Patent ID: 8775080

Claim:
A destination estimating apparatus, comprising: a history storing unit that stores a history of a location that has been specified as a destination in the past; a destination estimating unit that estimates a destination from among a plurality of destination candidates including a location stored in the history storing unit; a candidate excluding unit that, based on the history that is stored in the history storing unit, excludes a destination candidate for which a certainty factor of being a destination is determined to be lower than a predetermined threshold value from destination candidates to be estimated as being a destination by the destination estimating unit; an observed variable acquiring unit that acquires an observed variable; and a model storing unit that stores a probability model for determining a probability of the plurality of destination candidates with respect to the observed variable; wherein: based on the probability model that is stored in the model storing unit, the destination estimating unit determines a probability of the plurality of destination candidates with respect to the observed variable that is acquired by the observed variable acquiring unit, and estimates a destination candidate having a high probability to be the destination; and based on the history that is stored in the history storing unit, the candidate excluding unit excludes a destination candidate for which the certainty factor is determined to be lower than a predetermined threshold value from the destination candidates for which a probability is determined by the destination estimating unit.