Patent ID: 7349800

Claim:
In a vehicle navigation system having an input device and a display device, the input device having a command activator and a graphical selection pointer, the display device having a map drawn thereon, the map comprising the vehicle's current position and a planned course of navigable features between an origin and a destination in a geographic area, a method of modifying the planned course, the method comprising: identifying navigable feature segments in the geographic area, wherein each navigable feature segment has a terminus coincident with an intersection between two navigable features; receiving a start signal from the input device indicating that the command activator has been activated; drawing the navigable feature segments on the map; receiving selection signals from the input device indicating that the graphical selection pointer has selected one or more navigable feature segments; drawing the planned course and the selected navigable feature segments as blinking elements on the map if the selected navigable feature segments do not comprise an alternate course between the vehicle's current position and the destination or between the vehicle's current position and any position along the planned course; replacing the navigable features of the planned course with the selected navigable feature segments if the selected navigable feature segments comprise an alternate course between the vehicle's current position and the destination; and identifying unnecessary navigable features of the planned course and replacing the unnecessary navigable features of the planned course with the selected navigable feature segments if the selected navigable feature segments comprise an alternate course between the vehicle's current position and any position along the planned course.