Non Real Time Traffic System for a Navigator

Abstract

A system for improving the operation of a GPS based navigator. Statistical and/or time of day information is used to select the best route between a current location and a desired location. The statistical information may take into account anomalies, and a user can select the amount of risk they which take. The system can be updated with more updated information. In addition, the selection of the desired location can be carried out by downloading information from a PDA.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A navigating system, comprising:
 a wireless receiver that wirelessly receives information, including location information that is indicative of a location of the navigating system;   a user interface, accepting input from a user including a desired destination for navigation by said navigating system, and which displays information indicative of navigation being carried out by said navigating system;   a processor that receives said information from said receiver and controls said user interface;   a memory that stores information, including information indicative of navigating being carried out by said navigating system;   where said information received by said receiver also includes actual time information indicative of actual times that other users have taken to traverse sections of roadway, based on actual tracking of said other users, and said wireless receiver also receives information indicative of updates to said actual times which represent new actual times; and   where said navigation carried out by said navigating system is carried out based on said actual times and said updates to said actual times.   
     
     
         2 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein said wireless information includes GPS information. 
     
     
         3 . The system as in  claim 1 , where said actual time information is stored as information about actual times to traverse a section of roadway, and that has no indication of a specific user who traversed the section of roadway. 
     
     
         4 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein said wireless receiver receives information about points of interest near the navigating system. 
     
     
         5 . The system as in  claim 4 , wherein said points of interest are grouped based on those points of interest which are most popular by other users and most frequently accessed by said other users. 
     
     
         6 . The system as in  claim 4 , wherein said wireless receiver receives discount information including a discount coupon for at least some of said points of interest. 
     
     
         7 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the navigating system produces a route from a current location to the destination, and later updates said route using said updates to said actual times. 
     
     
         8 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the navigating system provides incentives for users to provide information to a user of the navigating system to provide information to the navigating system for use by others. 
     
     
         9 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the navigating system includes a PDA function, and stores addresses of a user's contacts, and wirelessly receives said addresses, and allows navigating to the addresses. 
     
     
         10 . A navigating computer, comprising:
 an information receiving part that receives information from each of a plurality of users who are operating a navigation system, where each of said users are operating a navigating function, said information that is indicative of location of each navigating system;   a computer that uses said information to track actual times of movements of each of said plurality of users;   a memory that stores information about a time it took each of the plurality of users to traverse multiple specified stretches of roadway as real movement information;   said computer using said real movement information to select a navigation path for a first user based on said real movement information;   said computer receiving said information from said plurality of said users at different times as updated information, and using said updated information to update said navigation path for the first user, where said computer initially computes a path to the first users destination and later updates said path using said updated information.   
     
     
         11 . The computer as in  claim 10 , wherein said information receiving part receives information over a network from said plurality of different users. 
     
     
         12 . The computer as in  claim 10 , wherein said information receiving part receives information indicative of locations from an external device. 
     
     
         13 . The computer as in  claim 10 , wherein said computer sends information to said first user about points of interest near the user based on tracking location of the first user. 
     
     
         14 . The system as in  claim 13 , wherein said points of interest are grouped based on those points of interest which are most popular by other users of said plurality of users other than the first user and most frequently accessed by said other users. 
     
     
         15 . The system as in  claim 13 , wherein said computer sends discount information including a discount coupon for at least some of said points of interest. 
     
     
         16 . A navigating system, comprising:
 a wireless receiver that wirelessly receives information, including location information that is indicative of a user's location;   a user interface, accepting input from a user including a desired destination for navigation, and which displays information indicative of navigation;   a processor that receives said information from said receiver and operates said user interface;   said processor causing said user interface to provide navigation information to the desired destination, where said navigation information is based on actual time information indicative of actual times that other users have taken to traverse sections of roadway based on actual tracking of said other users;   where said navigation information is initially provided as an initial navigation route, and   where said wireless receiver receives updated information after receiving said initial navigation route including updates to said actual times over said wireless receiver; and   where said initial navigation route is updated to an updated navigation route after starting navigation using the initial navigation route.   
     
     
         17 . The system as in  claim 16 , wherein said wireless receiver receives discount information including a discount coupon for points of interest near the user's location. 
     
     
         18 . The system as in  claim 16 , wherein the navigating system provides incentives for users to provide information to a user of the navigating system to provide information to the navigating system for use by others.