Network-based navigation system having virtual drive-thru advertisements integrated with actual imagery from along a physical route

• US 8,406,992 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rialcardo TICE BV LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Laumeyer, Robert A., Retterath, Jamie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Brenda H
• Application Number:
  US12/971,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 701208-213, 701/219, 701/217, 370/278, 370/463
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A network-based navigation system includes a user interface and a computer server system that can access a map database, an actual imagery database and an advertisement database in order to provide visual route guidance information having virtual drive-thru advertisements integrated with actual imagery from along a physical route. The user interface permits a user to submit a request for navigation information, receive visual route guidance information in response to the request and initiate a drive-thru presentation of at least a portion of a route. The computer server determines at least one route from the map database based on the request from the user and provides route guidance information to the user interface in response. The computer server also identifies actual imagery from the image database associated with the at least one route and selectively replaces at least one polygon region identified in the actual imagery associated with the at least one route with at least one advertisement from the ad database to create a drive-thru presentation with at least one virtual advertisement. At least a portion of the drive-thru presentation is presented to the user interface. In one embodiment, the computer server records a drive-thru charge for the virtual advertisements present in the portion of the drive-thru presentation provided to the user interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising

determining a geo-referenced location from a map database in response to a user request;

identifying actual imagery from an image database associated with the geo-referenced location;

selectively transforming the actual imagery to create successive composite images comprising at least one advertisement from an ad database integrated with the actual imagery to create a drive-thru presentation with at least one virtual advertisement; and

transmitting at least a portion of the drive-thru presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking navigation past the at least one virtual advertisement in the drive-thru presentation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the at least one virtual advertisement with a website; and

including a hyperlink to the website from the at least one virtual advertisement.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising utilizing an advertising management system to determine advertising opportunities of the at least one virtual advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking the at least one virtual advertisement to non-navigation related attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising conditioning the drive-thru presentation to increase desirability of the at least one virtual advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining metrics for the at least one virtual advertisement.

8. A system comprising:

a server configured to handle user requests from at least one navigation system;

an image database configured to store actual imagery captured from at least one camera traversed along a physical route;

an ad database operably coupled to the server configured to store advertisements and related information; and

at least one network based navigation system having a user interface operably coupled to the server and configured to send a user request to the server that causes the server to;

determine a geo-referenced location from a map database based on the user request;

identify the actual imagery from the image database associated with the geo-referenced location; and

selectively transform the actual imagery to be displayed so as to create successive composite images that include at least one advertisement from the ad database integrated with the actual imagery to create a drive-thru presentation with at least one virtual advertisement;

wherein the network based navigation system receives a least a portion of the drive-thru presentation with the at least one virtual advertisement from the server in response to the user request.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one network based navigation system further causes the server to track navigation past a virtual advertisement in the drive-thru presentation.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one network based navigation system further causes the server to associate the at least one virtual advertisement with a website using a hyperlink to the website from the at least one virtual advertisement.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one network based navigation system further causes the server to link the at least one virtual advertisement to non-navigation related attributes.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one network based navigation system further causes the server to condition the drive-thru presentation to increase desirability of the at least one virtual advertisement.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one network based navigation system further causes the server to determine metrics for the at least one virtual advertisement.

14. A system, comprising:

a memory device configured to store instructions defining a program; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to;

transmit a geo-referenced location from a map database in response to a request;

identify actual imagery from an image database associated with the geo-referenced location;

selectively transform the actual imagery to create successive composite images comprising at least one advertisement from an ad database integrated with the actual imagery to create a presentation with at least one virtual advertisement; and

transmit at least a portion of the presentation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to track navigation past a virtual advertisement in the presentation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to:

associate the at least one virtual advertisement with a website; and

include a hyperlink to the website from the at least one virtual advertisement.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to use an advertising management system to determine advertising opportunities of the at least one virtual advertisement.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to link the at least one virtual advertisement to non-navigation related attributes.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to adapt the presentation to increase desirability of the at least one virtual advertisement.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to determine metrics for the at least one virtual advertisement.