Patent ID: 7930099

Claim:
A map distributing device, comprising: a storage section that stores map information; a map recognizer that recognizes updated map information for updating the map information; an updated contents information recognizer that compares the map information with the updated map information to recognize updated contents information that is updated contents of the updated map information; a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information that specifies contents of the map information to be updated from a map acquiring device in which the map information is beforehand stored; and a map distributor that compares the updated contents information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when the updated contents information corresponds to the contents specified by the map update request information, wherein the map update request information contains any one of: facility type information indicating a type of a predetermined facility of the map information; locality information indicating a predetermined locality of the map information; and road information indicating a predetermined road of the map information, the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when: the map update request information contains the facility type information but does not contain the locality information and the road information; and the updated contents information is contents indicating that a facility corresponding to the predetermined facility of the facility type information has been changed, the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when: the map updated request information contains the locality information but does not contain the facility type information and the road information: and the updated contents information is contents indicating that a locality corresponding to the predetermined locality of the locality information has been changed, and the map distributor distributes that updated map information to the map acquiring device when: the map updated request information contains the road information but does not contain the facility type information and the locality information; and the updated contents information is contents indicating that at least one of a road corresponding to the predetermined road of the road information and a vicinity of the road has been changed.