Patent ID: 7146273

Claim:
A navigation system comprising at least one navigation apparatus and at least one server apparatus, wherein the navigation apparatus comprises a communication controller for controlling communication with the server apparatus, a current location detector for detecting a current location, a map information memory for storing map information, a display for displaying map information and the current location, and a controller for calculating a planned travel route and for controlling the communication controller, the current location detector, the map information memory, and the display, the server apparatus reads out map information from a database and transmits the map information to the navigation apparatus, the communication controller of the navigation apparatus transmits to the server apparatus the current location, a destination location, and an area of the map information stored in the memory, the server apparatus receives the current location, the destination location, and the area of the map information stored in the map information memory, calculates one or more preliminary travel routes from the current location to the destination location, sets, respectively for the preliminary travel routes, preliminary passage locations within the area of the map information stored in the navigation apparatus, and transmits the preliminary passage locations to the navigation apparatus, the communication controller of the navigation apparatus receives the preliminary passage locations, and the controller calculates, respectively for the preliminary passage locations, planned travel routes thereto from the current location, and one of the preliminary passage locations is selected.