HK1151849A - Navigation device, system & method with over the air search module - Google Patents

Abstract

A navigation device 200 is provided comprising an input interface 220, 240; a processor 210; and a display 240 controllable by the processor. The input interface 220, 240 is additionally configured to enable a user to input a search text and to select a reference location. The navigation device 200 further comprises an over the air (OTA) search module 490 for generating a server call message comprising the reference location and the search text for transmission to a remote map search server 530 and for receiving a search results reply message from such a remote map search server 530 based on the reference location and the search text. The processor 210 is responsive to the OTA search module (490) to control said display 240 to display the search results to the user.

Description

Navigation device, system and method with air search module

Technical Field

The invention relates to a navigation device, a system and a method. Illustrative embodiments of the invention relate to portable navigation devices, so-called PNDs, particularly PNDs comprising Global Positioning System (GPS) signal reception and processing functionality. Other embodiments relate more generally to any type of processing device configured to execute navigation software in order to provide route planning functionality and preferably also navigation functionality.

Background

Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) comprising GPS (global positioning system) signal reception and processing functionality are well known and widely used as in-car or other vehicle navigation systems.

In general, modern PNDs include a processor, memory (at least one of volatile and non-volatile memory, and typically both), and map data stored within the memory. The processor and memory cooperate to provide an execution environment in which a software operating system may be established, and in addition, one or more additional software programs are often provided to enable control of the functionality of the PND and to provide various other functions.

Typically, these devices further comprise: one or more input interfaces that allow a user to interact with and control the device; and one or more output interfaces by means of which information can be relayed to a user. Illustrative examples of output interfaces include a visual display and a speaker for audio output. Illustrative examples of input interfaces include one or more physical buttons to control on/off operation or other features of the device (if the device is built into a vehicle, the buttons need not be on the device itself, but could be on a steering wheel); and a microphone for detecting a user utterance. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the output interface display may be configured as a touch-sensitive display (by means of a touch-sensitive overlay or otherwise) to additionally provide an input interface by means of which a user can operate the device by touch.

This type of device will also typically include: one or more physical connector interfaces by means of which power and (optionally) data signals can be transmitted to and received from the device; and (optionally) one or more wireless transmitter/receivers to allow communication over cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, Wi-Max GSM, etc.).

PND devices of this type also include a GPS antenna by means of which satellite broadcast signals (including location data) can be received and subsequently processed to determine the current location of the device.

The PND device may also include an electronic gyroscope and accelerometer, the signals generated of which may be processed to determine the current angular and linear accelerations, and in turn, and in conjunction with position information derived from the GPS signals, the velocity and relative displacement of the device and, hence, the vehicle in which it is mounted. Typically, the features are most commonly provided in-vehicle navigation systems, but may also be provided in PND devices if this is advantageous.

The utility of the PND is manifested primarily in its ability to determine a route between a first location (typically, a departure or current location) and a second location (typically, a destination). These locations may be entered by the user of the device by any of a variety of different methods, such as by zip code, street name and house number, previously stored "well known" destinations (such as famous locations, urban locations (such as stadiums or swimming pools), or other points of interest), and favorite or recently visited destinations.

Typically, the PND is enabled by software for calculating a "best" or "optimal" route between a start address location and a destination address location from map data. The "best" or "optimal" route is determined based on predetermined criteria and is not necessarily the fastest or shortest route. The selection of a route along which to guide the driver can be very complex, and the selected route can take into account existing, predicted, and dynamically and/or wirelessly received traffic and road information, historical information regarding road speeds, and the driver's own preferences for factors in determining road options (for example, the driver may specify that the route should not include highways or toll roads).

Further, the device may continuously monitor road and traffic conditions, and provide or select routes through which to change the remaining trips due to changing conditions. Real-time traffic monitoring systems based on various technologies (e.g., mobile phone data exchange, fixed cameras, GPS fleet tracking) are being used to identify traffic delays and feed information into notification systems.

PNDs of this type may typically be mounted on the dashboard or windscreen of the vehicle, but may also form part of the on-board computer of the vehicle radio or indeed of the control system of the vehicle itself. The navigation device may also be part of a handheld system, such as a PDA (portable digital assistant), media player, mobile phone, etc., and in these cases the conventional functionality of the handheld system is extended by means of installing software on the device in order to perform both route calculation and navigation along the calculated route.

Route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by desktop or mobile computing resources running appropriate software.

In the context of a PND, once a route has been calculated, the user interacts with the navigation device to optionally select a required calculated route from a list of suggested routes. Optionally, the user may intervene or guide the routing process, such as by specifying that certain routes, roads, locations, or criteria should be avoided or must be followed for a particular trip. The route calculation aspect of the PND forms one primary function and navigation along this route is another primary function.

During navigation along a calculated route, the PND typically provides visual and/or audio instructions to guide the user along the selected route to the end of that route, i.e. the desired destination. PNDs also typically display map information on the screen during navigation, which is periodically updated on the screen so that the displayed map information represents the current location of the device and hence of the user or the user's vehicle (if the device is being used for in-vehicle navigation).

The icon displayed on the screen typically indicates the current device location and is centered, with map information for the current and surrounding roads near the current device location, as well as other map features, also displayed. Additionally, navigation information may optionally be displayed in a status bar located above, below, or to one side of the displayed map information, examples of which include the distance to the next deviation from the current road that the user needs to take, where the nature of the deviation may be represented by further icons suggestive of a particular type of deviation (e.g., a left or right turn). The navigation function also determines the content, duration and timing of audio instructions by means of which the user can be guided along the route. As can be appreciated, a simple instruction such as "turn left after 100 m" requires a significant amount of processing and analysis. As previously mentioned, user interaction with the device may be through a touch screen or additionally or alternatively through a joystick-mounted remote control, through voice activation, or through any other suitable method.

Another important function provided by the device is automatic route recalculation in the event that: the user deviates from the previously calculated route (either accidentally or intentionally) during navigation; real-time traffic conditions indicate that an alternative route would be more advantageous and the device is suitably enabled to automatically recognize the conditions, or if the user actively causes the device to perform route recalculation for any reason.

It is also known to allow routes to be calculated according to user-defined criteria; for example, the user may prefer a scenic route to be calculated by the device, or may wish to avoid any roads on which traffic congestion may occur, is expected to occur, or is currently occurring. The device software will then calculate various routes and favor routes that include the highest number of points of interest (known as POIs) marked as being for example of a nice view along their route, or rank the calculated routes by the level of possible congestion or delay due to congestion by using stored information indicating ongoing traffic conditions on a particular road. Other POI-based and traffic information-based route calculation and navigation criteria are also possible.

While route calculation and navigation functions are essential to the overall utility of PNDs, it is possible to use the device purely for information display or "free driving," in which only map information relating to the current device location is displayed, and in which no route has been calculated and the device is not currently performing navigation. This mode of operation is generally applicable when the user already knows the route along which to travel and does not require navigation assistance.

Devices of the type described above, such as model 720T manufactured and supplied by tomtomtom International private corporation (tomtomtomtom International b.v.), provide a reliable way for enabling users to navigate from one location to another.

Such devices are of great utility when the user is unfamiliar with the route to the destination to which they are navigating. However, such a situation may arise: the user wants to go to an unknown destination, the user has no location information about the unknown destination, and the unknown destination has not been previously stored on the device. This problem may occur when a user is en route to or arrives at a destination and realizes that they need something (e.g., a product or service) that is not provided by the destination previously stored on the navigation device. For example, upon arriving at a destination to visit a relative, a user may want to visit a florist in order to buy flowers. If there is no florist destination previously stored on the device at the user's location, the user will have to find the florist himself, which may take time. This problem may also arise when a user creates an unexpected need while on a road and the need may only be served by a destination unknown to the user and not stored on the device. Additionally, when a user of a device arrives at an unfamiliar destination and wants to know what is happening at their location (e.g., local attractions and events), it may have to spend time and effort investigating their location to obtain information about destinations that are unknown to and not stored on the device. Furthermore, when accessing information about destinations stored on a device (e.g., 'well-known' or POI destinations), a user may need additional information about these destinations in order to be able to evaluate which destinations to go to. The collection of this additional information can take considerable time and effort on the part of the user of the device. Given the wide variety of users of such devices and their individual interests and needs, it is difficult to develop a navigation device that previously stored all of the relevant destinations.

The uncertainty of having to find such an unknown destination without navigation device assistance can cause inconvenience and stress to the user of the device. Furthermore, because the user may have to spend a significant amount of time actually looking for an unknown destination, the uncertainty can significantly increase the user's travel time. These uncertainties affect PND and in-vehicle navigation device users.

It is an object of the present invention to address this problem, in particular, to attempt to make navigation to an unknown destination as easy as navigation to a known location.

Disclosure of Invention

To achieve this object, a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a navigation device comprising: an input interface; a processor; and a display controllable by the processor; characterized in that the input interface is configured to enable a user to input search text and to select a reference location, and the navigation device further comprises: an over-the-air (OTA) search module for generating a server call message including the reference location and the search text for transmission to a remote map search server and for receiving a search result reply message from such a remote map search server based on the reference location and the search text, and the processor being responsive to the OTA search module to control the display to display the search results to the user.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for locating an unknown destination in a navigation device, the method comprising the steps of: a user inputting a search text indicating an unknown destination and a reference location via a user interface of a navigation device; the navigation device generating a server call message listing the reference location and the search text for transmission to a remote map search server and receiving a search result reply message from such remote map search server based on the reference location and the search text; and the navigation device displays the search results to the user on a display device of the navigation device.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a navigation system, comprising: a navigation device, comprising: an input interface; a processor; and a display controllable by the processor; and a remote map search server; characterized in that the input interface is configured to enable a user to input search text and to select a reference location, and the navigation device further comprises: an over-the-air (OTA) search module for generating a server call message including the reference location and the search text for transmission to the remote map search server via the network connection, and for receiving a search result reply message from the remote map search server based on the reference location and the search text, and the processor being responsive to the OTA search module to control the display to display the search results to the user.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to computer software comprising one or more software modules operable when executed in an execution environment to cause a processor of a navigation device to: generating a first user interface via which a user selects a reference location; generating a second user interface via which a user inputs a search text; generating a server call message listing the search text and the reference location for transmission by the navigation device to a remote map search server; processing a search result reply message from the remote map search server; and generating a third user interface that displays the search results to the user on a display device of the navigation device.

Advantages of these embodiments are set forth below, and further details and features of each of these embodiments are defined in the appended claims and elsewhere in the following detailed description.

Drawings

Various aspects of the teachings of the present disclosure and arrangements embodying the teachings will be described hereinafter by way of illustrative examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a Global Positioning System (GPS);

figure 2 is a schematic illustration of electronic components arranged to provide a navigation device;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the manner in which a navigation device may receive information from a dedicated server over a wireless communication channel;

fig. 4A and 4B are illustrative perspective views of a navigation device;

5 a-5 i are illustrative screen shots from Tom 720TPND for a destination entry process;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative screenshot of a 3D navigation view depicting an illustrative calculated route including a button to the 'where to search' screen of FIG. 8;

FIG. 7 is an illustrative screen shot depicting a map browser view;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative screen shot depicting a 'where searched' screen view;

FIG. 9 is an illustrative screenshot of a "location selector" screen depicting a screen similar to that of FIG. 5c, but additionally including a button to the 'where to search' screen of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an illustrative screen shot of a 'select City' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are illustrative screen shots of a 'what to search' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 13 is an illustrative screen shot of a 'search results' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 14 is an illustrative screen shot of a 'location information' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 15 is an illustrative screen shot of a 'dial position' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 16 is an illustrative screen shot depicting a 'location details' screen view of an illustrative search process;

FIG. 17 is an illustrative screen shot of a 'navigate to search results' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 18 is an illustrative screenshot depicting a 'quick menu' screen view including buttons to the 'where to search' screen of FIG. 8;

FIG. 19 is an illustrative screenshot of a 'search results on map' screen view depicting an illustrative search process;

FIG. 20 is a schematic representation of software used by a navigation device;

FIG. 21 is a schematic illustration of the navigation device of FIG. 2 illustrating a network connection between the navigation device and a map search server;

FIG. 22 is a schematic illustration of the manner in which a navigation device may receive information from a dedicated server over a wireless communication channel and illustrates a network connection between the navigation device, the dedicated server, and a map search server;

FIGS. 23 and 24 are illustrative flow charts depicting steps of methods by which the teachings of this disclosure may be implemented.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to PNDs. It should be kept in mind, however, that the teachings of the present invention are not limited to PNDs, but rather are generally applicable to any type of processing device configured to execute navigation software in order to provide route planning and navigation functionality. It can thus be seen that in the context of the present application, a navigation device is intended to include, but is not limited to, any type of route planning and navigation device, whether embodied as a PND, a navigation device built into a vehicle, a mobile phone or a Portable Digital Assistant (PDA) executing route planning and navigation software.

With the above provisos in mind, FIG. 1 illustrates an example view of a Global Positioning System (GPS) that may be used by a navigation device. Such systems are known and used for a variety of purposes. In general, GPS is a satellite radio-based navigation system capable of determining continuous position, velocity, time, and (in some examples) direction information for an unlimited number of users. The GPS, previously known as NAVSTAR, incorporates a plurality of satellites that orbit the earth in extremely precise orbits. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their position to any number of receiving units.

The GPS system is implemented when a device specially equipped to receive GPS data begins scanning radio frequencies for GPS satellite signals. Upon receiving radio signals from GPS satellites, the device determines the precise location of the satellites via one of a number of different conventional methods. In most cases, the device will continue to scan for signals until it has acquired at least three different satellite signals (note that other triangulation techniques are not typically (but can be) used to determine position with only two signals). By implementing geometric triangulation, the receiver utilizes three known positions to determine its own two-dimensional position relative to the satellites. This can be done in a known manner. In addition, obtaining a fourth satellite signal will allow the receiving device to calculate its three-dimensional position in a known manner by the same geometric calculation. The position and velocity data can be continuously updated in real time by an unlimited number of users.

As shown in fig. 1, the GPS system is generally indicated by the reference numeral 100. A plurality of satellites 120 are in orbit about the earth 124. The orbit of each satellite 120 is not necessarily synchronized with the orbits of the other satellites 120 and is in fact likely to be out of synchronization. The GPS receiver 140 is shown receiving spread spectrum GPS satellite signals 160 from various satellites 120.

The spread spectrum signals 160 continuously transmitted from each satellite 120 utilize a highly accurate frequency standard achieved through an extremely accurate atomic clock. Each satellite 120 transmits a data stream indicative of that particular satellite 120 as part of its data signal transmission 160. As is understood by those skilled in the relevant art, the GPS receiver device 140 typically obtains spread spectrum GPS satellite signals 160 from at least three satellites 120 for the GPS receiver device 140 to calculate its two-dimensional position by triangulation. The acquisition of additional signals, which results in signals 160 from a total of four satellites 120, permits the GPS receiver device 140 to calculate its three-dimensional position in a known manner.

Fig. 2 is an illustrative representation of the electronic components of a navigation device 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in block component format. It should be noted that the block diagram of the navigation device 200 does not include all of the components of the navigation device, but is merely representative of many example components.

The navigation device 200 is located within a housing (not shown). The housing includes a processor 210 connected to an input device 220 and a display screen 240. Input device 220 may include a keyboard device, a voice input device, a touch panel, and/or any other known input device for inputting information; and display screen 240 may comprise any type of display screen, such as an LCD display. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the input device 220 and display screen 240 are integrated into an integrated input and display device that includes a touchpad or touchscreen input such that a user need only touch a portion of the display screen 240 to select one of a plurality of display options or to activate one of a plurality of virtual buttons.

The navigation device may include an output device 260, such as an audio output device (e.g., a speaker). Because the output device 260 can generate audible information to the user of the navigation device 200, it should also be appreciated that the input device 240 can include a microphone as well as software for receiving input voice commands.

In the navigation device 200, the processor 210 is operatively connected to the input device 220 via connection 225 and is set to receive input information from the input device 220 via connection 225, and is operatively connected to at least one of the display screen 240 and the output device 260 via output connection 245 to output information thereto. Additionally, the processor 210 is operably coupled to the memory resource 230 via a connection 235 and is further adapted to receive/send information from/to an input/output (I/O) port 270 via a connection 275, wherein the I/O port 270 is connectable to an I/O device 280 external to the navigation device 200. Memory resources 230 include, for example, volatile memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)) and non-volatile memory (e.g., digital memory, such as flash memory). External I/O device 280 may include, but is not limited to, an external listening device, such as a headset. The connection to the I/O device 280 may further be a wired or wireless connection to any other external device, such as a car stereo unit, for hands-free operation and/or for voice-activated operation, for example, for connection to a headset or headphones, and/or for connection to a mobile phone, for example, where the mobile phone connection may be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the internet or any other network, for example, and/or to establish a connection to a server via the internet or some other network, for example.

Fig. 2 further illustrates an operative connection between the processor 210 and the antenna/receiver 250 via connection 255, wherein the antenna/receiver 250 may be, for example, a GPS antenna/receiver. It will be appreciated that the antenna and receiver represented by reference numeral 250 are schematically combined for illustration, but may be separately located components, and the antenna may be, for example, a GPS patch antenna or a helical antenna.

In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the electronic components shown in FIG. 2 are powered by a power source (not shown) in a conventional manner. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, different configurations of the components shown in fig. 2 are considered to be within the scope of the present application. For example, the components shown in FIG. 2 may communicate with each other via wired and/or wireless connections and the like. Thus, the scope of the navigation device 200 of the present application includes portable or handheld navigation devices 200.

Furthermore, the portable or handheld navigation device 200 of fig. 2 may be connected or "docked" in a known manner to a vehicle, such as a bicycle, motorcycle, car or boat. This navigation device 200 can then be removed from the docked location for portable or handheld navigation use.

Referring now to fig. 3, the navigation device 200 can establish a "mobile" or telecommunications network connection with a dedicated server 302 via a mobile device (not shown), such as a mobile phone, PDA, and/or any device having mobile phone technology, establishing a digital connection, such as a digital connection via known bluetooth technology for example. Thereafter, through its network service provider, the mobile device may establish a network connection (e.g., through the internet) with the server 302. As such, a "mobile" network connection is established between the navigation device 200 (which may be and typically is mobile when traveling alone and/or in a vehicle) and the server 302 in order to provide a "real-time" or at least very "up-to-date" gateway for information.

Establishing a network connection between the mobile device (via a service provider) and another device, such as a dedicated server 302, using, for example, the internet (e.g., the world wide web) may be accomplished in a known manner. This may include, for example, the use of a TCP/IP layered protocol. The mobile device may utilize any number of communication standards, such as CDMA, GSM, WAN, etc.

As such, an internet connection enabled via a data connection (e.g., via mobile phone or mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200) may be utilized. For this connection, an internet connection between the dedicated server 302 and the navigation device 200 is established. This may be done, for example, by a mobile phone or other mobile device and a GPRS (general packet radio service) connection (a GPRS connection is a high speed data connection for mobile devices provided by a telecommunications carrier; GPRS is a method to connect to the internet).

The navigation device 200 can further complete a data connection with the mobile device and eventually with the internet and dedicated server 302 in a known manner, such as via existing bluetooth technology, wherein the data protocol can utilize any number of standards, such as GSRM, a data protocol standard for the GSM standard.

The navigation device 200 may include its own mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 itself (e.g. including an antenna, or optionally using an internal antenna of the navigation device 200). The mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 may include internal components as specified above, and/or may include a pluggable card (e.g. a subscriber identity module or SIM card), along with, for example, the necessary mobile phone technology and/or antenna. As such, mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can similarly establish a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the dedicated server 302 via, for example, the internet in a manner similar to that of any mobile device.

For GRPS phone settings, a bluetooth enabled navigation device may be used to work correctly with the changing spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc., for example model/manufacturer specific settings may be stored on the navigation device 200. The data stored for this information may be updated.

In fig. 3, the navigation device 200 is depicted as communicating with the dedicated server 302 via a general communication channel 318, which general communication channel 318 may be implemented by any of a number of different arrangements. The server 302 and the navigation device 200 can communicate when a connection via the communication channel 318 is established between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 (noting that such a connection can be a data connection via a mobile device, a direct connection via a personal computer via the internet, etc.).

The dedicated server 302 includes, among other components that may not be illustrated, a processor 304, the processor 304 operatively connected to a memory 306 and further operatively connected to a mass data storage 312 via a wired or wireless connection 314. The processor 304 is further operatively connected to the transmitter 308 and the receiver 310 to transmit information to and send information from the navigation device 200 via the communication channel 318. The signals sent and received may comprise data, communication, and/or other propagated signals. The transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be selected or designed according to the communication requirements and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation device 200. Additionally, it should be noted that the functionality of the transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be combined into a signal transceiver.

The dedicated server 302 is further connected to (or includes) a mass storage device 312, noting that the mass storage device 312 can be coupled to the server 302 via a communication link 314. The mass storage device 312 contains a large amount of navigation data and map information, and may likewise be a separate device from the dedicated server 302, or may be incorporated into the server 302.

The navigation device 200 is adapted to communicate with the dedicated server 302 through a communication channel 318, and includes a processor, memory, etc. as previously described with respect to fig. 2, as well as a transmitter 320 and receiver 322 to send and receive signals and/or data through the communication channel 318, noting that these devices can further be used to communicate with devices other than the server 302. In addition, the transmitter 320 and receiver 322 are selected or designed according to the communication requirements and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation device 200, and the functions of the transmitter 320 and receiver 322 can be combined into a single transceiver.

Software stored in the dedicated server memory 306 provides instructions to the processor 304 and allows the server 302 to provide services to the navigation device 200. One service provided by the server 302 involves processing requests from the navigation device 200 and transmitting navigation data from the mass data storage 312 to the navigation device 200. Another service provided by the server 302 includes processing navigation data using various algorithms for the desired application and sending the results of these calculations to the navigation device 200.

The communication channel 318 generally represents the propagation medium or path connecting the navigation device 200 with the server 302. Both the dedicated server 302 and the navigation device 200 comprise a transmitter for transmitting data over the communication channel and a receiver for receiving data that has been transmitted over the communication channel.

The communication channel 318 is not limited to a particular communication technology. Additionally, the communication channel 318 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is, the channel 318 may include several communication links using a variety of techniques. For example, the communication channel 318 may be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagnetic communication, among others. As such, the communication channel 318 includes (but is not limited to) one or a combination of the following: electrical circuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, converters, Radio Frequency (RF) waves, the atmosphere, vacuum, and the like. Further, the communication channel 318 may include intermediate devices, such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters, and receivers.

In one illustrative arrangement, the communication channel 318 includes telephone and computer networks. Further, the communication channel 318 may be capable of accommodating wireless communications such as radio frequency, microwave frequency, infrared communications, and the like. Additionally, the communication channel 318 may accommodate satellite communications.

The communication signals transmitted over the communication channel 318 include, but are not limited to, signals as may be required or desired for a given communication technology. For example, the signals may be suitable for use in cellular communication techniques such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and so on. Both digital and analog signals may be transmitted over the communication channel 318. These signals may be modulated, encrypted, and/or compressed signals as may be required by the communication technology.

The dedicated server 302 comprises a remote server accessible by the navigation device 200 via a wireless channel. The server 302 may comprise a network server located on a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN), or the like.

The dedicated server 302 may comprise a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer, and the communication channel 318 may be a cable connected between the personal computer and the navigation device 200. Alternatively, a personal computer may be connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 302 to establish an internet connection between the server 302 and the navigation device 200. Alternatively, a mobile phone or other handheld device may establish a wireless connection to the internet for connecting the navigation device 200 to the server 302 via the internet.

The navigation device 200 may be provided with information from a dedicated server 302 via information downloads which may be updated automatically or periodically upon a user connecting the navigation device 200 to the server 302 and/or may be more dynamic upon a more constant or frequent connection being made between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 via, for example, a wireless mobile connection device and a TCP/IP connection. For many dynamic calculations, the processor 304 in the server 302 may be used to handle the large amount of processing needs, however, the processor 210 of the navigation device 200 may also handle many processes and calculations, oftentimes independent of a connection to a dedicated server 302.

As indicated above in fig. 2, the navigation device 200 includes a processor 210, an input device 220, and a display screen 240. The input device 220 and display screen 240 are integrated into an integrated input and display device to enable both information input (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and information display (e.g., through a touch panel screen). This screen may be, for example, a touch input LCD screen, as is well known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the navigation device 200 can also include any additional input devices 220 and/or any additional output devices 241, such as audio input/output devices.

Fig. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the navigation device 200. As shown in fig. 4A, the navigation device 200 may be a unit that includes an integrated input and display device 290 (e.g., a touch panel screen) and the other components of fig. 2, including but not limited to an internal GPS receiver 250, a microprocessor 210, a power supply, a memory system 230, etc.

The navigation device 200 may rest on an arm 292, which arm 292 itself may be secured to a vehicle dashboard/window/or the like using a suction cup 294. This arm 292 is one example of a docking station to which the navigation device 200 can dock.

As shown in fig. 4B, the navigation device 200 can be docked or otherwise connected to the arm 292 of the docking station, for example, by snapping the navigation device 292 to the arm 292 of the docking station. The navigation device 200 can then be rotated on the arm 292, as shown by the arrow of fig. 4B. To release the connection between the navigation device 200 and the docking station, a button on the navigation device 200 may be pressed, for example. Other equally suitable arrangements for coupling and decoupling a navigation device to and from a docking station are well known to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to fig. 5 a-5 i, a series of screen shots from a tom 720T navigation device are depicted. This model of tomtom PND has a touch screen interface for displaying information to the user and for accepting input from the user to the device. The screen shot shows a user's illustrative destination location input process, the user's home location has been set to the Hague Office of the European Patent Office (European Patent Office), and the user wishes to navigate to the street address of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), the user knowing the street name and building number of the street address.

When this user turns on his thomson PND, the device obtains a GPS fix and calculates (in a known manner) the current location of the PND. As shown in figure 5a, the user is then presented with a display 340 showing in pseudo-three dimensions a local environment 342, the PND being determined to be located in that local environment 342, and a series of control and status messages being shown in a region 344 of the display 340 beneath the local environment.

By touching the display of the local environment 342, the PND switches to display (as shown in figure 5 b) a series of virtual buttons 346 by means of which virtual buttons 346 the user can enter, among other things, the destination to which he wishes to navigate.

By touching the "navigate to" virtual button 348, the PND switches to display (as shown in figure 5 c) a plurality of virtual buttons, each associated with a different category of selectable destinations. In this example, the display shows a "home" button that, if pressed, will set the destination to the stored home location. However, in this example, because the user is already at his home location (i.e., the EPO's maritime office), selecting this option will not cause a route to be generated. The "favorite items" button, if pressed, develops a list of destinations that the user has previously stored in the PND, and if one of these destinations is then selected, the destination of the route to be calculated is set to the selected previously stored destination. The "recent destinations" button, if pressed, presents a list of selectable destinations saved in the memory of the PND to which the user has recently navigated. Selection of one of the destinations populating this list will set the destination location of this route to the selected (previously visited) location. The "point of interest" button, if pressed, presents a number of options by means of which the user can choose to navigate to any of a number of locations that have been pre-stored in the device as locations to which the user of the device may want to navigate, such as cash machines, gas stations or tourist attractions. The "arrow" shaped virtual button opens a new menu of additional options and the "address" button 350 begins a process by which the user can input the street address of the destination to which they wish to navigate.

Since in this example the user knows the street address of the destination to which they wish to navigate, assume that operating this "address" button (by touching the button displayed on the touchscreen) the user is then presented (as shown in figure 5 d) with a series of address input options-specifically for address input through "city centre", through "zip code", through "intersection or junction" (e.g. the junction of two roads) and through "street and house number".

In this example, the user knows the street address and number of the destination and therefore selects the "street and number" virtual button 352, whereupon the user is then presented (as shown in fig. 5 e): a prompt 354 to enter the name of the city to which it wishes to navigate; a flag button 356 by means of which the user can select the country in which the desired city is located; and a virtual keyboard 358 that can be operated by the user (if necessary) to enter the name of the destination city. In this example, the user has previously navigated to locations in litzwick and amsterdam, and thus the PND additionally provides the user with a list 360 of selectable cities.

In this example the user wishes to navigate to amsterdam and upon selection of amsterdam from the list 360 the PND is displayed (as shown in figure 5 f): a virtual keyboard 362 by means of which virtual keyboard 362 a user can enter a street name; a prompt 364 for entry of a street name 364; and (in this example, because the user has previously navigated to a street in amsterdam) a list of selectable streets in amsterdam 366.

In this example, the user wishes to return to the street-Lombardt square (Rembrandtplein) that they have previously visited, and so selects the Lombardt square from the displayed list 366.

Once the street has been selected, the PND then displays a smaller virtual keypad 368 and prompts the user by means of prompt 370 to enter the house number in the selected street and city to which they wish to navigate. If the user has previously navigated to a house number in this street, the house number is initially shown (as shown in FIG. 5 g). If, as in this example, the user wishes to navigate again to Rombatt Square No. 35, the user need only touch the "done" virtual button 372 displayed at the lower right corner of the display. All that the user would like to do if he wanted to navigate to a different house number in the Lombardt square is to operate the keypad 368 to enter the appropriate house number.

Once the house number has been entered, the user is asked in fig. 5h whether he wishes to arrive at a particular time. If the user presses the "yes" button, functionality is invoked that estimates the time required to travel to the destination and suggests to the user when he should leave (or if he walks late, should have left) his current location in order to arrive at his destination on time. In this example, the user is not concerned with arriving at a particular time, and therefore selects the "no" virtual button.

Selection of the no button 374 causes the PND to calculate a route between the current location and the selected destination and display that route 376 (as shown in figure 5 i) on a map showing the entire route at a relatively low magnification. Providing to a user: a "done" virtual button 378 that the user may press to indicate that he is satisfied with the calculated route; a "find alternatives" button 380 that the user can press to cause the PND to calculate another route to the selected destination 380; and a "details" button 382 that the user can press to reveal a selectable option for the display of more detailed information about the currently displayed route 376.

In this example, it is assumed that the user is satisfied with the displayed route, and once the "done" button 378 has been pressed, the user is presented with a pseudo three-dimensional view of the current departure location of the PND.

The user then starts his journey and the PND guides the user in a known manner by updating the map according to the determined PND position change and by providing visual and (optionally) audio navigation instructions to the user until the user reaches his destination.

The display depicted in FIG. 6 is similar to that shown in FIG. 5a, except that the displayed local environment 342 is at a different location. The display of FIG. 6 includes a waypoint indicator 386 indicating the next action (in this example, a left turn). The lower portion of the display has also changed and now displays the name of the street in which the PND is currently located (in this example 'eastern great street (Osterdokstraat)'), an icon 388 indicating the distance to and type of next action (from the current location of the PND), and a dynamic display 390 of the distance and time to the selected destination.

The navigation device 200 and method of the present invention are described with respect to fig. 6-24 and include an over-the-air (OTA) local search module 490 (depicted in fig. 20) that provides a user with on-device OTA local search services that are not limited to locations previously stored on the navigation device or dedicated server 302. The OTA local search service allows a user to find any unknown destination in the latest online database while on the move, and this seamlessly enables the navigation device to navigate to that destination.

OTA local search module 490 and local search and Google as described herein^TMMap collaboration operations, Google^TMThe map is a website accessible via the internet. It is to be understood that the present invention may be equally as well as Google^TMThe map operates well together with any other digital services that are equivalent and available via a network connection, such as via the internet. OTA local search services can be provided to a user of the navigation device 200 via a User Interface (UI) of the device (e.g., via the input device 220, the display screen 240, and/or an integrated input and display device, including a touch-sensitive display, as described above). Fig. 6-19 show illustrative screen shots of such a touch-sensitive display UI from a navigation device 200 incorporating an OTA local search module.

OTA local search services may be provided in various screens of the user interface of the navigation device 200 that are viewable by the user on a touch-sensitive display (input). FIG. 9 is an illustrative screenshot of the 'location selector' screen of the user interface of the navigation device 200, which is associated withThe screen shot of fig. 5c is the same except that it includes the' Google brand^TMThe' button (502) marked with the trademark Google^TMWhen actuated by the user, brings the user to a "where to search" screen, as shown in fig. 8.

The screen shot of fig. 6 additionally includes a button 504 which, when actuated by the user, takes the user to the 'position selector' screen of fig. 9. The 'location selector' screen of figure 9 may also be accessed from other portions of the user interface (e.g., the 'map browser' screen of figure 7, as described in more detail below).

Thus, the trademark Google^TMIs included on a 'location selector' screen of the user interface of the device 200. When the user clicks on button 502, the 'where to search' screen of FIG. 8 is displayed on screen 290 of device 200.

From the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8, the user may choose to search for their unknown destination by: searching for a destination at a location near the user by clicking a 'location near you' button; searching for a destination at a location in a city by clicking a 'location in city' button; searching for a destination at a location near the user's home location, which is stored in the memory 230 of the navigation device 200, by clicking a ' location near home ' button; by clicking the 'at location along route' button, searching for a destination at a location along the route along which the navigation device 200 is currently navigating the user; or by clicking the 'at a location near the destination' button, a destination at a location near the destination to which the navigation device 200 is currently navigating the user is searched. As shown in fig. 8, these five 'at location' buttons are all displayed on the 'where to search' screen along with a sixth button showing the most recently selected search results from a search by the user using the OTA local search service. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the most recently selected search result is 'at B v bem Marnixstratat' and by clicking the 'at B vbem Marnixstratat' button, the user can choose to search for destinations that are unknown to him that are at locations near the location 'at B v bem Marnixstratat'.

In the event that the user clicks the button 'at a location in a city' on the 'location selector' screen of figure 8, the 'select city' screen shown in figure 10 will be displayed on the display device 240 of the navigation device 200. In the example of fig. 10, the recently visited cities amsterdam and haidental are displayed in a scroll down region 510 of the 'select city' screen. In addition, a city that has been recently visited may be scrolled and displayed in a scroll down area 510 of the 'select city' screen by the user clicking on a scroll button 512 shown in FIG. 10. To select a city in the scroll down area 510, the user clicks the scroll button 512 until the desired city is displayed in the scroll down area 510, and then, if a touch sensitive display is used, touches the area of the scroll down area 510 that displays the name of the desired city. In the case where the desired city is not found in the scroll-down area 510, the user inputs the name of the desired city by operating the key of the virtual keyboard area 514 of the 'select city' screen of fig. 10. When the name of the city is entered by the user, the entered name of the city is displayed in field 516 of the 'select city' screen. To select the entered city, the user then actuates (e.g., by touch) region 516 of the 'select city' screen. Once the user has selected the desired city using the 'select city' screen of figure 10, the display device 240 of the navigation device 200 displays the 'what' screen of figure 11. To return to the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8, the user touches the 'back' button 518 of the 'select city' screen of fig. 10 without selecting a desired city.

Referring to fig. 8, activating any of the five buttons on the 'location selector' screen, except the 'at location in city' button, causes the 'what' screen of fig. 11 to be displayed on the display device 240 of the navigation device 200. The search described below with respect to the 'what' screen of fig. 11 will then be conducted with respect to the selected reference location selected by the user on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8. That is, the search will be conducted relative to a selected reference location that will be:

at a location near the current location of the navigation device 200, with the 'at your location' button actuated on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 to reach the 'what' screen of fig. 11;

at a location near the desired city selected by the user, with the 'at location in city' button actuated on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 and the desired city selected, as described above using the 'select city' screen of fig. 10;

at a location near the user's home, with the ' at home location ' button actuated on the ' where searched ' screen of FIG. 8 to reach the ' what ' screen of FIG. 11;

at a location along a route currently being navigated by device 200, wherein the 'at location along route' button is actuated on the 'where searched' screen of fig. 8 to reach the 'what' screen of fig. 11;

at a location near the destination currently being navigated to by the navigation device 200, wherein the 'at location near the destination' button is actuated on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 to reach the 'what' screen of fig. 11; and

at a location near the last location found by the OTA local search service (in this example, near B v Bem Marnixstaat), where the 'at B v Bem Marnixstaat' button is actuated on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 to reach the 'what' screen of fig. 11.

When the 'what' screen of fig. 11 is presented, the user actuates keys on the standard keyboard region 520 of the 'what' screen to enter search text that describes the type of service that the user desires, and which may be located at a destination unknown to the user. In this example, the user is looking for an unknown destination to purchase some gasoline, and thus enters the search text 'gasoline', shown on the 'what' screen of fig. 12, 'gasoline' is displayed in the display area 524. If the user wishes to search based on the search text they have entered in the display area 524, the user actuates the 'what' screen 'ok' button 522 to initiate the search. If the user wishes to cancel the search based on the search text that the user has entered in the display area 524, the user actuates the 'cancel' button 526 of the 'what' screen. If the user wishes to return to the previously displayed screen, the user actuates the 'Back arrow' button 528 of the 'what' screen of FIG. 11.

When the user selects the ' what ' screen ' ok button 522 of figure 11 to initiate a search, the search will be performed by accessing and using a general remote map search server 530 (i.e. a server that is not dedicated to the navigation system within which the navigation device operates, such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) map search server) via a communications network connection. For example, the map search server 530 of the ISP may be Google^TMA map search server.

Fig. 21 shows the navigation device 200 of fig. 2, with like parts labeled with like numerals, where an input/output (I/O) device 280 may support a data connection between the navigation device and the internet 532, as described above. In this example, the I/O device 280 supports a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the ISP map search server 530 over the internet 532, where the internet is connected to the ISP map search server 530 over a communication channel 542. For example, the I/O device 280 may be a mobile phone or other device that supports Internet connectivity. The navigation device 200 can then be connected to the internet 532 via communication channel 534 or to the dedicated server 302 via the I/O device 280 via communication channel 536.

In addition to, or instead of, the data connection 534 between the I/O device 280 and the internet 532, the dedicated server (302) of fig. 21 may support a data connection between itself and the internet 532 via communication channel 544, as shown in fig. 21. A data connection between the dedicated server 302 and the ISP map search server 530 may then be supported via the internet 532, which is connected to the ISP map server 530 via communication channel 542. Alternatively, a data connection 546 between the private server 302 and the ISP map search server 530 may be formed via a network connection 546, which network connection 546 may be supported, for example, by a private network.

Figure 22 shows the navigation device 200, dedicated server 302 and mass storage 312 arrangement of figure 3, where the navigation device may support a data connection between the navigation device and the internet 532, for example via a transmitter and receiver arrangement (320, 322). The navigation device 200 can then be connected to the internet 532 via communication channel 538 or to the dedicated server 302 via communication channel 318.

In addition to or as an alternative to the data connection 538 between the navigation device 200 and the internet 532, the dedicated server 302 of fig. 22 may support a data connection between itself and the internet 532 via a communication channel 550, as shown in fig. 22. The data connection between the server 302 and the ISP map search server 530 may then be supported via the internet 532, which is connected to the ISP map server 530 via communication channel 542. Alternatively, a data connection 546 between the private server 302 and the ISP map search server 530 may be formed via a network connection 546, which network connection 546 may be supported, for example, by a private network.

Thus, the arrangements of fig. 21 and 22 show an example of how a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the map search server 530 may be supported.

When the user of the navigation device initiates a search by actuating the 'what' button on the 'what' screen of fig. 12, the OTA local search module 490 generates a server call message in response to the processor 210 of the navigation device 200, which includes:

the reference location, which is the reference location selected by the user via the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8, as described above. The reference location may be defined in terms of latitude and longitude; and

search text entered by the user into the 'what' screen of fig. 12; and in this example, the server call message also includes:

a limit X on the number of search results to be returned;

the language of the user interface of the navigation device 200, in this example english; and

optionally, a search area indicator, e.g., whether the search is limited to a search for businesses, whether the search is limited to a search for 5-star results, etc.

The server call message is then sent to the map search server 530 via the network connection between the navigation device 200 and the map search server. The network connection may be via the internet 532, server 302, and/or connection 546 of fig. 21 and 22, as described above. Map search server 530 (e.g., Google)^TMMap) will conduct a search based on the content of the server call message to generate a set of search results and generate a search results message comprising the search results, and send the results message to the navigation device 200 via the network connection. Typically, each search result will be related to an entity (e.g., a business).

Each search result typically contains:

identifying a name of the entity, such as a business name of the entity;

the location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the entity; and in this example, the search results also contain:

a rating of the entity;

whether the entity is a sponsored entity; and

the telephone number of the entity.

The search result message may additionally or alternatively contain suggested search text if no search results are returned, an insufficient number of search results are returned, or if an insufficient number of search results are returned proximate to the reference location.

As indicated above, the server call message may include additional criteria that limit the number of search results to be returned by the map search server 530 in the search results message to, for example, a number X or less. This has the advantage of reducing the bandwidth required to send the search result message and/or speeding up the reception of the search result message by the navigation device 200. However, it has the disadvantage that additional server call messages may have to be sent to the map search server 530 to obtain more search results if none of the limited number of returned search results are useful to the user.

The search results are typically ordered in the search results message by the map search server 530 in order of relevance to the criteria included in the server call message. The OTA local search module 490 operates with the processor 210 within the navigation device 200 to display a set of search results contained in a received results message as a 'search results' screen shown in figure 13 on the display device 240 of the navigation device.

Search results ordered in the same manner as search results are ordered in a search result message by the map search server 530 may be listed on the 'search results' screen. The searches associated with the reference location (selected by the user on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8) have a single reference location in addition to those searches in which the reference location is along the route (selected by the user actuating the 'where to search' button on the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8). In the case of a search having a single reference location, the search results returned by the map search server 530 are typically ordered by distance from the reference location, with the closest search result ranked first.

Each search result in the set of search results will be related to the located entity, e.g., the business that provides the service specified in the search text, and as shown in fig. 13, the OTA local search module 490 operating with the processor 210 of the navigation device 200 displays each search result on the 'search results' screen. In the 'search results' screen of fig. 13, the displayed search results are displayed in a row-by-row fashion, with one result per row. It will be appreciated that search results may be displayed in different arrangements. Each of the displayed search results displayed on the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 includes:

identifying the name of the entity, e.g., the business name of the entity, e.g., B v bem Marnixstraat is the name of the entity listed first on the 'search results' screen in FIG. 13;

the distance between the reference location and the physical location (where there is a single reference location) or the shortest distance between the route along which the navigation device is currently navigating and the physical location (where the reference location is the route). For example, 1.1km in the example of B v bem marnixstratat on the top row of the 'search results' screen in fig. 13;

a rating of the entity, e.g., the number of stars displayed adjacent to the third and fifth listed entities on the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 (e.g., 0 to 5); and

whether the entity is a sponsored entity, as shown for the first two listed entities on the 'search results' screen of FIG. 13.

Additionally, where the reference location is a route (as opposed to a single location), the search results displayed on the 'search results' screen may also include, for each search result, an indication of whether the entity mentioned in the search result is on, near, or off-route, but this is not shown in fig. 13.

The number of characters in the name of the entity as displayed on the 'search results' screen may be limited by OTA local search module 490. For example, the number of characters may be limited to a number less than 40, for example.

In the event that the server call message to the map search server 530 does not limit the number of search results returned, the OTA local search module 490 operating in the navigation device 200 can limit the number of search results displayed on the 'search results' screen and additionally can display a 'more' button (not shown in the figure) that the user can actuate to instruct the navigation device to present more search results. Where the server call message to the map search server 530 limits the number of search results returned, then actuation of the 'more' button causes the OTA local search module to initiate the sending of another server call message to initiate the retrieval of additional search results from the map search server 530.

The OTA local search module 490 may limit the number of search results retrieved from the map search server 530 and/or displayed on the 'search results' screen to a number X, e.g., X11, which may be displayed in this example in two pages of the 'search results' screen of fig. 13, or X17, which may be displayed in this example in three pages of the 'search results' screen. In the case where the reference location is a single location, then there is a great chance that the first 11 search results will include search results that are useful to the user.

The user may scroll through the search results displayed on the pages of the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 by actuating the scroll up button 560 or the scroll down button 562. Upon actuation of the 'back' button 564 of fig. 13, the user is directed back to the 'what' screen of fig. 11. Additionally, if the user wants to limit the search results to only businesses, the user may actuate the 'at business only' button 566 of the 'search results' screen of FIG. 13 in order to generate another call server message with a search area indicator that limits the search results to only businesses. Additionally, the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 may include a 'at 5 star only' button, actuation of which will generate another search call server message with a search area indicator that limits the search results to only 5 star entities. In the example of FIG. 13, the 'find' button, when actuated by the user, will present an additional screen that allows the user to filter the search results for a particular entity in the search results.

In the event that the map search server does not find a search result, the map search server finds an insufficient number of search results (e.g., less than X), or the map search server finds an insufficient number of search results (e.g., less than X) that are less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 200km) from the reference location, then the search resultsThe message may include (in addition to any search result details) suggested search text. The OTA local search module 490 and processor 210 working with the navigation device 200 will then display the search results returned from the map search server, if any, on the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 along with a line stating at the end of the search results whether "you mean" followed by suggested search text. If the map search server does not return a search result, the first line of the search result displayed on the 'search results' screen will state whether "your meaning is" followed by suggested search text. These suggestions come from the map search server 530 in the form of search result messages, e.g., Google, where no or only a few search results are found^TMThe server will send the suggested search text. For example, when the user has made an input error when entering search text into the 'what' screen of fig. 11, this may enable the user to more easily initiate another search. To initiate another search, the user will simply actuate the appropriate "if your meaning is" row displayed on the 'search results' screen, e.g. in the case of using a touch sensitive display, the user will touch the appropriate "if your meaning is" row.

In this example, although the phone number of the entity is included in the search result message from the map search server 530, it is not displayed on the 'search result' screen of fig. 13. The title (568) of the 'search results' screen of fig. 13 displays the search string as shown (in this case, "gasoline"), and may also display the number X of search results displayed on the 'search results screen' and the total number Y of search results located in the search conducted by the map search server 530, e.g., it may display X of the 'Y matches'.

From the 'search results' screen of fig. 13, the user may actuate a search results row, e.g., where a touch-sensitive display is used, the user touches the row showing the search results of their interest. In this example, the user actuates the search result row showing 'B vbem marnixstratat' and in response thereto, the OTA local search module 490 operating in the navigation device 200 with the processor 210 displays the 'location information' screen of fig. 14 on the display device 240 of the navigation device 200.

The 'location information' screen in the example of fig. 14 shows:

a map 570 displaying a location 572 of the entity;

the phone number 572 of the entity (if available) as returned by the map search server 530 in the search result message;

the name of the entity in the title 574 of the 'location information' screen, in this example, 'B v bem marnixstratat';

the address 576 of the entity, in this example 'unnamed road-amnix street of amsterdam (Marnixstraat)';

in the case where the ' where to search ' button of the ' screen of figure 8 is actuated at a location along the route to reach the ' what ' screen of figure 11, an indication (not shown in figure 14) may be displayed showing whether the location of the entity is on, near or off the route currently being navigated by the navigation device 200;

sponsored symbol 578 indicating whether the entity is a sponsored entity; and

a star rating 579, which may reflect the end user rating of an entity.

Only data available from the search result message received from the map search server 530 is displayed on the 'location information' screen of fig. 14. If the user requires any further information about the entity, the user actuates the 'details' button 580 on the 'location information' screen. Upon actuation of the 'details' button by the user, additional information about the entity is retrieved from the map search server 530 via the network connection, and then displayed on the 'location details' screen of fig. 16. In the event that additional retrieved information cannot be loaded on the screen, the scroll button will appear on the 'location details' screen.

In the example of fig. 16, a 'find' button 590 allows the user to search for a character string in the text constituting the additional information displayed on the 'location detail' screen. The 'zoom' button 592 allows a user to zoom in and out of the 'location details' screen. Actuation of the 'done' button 594 of fig. 16 by the user causes the 'location information' screen of fig. 14 to be displayed again on the display device 240 of the navigation device 200.

Actuating the 'back' button 540 on the 'location information' screen of fig. 14 causes the display device 240 of the navigation device 200 to display the 'search result' screen of fig. 13.

If the navigation device 200 is connected to an I/O device 280 that supports mobile phone functionality (e.g., in the case where the I/O device 280 is a mobile phone) or if the navigation device has mobile phone functionality (as described above), actuating the 'dial' button 582 of fig. 14 causes the mobile phone functionality to make a mobile phone call to the entity. The 'dialed position' screen shown in figure 15, which is similar to the 'location information' screen but additionally displays a 'phone icon' 584, is then displayed on the display device 240 of the navigation device 200. Once a mobile phone connection is made to the entity, the user may talk to a representative of the entity.

Alternatively, the user may enter an address of a known destination into the 'what' screen of fig. 11, for example, to find out more information (e.g., a phone number) associated with the address. For example, when Google^TMWhen a search site receives a server call message with an address as search text, the site will locate a particular single location associated with the address instead of a results list. In this case, the OTA local search module 490 working with the processor 210 in the navigation device 210 will cause the display device 240 to display the 'location information' screen of fig. 14 and will omit the step of showing the 'search results' screen. In this case, the 'back' button 540 on the 'location information' screen, when actuated, will cause the user to go backTo the 'what' screen of fig. 11 and 12.

As described above with respect to fig. 5b and 5c, when the navigation device 200 incorporates an OTA search service according to the present invention, the user may actuate the 'navigate to' button on the screen of fig. 5b to move to the screen of fig. 9 instead of the screen of fig. 5 c. The screen of fig. 9 is similar to the screen of fig. 5c except that it additionally includes a logo Google^TMThe button 502. In the event that the user accesses the screen of fig. 9 from a 'navigate to' screen, such as the screen shown in fig. 5b, and conducts an OTA partial search (as described above) and arrives at the 'location information' screen of fig. 14, then actuating the 'select' button 596 from the 'location information' screen will initiate navigation to the entity selected from the search results, in this example Bv bem marnixstat.

In this example, the navigation device 200 will display the 'navigate to search results' screen of figure 17, which is identical to the screen described above in relation to figure 5i, but with an alternative destination.

Alternatively, the user may initiate the search in the same manner as described above from the 'Add favorite items' screen, in which case actuation of the 'select' button 596 from the 'location information' screen of FIG. 14 will result in the details of the selected entity (in this example, B v bem Marxstratat) being stored as the new favorite destination in the memory 230 of the navigation device 200.

In the case where the navigation device 200 incorporates the OTA local search service described above, the '3D navigation' screen of figure 6 will include a 'quick menu' button 504. When the 'quick menu' button 504 is activated, the display device 240 of the navigation device 200 displays the 'quick menu' screen shown in figure 18 in this example. As shown in FIG. 18, the 'quick menu' screen display has a display of Goggle^TMThe' in google: navigate to the' button. ' in google: navigation to the where' actuation of the button causes the navigation device to show the where to search screen of figure 8, from which the user conducts the procedure described above to conduct a local search, and to arriveThe 'location information' screen of fig. 14 may be followed by pressing the 'select' button 596 to navigate to the selected entity, as described above with respect to fig. 17.

The navigation device 200 can be actuated by a user to display a map browser screen, an example of which is shown in fig. 7. By actuating the ' find ' button 600 from the map browser screen, the ' location selector ' screen of fig. 9 is displayed and the user can ' mark the trademark Google by actuating^TMThe ' button 502 of (a) to initiate OTA local search service (as described above) until the ' search results ' screen of fig. 13 is reached. In this example, the user actuates the second line of the search results in FIG. 13 for the entity 'Gulf demarol b v' and the navigation device displays the search results on the 'search results on map' screen, as shown on FIG. 19, where the location is by Google^TMA particular balloon icon 602. User actuation of the balloon icon 602 causes 'location information' similar to that of figure 14 to be displayed on the display device of the navigation device except for the alternative selected entity 'Gulf demarol b v'.

Referring now to fig. 20 and 21 of the drawings, the memory resource 230 stores a boot loader (not shown) that is executed by the processor 210 in order to load an operating system 470 from the memory resource 230 for execution by the functional hardware components 460, the operating system 470 providing an environment in which application software 480 can run. The operating system 470 serves to control the functional hardware components 460 and resides between the application software 480 and the functional hardware components 460. The application software 480 provides an operating environment that includes a graphical user interface, GUI, that supports core functions of the navigation device 200, such as map viewing, route planning, navigation functions, and any other functions associated therewith. A portion of this functionality, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, includes an OTA local search module 490, the function of which will now be described in detail in connection with fig. 23 and 24.

Fig. 23 and 24 are schematic flow diagrams illustrating the steps of a method by which the teachings of this disclosure may be implemented, in particular, the functionality of the aforementioned OTA local search module 490. The method now to be described is particularly relevant to, but not limited to, a navigation device 200 comprising a PND being used by a user wishing to navigate along a route to a destination location.

In fig. 23, at step 2, the user initiates a search for an unknown destination, for example, by accessing the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 (via the 'location selector' screen of fig. 9), for example, from the 'location selector' screen of fig. 9, the 'navigation view' screen of fig. 6, the 'quick menu' screen of fig. 18, or the map browser view of fig. 7. According to the method, a user may select a reference location. In the example presented, at step 4, the 'where to search' screen of fig. 8 displays a selection of user-selectable reference locations. In the event that the user selects the 'at location in city' option (step 6), at step 8, the 'select city' screen of fig. 10 is displayed so that the user can select a city as the reference location. In the case where the reference position is selected (at step 4 to step 8), at step 10, a screen in which search text may be input is displayed, for example, the 'what' screen of fig. 11 is displayed, so that the user may input search text as shown in fig. 12. According to the method, at step 12, a call server message is generated and at step 14, the message is sent to the map search server 530 over a network connection. Method steps occurring outside the navigation device 200 are shown in dashed lines in fig. 23. The map search server then searches at step 16 based on the reference location selected by the user at steps 2-8 and based on the search text entered by the user at step 10. At step 18, the map search server replies to the navigation device 200 with a search result message. In this example, a decision is made whether the search results include a single address search, step 20, and if so, the method jumps to step 36. If not, the method proceeds to step 22 and, according to this example, a decision is made as to whether the number of search results returned by the map search server 530 is sufficient.

If the number of search results returned is significantly less than X, the search results, if any, are displayed, at step 24, for example, on the 'search results' screen of fig. 13, along with whether 'your meaning is' message. The 'search results' screen provides the user with the option to select whether 'your meaning is' message (at step 26) and if this is selected, then another search message is generated and sent to the map search server 530 using the search string in the 'whether your meaning is' message (at step 32) and the method jumps back to step 16. If ' your meaning is not selected to be ' message ' the method jumps to step 34.

If the number of search results returned is not significantly less than X, the search results are displayed at step 28, for example, on the 'search results' screen of FIG. 13.

In the example of fig. 23, the user is provided with the option of limiting the search area from the 'search results' screen by selecting a business-only search (at step 30) by actuating the 'business-only' button 566 from the 'search results' screen of fig. 13. If the business only search option is selected, a search message is generated that reduces the search to business only and sent to the map search server 530 (at step 32) and the method jumps back to step 16.

At step 34, the user may select a search result from the 'search results' screen. In this example, if at step 2, a search is initiated from a map browser screen (e.g. as shown in fig. 7) via the 'location selector' screen of fig. 9, then at step 38 a map browser view (e.g. as shown in fig. 19) is displayed. Otherwise, the location information is displayed at step 40, for example, as shown on the 'location information' screen of fig. 14.

The remaining method steps are shown in fig. 24, which method steps begin at step 40, where the location information is displayed.

In the example of figure 14, the 'location information' screen displays an option to place a call to the displayed entity, the user may decide to select this option at step 44, and then at step 46, a call to the entity is made from the navigation device 200, and in the example of figure 15, the 'dial location' screen is displayed.

In the display of location information, the user may be prompted with an option to obtain more details about the displayed entity (e.g., as shown at FIG. 14 by 'details' button 580) (step 48). If the user chooses to obtain more details about the entity, a search is initiated at step 50.

The user may choose to navigate to the entity located in the search at steps 49 and 52. In the example of figure 14, if a search is initiated from the navigation screen of the navigation device 200 at step 2, step 49, actuating the 'select' button 596 of figure 14 will cause the navigation device 200 to navigate to the entity, step 52.

At steps 54 and 56, the user may select to store details of the entity relating to the selected search result in the memory 230 of the navigation device 200. In the example of figure 14, if a search is initiated from the favorite items screen of the navigation device 200 at step 2, step 54, actuating the 'select' button 596 of figure 14 will cause the navigation device 200 to store details of the entity in memory 230.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described thus far, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein, but extends to cover all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

For example, although the embodiments described in the foregoing detailed description refer to GPS, it should be noted that the navigation device may utilize any kind of position sensing technology as an alternative to (or indeed in addition to) GPS. For example, the navigation device may utilize the use of other global navigation satellite systems, such as the european Galileo (Galileo) system. Again, it is not limited to being satellite-based, but may readily function using ground-based beacons or any other kind of system that enables a device to determine its geographic location.

It will also be well understood by those skilled in the art that while the preferred embodiment implements certain functionality by means of software, the functionality could equally be implemented solely in hardware, e.g. by means of one or more ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), or indeed by a mixture of hardware and software. As such, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as limited to implementation in software.

Finally, it should also be noted that although the appended claims set forth particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations claimed above, but rather the scope of the present invention extends to cover any combination of features or embodiments disclosed herein, whether or not that particular combination has been specifically enumerated in the appended claims at this time.

Claims (20)

1. A navigation device (200), comprising:

input interface (220, 240)

A processor (210); and

a display (240) controllable by the processor;

characterized in that the input interface is additionally configured to enable a user to input search text and to select a reference location, and the navigation device (200) further comprises:

an over-the-air (OTA) search module (490), the over-the-air (OTA) search module (490) for generating a server call message including the reference location and the search text for transmission to a remote map search server (530), and for receiving a search result reply message from such a remote map search server (530) based on the reference location and the search text, and the processor (210) being responsive to the OTA search module (490) to control the display (240) to display search results to the user.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein a search result in the search result reply message is related to an entity and lists a name of the entity and a location of the entity.

3. A navigation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a search result of the search results displayed to the user on the display (240) is selected by a user by operating the input interface (220), and the user interface (240) provides the user with an option relating to an operation of the navigation device (200) relating to the selected search result.

4. A navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the options include an option to control the navigation device (200) to navigate the user to a location of an entity to which the search result relates.

5. A navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the navigation device comprises a memory (230) and the option comprises an option for the navigation device (200) to store the selected search result in the memory.

6. The navigation device of claim 3, wherein the option includes an option for the OTA search module to generate a server call message that lists:

entities to which the selected search results are related; and

a request for more details about the entity for transmission;

to such a remote map search server (530), and the OTA search module is for receiving a search result reply message from such a remote map search server (530) based on the entity and the request, and the processor (210) is responsive to the OTA search module (490) to control the display (240) to display additional details about the entity to the user.

7. Navigation device according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an antenna (250) and a receiver (250), the receiver (250) for receiving data signals via the antenna, wherein the processor (210) is configured to determine a current position of the navigation device from the received signals.

8. The navigation device of claim 7, wherein the selected reference position is the current position of the device.

9. A navigation device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor (210) is configured to implement route planning functionality to calculate a route from a departure location to a destination location, and the selected reference location is one of the route, the departure location or the destination location.

10. Navigation device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the selected reference location is a location stored in a memory (230) of the navigation device (200).

11. A navigation device according to any of the preceding claims, additionally comprising or connected to network connection functionality (320, 322, 280), and the processor (210) is configured to control the OTA search module (490) and the network connection functionality to transmit the server call message to such a map search server (350) over a network connection (532, 534, 536, 538, 542, 546, 550) and to receive the search result message from such a map search server.

12. A navigation device according to claim 11, wherein the network connection functionality (320, 322, 280) comprises mobile phone functionality and the search result message comprises a phone contact number of an entity to which at least one of the search results relates, and wherein a search result of the search results displayed on the display (240) is selected by a user by operating the input interface (220), and the input interface (220) controlled by the processor (210) provides a user with an option to dial the phone contact number of the entity using the mobile phone functionality.

13. Navigation device according to any of the preceding claims, additionally comprising a transmitter (320) and a receiver (322), the navigation device communicating with a dedicated server (302) via the transmitter (320) and the receiver (322), wherein the processor (210) is configured to control the OTA search module (490) to transmit the server call message to the server and to receive the search result message from the server, and the server (302) is configured to communicate with this map search server via a network connection (536, 546, 550, 532, 542).

14. A navigation device according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the network connection is via the internet.

15. Navigation device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the server call message additionally comprises an instruction to limit the number of search results returned in the search results message.

16. A navigation device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor (210) and OTA search module (490) are configured to control the display (240) to display a where to search screen via which a user selects the reference location.

17. A navigation device according to claim 16, wherein in response to selection of the reference location via the 'where to search' screen, the processor (210) and OTA search module (490) are configured to control the display (240) to display a 'what' screen into which the search text is entered by a user using the input interface (220).

18. A navigation system, comprising:

a navigation device (200) comprising

Input interface (220, 240)

A processor (210); and

a display (240) controllable by the processor; and

a remote map search server (530);

characterized in that the input interface is additionally configured to enable a user to input search text and to select a reference location, and the navigation device (200) further comprises:

an over-the-air (OTA) search module (490), the over-the-air (OTA) search module (490) for generating a server call message including the reference location and the search text for transmission to the remote map search server (530) over a network connection (532, 534, 536, 538, 542, 546, 550) and for receiving a search result reply message based on the reference location and the search text from the remote map search server (530) over the network connection, and the processor (210) being responsive to the OTA search module (490) to control the display (240) to display search results to the user.

19. A navigation method for locating an unknown destination in a navigation device (200), the method comprising the steps of:

-a user entering a search text and a reference location indicative of the unknown destination via a user interface (220, 240) of the navigation device;

the navigation device (200) generating a server call message listing the reference location and the search text for transmission to a remote map search server (530), and receiving a search result reply message from such remote map search server (530) based on the reference location and the search text; and

the navigation device (200) displays the search results to the user on a display device (240) of the navigation device.

20. Computer software comprising one or more software modules operable when executed in an execution environment to cause a processor (210) of a navigation device (200) to:

generating a first user interface via which a user selects a reference location;

generating a second user interface via which a user inputs a search text;

generating a server call message listing the search text and the reference location for transmission by the navigation device (200) to a remote map search server (530);

processing a search result reply message from the remote map search server (530); and

generating a third user interface that displays search results to a user on a display device (240) of the navigation device (200).