WO1999045505A2 - Destination locator card and terminal - Google Patents
Destination locator card and terminal Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1999045505A2 WO1999045505A2 PCT/US1999/004600 US9904600W WO9945505A2 WO 1999045505 A2 WO1999045505 A2 WO 1999045505A2 US 9904600 W US9904600 W US 9904600W WO 9945505 A2 WO9945505 A2 WO 9945505A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- card
- driver
- information
- location
- monitor
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
- G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
- G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
- G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
- G01C21/3453—Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
- G01C21/3461—Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
Definitions
- the present invention relates to electronic card technology, and more particularly to an electronic card that contains specific navigational information to guide a driver of a vehicle to a particular location according to either the fastest, safest, or most scenic route, and provide referential information regarding that particular location and its nearby natural and manmade offerings.
- Satellite communications technology has improved significantly as well. Satellite communications technology, cellular phone technology, and other communications technology now permits transmission of certain data to and from mobile units, such as those in automobiles.
- a major trucking company can locate via satellite any of their 1,400 trucks traveling on American highways at any moment of the day or night. Current uses of such technology are quite limited.
- Smart card technology permits compact, mobile data storage, manipulation and retrieval; however, uses of smart cards in the automotive industry are still limited. Smart cards are used to log and transfer service expenses from driver and mobile unit to the company headquarters, with precise billing being a natural evolution of this information retrieval.
- FIG. 1 is a front facial view of the card.
- FIG. 2 is a view of sections of microchip as an internal component of the card showing three discrete information sources.
- FIG. 3 is a descriptive view of several pre-printed cards.
- FIG. 4 is an automobile interior locating the card reader and optional locations for the monitor of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a descriptive view of the elements available on the monitor of the user.
- FIG. 6 is a view of a highway and terrain scene depicting the placement of antennae, terminals (stations, kiosks) and grid representation of communication range or coverage of land area by antennae.
- FIG. 7 is a depiction of a station or kiosk showing the facility's menu selection and storage of cards.
- FIG. 8 is a depiction of a terminal showing the terminal's menu selection and storage of cards.
- FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting use of the present invention in normal use.
- FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting use of the present invention in emergency use.
- the card of the present invention is a microchip-embedded card or any electronically-activated design system utilized as a mechanism for storing driver directions from a specific freeway exit or some other location to an exact proximal location and also contains additional information that is pertinent to the needs of the driver and/or pertinent to that destination site.
- the card contains this primary and secondary information in three distinct, self-contained microchip segments, the information from which can be activated from the monitor's menu display found in the driver's automobile. The card is placed in the vehicle's "reader" and activated. The information is then displayed on the monitor and reviewed by the driver. Communication transfer by way of a driver-controlled readout allows use of cards in most driving conditions.
- Cards are produced according to a grid or "cell" mapping of land area as are antennae that alert driver to the closest terminal (station or kiosk) dispensing cards. Cards also can be acquired by a variety of methods, in addition to terminals (stations/kiosks) placed at strategic locations in the service delivery area. Secondary information related to driving options may take the form of routes which are the fastest, safest (bypass of high-crime areas), most scenic, route by secondary roads, etc., is a complementary offering of the card and can be considered an option.
- the present invention may be any electronic card capable of storing data, but is preferably a smart card.
- the card of the present invention may be activated when inserted into a mobile smart card reader located in the driver's automobile, in which case the information is displayed on a monitor within the driver's visual field.
- the reader or monitor may be secured on or installed into the dashboard, on the sun visor, as part of the steering wheel, or elsewhere in the vehicle, preferably in a manner to reduce driver's visual distraction.
- nine soft-pressure buttons may be located on the four sides of the display to provide driver control of the type and presentation of information. Through use of the control buttons, the user can either review or advance the printed display, or brighten or dim the luminosity of the printed display.
- Information is supplied to the user through a network of pole antennae at designated highway exit sites or other designated sites.
- the sites carry the information for their particular ranges or "cells” until the driver reaches another antenna and its corresponding "cell.”
- the transfer and continuation of communication transfer by way of a driver- controlled readout allows use of smart cards in most driving conditions. Smart cards are produced according to a grid or "cell” mapping of land area as are antennae that alert driver to the closest terminal (station or kiosk) dispensing cards or access local help in emergencies.
- Designated highway exit sites or other sites near popular areas of tourism or exit sites which show heavy automobile traffic, either business traffic or tourist traffic, are considered prime areas to be serviced by a greater number of smart cards.
- Key land locations are sites for terminals or stations that offer cards for that particular area's businesses, critical care services, tourism attractions, major shopping locations, etc. Cards may be returned at the driver's destination. Cards may also provide a selection of land directions from which the driver may choose, depending on his requirements, i.e., "scenic route,” “route via low-crime areas,” “major highway route,” “route by secondary roads,” etc. In a multi-partner scheme, a card may also identify restaurants, hotels, specialty shops, etc., in proximity to the card'S site as well as combine land directions to be included as part of advanced automotive applications using smart card technology.
- FIG. 1 shows the front facial view of the card, with the name identification 1 depicted.
- FIG. 2 presents the rear (internal) view of the card, and the internal microchip element is shown 2, where three discrete information sources 3, 4, 5 are illustrated ⁇ a section maintaining the standard directions from the identified location to a second location
- Fig. 3 shows a descriptive view of cards 6 with examples of various name entities 7.
- FIG. 4 presents the automobile interior where the card monitor is shown in three optional locations, on the sun visor 8, directly above the rear view mirror 9, and on the front dashboard 10.
- the card can be placed in the on-board reader 11 to be activated.
- the monitor could be any conventional card reader, such as a proprietary on board reader provided by an automobile company, or the like.
- FIG. 5 gives a close-up view of the monitor of the user.
- the monitor presents printed information on its display, which may be a light-emitting diode, liquid crystal display, or similar display, such as those used on conventional calculators 12.
- the monitor is operated by the automobile driver using nine soft-pressure buttons 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
- the On/Off button 13 activating the readout on the monitor's display is pressed to begin operation.
- the button 14 Directly below the On/Off button 13 is the button 14 that activates the menu selection from which the driver can identify the communication data he wishes to appear on the display.
- the two buttons 18, 19 to the right of the monitor's display regulate the speed and luminosity, respectively, of the printed information crossing the display.
- the two buttons 15, 16 at the bottom left of the monitor allow the driver to advance and replay, respectively, the printed information shown on the display.
- the two buttons 20, 21 at the bottom right of the monitor allow the driver to control other desired information that may be selected in programming the monitor.
- the bottom center button 17 is the emergency call button, which both activates the monitor (bypassing the Off/On button 13) and notifies the closest police station, through fiber optic lines, of the exact location of the vehicle.
- the rear of the monitor when located on either the sun visor, dashboard or rear view mirror, may be constructed using several kinds of mounting methods, such as clips, screws, magnetic latches, hinges, etc. 22 to provide the required movement that permits the monitor to fold either upward, backward, or within, in order to store out-of-sight when not in use.
- FIG. 6 is a depiction of a main highway and surrounding terrain, where antennae 23 are located along or nearby the highway to allow the driver to fully access all options of his card, including the access of emergency services.
- the antennae 23 deliver card service to an area where the driver may wish to use the card to locate the closest terminal (station) 24 or kiosk 25, a larger terminal facility.
- Continuous service delivery of potential activity is illustrated by way of consecutive grids or "cells" 26 that permit card use over a wide area or region.
- FIG. 7 presents a full frontal view of a larger version of a terminal or station depicted as a kiosk.
- the terminals provide storage 28 of cards for the particular area or region, and these cards may be reviewed and accessed via a menu 27.
- the terminals rather than storing smart cards, could store or consist of any other device, such as a personal computer, capable of storing, manipulating, retrieving and transmitting information stored in databases.
- the terminal could include a proprietary database of information that is downloaded to a blank disk, card that is displayed in a monitor in the vehicle.
- the data link from the terminal to the monitor could also be via radio frequency, infrared, or other transmission.
- Fig. 8 presents a full frontal view of a terminal or station 24 and its larger version as a kiosk 25.
- the terminals provide storage 28 of cards for the particular area or region, and these cards may be reviewed and accessed via a menu 27.
- Terminal location maps may be provided for each region, area or state. Or, in similar fashion as the start-up of state lottery sites, which found their point of sale in grocery stores, newsstands, tobacco shops and such, the terminals can be installed at particular gas stations, for example, Arco or Mobil or Chevron gas stations, or named- recognized hotels and restaurants. As the card use becomes widespread, the location of terminals can be part of a computerized data base found within the reader itself and available for each state.
- the reader has a factory smart card, or an element that is already built in to the main component, that is included in the purchase of the unit.
- This card when placed in the reader, activates the unit, and this activation allows the automobile to enter the grid system provided by the regional or area antennae and to receive data from the antennae.
- the driver need not purchase a card to be able to have emergency services provided. This service is automatically part of the unit.
- the police station closest to the location of the driver's automobile sending out a distress signal is the station notified.
- the driver activates the distress signal by pressing the emergency call button found in the bottom center of the monitor. (As the system becomes more popular, additional selections can be offered to the emergency coverage, i.e., hospital/ambulance/paramedic services, etc.)
- the primary utility of the card is to provide well-described land directions from the location of the automobile to the driver's desired location.
- the initial location of the automobile is assumed to be the location of the terminal dispensing a given card that is associated with that location. All cards offered at that particular terminal have directions which originate from that particular terminal location. If the card is pre-purchased or acquired by some other means, such as a tourist office package, parks and recreation department package, food franchise marketing and advertisement offering, car rental agency incentive package, or the like, directions begin from a particular freeway exit or other readily identifiable location.
- the specific directions are contained on a microchip in the card, and this information is able to be retrieved and read when inserted into the reader, and then shown on the monitor's display for the driver. The driver has full control of the presentation of the information through the use of the button controls found on the monitor.
- a first information database may store, manipulate and retrieve information relating to specific directions to a particular location and a selection of alternative directions to that location.
- a second database may store, manipulate and retrieve information relating to complementary information about the area surrounding that particular location, that is, proximal hotels, restaurants, tourist interests, resources for traveler needs, and the like.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU29792/99A AU2979299A (en) | 1998-03-03 | 1999-03-03 | Destination locator card and terminal |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US7664798P | 1998-03-03 | 1998-03-03 | |
US60/076,647 | 1998-03-03 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1999045505A2 true WO1999045505A2 (en) | 1999-09-10 |
WO1999045505A3 WO1999045505A3 (en) | 1999-10-28 |
WO1999045505A8 WO1999045505A8 (en) | 2001-03-15 |
Family
ID=22133345
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1999/004600 WO1999045505A2 (en) | 1998-03-03 | 1999-03-03 | Destination locator card and terminal |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU2979299A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999045505A2 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2001081870A1 (en) * | 2000-04-27 | 2001-11-01 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Navigation system and memory medium storing the position data of the specific facilities |
US7392944B2 (en) | 2006-08-22 | 2008-07-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Managing content at a portable, content adjustable personal identification device |
CN100418109C (en) * | 2006-04-18 | 2008-09-10 | 丁丰其 | Express highway network toll ambiguous path recognition system and recognition method thereof |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5353034A (en) * | 1991-11-08 | 1994-10-04 | Sanden Corporation | Position information inputting apparatus for a vehicle travel guide system |
US5532690A (en) * | 1995-04-04 | 1996-07-02 | Itt Corporation | Apparatus and method for monitoring and bounding the path of a ground vehicle |
US5534857A (en) * | 1991-11-12 | 1996-07-09 | Security Domain Pty. Ltd. | Method and system for secure, decentralized personalization of smart cards |
US5794164A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1998-08-11 | Microsoft Corporation | Vehicle computer system |
US5857152A (en) * | 1994-02-01 | 1999-01-05 | Mondex International Limited | Electronic toll payment |
-
1999
- 1999-03-03 AU AU29792/99A patent/AU2979299A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1999-03-03 WO PCT/US1999/004600 patent/WO1999045505A2/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5353034A (en) * | 1991-11-08 | 1994-10-04 | Sanden Corporation | Position information inputting apparatus for a vehicle travel guide system |
US5534857A (en) * | 1991-11-12 | 1996-07-09 | Security Domain Pty. Ltd. | Method and system for secure, decentralized personalization of smart cards |
US5857152A (en) * | 1994-02-01 | 1999-01-05 | Mondex International Limited | Electronic toll payment |
US5532690A (en) * | 1995-04-04 | 1996-07-02 | Itt Corporation | Apparatus and method for monitoring and bounding the path of a ground vehicle |
US5794164A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1998-08-11 | Microsoft Corporation | Vehicle computer system |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2001081870A1 (en) * | 2000-04-27 | 2001-11-01 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Navigation system and memory medium storing the position data of the specific facilities |
US6721654B2 (en) | 2000-04-27 | 2004-04-13 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Navigation system and memory medium storing the position data of the specific facilities |
CN100418109C (en) * | 2006-04-18 | 2008-09-10 | 丁丰其 | Express highway network toll ambiguous path recognition system and recognition method thereof |
US7392944B2 (en) | 2006-08-22 | 2008-07-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Managing content at a portable, content adjustable personal identification device |
US7997481B2 (en) | 2006-08-22 | 2011-08-16 | International Business Machines Corporation | Managing content at a portable, content adjustable personal identification device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO1999045505A8 (en) | 2001-03-15 |
AU2979299A (en) | 1999-09-20 |
WO1999045505A3 (en) | 1999-10-28 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6091956A (en) | Situation information system | |
US5748107A (en) | Method and apparatus for locating an available parking facility | |
US7966215B1 (en) | Combination reservation and navigation system and method | |
Berger et al. | Location-based services in the tourist industry | |
US7840341B1 (en) | Schedule setting and processing system | |
US6169955B1 (en) | Communication and navigation system incorporating position determination | |
US20020011951A1 (en) | Portable multimedia tourist guide | |
US20020183072A1 (en) | BeyondguideTM method and system | |
US20020049535A1 (en) | Wireless interactive voice-actuated mobile telematics system | |
US20080208447A1 (en) | Navigation device and method for providing points of interest | |
US7398152B2 (en) | Data-providing service system | |
US20030068999A1 (en) | Interactive taxi information system | |
US20080090554A1 (en) | Method and system for providing travel services | |
US20030216860A1 (en) | On-vehicle route guidance device and route guidance method | |
EP1194739B1 (en) | Mobile navigation system | |
US5696684A (en) | Electronic guide device | |
CN101523425A (en) | System and method for displaying prices via an electronic device | |
Shekhar et al. | Genesis and advanced traveler information systems (ATIS): killer applications for mobile computing | |
US6411937B1 (en) | Terminal for communication in an urban environment | |
JP3445115B2 (en) | Information provision system | |
WO1999045505A2 (en) | Destination locator card and terminal | |
US20030206121A1 (en) | Method and system for delivering a time-efficient mobile vehicle route that encompasses multiple limted-duration events | |
US6272429B1 (en) | Detailed information database management system | |
US20020044070A1 (en) | Method for determining and outputting travel instructions | |
JP3661176B2 (en) | Navigation device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AU CA JP KR |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE |
|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): AU CA JP KR |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: C1 Designated state(s): AU CA JP KR US |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: C1 Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE |
|
CFP | Corrected version of a pamphlet front page | ||
CR1 | Correction of entry in section i |
Free format text: PAT. BUL. 36/99 UNDER (81) ADD "US"; DUE TO LATE TRANSMITTAL BY THE RECEIVING OFFICE |
|
122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase |