GB2524518A

GB2524518A - A satellite navigation system

Info

Publication number: GB2524518A
Application number: GB1405319.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Jennings
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-03-25
Filing date: 2014-03-25
Publication date: 2015-09-30
Also published as: GB201405319D0; WO2015145134A1

Abstract

A satellite navigation system comprises a database having a first category of data containing longitude values and latitude values and a second category data containing a plurality of individually owned names, where each individually owned name is associated with a longitude value and a latitude value. The database has a third category of data containing ownership details of an owner corresponding to said individually owned name and a further fourth category containing navigation data suitable to navigate a user to a point formed by said longitude and latitude values. The system may also have means for receiving and updating the longitude and latitude location of the owner who may also be able to upload information to the database themselves. Access to the data may be protected, e.g. by a PIN, and/or may be time sensitive, e.g. an owners location may only be available between certain times.

Description

A.StWt.tflsLgniflm. is

The nventon relates to satellite navigation systems.

nvention The dosest prior art known to the applicant are existing satellite navigation systems which utilise the input of an address or postcode to navigate a user to a given location, These systems are often inaccurate in that users are sometimes unable to find the exact intended Location, meaning a requirement for additional vocal or written directions, which themseLves can be misinterpreted. Addresses are also difficult to remember, and long to convey and type into a device such as a Satnav or other GPS enabled electronic device.

Moreover, the prior art does not offer a database wherein a bespoke name can be chosen and assigned to a static or moving Location so that the owner of the name can be located and navigated to by a user of the system.

Sunrry.QLthJnygjjjon In a hrc. broad mdependent aspect, the nventon provdes a satelbte naigabon system comprising a database having a first category of data containing longitude values and lattude values, sad database havng a second category of data contanrng a plurabty of indMdually owned names; each individually owned name being associated with a longitude value and a Latitude value; and said database having a third category of data containing ownership details of an owner corresponding to said individually owned name; and said database having a fourth category containing navigation data suitable to navigate to a user to a point formed by said Longitude and Latitude values, This configuration simplifies the interaction of a user with a satellite navigation system. ft also improves the accuracy of the navigation system whilst increasing the potential search terms. It provides customisation or tailoring of electronic mapping systems without is substantially increasing complexity.

This configuratbn provides a satellite navigation system that allows an owner to obtain an individual name and assign specific ownership details and geographical location information to that name in order for a user of the stem to determine where the owner is located. The database also contains navigation data so that a user may navigate to the owner?s location once they have been located, Each individual name on the database may optionally only be used by one owner, so that a user of the system can search for the specific name and Locate, and navigate to, the intended owner without confusion.

Preferably? said system comprises means for receiving the location oF an owner of said name and updating said Longitude and Latitude values. The Location of the owner may be statc or mob e, beng changeable y the owner at any tmie The location of the owner can also be updated in real time as the owner's longitude and latitude values change. This configuration provides the advantage of keeping users up to date with the current location of a name owner, This allows a user to locate the owner's exact location rather than locating a position, using conventional methods; where the owner has only a chance of being.

Preferably, said system incorporates a fifth category of data containing supplementary information corresponding to said indMdually owned name. This configuration provides the advantage of an owner to associate additional promotional information to their indMdua.Lly owned name, such as a voucher or a menu where the Location is a shop or restaurant or the like, Preferably said system comprises means for allowing the content of said fourth category to be uploaded by the owner of said ndMdually owned name, This configuration provides w the advantage of allowing the navigation information to be personalised by the owner in order to provide more in4epth instruction to a user than a conventiona satelUte navigation system. Extra instructions, as well as images or sounds, may be added to the navigation data in order to precisely lead a user to the owners location.

16 PreferabLy, said system further comprises means for transrnftxing data representative of sad nd vcuLly owned name to one or more remoteLy ocated unas Thb conhguraton provides the advantage of providing users with navigation information on fixed or portable devices such as a satellite navigation device or a similar electronic device with a global positioning system (GPS) enabled. Users of these devices can locate an owner by searching for their unique name on the database. Once the owner has been located using their umque name, navgaton nformaton cci be presented to the user n order to lead them to the owner.

Preferably, said system further comprises an interface allowing the owner to control the availability of the navigation data to users, This configuration provides the advantage of al[owmg the owner to control the ablity of syctem users to Locate and nay gate to ther location.

Preferably, said interface allows the owner to control the start and/or the expiry of the to avanabdty of the nagator data to users I s prowdes the owner wah the ablrty to control the time and duration that navigation data is available to users. For example, if an owner was hosting an event (eg. Saturday evening), the owner may set the time at which navigation data is available to users (eg. 5pm Saturday) and for how long that information is available (e.g. 4 hours) or at what time the information ceases to he avaflable e.g. 9pm Saturday).

Preferably, said interface allows the owner to control the availability of the navigation data to users by pin protecting the access, This provides the advantage of allowing the owner to control who the navigation data is avallable to. Following the previous example, the owner only wants his colleagues to attend the event. He can set a pin code (e.g. 1234) so that only the intended users can obtain the navigation data necessary to travel to the owner's location.

Preferably, said system provides the name without any Location specific content; whereby said name is visible to users and said location specific content is only available to authonsed use's This provides the advantage of an owrer preventsng unauthonsed use's from obtaining their location as well as the navigation data to lead to that location, Users may be authwlsed using a pin code or password to allow them to see the owner's Location and navigation information.

Preferably, said database incorporates a further category of data containing altitude and/or depth values in addition to said Longitude and latitude values which are associated with said individually owned name, This provides a user of the satellite navigation system with the height or depth that an owner is located as weU as their longitude and latitude for precise positioning.

Preferahy, said system incorporates one or more microLocation devIces to provide a further Location accuracy level, This configuration provides the advantage of allowing a user to receive specific informatini dependent on where they speafcally located within a location. t also allows a user to be directed to a specific microlocation within an initial locauon It also al ows datd according to the third fourth or fifth categories of data to be provided to a user when the user is at the micro4ocation.

of 1 he mv Figure 1 shows a flow diagram of the system of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a first illustrated embothment, illustrating the system of the invention, Figure 3 shows second embodiment, where navigation data is available to a user between a specified start time and expiry time.

Figure 4 shows third embodiment, where navigation data is avaiLable to a user once a security pin code has been entered, Existing satellite navigation systems use a plurality of satellites that provide geographical positioning to chow small electronic receivers to determine their longitude and Latitude, When a user of an existing system wants to navigate to a particular location, they enter the specific address Cor postcode) of that Location into an electronic device and allow the pluraLity of satellites to determine a shortest or fastest route from theft start point This and other prior art system are often inaccurate in that users are sometimes unable to find the exact intended location, meaning a requirement for additional vocal or written directions, which themselves can he misinterpreted. Addresses are also difficult to remember, and are Long to convey and type nto a device such as a Satnav or other GPS enabled electronic device. Moreover, current systems do not allow a person to control where they can be found or at what time they can be found at a particular Location.

The current invention provides a means for a person or organisation to store a longitude and latitude, along with other inFormation, in relation to a bespoke individual name which they have registered. This bespoke individual name works much like a usernarne for enty onto electronic devica. email accounts and in many other situations. This name may be alphabetic, numeric or alphanumeric. An individual name may also contain other symbols that are conventionally used on computers? phones or other electronic devices. When a name is registered, it is checked against the database to ensure that a name is not used by more than one person/organisation. The indMdual name can be used as a quick, and easy to recall, method for navigation on a website, an application for an electronic device, or through integration into existing satellite navigation systems and devices.

The current invention provides a flexible and accurate system with the ability of a user to easily locate and navigate to the owner of an individual name whether the Location is static or changing, permanent or temporary.

iv A satellite navigation system as illustrated in figure 1 comprises a database having a number of categories of data, In a first category of data, the database of the system contains longitude and Latitude values for subsequent categories of data to be assigned to.

In a second category of data, a first person/organisation will search for an available indMdua( name on the system This can be done using a websfte or software for an is electronic device such as a mobile phone.. Once the first person has found a suitable name, they register the use of it through a purchase or similar transaction. This person/organisation, now the owner of the name, can then assign longitude and latitude values, from the first category of data, to their registered name to mark their Location, Once this has been done a second person, known as the user, can search for that name in order to locate and navigate to the first person (the owner). Alternatively, the owner can Locate ther posaon automatcalLy usmg GPS rather tiai manja ly entenig thaw ongrtude and latitude values. The owner can also assign an altitude (or depth) value to their location at the same time as assigning Longitude and Latitude values, If a user is to travel to the location of the owner it is often important to know the altitude or depth they must travel to get to the locauon Tbs s espenally tne case n mountamous areas or areas beow sea level, or when a user must travel a long distance to reach the owner's Location, The system can be used at sea as well as on land At the same time as assigning the relevant Location information, the owner can also assign ownership details to the individual name, from a third category of data, to provide more information to a user when they are searching for a particular person or organisation. This third category of data is particularly advantageous to organisations as it allows an organisation to add information to a registered unique name in order to enhance customer relationships and brand awareness. The system can also integrate with social media / platforms as a person's social networking information can be added to their unique registered name along with their home, work, current and other locations.

The database of' the system further comprises a fourth category of data suitable to navigate a user to a point formed by the assigned longitude and latitude values, Once an owner has completed the setup of their ndMdual name with the relevant Location and ownership information, a user can search for that owner on the database by typing in their unique name, This will either he done on a website, software for an electronic device such as a mobile phone, or through an existing sateUite navigation device wherein the database in has been integrated.

The database of the system further comprises a fifth category of data containing supplementary nforrnation corresponding to said individually owned name. This alLows supplementary information such as vouchers or menus, as welt as the ownership details, to is be presented to a user when they are searching for a particular person or organisation, atter they have cnosen a person/organsaLior' to navigate to, or when they are at a particular location, Once the owner has been identified, their location information wilt be shown to the user, Following this, navigation data can be provided to the user in order to direct them to the Location of the owner from the user's starting location, ft is noted that the navigation data can he transmitted to the remotely located unit of the user from the database, or the data may already be availahk from an existing satellite navigation system in which the current system is integrated.

ri a preferred embodiment, the system also comprises an interface whereby the owner can add personatised navigation information, to aid a user's navigation to the Location, as part ol the fourth category of data. This may be carried out at the stage where Location information and ownership details are assigned to an owners registered name, The personabsed navgaton rnformaton may wntan addtonal text or sound nstrjczons or images of nearby landmarks or the location itself to help a user identi' the exact Location of the owner. This is especially important where existing road navigation is unavailable, The owner can set several way points, comprising additional information, where the road navigation ends to continue directing a user to their location,

S

In a further preferie embodiment, the interface can also alLow the owner to set various accessibiLity preferences in order to control who can locate and navigate to the owner and at what time the owner can be Located and navigated to. This may be carried out at the same stage as assigning Location infonnaton and ownership details. In this preferred S embodiment, the owner can adjust the visibility of their Location to other users. At times where the owner does not wish to be Located or navigated to, they can set their location to mode of operation so that their Location does not appear when their unique name is searched for on the system. Further, the owner can set times at which their Location is visibLe to users. An example is ilLustrated in Figure 3, discussed below, In an even further preferred embodiment, the interface can also allow the owner to protect access to their Location using a password or pin code system or other known means of protecton In ths embodrnent, tie owner can set a passworc o pn woe whei ad&ng location and ownership information. As a result, a user will he able to search for the name m of the owner but they will not be able to view the Location of the owner unless they enter the required password or pin code, At this stage, if a correct password/pin code is entered, they can view the location of the owner and receive navigation data in order to navigate to that Location.

In a further preferred embodiment, muLtiple locations can be added to a single unique name aLLowng the Loca:on assoaated wth the nthvIduaL name of the onnier to change This is beneficiaL where a person has multipLe possibLe locations such as a home Location and a work Location. This way, the owner can switch between the two locations and users can be directed to exactLy where the owner is at a given time.

In a further embodiment, the Location of the owner can he updated in real time as the owner moves around. The system may use the GPS capabilities of a mobile phone or similar electronic device to update the current Location of the owner and a user can receive the reaL time updated location ui the owner on their own device.

in a further preferred embodiment, the system incorporates one or more micro4ocation devices to provide a further Location accuracy LeveL The one or more devices allow a user to receive specification information dependent on where they are specificaLly Located within a Location. It also aLLOWS a user to be directed to a specific micro4ocation within an initial location and allows data according to the thh'd, fourth or fifth categories of data to be provided to a user when the user is at the micro-location, A rnicro*-1ocation device could, for example, comprise a BLuetoothT enabled device or the hke.

Figure 2 shows a first illustrated embodiment where, in use, a shop owner registers the unique name Oxford Street Shoe Shop'. The owner can then assign the longitude and latitude of the shop to the registered name, for example latitude 51.515400 and longitude M.141245. At the same time, the shop owner can add ownership details, such as the goods that the shop sells and other information about the shop, to the registered name so that when a user searches for the shop's unique name, they are presented with relevant information.

At the stage where location information and ownership details are assigned to an owners registered name, the owner may also add personalised navigation information to aid a 1 users navigation to the location. The personalised navigation information may contain additional text or sound instructions or images of nearby landmarks or the [ocation itself to help a user identify the exact location, and is added using the interface previously mentioned. n this embodiment, the shop owner could add an image of the front of the shop so that once a user has navigated to the location of the shop using the standard navigation data; they can compare the front of the building with the image that has been provided to determine exactly where the shop is located.

As outlined above, at the stage where location information and ownership details are assigned to an owner's name, the owner may also choose various accessibility settings in 2 order to contro who can locate and ravgate to tie owner and at what tme the owner can be Located and navigated to. This is illustrated in figure 3.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment where, in use, an owner registers the individual name James Bell'. Relevant longitude and latitude values are assigned to the indMduat name and any personalised navigation information is also added. As outlined, the system also compnses an nterlace wberen the owner can set accessbthty preferences n order to control when the owner's location can be viewed and navigated to, In this embodiment, the owner only wants their location and navigation information to be available between 16.00 and 2100 on Saturday 1Januay These parameters can therefore be entered on the interface to restrict access outside of these times. When a user searches for James Bell' outside of these times, the unique name may be visible but location information and navigation information will not be available. Alternatively, the owner could completely remove the visibility of the unique name so that James Bell' does not show up in any search results on the syern. When a user searches for James Bell' within the set time parameters, location and navigation information is available, Figure 4 shows a third embodiment where, in use, an owner protects access to their location using a pin code. This is carried out at the same stage as setting the longitude and w Latitude values, the ownership information and any personaLised navigation information. In this embodiment, the owner only wants certain users to know where he is located and therefore sets the pin code 1234' to protect his Location. When a user searches for James BeEr they are prompted to enter a pin code. If an incorrect pin code is entered, the user will not be able to view the location of the owner or navigate to that location, If the correct i pin code, 1234', is entered the Location and navigation information becomes available to the userS In an alternative embodiment, the system is integrated into an alarm device such as a rape alarm or burglary cevce, such that when the alarm s set oF t can provae the relevant seMces with the exact location where the aiarm has been set off.

In another alternative embodiment, representation of the navigation data may be 3 dimensional to even further increase the accuracy of the system. 3 dimensional navigation instructions will make the location and route to the location even clearer to a user.

In yet another alternative embodiment the registered name of an owner can be assigned or tagged' to electronic actMties that the owner partakes in, For example, the owner can attach their registered name to an email so that anyone who views that email can also view where the owner was when they sent the email. This is particularly useful where the email contains information relating to a requirement for the user to navigate to the owner so (eg. for an event). By tagging the registered name to the email, the user can easily view whre ney w LI need to navgate to In another alternative embodiment, a registerable name from the database is rented rather than purchased. This is particularly advantageous when considering names which would be ii searched for on a regular basis by a targe number of people. By offering the possibiUty of renting a name for a period of time, a person or organisation can maximise the use of a name when they need it and another person/orgarilsation can use the same name when the first person/organisation no longer requires it, Additionally, particular registered names can be subscribed to so that users are updated on the Location of a particular person or organisation. For example, a sports team could register a name that many users subsequently subscribe to, Each user is consecuently sent information relating to the current location of the sports team so that at any given time to they know where the sports team are located so that they can navigate to their Location.

This is particularly advantageous when, for example, the sports team play an away fixture so that any fans travelUng to the fixture do not have to search for an alternative name but can navigate to their team as the location of the team wilL have updated along with the navigation data to that location. 3°

Claims

CLAJ1. A sateUlte navigation system comprising a database having a first category of data containing Longitude values and Latitude values; said database having a second category of data containing a plurality of indMdually owned names; each ndMdually owned name being assodated with a Longitude value and a Latitude value; and said database having a third category of data containing ownership detalls of an owner corresponding to said indMdually owned name; and said database having a fourth category containing navigation data suitable to navigate a user to a point formed by said Longitude and Latitude values.
2. A satellite navigation system according to claim 1 comprising means for receiving the Location of an owner of said name and updating said Longitude and Latitude is values,
3. A satellite navigation system according to any of the preceding cLaims, wherein said system incorporates a fifth category of data containing supplementary information corresponding to said individually owned name.4 A set&hte naiigaton system accordmg to any o' the precethng cans, composing means for allowing the content of said fourth and/or fifth category to be uploaded by the owner of said individually owned name, 5. A satellite navigation system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising means for transmitting data representative of said individually owned name to one or more remotely Located units.6. A satellite navigation system according to claim 5, wherein s&d system further comprises an interface allowing the owner to control the availabiLity of the navigation data to users.7. A satellite navigation system according to claim 6, wherein said interface allows the owner to controL the start and/or the expiry of the avallabllfty of the navigation data to users.s 8. A sateLlite navigation system according to either cLaim 5 or cLaim 7, wherein said interface aLLows the owner to control the availabiLity of the navigatori data to users by pin protecting the access., 9. A satellite navigation system according to any of the preceding daims, wherein to said system provides the name without any location specific content whereby said name is visibLe to users and said Location specific content is only available to authorised users.A satellite navigation system accord rig to any at the precedng rLams, wherein is said database incorporates a further category of data containing altitude and/or depth vaLues in addition to said Longitude and Latitude values which are associated with said indMdually owned name.11, A satellite navigation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said system incorporates one or more micro4ocation devices to provide a further Location accuracy LeveL 12. A satellite navigation system substantially as hereinbefore described and/or illustrated in any appropriate combination of the accompanying text and/or figures.