Abstract:
A user can selectively download complete databases of selected favorite chains (or other selected destinations or collections of destinations) from a server and store them on a portable media device. The user can also create his own address book with locations that he selects. The user can also create trip plans, containing locations selected by the user that are associated with specific trips. The address books and trip plans can also be stored on the portable media device. The user can then access the portable media device with the navigation system to select destinations stored there. The destinations are both more efficiently accessible by the user and more up to date, since the information on the server can be updated more frequently.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to navigation systems and more particularly to a navigation system providing a web interface to a user. 
     Vehicle navigation systems generally include one or more sensors, such as a GPS sensor, indicating the present position of the vehicle relative to a map database of roads. The navigation system typically includes a database of points of interest (POI) to which the user can choose to be routed, such as restaurants, hotels, etc. 
     Current POI databases are very dynamic and it is difficult to keep navigation systems updated with complete and accurate data. This problem is compounded in a fleet application such as rental cars because the vehicles are not easily accessible to perform frequent updates. 
     There are several reasons that POI databases become outdated. Establishments open and close frequently. Establishments have address or phone number change. POI listings can have data entry errors that need to be corrected. Sometimes POI categories are assigned to the POIs inconsistently and need to be corrected. 
     Currently in order to find a POI in a navigation system, the user may first select a category, such as “restaurants.” The user may further limit the search by choosing a city. The user then begins entering the first few letters of the name of the desired destination. When the user has entered enough characters so that the list is a manageable length, a list of destinations meeting the search criteria is displayed to the user. The user then picks the desired destination from the list. 
     The current user interface has several potential drawbacks. First, sometimes the user is unsure to which point of interest category the desired destination belongs. Thus, the user may have to try more than one point of interest category. Second, the user may be unsure of the correct spelling of the point of interest name. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In the navigation system according to one embodiment of the present invention, a user can selectively download complete databases of selected favorite chains (or other selected destinations or collections of destinations) from a server and store them on a portable media device. The user can then access the portable media device with the navigation system to select destinations stored there. The destinations are both more efficiently accessible by the user and more up to date, since the information on the server can be updated more frequently. 
     Providing the user with custom specialized POI databases via the internet greatly increases the accuracy of the database content and reduces the significance of the time sensitivity factor plaguing existing POI databases. Typical POI databases are built assigning a category identifier to each POI record in the database. The specialized approach focuses on segregating the data by franchise chain name or special event. For example, instead of a generic ‘hotel’ category, a database containing only Marriott locations can be downloaded for use in the navigation system. 
     In addition, special event databases would contain destinations related to events such as Super Bowl, PGA tour events, NASCAR races, trip along Route66, East coast historical attractions, etc. Within a special event file, destinations may be subcategorized to assist the user in traversing the destinations. All of these databases will be accessible via the internet. The wide availability of the internet allows users to download the latest available data taking the vehicle update status out of the critical path. 
     These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a navigation system according to one embodiment of the present invention installed in a vehicle and a remote user interface for interacting with the navigation system. 
         FIG. 2  shows a second user interface screen for the remote computer of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a trip plan screen. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a screen for adding a destination to the trip plan of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a screen for inputting an address or intersection destination. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a screen for selecting a starting point for a yellow pages search. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a screen for searching for a point of interest in a yellow pages search. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a screen for selecting starting and ending points for a corridor search of points of interest. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a second screen for performing a corridor search. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates results of a corridor search. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an address book screen. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates the user interface module of  FIG. 1  with a screen for selecting destinations from the portable media device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A navigation system  20  according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically in  FIG. 1  installed in a vehicle  21 . Although the present invention could be used in any navigation system, it is particularly suited for navigation systems  20  that are installed in rental cars. The navigation system  20  includes a user interface module  22  having a display  24  and a user input device  26 . The user input device  26  can include a directional input device. Alternatively, the display  24  can be a touch screen display and/or voice recognition. The user interface module  22  further includes a speaker  29 . 
     The user interface module  22  is connected either wirelessly or via cable  25  to the main module  30 . The main module  30  includes a CPU  32  having a processor and memory, such as RAM or other electronic storage. The CPU  32  is programmed to perform the functions described herein. The CPU  32  is connected to storage  34 , which could also be electronic storage, or a hard drive, cd-rom, dvd or any electronic, optical, magnetic or other storage device. Storage  34  includes a map database of roads  36  and a database of points of interest  37 . 
     The database of points of interest  37  includes at least the names, locations and categories (e.g. restaurant, hotel, etc.) of all the points of interest in a given area (e.g. North America). The storage  34  further includes a database of popular chains  38 , which is a subset of the points of interest in database of points of interest  37 . The entries in the database of popular chains  38  include only well known, common, popular, or otherwise selected chains or franchises from the database of points of interest  37 . The databases  36 ,  37 ,  38  could each be in separate databases or the databases  36 ,  37 ,  38  could be contained in a single database. 
     The main module  30  further includes one or more sensors used by the CPU  32  to determine the present position of the vehicle  21  relative to the map database of roads  36 . Some example sensors include: a GPS receiver  38 , an accelerometer  40 , a gyro  42 , a compass  44 , a vehicle speed sensor  46 , and an altimeter  48 . Any or all of these or other sensors could be used, as the present invention is independent of the specific underlying position-determination technology. 
     A remote computer  50 , such as a home personal computer having a CPU  52  and display  54 , is connected via a wide area network  51 , such as the internet, to a central server  53  (to which many like computers  50  are connected). A first user interface provided from server  53  via the wide area network  51  is shown on the display  54 . The user interface screen includes a plurality of tabs that can be selected, including a home tab  58 , a plan trip tab  60 , an address book tab  62 , a favorites tab  64 , a tutorial tab  66  and an FAQ tab  68 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the “favorites” tab  64  is illustrated. In the favorites tab  64 , a plurality of chain icons  70  and a plurality of specialty icons  72  are displayed. The chain icons  70  each represent a different logo or name of a popular chain. In this context, the term “chain” refers to a plurality of points of interest that share a brand, such that users would expect to find a certain level of quality of goods or services at locations with that brand. This includes locations that are all commonly owned and those that are operated under franchise agreements or other arrangements. The chain can be a local chain, regional chain, national chain or a worldwide chain. 
     The specialty icons  72  each include a logo and/or text representing a special event, such as a particular sporting event (such as the Super Bowl, PGA Tour Events, NASCAR Races, etc.) or conventions, concerts or other special events. These points of interest could include the location of the event itself, locations of related events (celebrations, speeches, etc), sponsoring businesses (such as hotels, restaurants, etc) or regional points of interest for visitors to explore while they are in town for the event. Other specialty icons  72  may represent collections of points of interest in a certain region that are not time-limited, such as popular trips, regional historical attractions, etc. 
     On the server  53 , each of the icons  70 ,  72  is associated with a plurality of points of interest  56 , each of which may or may not already be stored individually along with thousands and thousands of other points of interest in the points of interest database in the main module  30 . The points of interest  56  may each include information indicating the name, location and POI category. By providing these collections of points of interest that the user can select with their own computer  50  prior to travel and prior to obtaining the rental car  21 , the search for the points of interest or collections of points of interest is much more convenient in the navigation system  20 . The database on the central server  53  is also much more easily updated frequently. The user interface on the user&#39;s computer  50  is larger and easier to use than that on the user interface module  22 . Further, the user typically has more time at home before their travel to select points of interest. 
     When the user selects one of the icons  70 ,  72  the associated points of interest  56  may optionally first be displayed to the user. The user can select to download that collection of points of interest to their computer  50  or to a portable media device  76 , such as a USB key, compact flash card, SD card, or any other magnetic, electronic, optical or other portable storage media. 
     Then, when the user brings the portable storage media  76  to the vehicle  21 , the user can access the selected collections of points of interest with the user interface module  22 . The user can then choose one or more points of interest from the portable storage media  76  using the user interface module  22 . The user can then choose to be guided to the selected point of interest by the navigation system  20 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the “plan my trip” tab  60  on the user&#39;s computer  50 . With the “plan my trip” tab  60 , the user can create a trip file, including creating a new trip name in trip name field  78 . More than one trip can be created and displayed on the my trips list  80 . The user can save the trips to the portable storage media  76  ( FIG. 1 ) with the save button  84  or upload previously saved trips from the portable storage media  76  with upload button  82 . 
     Upon selecting one of the trips in the my trips list  80 , the trip plan screen of  FIG. 3  is displayed. The trip plan includes a list  86  of points of interest in sequence. The user can modify this sequence of the points of interest on the list  86  with the up and down arrows. By selecting the “add a destination button”  87 , the user is presented with the “add a destination” screen of  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the user can add a destination by selecting the address/intersection button  88 , the yellow pages button  90 , performing a corridor search with the corridor search button  92 , or by selecting a list of rental car airport return locations with button  94 . If the user chooses to add a destination via the address/intersection button  88 , the user is presented with the address/intersection screen of  FIG. 5 . The user can enter an address in the field  94 , which becomes a destination added to the trip plan of  FIG. 3 . 
     If a user selects the yellow pages button  90  from the screen of  FIG. 4 , then the user is presented with the screen of  FIG. 6 . The user selects one of the trip destinations from pull down menu  96  or enters an address or intersection as a starting point for the search. In  FIG. 7 , the user searches a name of the point of interest with destination name field  98  and/or chooses a point of interest category from pull down POI menu  100  (such as airports, ATM, hotels, restaurants, etc). A list and/or map (not shown) of points of interest meeting the search criteria is displayed, from which the user selects one or more points of interest to add as destinations to the trip plan. 
     If a user selects the corridor search button  92  in  FIG. 4 , the user is presented with the screen of  FIG. 8 . The user then selects one of the trip locations from pull-down menu  106  or enters an address or intersection as a starting point. The user also selects one of the trip locations from pull-down menu  108  or enters an address or intersection as an end point. This corridor is further defined in terms of width in the screen shown in  FIG. 9  by width field  116 . The user can search the corridor by destination name (destination name field  110 ) and/or POI category field  112  (with an optional POI sub-category field  114 ). The search results are provided in a screen similar to that of  FIG. 10 , in which a plurality of matching points of interest are displayed in a list  118 . The user can select one or more points of interest to add to the trip plan. 
     Under the address book tab  62 , shown in  FIG. 11 , the user can add individual destinations to one or more address books using the same interfaces of  FIGS. 4-10 . The distinction between the address books and the trips is merely conceptual: the address books are intended to be permanent personal collections of relevant addresses that may be used by the address book&#39;s owner, while the trip plans are intended to be one-time use collections of destinations associated with a particular trip. 
     After all of the address books and trip plans have been saved to the portable media device  76 , the user carries the portable media device  76  to his own vehicle navigation system  20 , or more significantly, to a navigation system  20  in a rental vehicle  21  when traveling, particularly when the user has flown to a distant, strange city. The user will connect the portable media device  76  to the navigation system  20  in the vehicle  21  as shown in  FIG. 12 . From the display  24  shown in  FIG. 12 , the user can conveniently access the destinations stored on the portable media device  76 . For example, the user can access the destinations in the address books and trip plans by choosing “my destinations”  128  from the menu. 
     The user can also access the points of interest in the favorite chains that he downloaded from the screen in  FIG. 1 . The user first chooses one of the chains that he downloaded, then accesses a list of points of interest of that chain, including searching only that list by location. With a significantly reduced database size, the desired destination is much easier to locate quickly in the user interface  22 . 
     If the user has downloaded lists of POIs associated with special events or other collections of points of interest (from icons  72  in  FIG. 1 ), he can choose one of the icons  72  on display  24  (or one of the entries on a text list of the events and collections). The user then scrolls through the list of POIs associated with that event or collection and chooses a POI for the navigation system to route to. 
     However the user chooses a destination, the navigation system  20  then routes the user to the selected destination, based upon the sensors (e.g. sensors  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 ), and map database  36  as is commonly known in navigation systems. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.