Unified geographic database and method of creating, maintaining and using the same

• US 8,935,220 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WGRS Licensing Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: WGRS Licensing Company, LLC
• Inventors: Morrison, Scott D., Hastings, Jordan, Hancock, S. Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US11/156,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,497 Days
• Field of Search: 707/640, 707/674, 707/689, 707/694, 707/704
• US Class Current: 707/689
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/01 Automatic library building
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention involves a Universal Geographic Database (“UGD”). The UGD is an automated, central or distributed, registry of real-world locations and location-related information for businesses and other entities, analogous to the registry of domain names for Internet and web sites. By this central registry, businesses and other entities are facilitated to post their location and location-related information in a single place, for all users who need or want it; and users can refer to this single place, via the Internet, Web, and other telecommunications devices, to obtain accurate, complete and timely location and location-based information about the registered businesses and other entities. Each record of the UGD is keyed by a proprietary location address (PLA) based on the World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS), and optionally may have one or more proprietary location addresses (PLAs), which also may serve as keys. Associated with the PLA keys, each UGD record generally includes the full name for the business or other entity, its street address, and miscellaneous contact information (e.g., telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address, internet website address, wireless website address). Other more dynamic, customized information (e.g., store hours, credit cards accepted, inventory, prices, specials, hours, parking) also may be available in the UGD record or linked to the UGD record. Users of any device or service can access the UGD through one or more location name servers (LNS), which can provide access to the UGD or other location-based information linked to the UGD or LNS. Based on the WGRS, PLAs provide, in addition to unique keys for UGD records, a user-friendly notation for location naming in the real-world and on all types of location-sensitive electronic devices, from web phones to in-car navigation systems. Given the UGD, these ULA/PLAs are as important to real-world businesses as their domain names because these WGRS addresses drive real-world commerce to physical business locations just as domain names drive e-commerce Internet or web sites.

Claims

1. A portable navigational apparatus for locating one or more locations of interest within a geographical area, comprising:

an input device for entering a proprietary search term uniquely associated with an entity within a district of the geographical area and identifying one or more locations of interest within the geographical area;

a processor coupled to the input device for receiving the entered proprietary search term, the processor configured for generating a search query comprising the entered proprietary search term and locational information associated with the navigational apparatus;

a communications interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a server via a wireless network, the interface configured for sending the search query to the server, and for receiving a search result from the server, the search result comprising one or more locations for the entity uniquely associated with the proprietary search term that have a relationship with the locational information;

an output device coupled to the processor for outputting the one or more locations comprising the search result; and

an automatic location identification (“

ALI”

) device that identifies the current location of the navigational apparatus within the geographic area, the processor coupled to the ALI device for obtaining the current location of the navigational apparatus from the ALI device at the time of sending the search query, the locational information in the search query comprising at least one of the current location and a projected location of the navigational apparatus based at least in part on the current location.

5. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proprietary search term comprises less than a complete locational address of the one or more locations of interest.

6. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proprietary search term comprises an abbreviated alphanumeric term uniquely identifying an entity.

7. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proprietary search term consists of less than three alphanumeric characters.

8. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proprietary search term consists of a single alphanumeric character.

9. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ALI device provides global coordinates identifying the current location of the navigational apparatus, the processor coupled to the ALI device for receiving the global coordinates identifying the current location of the navigational apparatus when the search query is generated, the global coordinates comprising the locational information in the search query.

10. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises a display for listing the one or more locations by proximity to the locational information.

11. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises a display for displaying a map showing the one or more locations.

12. The navigational apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a keypad device and a speech interface.

2. A method for providing informational services using a portable navigational apparatus configured to communicate with a server via a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

inputting a proprietary search term to find one or more locations of an entity within a geographical area into the navigational apparatus;

sending a search query comprising the proprietary search term via the wireless communications network to the server to allow the server to access a unified geographic database (“

UGD”

) to identify the entity within the geographical area uniquely associated with the proprietary search term, and to use locational information associated with the navigational apparatus to complete a search of the UGD for one or more locations associated with the one or more entities satisfying the search query and limited in geographic scope by the locational information;

adding locational information associated with the navigational apparatus to the proprietary search term to limit geographic scope of the search query before sending the search query;

receiving a search result from the server via the wireless communications network, the search result comprising one or more locations identified by the proprietary search term that have a relationship with the locational information; and

outputting the one or more locations comprising the search result.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the proprietary search term comprises less than a complete locational address of the one or more locations of interest.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the proprietary search term comprises an abbreviated alphanumeric term uniquely identifying an entity.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising creating a plurality of proprietary search terms identifying locations of interest, and storing the created proprietary search terms in memory of the navigational apparatus for future search queries, the step of inputting a proprietary search term comprising at least one of the created proprietary search terms.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the proprietary search term consists of less than three alphanumeric characters.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the proprietary search term consists of a single alphanumeric character.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the locational information comprises at least one of a proprietary location address (“

PLA”

) and a universal location address (“

ULA”

).

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the locational information comprises a hierarchical geographic referencing address.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the navigational apparatus comprises an automatic location identification (“

ALI”

) device, wherein the navigational apparatus obtains global coordinates identifying the current location of the navigational apparatus from the ALI device at the time of sending the search query, and wherein the global coordinates comprise the locational information in the search query.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising entering default regional information into the navigational apparatus, wherein the default regional information comprises the locational information in the search query.

22. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

entering default regional information into the navigational apparatus, and

sending the default regional information to the server for association with the navigational apparatus such that the server uses the default regional information as the locational information associated with the navigational apparatus to limit geographic scope of the search query sent by the navigational apparatus.

23. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing previous locational information from a previous search query using the navigational apparatus, wherein the previous location information comprises the locational information in the search query.

24. The method of claim 2, wherein the locational information comprises a predefined location stored on the navigational apparatus.

25. The method of claim 2, wherein the locational information comprises a projected location based on a specified route, speed, and elapsed time associated with the navigational apparatus.

26. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more locations are displayed by proximity to the locational information.

27. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more locations are displayed on a map.

41. The method of claim 14, wherein the search result comprises a plurality of locations associated with the entity, and wherein outputting the one or more locations comprising the search result comprises displaying the plurality of locations by proximity to the locational information.

42. The method of claim 19, wherein the search result comprises one or more locations having a proximity to the locational information determined through a hierarchical geographic addressing system.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein the proximity is determined with reference to or based upon the hierarchical geographic addressing system.

3. A method for providing informational services via a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a search query via the communications network from a portable navigational apparatus, the search query comprising a proprietary search term identifying one or more locations of interest within a geographical area and locational information identifying a current location of the navigational apparatus at the time of sending the search query;

accessing a unified geographic database (“

UGD”

) to identify an entity within a district of the geographical area uniquely associated with the proprietary search term;

using the locational information included in the search query from the navigational apparatus to complete a search of the UGD for one or more locations associated with the entity satisfying the search query and limited in geographic scope by the locational information; and

sending a search result via the communications network to the navigational apparatus, the search result comprising one or more locations associated with the one or more entities identified by the proprietary search term that have a relationship with the locational information.

28. The method of claim 3, wherein the communications network comprises a wireless network and wherein the navigational apparatus is a wireless device.

29. The method of claim 3, wherein the proprietary search term comprises less than a complete locational address of the one or more locations of interest.

30. The method of claim 3, wherein the proprietary address consists of less than three alphanumeric characters.

31. The method of claim 3, wherein the proprietary address consists of a single alphanumeric character.

32. The method of claim 3, wherein the proprietary search term comprises an abbreviated alphanumeric term uniquely identifying an entity.

33. The method of claim 3, wherein the proprietary search term comprises an abbreviated alphanumeric term uniquely identifying a location.

34. The method of claim 3, wherein the locational information comprises global coordinates received from the navigational apparatus to identify the current location of the navigational apparatus at the time of sending the search query, the global coordinates comprising the locational information used to limit the geographic scope of the search.

35. The method of claim 3, wherein the locational information comprises a projected location based on a specified route, speed, and elapsed time relative to the current location of the navigational apparatus at the time of sending the search query.

36. The method of claim 3, wherein the locational information comprises a hierarchical geographic referencing address.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein the search result comprises a plurality of locations associated with the entity that are displayable by proximity to the locational information.

44. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving one or more proprietary location addresses (“

PLAs”

) from the entity;

confirming that the one or more PLAs are unique within the UGD; and

associating the one or more PLAs with the entity within the UGD for subsequent search queries.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein the search result comprises one or more locations having a proximity to the locational information determined through a hierarchical geographic addressing system.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the entity comprises at least one of a corporate entity, an individual, and a group of individuals.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the proximity is determined with reference to or based upon the hierarchical geographic addressing system.

4. A system for providing informational services to a plurality of portable navigational apparatus configured to communicate via a wireless communications network, comprising:

an interface for communicating with the plurality of navigational apparatus via the communications network, the interface configured for receiving a search query via the communications network from a first portable navigational apparatus, the search query comprising a proprietary location address (“

PLA”

) seeking to locate one or more locations of interest within a geographical area and locational information identifying the current location of the first portable navigational apparatus at the time of sending the search query; and

a processor to complete a search of a central repository to identify an entity within a district of the geographical area uniquely associated with the PLA and to identify one or more locations of interest satisfying the search query received via the interface that are associated with the entity and limited in geographic scope by the locational information;

wherein the interface is configured for sending a search result via the communications network to the first portable navigational apparatus, the search result comprising one or more locations associated with the entity identified by the PLA that have a relationship with the locational information.

37. The system of claim 4, wherein the PLA consists of less than three alphanumeric characters.

38. The system of claim 4, wherein the PLA consists of a single alphanumeric character.

39. The system of claim 4, wherein the PLA is used to designate an entity comprising at least one of a physical structure or location, a corporate entity, and an individual.

40. The system of claim 4, further comprising a central repository for storing preferences of users of the plurality of navigational apparatus, the preferences including unique PLAs associated with an individual, group of individuals, or a corporate entity.