Method and system for guiding a person to a location

• US 9,177,476 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/061,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,770 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• 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 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

Method and system for guiding a person to a location includes providing a processor, coupling an operator control such as a user interface to the processor to enable the person to enter a phone number which is provided to the processor, the processor being arranged to determine a physical location associated with the entered phone number, and guiding the person to the physical location associated with the entered phone number as determined by the processor. The method may be implemented in a vehicle context whereby the processor is arranged on a vehicle and the person is guided to the physical location by controlling a steering system, a throttle and/or brakes of the vehicle to automatically guide the vehicle to the physical location. Alternatively, the person may be guided to the physical location by providing audible and/or visual directions to the person operating the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for use by a local mobile terminal having a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, using the processor of the local mobile terminal, a phone number of a remote terminal;

obtaining, using the processor of the local mobile terminal, a location of the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal;

providing a route guidance to the remote terminal using the location; and

displaying map information including speed limit information and traffic condition information, wherein the speed limit information depends on a time of day, wherein the map information is wirelessly updated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local mobile terminal is a hand-held system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the local mobile terminal is a guidance system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the guidance system is a vehicle guidance system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is determined in part using GPS of the remote terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is determined in part using cellular network information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is associated with a physical location.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

guiding a person to the location using the route guidance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining includes:

requesting the location of the remote terminal via a communication with the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal, wherein the location of the remote terminal is determined by satellite-based location determining capabilities of the remote terminal; and

receiving, from the remote terminal, the location of the remote terminal in response to the requesting.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication includes one or more of calling the remote terminal and sending a message to the remote terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising verifying that the location of the remote terminal is a fixed physical location before providing the route guidance to the remote terminal using the location.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting the location from multiple locations associated with the phone number of the remote terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting the location from multiple locations associated with the remote terminal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the route guidance comprises walking route guidance.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the route guidance comprises vehicular route guidance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the local mobile terminal is a hand-held device.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving map information that includes a temporary update to a map of the area.

18. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting a route provided as part of the route guidance and, after selecting the route, providing an alternate route for selection in view of traffic conditions.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed map information includes road signs.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the roads signs can be translated into one of multiple languages.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed map information includes weather conditions and traffic conditions.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed map information includes locations of restaurants.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed map information includes road conditions.

24. A local mobile terminal, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a phone number of a remote terminal;

obtain a location of the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal;

provide a route guidance to the remote terminal using the location; and

display map information including speed limit information and traffic condition information, wherein the speed limit information depends on a time of day, wherein the map information is wirelessly updated.

25. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the local mobile terminal is a hand-held system.

26. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the local mobile terminal is a guidance system.

27. The local mobile terminal of claim 26, wherein the guidance system is a vehicle guidance system.

28. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the location is determined in part using GPS.

29. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the location is determined in part using cellular network information.

30. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the location is associated with a physical location.

31. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to guide a person to the location using the route guidance.

32. The local mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the location by:

requesting the location of the remote terminal via a communication with the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal; and

receiving, from the remote terminal, the location of the remote terminal in response to the requesting.

33. The local mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the communication includes one or more of calling the remote terminal and sending a message to the remote terminal.

34. The local mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the location of the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal by using a lookup table in a database of the local mobile terminal.

35. The local mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the location of the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal by using a reverse phone directory on the Internet.

36. The local mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the location of the remote terminal using the phone number of the remote terminal if permission is granted by a remote terminal user.

37. The local mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the location of the remote terminal from the remote terminal using location-determining capabilities of the remote terminal.