US 7,333,820 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`az) United States Patent
`Shehaet al.
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`
`US007333820B2
`
`(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING
`ROUTING, MAPPING, AND RELATIVE
`POSITION INFORMATION TO USERS OF A
`COMMUNICATION NETWORK
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Michael A. Sheha, Pasadena, CA (US);
`Stephen Petilli, Pasadena, CA (US);
`Angie Sheha, Pasadena, CA (US)
`(73) Assignee: Networks In Motion, Inc., Aliso Viejo,
`CA (US)
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`(21) Appl. No.: 10/194,518
`(22)
`Filed:
`Jul. 11, 2002
`(65)
`Prior Publication Data
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`(51)
`
`Jan. 23, 2003
`US 2003/0016804 Al
`Related U.S. Application Data
`,
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/305,975, filed on Jul.
`17, 2001.
`Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`H04Q 7/20
`(52) US. Ch we, 455/457; 455/456.4; 379/201 .07;
`379/201 .06; 379/201.08
`(58) Field of Classification Search ................ 342/450,
`342/457, 357.08, 357.09, 357.1, 357.13,
`342/357.17, 357.06, 357.01; 455/457, 456.1,
`455/415, 566, 414.1, 411, 410, 427, 12.1,
`455/404.1, 404.2, 456.2, 456.3, 456.5, 456.6,
`455/517, 456.4; 701/202, 209, 211, 201,
`701/200, 207, 208, 213, 300; 379/88.19,
`379/142.06, 142.05, 142.1, 93.23, 88.2, 88.21,
`379/142.04, 142.17, 142.02, 201.06, 201.07,
`379/201.08, 201.11; 340/988, 989, 990,
`340/991, 993, 995.1, 995.12, 995.2, 995.19,
`340/995 .24, 995.23
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,930,662 A
`7/1990 Nimuraet al. cecccscscee 701/211
`
`(Continued)
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`2305568
`4/1997
`GB
`96/36930
`WO
`11/1996
`Primary Examiner—Joseph Feild
`Assistant Examiner—Pierre-Louis Desir
`(74) Autiorney, Agent, or Firm—Morrison & Foerster LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`The present invention is directed to a system and method for
`Sas
`:
`ee
`.
`providing real-time position information of one party to
`anotherparty by utilizing a conventional telecommunication
`network system such as the convention telephone network,
`a mobile telecommunications network, a computer network,
`or the Internet. More specifically, the preferred embodiments
`of the present invention allow a caller and a receiver of a
`telephone call to provide to and receive from each other
`position information related to the caller and/or receiver's
`physical location, including address information, GPS coor-
`dinates, nearby fixed locations such as a parking structure,
`ete. Additionally, the preferred embodiments of the present
`invention allow a caller and receiver to retrieve routing
`instructions or mapsfor traveling to or from each other. In
`another embodimentof the present invention, a party may
`locate the position of another party via the entry of the other
`party’s unique identifier such as a phone numberofthe other
`party’s mobile phone. In yet another embodiment of the
`present invention, the position information of a party may be
`concurrently delivered to another party’s computer terminal
`whereby the other party can process the information in
`further detail.
`
`60 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
`
`PC, Set Top Box,
`ete, with MODEM
`
`Teleptione with
`display device
`Telephone
`6
`
`
`
` Landline Landline
`
`
`Connection
`Connection
`
`9a
`
`
`
`
`Telephone
`
`
`Network
`
`Online Database
`
`Telephone
`14——
`
`and Application
`Server
`LAN-ToSP
`Network-To-Online 3
`Database
`
`Counection
`10
`
`
`S| To-internetConnection12
`isp.
` internet-To-Ontine
`
`
`
`
`4—
`Telephone Network-
`)
`
`Database
`4 1
` 13
`
`iSP-To-Internet
`Connection
`
`1
`internetintranevExtranet
`
`Google Exhibit 1005
`Google Exhibit 1005
`Google v. Mullen
`Google v. Mullen
`
`

`

`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,727,057 A *
`5,802,492 A
`5,904,727 A
`6,049,718 A *
`6,084,951 A *
`6,091,957 A
`6,185,426 Bl
`6,208,934 Bl
`6,226,367 B1*
`6,353,664 B1*
`6,360,102 BL*
`6,377,210 Bl
`
`3/1998 Emery et al... 379/20 1.07
`9/1998 DeLormeet al.
`........... 701/200
`
`w+ 701/208
`5/1999 Prabhakaran
`4/2000 Stewart ....... 455/456.4
`7/2000 Smith et al. o... 379/93 .23
`wee 455/457
`7/2000 Larkinset al.
`..
`
`2/2001 Alperovich et al.
`..... 455/456.1
`3/2001 Bechtolsheim et al.
`..... 701/209
`.......
`wee 455/415
`5/2001 Smith et al.
`
`.
`» 379/142.1
`3/2002 Cannonet al.
`.
`wee 455/457
`3/2002 Havinis et al.
`
`4/2002 Moore ....ccccccceeeeeee 342/357.13
`
`6,459,782 B1* 10/2002 Bedrosian etal. ..... 379/201.08
`......... 340/995.1
`6,529,143 B2
`3/2003 Mikkola et al.
`
`_. 379/88.23
`6,539,080 Bl *
`3/2003 Bruceetal.
`
`6,643,516 B1* 11/2003 Stewart
`....
`.. 455/456.6
`. 379/201.06
`6,674,849 B1*
`1/2004 Froeberg ..
`
`... 455/457
`6,766,174 B1*
`7/2004 Kenyon....
`
`379/93.12
`6,775,371 B2*
`8/2004 Elseyetal.
`2002/0022492 Al
`2/2002 Barak et al.
`. 455/457
`.
`.. 701/200
`2002/0052786 Al
`5/2002 Kim etal.
`709/217
`2002/0059201 Al
`5/2002 Work .......
`
`.
`.. 7073
`2003/0061211 Al
`3/2003 Shultz et al.
`11/2004 Laursen et al. oo... 455/403
`2004/0229595 Al
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 1 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`PC, Set Top Box,
`ete. with MODEM
`Tefepfione with
`‘elephone
`6
`Telophi
`display device
`
`Landline
`Landiine
`
`Connection
`Connection
`
`
`
`
`9a
`9b
`|
`
`Telephone
`
`
`Network
`
`Telephone
`—_—
`2|
`Network-To-Online q 8dApplication
`
`
`14
`
`LAN-Tot&P
`Connection
`
`Database
`Server
`
`
`Online Database
`
`ISP
`
` internet-To-Online
`
`Database 1
`4—>
`Telephone Network-
`To-Internet Connection 12
`?
`
`
`t
`13
`ISP-To-Internet
`Connection
`
`1
`internetintranev/Extranet
`
`FIG. 1
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 2 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`Telephone,
`PC, Set Top Box,
`Telephone with
`ete. with MODEM
`Display Device
`6
`
`
`
`
`Landline
`Wireless
`
`
`
`
`Connection
`Connection 228—>
`
`
`
`Local Position
`
`
`
`<— 21a Network Assisted
`
`osition
`Information
`
`<—— 17
`
`
`
`22—
`
`Telephone
`
`
`
`2
`
`
`
`LAN-To-ISP
`
`Connection
`
`
`
`
` Telephone Network-
`To-Internet Connection 12
`
`
` is! q 3
`
`
`>
`
`ISP-To-internet
`Connection
`
`1
`Internet/intranet/Extranet
`
`.
`Online Database
`and Application
`Server
`
`FIG. 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 3 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`18c¢
`18b
`'
`
`
`
`
` Online Databas
`220=~20e-—>
`21b——>
`and Applicatior
`
`Network Assisted
`| Server
`
`
`19b
`
`Local Position
`Information
`
`
`
`Position
`Information
`
`
`
`
`
`Wireless
`Network
`
`
`
`19¢
`
`|
`
`Local Position
`(nformation
`
`
`
`foternetintranetv/Extranet
`
`FIG. 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 4 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`23a
`\
`
`Personal
`Computer
`
`Set-top Box npoagaqgo0onn000
`
`23b
`\
`Smart TV or
`TV with
`
`gognogo0qg000q0aqaQ0
`oo0an0nooog
`
`
`
`Miscellaneous
`Open Computer
`Window
`<— 25
`
`
`
`Computer Display
`or
`
`TV Display
`
`24—>
`
`
`
`(888)555-1212
`
`Map Caller-ID
`
`
`Notification 26 ——>|MeoCaler0
`
`Map Caller-ID
`John Smith <— 27
`(888) 555-1212
`
`Map Caller-ID
`Text
`
`FIG. 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 5 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`Window
`
`<——- 25
`
`Map Caller-ID
`Notification
`
`Computer Display
`illustrating Map
`Calfer-ID Popup
`Notification
`
`Computer Display
`fiiustrating Map
`Catller-[D Detailed
`information
`Window
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Driving Route of
`Driving Directions
`Varying Resolution
`of Varying
`
` PhoneNumber
`31 Resolution
`John Smith
`(888) 555-1212
`
`
`29
`515 S. Catalina
`Distance
`
`
`Remote Location
`Pasadena, CA 91109
`32.46 Miles
`
`
` 32
`Direction Heading
`L
`Remote Caller
`peleuve to Local
`Detalied
`(information
`
`Detailed Map
`30° Caller-0 Window
`
`FIG. 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 6 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`;
`.
`Mobile Device
`18d
`
`
`Wireless, Wired,
`infrared Interface
`
`Navigational
`Device
`37
`
`36
`
`
`
` I
`
`38 Connection:
`
`Wireless, infrared,
`
`Wired
`
`
`39a
`Motor Vehicle
`
`r
`
`37 — Navigational Device
`
`
`
`
`PROCESSOR=|" 40
`
`
`
`p POSITION
`
`
`
`ay
`
`DETERMINING
`SYSTEM
`
`MEMORY - STORAGE |<—— go
`
`
`
`USER INTERFACE |<——43
`
`
`
`DISPLAY <—44
`
`FIG. 6
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 7 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`Mobile Naviagtion
`Device
`
`Wireless, Wired,
`infrared
`
`Wireless, Wired,
`infrared Base
`Station
`
`
`
`Base Station-To-
`internet
`Connection
`
`
`46 ee 47
`
`
`
`
`
`
`39b
`Motor Vehicle
`
`Internet/Intranet/Extranet
`
`1—>
`
`Internet-To-Online
`Database
`
`Online Database
`and Application
`Server
`
`3
`
`5
`
`FIG. 7
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 8 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`REGION
`
`REGION 1
`
`Tea Street
`
`REGION 2
`
`=U
`
`3°
`
`FIG. 8
`
`
`
`rc a
`
`®°eoh
`
`ow
`=w
`4
`
`REGION 3
`
`/
`
`49
`Wireless
`Coverage Region
`
`NO COVERAGE REGION
`
`Finish
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 19, 2008
`
`Sheet 9 of 9
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`
`
`
`FIG.9
`
`

`

`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING
`ROUTING, MAPPING, AND RELATIVE
`POSITION INFORMATION TO USERS OF A
`COMMUNICATION NETWORK
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`Embodiments of the present invention claim priority from
`USS. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/305,975 filed
`Jul. 17, 2001.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of Invention
`This invention relates to location and navigational sys-
`tems and to the determination of local and remote position
`information in ad-hoc landline and wireless systems, includ-
`ing the utilization of unique identification addresses, such as
`telephone numbers or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, for
`such purposes as providing real-time location information,
`maps, routing, and direction finding.
`2. Description of the Related Art
`Navigational systems, defined as systems that provide a
`unit’s local position and a way of planning a course around
`the unit’s local position, sometimes to a remote position,
`such as in-vehicle navigations systems do, are well know in
`the art. Typically, an in-vehicle navigation system consists of
`a display screen, processing unit, storage unit, and user input
`mechanism. The storage system typically contains,
`for
`example, maps andtravel information used for navigational
`purposes. Travel
`information may include such items as
`points of interest,
`local restaurants, theaters, municipality
`locations, and the like.
`Determining a local position in a navigation system has
`typically been done by integrating or connecting Global
`Positioning System (GPS) technology into the local navi-
`gational system. New positioning determination systems
`include network-assisted wireless location systems, such as
`TOA (Time-of-Arrival), and network assisted GPS systems
`for determining the local navigation system’s position. The
`unit’s location is then displayed on the device and is
`available for various applications, such as in the case of a
`commuter seeking the shortest route to a location in a
`specific area or a user wanting to find the nearest gas station.
`Destination locations are typically determined by manu-
`ally accessing stored information from a local database or
`navigational information storage system, such as a DVD
`disc or CD-ROM discs. Location information is found by
`searching through categories of information until the desired
`location is found, or alternatively, by cross referencing
`telephone numbers with addresses by means of the local
`storage system. Conventionally, numerous discs, or even
`numerous sets of discs, are required to provide adequate
`detailed geographic coverage, including address andtele-
`phone information about a given metropolitan area. Thatis,
`conventional in-vehicle navigation systems require that an
`extensive collection of storage discs be carried within the
`vehicle. Additionally, prior art DVD and CD-ROM disc
`based systems require periodic updating. That is, even after
`a user has purchased a set of discs, new replacementdiscs
`must be acquired, for example, as new roads and points of
`interest information are updated.
`As an additional drawback, some navigation systems that
`do not have the storage capability, such as wireless PDAs
`(Personal Digital Assistant) or typical cell phones, are not
`able to implementcross referencing of telephone numbers to
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`2
`addresses locally due to the large memory andstorage size
`requirements of such an operation and low computational
`powerof the devices. Furthermore, since most businesses
`and individuals can change their telephone numbers numer-
`ous times while at their current address determining desti-
`nation locations from telephone numberson a locally-stored
`database inherently causes the information to be out of date
`and inaccurate. These and other changes, such as a new
`telephone line or an area code change, would invalidate the
`current version of locally-stored DVD or CD-ROM disc
`information. As a further drawback, mobile navigation
`devices and stationary landline computing devices are not
`alwaysassociated with telephone numbers, but rather Inter-
`net Protocol (IP) addresses orthelike.
`Convention art systems are typically incapable of obtain-
`ing position information over dynamically-configured con-
`nections such as, for example, current fleet tracking systems
`that require predefined user and/or device configurations
`before the transfer of position information is possible. Cur-
`rent systems for determining the location of numerous
`mobile navigation devices typically require users to register
`each device’s network address, or the like, into a database.
`These types of systems typically have user/asset account
`creation procedures that are static and not dynamic. Each
`remote unit, which has access to its current position infor-
`mation from a connected positioning device or other posi-
`tioning means, has an application that responds to a request
`for position information from a centralized server. These
`systemsare viable options for organizations that must gov-
`ern the tracking of assets that belong to the organization.
`However, should an outside system or individual desire to
`track another organization’s asset for a short period of time
`and for one time only, the organization must then provide the
`network address ofthat asset as well as possibly providing
`permission to the outside organization or individual for the
`duration of their tracking needs. Oncethe permitted tracking
`has been accomplished,
`the system must shut down the
`outside account and possibly change the network address for
`security purposes. Additional security measures may be
`necessary to disable access by the outside user if the system
`has a firewall or other network security system in place.
`Thus, a need exists for a system that determines local
`and/or remote position information which does not require
`an extensive collection of DVD or CD-ROMdiscs, which is
`able to provide location and destination address or position
`information given a telephone number, and which is up-to-
`date andreliable and can be accessed via a networked online
`server(s). Additionally, the need exists for a system that
`determines local and/or remote position information of
`devices that are not always associated by telephone num-
`bers, but IP addressesor the like, and which can obtain such
`position information instantaneously and share it, by means
`of authentication and authorization protocols, without
`requiring any prior configuration.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`It is an object of the present invention to provide an
`improved system for obtaining real-time remote and/or local
`position information in various environments for a plurality
`of purposes, such as mapping,routing, and direction finding.
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a
`method for entering a telephone number by various means
`such as by using numeric, alphanumeric, speech-enabled
`interface, or software Application Interface (API), or the
`
`

`

`3
`like, for the purpose of determining position information
`associated with the telephone number by searching a net-
`worked database.
`
`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`4
`networked server) and data updates are obtained for the
`region(s) where wireless connectivity will not be available.
`It is yet another object of this invention to provide these
`aforementioned capabilities on various forms of devices,
`such as computing devices,
`telephone (both wired and
`wireless) devices, and devices with voice-over-IP (VoIP)
`capability.
`These and other objects are met by the position determi-
`nation, mapping, and routing system disclosed herein that
`assist the user, or a software application,
`in determining
`local and/or remote position(s) by using an online database
`and/or networked authentication and authorization connec-
`
`It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
`a method for entering a unique identification token, such as
`an e-mail address, that can be used on a networked server
`system utilizing authentication and authorization proce-
`dures, in order to determine position information andto pass
`that information between a plurality of unique users or
`applications on various devices. The duration of the position
`information transfer can be governed by a defined transfer
`period that can be set prior to the start of the transfer or at
`tion server. There are three primary cases that apply to this
`any time thereafter.
`invention: 1) landline-to-landline systems, 2) landline-to-
`Tt is yet another object of the invention to provide an
`mobile systems, and 3) mobile-to-mobile systems. The
`alternative form of Caller-ID (Map Caller-ID) to a local
`objective of each of these systemsis the same, to determine
`computing telephone device for display of the caller’s
`either or both of the local and remote devices’ position
`position information. Alternatively, using another comput-
`information.
`ing device, a caller’s position information is transferred to a
`In accordance with one embodimentof the present inven-
`predefined local computer, via the Internet, telephone, or
`20
`tion, for a landline-to-landline application, such as a call
`wireless network, and the position informationtoacalleris
`made between two standard telephones, a user can dial a
`displayed on a capable viewing device identified and con-
`telephone numberto a remote device. The act of dialing the
`figured by the destination telephone user. This position
`telephone number to another remote landline telephone,
`information transfer is done utilizing authentication and
`such as a residential
`telephone,
`triggers the transfer of
`authorization procedures or telephone-to-position informa-
`position information, such as in the form of a map, to either
`tion correlation procedures for caller identification. Addi-
`one or both of the local and/or remote telephone devices. If
`tionally,
`similar
`information containing Map Caller-ID
`the local and/or remote telephone devices do not incorporate
`information about the destination telephone number can be
`a display unit, the position information can be routed to an
`transferred to the originating caller.
`adjacent computing and/or display device, such as a per-
`Tt
`is a further object of this invention to provide the
`sonal computer or cable television’s set top box, that is
`calculation of position and route information, such as driv-
`connected to a network, such as a telephone or wireless
`ing directions, as well as the ability to provide azimuth,
`networkor the Internet. In this case, users whoare initiating
`elevation, altitude, altitude difference, line-of-sight (LOS)
`or receiving the telephone calls have their local telephone
`distance, and curved earth LOS distance measurements,
`numbers stored into a database that resides on a secure
`between the local and remote positions calculated from the
`network. Once the user has logged on to the personal
`position information obtained using the methodspreviously
`computer via authentication and authorization procedures,
`described.
`any call that originates or is destined to their telephone
`number can identify the position of the other landline
`telephone number, based on predetermined privacy settings
`associated with the other landline telephone number. Alter-
`natively, the user placing the call can obtain similar infor-
`mation about the destination telephone number.
`In accordance with another embodiment of the present
`invention, for a landline-to-mobile application, such as a call
`made between a standard telephone and a wireless tele-
`phone, a user (or application) can dial a telephone number
`to a remote location. In one embodiment, if a user of a
`mobile telephone dials or specifies a landline telephone
`number, such as a business telephone number, the system
`would correlate the business telephone numberto position-
`relevant information, such as address information andlati-
`tude and longitude coordinates. If the mobile telephoneis
`connected to a position determination system, the mobile
`telephone would be able to provide navigational informa-
`tion, such as route information in the form of real-time
`driving directions, or else a map and address of the desti-
`nation telephone number can be displayed on the mobile
`telephone.
`In accordance with another embodiment of the present
`invention, for the mobile-to-mobile application, which is
`slightly similar to a landline-to-mobile application, position
`information can be obtained in various embodiments. In one
`embodiment, if a mobile device user specifies a telephone
`number of another position-enabled mobile device,
`the
`system would query the remote mobile device and verify its
`privacysetting. If there are no privacy settings, the system
`would request the position information from the remote
`
`Tt is a further object of this invention to enable a local
`device, such as a wireless telephone or PDA,to acquire local
`or
`remote position information through the methods
`described above, and to pass any orall of that information
`to an additional navigation or computing device, such as an
`in-vehicle navigation system or a mobile computer, in order
`for that additional navigation or computing device to make
`better use of the acquired position information, such as for
`improved route calculation and/or improved display. This
`passing of information to an additional device can occur via
`another (or same) wireless,
`infrared or dedicated wired
`connection.
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`is still a further object of this invention to provide
`Tt
`means for downloading a predefined set of data containing
`telephone numbers correlated to position-specific informa-
`tion, such as latitude and longitude coordinates address
`information, and/or map information of varying size and
`resolution, from a networked server to a mobile device. The
`data transfer can occur via a wireless link, such as a cellular
`telephone or Bluetooth connection, via an infrared connec-
`tion, or via a dedicated wired connection, such as a serial or
`USB connection. The information contained in the batch
`transfer consists of either a subset of or the entire dataset
`stored on the networked server. The data batch transfer can
`
`also employ geographical boundary restrictions. The data
`can be updated incrementally, when differences between the
`local and networked server’s database is found, or when
`necessary, such as when a mobile system expects to travel
`out-of-range of its expected wireless coverage zone (as
`initiated by a push or pull architecture with the online
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`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`5
`mobile device and forward it back to the local mobile
`device. The local mobile device would then be able to
`
`navigate in real-time to the remote mobile device. In another
`embodiment, the destination remote mobile device receiving
`the telephone call obtains the position information from the
`calling local mobile device, based on permission settings of
`the calling local mobile device, for the performance of
`various operations, such as mapping andcalculating driving
`directions. In this case, the calling local mobile device has
`privacy sellings that determines the period of the position
`transfer to the destination remote mobile device. The period
`setting can be set for the duration of the call or for a
`predetermined length of time, and the position transfer can
`be terminated by the calling or receiving device at anytime.
`Thecalling local mobile device can also choosenotto reveal
`its local position to the destination remote mobile device for
`privacy purposes at anytime and can conversely enable
`position transfer permissions at anytime and for any period
`of time or as long as the call is active.
`In order to determine the position information of a remote
`landline or wireless device in order to obtain driving direc-
`tions to that device or other related information about that
`
`device, in one embodiment, a user can initiate a position
`request by entering a unique identification token, such as an
`e-mail address. The remote user that
`is logged on to a
`wireless or landline position-enabled computing device is
`verified by the networked server’s authentication and autho-
`rization protocol procedures. The server queries the remote
`party of the position request for permission on whether the
`position request can be granted based on criteria such as
`duration of request. If granted, both parties have access to
`each other’s position information, which can be used for
`real-time driving directions or collaboration purposes. Once
`a user requests to terminate the transfer, either after a
`pre-defined time period ends or abruptly due to manual
`intervention by either party, the position transfer is prefer-
`ably terminated by the system. In another embodiment, each
`device has privacy settings that allow the device to prevent
`or limit other calling devices from obtaining position infor-
`mation. These privacy settings can include allowance of
`position information transfers only when a voice or video
`connection is established and/or only with the device own-
`er’s permission. Other settings may include allowing any
`remote device to request position information for any speci-
`fied amount of time.
`
`Wireless and/or landline devices are not always suited to
`post-process the local and remote position information
`obtained from someof the methods previously described. In
`one embodiment, a wireless telephone that obtains both
`local and remote position information can pass the obtained
`position information to another device which can better
`process and/or display the data. This is applicable to current
`wireless phones that have limited resources, such as a small
`display area, low processing capability, limited memory, and
`short battery duration, in contrast to an in-vehicle navigation
`system that typically has an abundanceofthese resources. It
`is therefore advantageous and convenient, since most in-
`vehicle navigation system do not posses wireless capability,
`for the wireless telephone to pass the remote and/or the
`local, position information to the in-vehicle navigation sys-
`tem for processing and display of the route and map infor-
`mation. In this embodiment, the connection between the
`wireless telephone and in-vehicle navigation system can be
`established via a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth
`connection, an infrared connection, or a wired connection
`such as a serial or USB cable.
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`6
`Mobile devices do not always have access to a networked
`server for obtaining the latest updated database information,
`such as when wireless hardware access is not possible or
`when there is a lack of wireless network coverage. For this
`reason, another embodiment of the present invention pro-
`vides a means to download batches of position information
`while the mobile device is connected using, for example, a
`wireless, infrared, or wired connection to the online net-
`worked database server, such as, for example, a mobile
`device connected to a PC as a conduil to the Internet and thus
`connected to the online networked database server. This can
`
`apply to wireless devices that have a predefined wireless
`coverage chart stored internally for the purpose of deter-
`mining when a device is near the boundary of wireless
`coverage. If the mobile device is near such a boundary, the
`device can request, or pull, data from the online server that
`is necessary until the device is within the expected wireless
`coverage again. Alternatively, the system would correlate
`the mobile device’s position to a wireless coverage chart,
`and upon a boundary edge, the system would send, or push,
`data for the area where there is no wireless coverage from
`the online server to the mobile device. In another embodi-
`
`ment, a mobile device, such as an in-vehicle navigation
`system,prior to leaving for a destination would download a
`batch of information for a specific geographical region from
`an online networked databaseserver, since the car might not
`have Wide Area Network (WAN) access, such as a mobile
`Internet cellular telephone with Internet access would. In
`this embodiment, the in-vehicle navigation system prefer-
`ably downloads the information from either a wireless,
`infrared, or wired connection to a networked online server.
`This data transfer can be initiated from various public points,
`such as, for example, a car garage or a gas station with a
`wireless networked-enabled hub.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG.1 illustrates how a typical landline-to-landline con-
`nection can be established using a plurality of different
`telephone and/or computing devices.
`FIG. 2 illustrates how a typical landline-to-mobile con-
`nection can be established using a plurality of different
`telephone and/or computing devices.
`FIG. 3. illustrates how a typical mobile-to-mobile con-
`nection can be established using a plurality of different
`telephone and/or computing devices.
`FIG.4. illustrates an example of a Map Caller-ID indi-
`cator on a computing device display unit or television
`display.
`FIG.5. illustrates an example of a Map Caller-ID indi-
`cator and a display window detailing a plurality of various
`possible features utilizing the position and/or address loca-
`tion information of the remote caller and local device or
`
`person that is called.
`FIG.6. illustrates an example of using a mobile telephone
`to obtain position information of the remote device and
`possibly the local device’s position information and then
`pass that information to another more capable processing
`and/or display device such as an in-vehicle navigation
`system via some form of wired, wireless, or infrared con-
`nection to process and/or display the data.
`FIG. 7. illustrates an example of using a wireless con-
`nection to downloada set of correlated telephone-to-address
`and/or position dataset information when a wireless connec-
`tion is not possible or unnecessary.
`
`

`

`US 7,333,820 B2
`
`7
`FIG. 8. illustrates several predefined wireless coverage
`areas overlaid with a driving route that extends within and
`outside the wireless coverage areas.
`FIG.9. illustrates an example ofa standard telephone and
`an advanced telephone device with an integrated display
`unit.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`EMBODIMENT
`
`The various embodiments of the present invention will be
`described with reference to FIGS. 1-9. In the landline-to-
`
`landline example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-9, a user places
`a telephone call from a standard telephone 5 and 54 to a
`destination telephone, such as another landline telephone 8
`and 55. The landline standard telephones are typically
`connected to the telephone network 2 through a dedicated
`landline connection 9a and 9b. The telephone numberthatis
`dialed is knownto the telephone network 2. Whena standard
`telephone 5 and 54 is used to place a telephone call the
`telephone network 2 updates the online database and appli-
`cation server (ODAS)3 with the originating and destination
`telephone numbers. In one embodiment this is typically
`done using a signaling system 7 (SS7) architecture via a
`connection 10 to the ODAS3. The destination telephone 8
`and 55 has an extended form of Caller-ID, such as consisting
`of a display, a processing unit, and a MODEM. This
`extended form of Caller-ID shall be denoted as Map Caller-
`ID, sinceit provides remote caller position information, and
`may include local address position information. In this
`embodiment Map Caller-ID works similarly to Caller-ID
`since a modem message is typically sent between thefirst
`and secondrings over the dedicated landline connection 9b
`to the destination telephone 8. The difference is that Map
`Caller-ID includes additional position information fields of
`various formats, and can include map information at varying
`resolutions of both the originating and destination telephone
`number’s locations. Typical Caller-ID is sent
`from the
`telephone network exchange 2 to the subscriber telephone 8
`in one of many different formats and methods, depending on
`telephonecarrier provider and/or region (i.e., USA, Finland,
`Netherlands, Japan, etc.).
`In one embodiment the display unit on the destination
`telephone 8 can display the caller’s name, telephone number,
`address, and can provide a map illustration of varying
`resolutions configured by the user through the telephone
`network 2. Additionally, the telephone 8 can provide route
`and driving direction information between the originating
`telephone number’s location 5 and the destination telephone
`number’s location 8. The ODAS 3 determines the destina-
`
`tion telephone’s 8 position information by performing a
`reverse telephone number lookup, thus retrieving both geo-
`