Patent Abstract:
A mobile apparatus, a geographical information system and a method of acquiring geographical information are disclosed. The geographical information system is used for acquiring geographical information of a geographical object. The system at least includes a geographical object message and a mobile apparatus. The geographical object message is provided by the geographical object. The geographical object is generally an identification code or an image. The mobile apparatus is used for receiving the geographical object message, and generating an inquiry command after identifying the geographical object. Geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command is searched from a database of the mobile apparatus based on the inquiry command. The searched geography information is displayed on the mobile apparatus. The invention provides a direct viewing of geographic information for users to improve the degree of freedom of a trip and effectively manage personal time.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a mobile apparatus, a geographical information system and a method of acquiring geographical information, and more particularly to those acquiring related geographical information and services by a geographical object message. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    As our living standard improves drastically in recent years, people pay more attention to leisure activities, and taking a trip becomes one of the major leisure activities. To ensure consumers to have a successful trip, various different means are developed, such as global positioning system (GPS). GPS was originally intended for military purpose, but now it is used extensively in civil navigation due to its practicability. On the other hand, consumers who go out for a trip generally need a tourist guide for providing information on scenic spots and related routes. 
         [0003]    A terminal of a conventional global positioning system can position an object or a place on a map based on the wireless signal from a plurality of GPS satellites and provide a map related hint function, wherein the hint function produces a hint signal for each location by comparing a positioning signal and a data stored in the terminal and displays the hint signal on the map. 
         [0004]    Although the conventional global positioning system can provide navigation and positioning functions, users cannot acquire their desired information from a direct viewing. In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a mobile apparatus, a geographical information system and a method of acquiring geographical information in accordance with the present invention. Derived from the traditional concept of hinting a fixed point, the present invention provides users the required geographical information. Therefore, a user taking a trip no longer needs the service of a tourist guide to enjoy the scenic spots, and the present invention definitely improves the degree of freedom of a trip and effectively manages personal time. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An objective of the present invention is to provide a mobile apparatus, a geographical information system and a method of acquiring geographical information, and more particularly to related geographical information and services acquired by a geographical object message. 
         [0006]    To achieve the foregoing objective, the invention provides a geographical information system for acquiring geographical information of a geographical object, and the system comprises a geographical object message and a mobile apparatus, wherein the geographical object message is provided by the geographical object, which is usually an identification code or an image. After the mobile apparatus receives and identifies the geographical object message, the mobile apparatus generates an inquiry command. The geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command is searched from a database of the mobile apparatus based on the inquiry command to display the searched geographical information on the mobile apparatus. 
         [0007]    To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention also provides a geographical information system for acquiring geographical information of a geographical object, and the system comprises a geographical object message, a mobile apparatus and an information center, wherein the geographical object message is provided by the geographical object, and can be an identification or an image. After the mobile apparatus receives and identifies the geographical object message, the mobile apparatus generates an inquiry command, and sends out the inquiry command by a communication module of the mobile apparatus. After the information center receives the inquiry command, the information center searches the geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command and sends the searched geographical information to the mobile apparatus for display. 
         [0008]    To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention further provides a mobile apparatus comprising a device body, a database, a capture identification module, a communication module and a processor. The device body provides basic operating functions for the mobile apparatus, and the database, the capture identification module, the communication module and the processor are installed in the device body. The database stores the geographical information of at least one geographical object. The capture identification module acquires the geographical object message of the geographical object from outside and identifies the geographical object message to generate an inquiry command. The communication module is provided for sending the inquiry command and obtains the geographical information from outside. After the processor receives and processes the inquiry command, the processor transmits the inquiry command to the database to search the geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command, or the processor transmits the inquiry command to the communication module. 
         [0009]    From the foregoing objective of the present invention, the invention derives a method of acquiring geographical information that is applied to a mobile apparatus for displaying geographical information, and the method comprises the steps of: acquiring a geographical object message of a geographical object from outside; generating an inquiry command after the geographical object message is identified; searching geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command from a database based on the inquiry command or searching geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command from an information center based on the inquiry command; and displaying the geographical information on the mobile apparatus. 
         [0010]    In summation of the description above, the present invention adopts the geographical object message to provide a direct viewing of the user&#39;s required geographical information and related services, and improve the degree of freedom of a trip and effectively manage personal time. 
         [0011]    To make it easier for our examiner to understand the objective of the invention, its structure, innovative features, and performance, we use a preferred embodiment together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of another geographical information system of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a mobile apparatus of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a flow chart of a method of acquiring geographical information of the present invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a flow chart of a method of acquiring geographical information in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    In the related figures of preferred embodiments of a mobile apparatus, a geographical information system and a method of acquiring geographical information of the present invention, the same referring numerals are used for the same components in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 1  for a schematic view of a geographical information system, the geographical information system is provided for acquiring geographical information of a geographical object  11 , and the system comprises a geographical object message  111  and a mobile apparatus  12 , wherein the geographical object message  111  is provided by the geographical object  11 . The mobile apparatus  12  generates an inquiry command after the geographical object message  111  is received and identified. The geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command is searched from a database (not shown in the figure) of the mobile apparatus  12  based on the inquiry command, and the searched geographical information then is displayed on the mobile apparatus  12 . 
         [0025]    The geographical object is generally a building or transportation, and the transportation can be a public transit such as a bus. The geographical information is generally information relative to the geographical object such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. The geographical object message is an identification code or an image, and the identification code is usually a combination of character strings or a barcode, and the geographical object message is usually transmitted by an electronic label installed in the geographical object to the mobile apparatus through a radio frequency signal. The image of the geographical object, such as its appearance, is usually photographed by a built-in photography module of the mobile apparatus, and taken as the geographical object message. Further, the geographical object message of the identification code can be obtained from Internet or a short message, and provided for users to understand the related geographical information in advance. The mobile apparatus is generally a mobile electronic apparatus, and more specifically a personal digital assistant or a mobile communication apparatus. T he mobile apparatus further comprises a radio frequency reader for receiving a geographical object message transmitted by a radio frequency signal, or comprises a photography module for photographing an image of a geographical object and taking the image as the geographical object message provided by the geographical object, or comprises a communication module for obtaining the geographical object message from Internet or a short message through a wireless communication. In the meantime, the mobile apparatus further comprises an identification unit for identifying the geographical object message of the geographical object from outside to generate an inquiry command, and the identification unit is provided for decoding signals and comparing the decoded signals, or the identifying and comparing images. Besides, the mobile apparatus further comprises a navigation module for generating at least one guided route based on the geographical object message. The navigation module comprises an electronic component such as a global positioning system chip for providing a navigation function. The navigation function can be executed based on the geographical information such as longitude and latitude, POI name, the detail addresses, phone numbers and so on. The database is generally a storage module for storing information related to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc or storing a lookup table of the geographical information and the inquiry command. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 2  for a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises an identification code  212  of a building  21  and a personal digital assistant (PDA)  22 , wherein the building  21  installs an electronic label  211  for transmitting the identification code  212  of the building  21 , and the personal digital assistant  22  generates an inquiry command after the identification code  212  is received and identified, and the geographical information  23  corresponding to the inquiry command is searched from a database built in the personal digital assistant  22  based on the inquiry command to display the searched geographical information  23 , such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history and nearby traffic, on the personal digital assistant  22 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 3  for a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises an image  311  for the appearance of a bus  31  and a mobile communication apparatus  32 , wherein the image  311  of the appearance of the bus  31  is photographed by a built-in photography module of the mobile communication apparatus  32 . After the mobile communication apparatus  32  receives the image  311  of the appearance of the bus  31  and identifies the bus number of the bus  31  in the image  311 , an inquiry command is generated, and the geographical information  33  corresponding to the inquiry command is searched from a database built in the mobile communication apparatus  32  based on the inquiry command. The mobile communication apparatus  32  then displays the searched geographical information  33  such as the bus route, and the departure time of the bus. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 4  a schematic view of a geographical information system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises an identification code  411  of a building  41  and a personal digital assistant  42 , wherein the identification code  411  of the building  41  is obtained by the personal digital assistant  42  from Internet  43 , and the related geographical information  421  searched from a database  422  of the personal digital assistant  42  allows users to understand the building  41 . According to the map information in the searched geographical information  421 , a navigation module  423  installed in the personal digital assistant  42  is utilized to generate at least one guided route through a global positioning system  44  so that a user then is guided to reach the designated building  41 . 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 5  for a schematic view of another geographical information system of the present invention, the geographical information system is provided for acquiring geographical information  531  of a geographical object  51 , and the system comprises a geographical object message  511 , a mobile apparatus  52  and an information center  53 , wherein the geographical object message  511  is provided by the geographical object  51 . The mobile apparatus  52  generates an inquiry command  521  after the geographical object message  511  is received and identified, and a communication module  522  of the mobile apparatus sends out the inquiry command  521 . After receiving the inquiry command  521 , the information center  53  searches the geographical information  531  corresponding to the inquiry command  521  and sends the searched geographical information  531  to the mobile apparatus  52  for displaying. 
         [0030]    The geographical object is generally a building or transportation, and the transportation can be a public transit such as a bus. The geographical information is generally information relative to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. The geographical object message is an identification code or an image, and the identification code is generally a combination of character strings or a barcode, and the geographical object message is generally sent by an electronic label installed in the geographical object to the mobile apparatus through a radio frequency signal. The image is generally the appearance of the geographical object photographed by a built-in photography module of the mobile apparatus, and taken as the geographical object message. Further, the geographical object message of the identification code can be obtained via Internet or a short message, so that users can understand the related geographical information in advance. The mobile apparatus is generally a mobile electronic apparatus, and more specifically a personal digital assistant or a mobile communication apparatus. The mobile apparatus further comprises a radio frequency reader for receiving the geographical object message transmitted by the radio frequency signal. Besides, the mobile apparatus also comprises a photography module for photographing the image of the geographical object and taking the image as the geographical object message provided by the geographical object. The mobile apparatus also comprises a communication module for obtaining the geographical object message from Internet or a short message via a wireless communication. Meanwhile, the mobile apparatus comprises an identification unit for identifying the geographical object message of the geographical object from outside to generate the inquiry command, and the identification unit can execute the decoding and comparison for signals or the identification and comparison for images. The mobile apparatus further comprises a navigation module for generating at least one guided route based on the geographical object message. The navigation module comprises an electronic component such as a global positioning system chip for providing a navigation function. The navigation function can be executed based on the geographical information such as longitude and latitude, POI name, the detail addresses, phone numbers and so on. The information center generally comprises a geographical information system (GIS) for providing geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command, and the geographical information system stores information related to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. or stores a lookup table of the geographical information and the inquiry command. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 6  for a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises an identification code  612  of a building  61 , a personal digital assistant  62  and an information center  63 , wherein the building  61  includes an electronic label  611  for sending the identification code  612  of the building  61 , and the personal digital assistant  62  generates an inquiry command  621  after the identification code  612  is received and identified, and a built-in communication module  622  of the personal digital assistant  62  sends out the inquiry command  621  based on the inquiry command  621 , and after the information center  63  receives the inquiry command  621 , the information center  63  searches the geographical information  631  corresponding to the inquiry command  621  and sends the searched geographical information  631 , including the floor distribution, building feature, building history, and nearby traffic, to the personal digital assistant  62  for displaying. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 7  for a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises the appearance of a bus  71 , a mobile communication apparatus  72  and an information center  73 , wherein an image  711  of the appearance of the bus  71  is photographed by a built-in photography module  722  of the mobile communication apparatus  72 , and the mobile communication apparatus  72  generates an inquiry command  721  after the image  711  of the appearance of the bus  71  is received and the bus number of the bus  71  of the image  711  is identified, and a communication module  723  of the mobile communication apparatus  72  sends out the inquiry command  721  to the information center  73 . The information center  73  searches the geographical information  731  corresponding to the inquiry command  721  after the inquiry command  721  is received, and sends the searched geographical information  731 , such as the route of the bus  71  and the departure time of the bus  71 , to the mobile communication apparatus  72  for displaying. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 8  for a schematic view of another geographical information system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the geographical information system comprises an identification code  811  of a building  81 , a personal digital assistant  82  and an information center  83 , wherein the identification code  811  of the building  81  is obtained from the personal digital assistant  82  via Internet  84 , and a communication module  822  of the personal digital assistant  82  sends an inquiry command  821  to the information center  83  to obtain geographical information  831 , so that users can understand the related geographical information  831 . According to a map information of the geographical information  831 , a navigation module  823  installed in the personal digital assistant  82  generates at least one guided route by using a global positioning system  85  to guide users to reach a designated building  81 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 9  for a schematic view of a mobile apparatus of the present invention, the mobile apparatus  90  comprises a device body  91 , a database  92 , a capture identification module  93 , a communication module  94  and a processor  95 , wherein the device body  91  provides basic operation functions for the mobile apparatus  90 . The database  92 , the capture identification module  93 , the communication module  94  and the processor  95  are installed in the device body  91 . The database  92  stores geographical information  921  of at least one geographical object, and the capture identification module  93  obtains a geographical object message  931  of the geographical object from outside, and identifies the geographical object message  931  to generate an inquiry command  932 . The communication module  94  is provided for sending out the inquiry command  932  in order to obtain geographical information from outside. After the processor  95  receives and processes the inquiry command  932 , the processor  95  transmits the inquiry command  932  to the database  92  to search the geographical information  921  corresponding to the inquiry command  932 , or transmits the inquiry command  932  to the communication module  94 . 
         [0035]    The mobile apparatus is generally a mobile electronic apparatus, and more specifically a personal digital assistant or a mobile communication apparatus. The capture identification module further comprises a radio frequency reader for obtaining a geographical object message of a geographical object transmitted by a radio frequency signal from outside, or comprises a photography module for photographing an image of the geographical object and taking the image as the geographical object message provided by the geographical object, and further comprises an identification unit for generating an inquiry command after the obtained geographical object message of the geographical object is identified. The identification unit can decode and compare signals or identify and compare images. The database is generally a storage module for storing information relative to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. or stores a lookup table of the geographical information and the inquiry command. The geographical object is generally a building or transportation, and the transportation can be a public transit such as a bus. The geographical information is generally information relative to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. The geographical object message is an identification code or an image, and the identification code is generally a combination of character strings or a barcode, etc., and the geographical object message generally includes an electronic label installed in the geographical object and is sent to the mobile apparatus by a radio frequency signal. The image is generally the appearance of the geographical object photographed by a built-in photography module of the mobile apparatus and taken as the geographical object message provided by the geographical object. Further, the geographical object message of the identification code can be obtained via Internet or a short message, so that users can understand the related geographical information. In the meantime, the mobile apparatus further comprises a navigation module for generating at least one guided route based on the geographical object message. The navigation module comprises an electronic component such as a global positioning system chip for providing a navigation function. The navigation function can be executed based on the geographical information such as longitude and latitude, POI name, the detail addresses, phone numbers and so on. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 10  for a flow chart of a method of acquiring geographical information of the present invention, the method is applied in a mobile apparatus for displaying geographical information, and comprises the steps of: 
         [0037]    Step Sa 1 : obtaining a geographical object message of a geographical object from outside; 
         [0038]    Step Sa 2 : generating an inquiry command after the geographical object message is identified; 
         [0039]    Step Sa 3 : searching geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command from a database, or searching geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command from an information center based on the inquiry command; and 
         [0040]    Step Sa 4 : displaying the geographical information on the mobile apparatus. 
         [0041]    The mobile apparatus is generally a mobile electronic apparatus, and more specifically a personal digital assistant or a mobile communication apparatus, and the geographical object is generally a building or a transportation, and the transportation is a public transit such as a bus. The geographical information is generally information relative to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc. The geographical object message can be an identification code or an image, and the geographical object message is obtained from Internet, a short message or a geographical object. The identification code is generally a combination of character strings or a barcode, and the geographical object message is generally transmitted by an electronic label installed in the geographical object to the mobile apparatus through a radio frequency signal. The image, such as the appearance of the geographical object, is generally photographed by a built-in photography module of the mobile apparatus, and taken as a geographical object message provided by the geographical object. The database is generally a storage module for storing information relative to the geographical object, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc., or storing a lookup table of the geographical information and the inquiry command. The information center generally includes a geographical information system for providing geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history, nearby traffic, current position of a bus, and bus route, etc, and also storing a lookup table of the geographical information and the inquiry command. In the meantime, the mobile apparatus further comprises a navigation module for generating at least one guided route based on the geographical object message, and the navigation module comprises an electronic component such as a global positioning system chip for providing a navigation function. The navigation function can be executed based on the geographical information such as longitude and latitude, POI name, the detail addresses, phone numbers and so on. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 11  for a flow chart of a method of acquiring geographical information in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: 
         [0043]    Step Sb 1 : sending out an inquiry signal from a radio frequency reader of a personal digital assistant; 
         [0044]    Step Sb 2 : receiving an identification code sent from an electronic label of a building through a radio frequency signal; 
         [0045]    Step Sb 3 : generating an inquiry command after the radio frequency reader receives and identifies the identification code; 
         [0046]    Step Sb 4 : searching the geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command from a database based on the inquiry command or sending the inquiry command to the information center by the communication module to search the geographical information corresponding to the inquiry command; and 
         [0047]    Step Sb 5 : displaying the geographical information, such as the floor distribution, building feature, building history and nearby traffic, on the personal digital assistant. 
         [0048]    While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6