions receive another portion of the reported information after traversal of the particular path by the user associated with the particular user device; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to aggregate the information associated with the paths and the reported information associated with the particular path.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to receive the information associated with traversing the paths further include:

one or more instructions to receive one or more of;

duration information associated with traversing the paths,

mileage information associated with traversing the paths,

one or more user comments associated with traversing the paths,

media information associated with traversing the paths,

description information associated with traversing the paths, or

rating information associated with traversing the paths; and

where the one or more instructions to determine the particular path further include;

one or more instructions to determine the particular path based on the received one or more of;

the duration information,

the mileage information,

the one or more user comments,

the media information,

the description information, or

the rating information.