Patent ID: 7893849

Claim:
A vehicle computer for providing travel information, comprising: a receiver and a transmitter configured to communicate signals directly with at least one traffic control device; a processor coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the processor being configured to process a request for information regarding an optimal travel route from a present location of a vehicle to a destination; and an output device coupled to the processor, for outputting the information contained in a message; wherein the at least one traffic control device is configured to identify each of at least two possible travel routes to the destination, identify the optimal travel route to the destination from the at least two possible travel routes, and generate the message, the information contained in the message comprising travel directions or instructions corresponding to the optimal travel route, the message being received by the vehicle computer from the at least one traffic control device, the at least two possible travel routes and the optimal travel route being identified by the at least one traffic control device.