Patent ID: 7432830

Claim:
An information provider system comprising: a base unit capable of exchanging data messages with a plurality of remote units to provide multiple information services, said base unit includes a database representing geographic information and a database updater capable of receiving updating information for said database to maintain up-to-date geographic information; wherein said multiple information services include at least: a surroundings explorer service identifying a point of interest meeting a point of interest category parameter and a travel time to point of interest parameter specified in a query message sent to said base unit from said remote unit, said base unit uses said database and a current position of said remote unit to identify said point of interest meeting said point of interest category parameter and said travel time to point of interest parameter; and a route guidance service providing route guidance information to said remote unit for traveling along a route from an origin to said identified point of interest meeting the specified parameters requested by said remote unit, said base unit computes said route from said origin to said identified point of interest using road segment data from said database to provide said route guidance information.