Electronic direction technology

• US 8,718,926 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jason Adam Denise
• Inventors: Denise, Jason Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, LUAT T
• Application Number:
  US13/858,924
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 701/540, 701/533, 701/410, 701/426, 701/455, 701/417, 701/411, 342/46, 324/247, 324/252
• US Class Current: 701/410
• 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 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes

Abstract

An electronic direction system accesses navigation data describing at least one instance in which a direction was missed during provision of electronic navigation along a route and tracks instances in which directions have been missed based on the accessed navigation data. The electronic direction system accounts for the tracked instances in which directions have been missed in handling provision of future directions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic navigation system, user specification of a first destination to which to provide directions;

based on the user specification of the first destination to which to provide directions, determining, by the electronic navigation system, a first route to the first destination, the first route including a first direction to present in providing navigation along the first route to the first destination;

providing, by the electronic navigation system, navigation along the first route to the first destination by presenting the first direction in a first manner that does not include a landmark in presenting the first direction;

receiving, by the electronic navigation system, a first user specification of a second destination to which to provide directions, the second destination being different than the first destination;

based on the first user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions, determining, by the electronic navigation system, a second route to the second destination, the second route including a second direction to present in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination;

providing, by the electronic navigation system, navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction;

detecting, by the electronic navigation system, that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination;

after detecting that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination, receiving, by the electronic navigation system, a second user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions;

based on the second user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions, determining, by the electronic navigation system, a third route to the second destination, the third route including the second direction to present in providing navigation along the third route to the second destination; and

providing, by the electronic navigation system, navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in a second manner that includes a landmark in presenting the second direction, the second manner of presenting the second direction being different than the first manner in which the first direction was presented in providing navigation along the first route to the first destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination comprises adding the landmark to presentation of the second direction so that a user can reference the landmark when following the second direction.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination comprises:

determining that the second direction is a frequently missed direction; and

changing presentation of the second direction based on the determination that the second direction is a frequently missed direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes a point of interest maintained by the electronic navigation system in presenting the second direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises outputting description information that references a relative location of the landmark in properly following the second direction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises outputting description information that a user should stay right of a restaurant in properly following the second direction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction comprises providing navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the first manner that does not include a landmark in presenting the second direction.

9. An electronic navigation system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory 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 user specification of a first destination to which to provide directions;

based on the user specification of the first destination to which to provide directions, determining a first route to the first destination, the first route including a first direction to present in providing navigation along the first route to the first destination;

providing navigation along the first route to the first destination by presenting the first direction in a first manner that does not include a landmark in presenting the first direction;

receiving a first user specification of a second destination to which to provide directions, the second destination being different than the first destination;

based on the first user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions, determining a second route to the second destination, the second route including a second direction to present in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination;

providing navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction;

detecting that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination;

after detecting that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination, receiving a second user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions;

based on the second user specification of the second destination to which to provide directions, determining a third route to the second destination, the third route including the second direction to present in providing navigation along the third route to the second destination; and

providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in a second manner that includes a landmark in presenting the second direction, the second manner of presenting the second direction being different than the first manner in which the first direction was presented in providing navigation along the first route to the first destination.

10. The electronic navigation system of claim 9, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination.

11. The electronic navigation system of claim 10, wherein changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination comprises adding the landmark to presentation of the second direction so that a user can reference the landmark when following the second direction.

12. The electronic navigation system of claim 10, wherein changing presentation of the second direction based on the detection that the second direction was missed in providing navigation along the second route to the second destination comprises:

determining that the second direction is a frequently missed direction; and

changing presentation of the second direction based on the determination that the second direction is a frequently missed direction.

13. The electronic navigation system of claim 9, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes a landmark in presenting the second direction comprises presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes a point of interest maintained by the electronic navigation system in presenting the second direction.

14. The electronic navigation system of claim 9, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises outputting description information that references a relative location of the landmark in properly following the second direction.

15. The electronic navigation system of claim 9, wherein providing navigation along the third route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the second manner that includes the landmark in presenting the second direction comprises outputting description information that a user should stay right of a restaurant in properly following the second direction.

16. The electronic navigation system of claim 9, wherein providing navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction comprises providing navigation along the second route to the second destination by presenting the second direction in the first manner that does not include a landmark in presenting the second direction.

17. A method comprising:

accessing direction tracking data that includes entries that correspond to a particular user or device;

deriving a driving profile for the particular user based on the entries that correspond to the particular user or device; and

storing, in electronic storage, the driving profile for the particular user or device to use in handling provision of future directions to the particular user or device; and

accounting, by an electronic navigation system, for the stored driving profile for the particular user or device in handling provision of future directions to the particular user or device,

wherein deriving the driving profile for the particular user based on the entries that correspond to the particular user or device comprises analyzing the entries that correspond to the particular user or device and, based on the analysis, deriving a profile related to how the particular user or device has followed directions in past situations.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein deriving the driving profile for the particular user based on the entries that correspond to the particular user or device comprises deriving a driving profile that reflects user-specific or device-specific direction tracking data;

and

wherein accounting for the stored driving profile for the particular user or device in handling provision of future directions to the particular user or device comprises only accounting for the stored driving profile in handling future directions for the particular user or device associated with the driving profile.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein accounting for the stored driving profile for the particular user or device in handling provision of future directions to the particular user or device comprises performing one or more operations that assist the particular user or device in following directions based on direction or past driving data tracked specifically for the particular user or device.