Patent Grant
8510035
This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/KR2007/006857 filed Dec. 27, 2007 and claims priority Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0010972 filed on Feb. 2, 2007, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a travel information service system, and more particularly, to a travel information service system and a method of providing a travel information service which perform guidance of travel information appropriate for a travel purpose and a travel type.
2. Background Art
Generally, a navigation system (hereinafter, referred to as ‘a user terminal’) is a system which provides information for driving of a transportation device, such as a vehicle, using artificial satellites. The navigation system is automatic.
The user terminal receives predetermined data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite above the earth using a GPS receiver, and calculates its own location based on the received data.
A plurality of GPS satellites is above the earth, and the user terminal may receive GPS signals from three GPS satellites at any place on the earth and calculate its own location based on the received GPS signals from the three GPS satellites.
The user terminal may provide various information helpful for driving, such as reporting a current vehicle location to a user based on its own calculated location information, calculating an optimum route to a desired destination (routing), performing guidance for the user based on the route, and the like.
Generally, the user terminal internally stores map information about an entire map and point of interest (POI) information denoting famous area information, building information, and road information on the entire map, and utilizes the map information and the POI information as information for optimum route guidance and safe driving.
Currently, users installing and using the above-described user terminal rapidly increase, and since holidays increase due to a five-day workweek and the like, and travels or leisure activities increase, the users increasingly drive with the user terminals installed in vehicles.
However, an existing user terminal is mainly used for providing the user with information for optimum route guidance or for safe driving, while other benefits of the terminal actually do not increase.
Also, many travelers collect related information about travels using travel magazines or the Internet, and the travelers determine which information is appropriate for a destination, which course is selected to travel on based on a desired travel period, and the like, based on the collected information.
The above-described information collection method has a problem that collection of sufficient information about the destination, for example, specific information including an attraction of the destination, accommodations, an entertainment facility, a restaurant, and the like is slightly difficult and complex, and requires much time.
The present invention provides a travel information service system which enables a destination and related information of the destination to be easily collected using a user terminal being a navigation system.
The present invention also provides a travel information service system which enables a customized trip schedule considering a situation of a user to be generated using a user terminal.
The present invention also provides a travel information service system which can perform guidance of travel information appropriate for a travel purpose and a travel type.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a travel information service system, the system including: a user terminal to construct a travel information database including a travel course for each area and point of interest (POI) information in an area related to each travel course, provide a user with a menu screen for creating a travel route using information stored in the travel information database, and perform map guidance based on the travel route created by the user.
In an aspect of the present invention, while driving, the user terminal provides travel information of an area corresponding to a driving area from the information stored in the travel information database.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a travel information service, the method including: a first operation of providing a travel course for each area and POI information for each course using a user interface; a second operation of creating a travel route based on user selection of the travel course for each area and the POI information for each course; and a third operation of performing map guidance based on the created travel route.
In an aspect of the present invention, the method further includes: a fourth operation of providing a travel course corresponding to a driving area while driving and the POI information of the corresponding travel course, and performing the map guidance based on the travel course of the driving area according to a user request.
Hereinafter, a travel information service system and a method of providing a travel information service according to the present invention are described with reference to the attached drawings.
First, the travel information service system according to the present invention is described.
The user terminal of the present invention includes a route guidance system and a travel information service system, performs route guidance, and provides travel information under control of a system control unit 10.
As illustrated in
The first recording device 20 is a map database of recording road map data and route guidance data associated with the road map data.
A user selects a desired destination for route guidance using the user interface 50.
The route search unit 30 verifies a current location of a vehicle using Global Positioning System (GPS) signals received by a GPS receiver (not illustrated). Also, the route search unit 30 searches for a route from the current location to the destination selected by the user using the road map data stored in the first recording device 20, and generates route information.
The route guidance unit 40 performs the route guidance for the user based on the route information generated by the route search unit 30.
Also, as illustrated in
The second recording device 60 is a travel information database including a travel course for each area, individual point of interest (POI) information for each course, detailed information about the travel course and the individual POI information, and related multimedia data.
The travel information database includes travel course information, area travel information, POI data, and the multimedia data.
In this instance, the travel course information may be acquired by collecting the travel course in each area using a professional material, a journal, a related organization, and an enterprise. Also, the area travel information may be provided from a regional organization or a professional travel agency, or may be collected by itself.
The POI data is a collection of the individual POI information existing in each area for each area, and the multimedia data includes an image, an illustrated map, a movie, text-to-speech (TTS) data related to the travel course or the individual POI information, and the like.
The user terminal may access a web server (not illustrated) providing and managing various information using a communication unit 80, download and collect the travel information, and update the information.
Also, the third recording device 70 includes a memory for storing a travel route directly created by the user using travel information stored in the second recording device 60. The third recording device 70 provides a menu screen including the travel information stored in the second recording device 60 using the user interface 50 so that the user may set the travel route appropriate for his/her own travel purpose or a situation.
A route is retrieved to the destination selected by the user based on the travel information stored in the second recording device 60 or the travel route stored in the third recording device 70 according to a request of the user, and the route guidance is performed based on the retrieved route.
Hereinafter, a process of generating a customized trip by a user according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described.
First, as described above, in operation S10, a travel information database including a travel course for each area and POI information for each course, and related multimedia data is constructed in order to provide the travel information service of the present invention.
In operation S20, a user interface is executed so that a user may generate ‘a customized trip’ using a user terminal including the travel information database.
In operation S30, the user executes a menu for setting ‘the customized trip’ using the user interface, and selects a travel area and a travel course in the corresponding area using the executed menu screen.
In this instance, when the user selects a specific travel course from the menu screen of the user interface, a predetermined individual POI list is displayed on the corresponding travel course, and the user selects at least one piece of POI information to be designated as the user's own customized travel course from the displayed POI list using the menu screen in operation S40.
In operation S50, when a storage instruction of the user with respect to the selected POI information is inputted, the user sets a course with the selected POI information and generates a travel route corresponding to the customized trip.
Accordingly, the user terminal stores the travel route of the customized trip generated using the above-described process in the third recording device 70, and performs map guidance based on the customized travel route stored in the third recording device 70 when a request of the user exists.
Hereinafter, a user interface screen for generating the customized trip and a process of generating the customized trip are described in detail.
First,
The ‘travel for each area’ menu may designate its location in a group which a menu type or a menu character is similar. For example, as illustrated in
When the ‘travel for each area’ menu 300 is selected from the ‘theme search’ menu list, a user interface for generating the customized trip may be executed. When a user selects the ‘travel for each area’ menu 300, a corresponding menu screen is displayed, and the user may select a travel area and a travel course in the corresponding area using the menu screen with respect to the ‘travel for each area’.
As illustrated in
When a specific area is selected using the area selection menu screen, the course selection menu screen that may be used to select a travel course in the selected area is provided as a lower menu of the area selection menu.
The course selection menu provides at least one travel course, and each travel course sets courses with at least two destinations and provides the courses.
As illustrated in
The course selection menu screen provides a travel course list of a corresponding area 510, a distance remaining in a travel course 520, and an estimated remaining time 530. The distance remaining in the travel course 520 and the estimated remaining time 530 denote a remaining distance and a remaining time from a current location to a first destination included in the corresponding travel course.
Also, the course selection menu screen further includes a detailed information icon 540 movable to the menu screen providing detailed information for each travel course, for example, ‘tourism complex information’, so that a user may select the desired travel course with reference to detailed travel information about the travel course.
When a user selects the detailed information icon 540 after selecting a specific travel course in the menu screen of
The detailed information providing screen includes an introduction section 600 for introducing a destination of the travel course selected by the user, and further includes each information icon accessing a view screen of photograph information 610, a tourism map 620, and a recommended attraction 630 related to the travel course.
When the photograph information icon 610 is selected from the detailed information providing screen of
The photograph information includes at least two photographs or images, and displays the at least two photographs or images on a screen or embodies the at least two photographs or images as a slide show type. The photograph information may include a movie.
When the tourism map icon 620 is selected from the detailed information providing screen of
The travel map may mark all POI information of the corresponding travel course or recommended POI information, and a movement route proposed by the travel course may be provided by a connection between POI information using an arrow and the like.
When the recommended attraction icon 630 is selected from the detailed information providing screen of
The recommended attraction providing screen provides a recommended POI information list 920, a selection section 910 individually selecting the POI information, and a distance remaining to the destination 930 and an estimated remaining time 940 corresponding to each POI information.
The recommended attraction providing screen further includes each information icon accessing screens of a detailed view 950 related to individual POI information and a location view 960.
The recommended attraction providing screen further includes an icon 970 accessing a trip generation menu screen that may select at least one recommended POI from the recommended POI information list and may generate a customized trip.
Hereinafter, screens of providing detailed information of the individual POI information and travel generation are described.
Accordingly, as described with reference to
In
The POI information menu screen provides a POI information list 120 corresponding to a travel course selected by a user, a selection section 110 for individually selecting the POI information, and a distance remaining to a destination 130 and an estimated remaining time 140 corresponding to each POI information.
The POI information menu screen may further include a theme selection section 100 with respect to the POI information, may classify the POI information by a theme of information, for example, accommodations, food, a show, a recommended attraction, and the like, and may optionally provide the POI information list corresponding to the theme selected by the user.
The POI information menu screen further includes an information icon corresponding to a detailed view 150 and a location view 160 in order to provide detailed information related to an individual POI.
When a user selects the detailed view icon 150 after selecting specific POI information from the menu screen of
The detailed information providing screen includes an introduction section 151 of a destination corresponding to the POI information selected by the user, and further includes each information icon accessing photograph information 152 related to the POI information, and an outline map view 153.
When the photograph information icon 152 is selected from the detailed information providing screen of
The photograph information includes at least two photographs or images, and displays the at least two photographs or images on a screen or embodies the at least two photographs or images as a slide show type. The photograph information may include a movie.
When the outline map view icon 153 is selected from the detailed information providing screen of
The outline map view may generate and provide an outline map image by a scheme of marking surrounding information thereby encircling the destination location of the corresponding POI information (
The POI information menu screen further includes an icon 170 accessing a travel generation menu screen that may select at least one piece of POI information from an individual POI list and generate a customized trip.
Hereinafter, a travel generation-providing screen based on a selection of the individual POI is described.
Accordingly, as described with reference to
Hereinafter, a travel generation process based on the selection of the individual POI in menu screens of
When a user selects travel generation icons 970 and 170 after selecting at least one piece of POI information in the menu screens of
The travel generation-providing screen provides a name input section 171 for setting a trip name, an individual POI information list 173, a selection section 172 to individually select the POI information, and a distance remaining to a destination 174 and an estimated remaining time 175 corresponding to each POI information.
The travel generation-providing screen further includes a deletion icon for deleting individual POI information and a storage icon with respect to the selected POI information.
The user inputs a trip name of a travel route being generated using the trip name input section 171 in the travel generation-providing screen, and inputs the storage icon after selecting at least one piece of POI information from the individual POI information list 173 using the selection section 172.
The POI information selected by the user sets a course based on an input of the storage icon and is stored as a customized travel route by setting the trip name inputted using the trip name input section 171 as a file name. In this instance, the setting the course with the POI information may determine a route movement order between POIs based on an order by which the user selects the POI information, or a short distance order between the POI information selected by the user.
For example, when the user selects ‘Bomum tourism complex’ from the menu screen of
The customized trip directly generated by the user using the user interface is stored in a terminal and a customized travel list stored in the terminal is provided according to a request of the user.
The user interface generates a menu accessing the customized travel list, for example, a menu ‘trip generate’, and provides the customized travel list when selecting the corresponding menu.
The menu ‘trip I generate’ (a reference number 410 in
When a user selects the menu ‘trip I generate’, a customized travel list 210 generated by the user is provided as illustrated in
The menu screen of
When the specific customized trip is selected from the menu screen of
The information verification menu screen may provide a trip modification icon to modify a course, delete a destination, and the like, and a detailed view icon to provide detailed information about each destination.
When the specific customized trip is selected from the menu screen of
The report message screen 231 may further include a course verification icon to verify a course of the customized trip selected by the user before starting the travel.
When the user verifies a report message using the report message screen 231 and inputs a travel start instruction, map guidance starts based on a route designated in the corresponding customized trip. When the user arrives at a first destination of the customized trip during a map guidance process, an arrival report message screen 232 is subsequently provided as illustrated in
The arrival report message screen 232 may include a guidance end icon to end a map guidance service of the customized trip regardless of any remaining destinations, a course modification icon to verify a remaining course or to modify a course of a remaining destination, and a move after rest icon for directing guidance to a next destination.
When the user selects the move after rest icon from the arrival report message screen 232, a message screen 233 reporting a destination to move to next is provided as illustrated in
The next course report message screen 233 may include a guidance end icon to end a map guidance service of a customized trip regardless of any remaining destinations, a guidance start icon to instruct a guidance start to a next destination, a course modification icon to verify a remaining course or to modify a course of a remaining destination, and a course verification icon to verify a current location and map information about a next destination.
When the course verification icon is selected, a map image denoting a current location, a location of a next destination, and the like is provided as illustrated in
According to the present invention, the user may set a course with the destination selected by the user, generate a customized trip, and provide a route guidance service based on the customized travel generated by the user.
Also, the route guidance service based on the user-customized travel and travel information corresponding to a driving area while driving may be provided, and the route guidance service may be provided based on a travel course of a corresponding area.
A user terminal provides a user with a route guidance service for providing information related to optimum route guidance to a predetermined destination or for safe driving.
In operation S60, the user selects ‘an area travel mode’ while driving using the route guidance service.
As illustrated in
In operation S70, when the user selects ‘the area travel mode’ using the route guidance service screen, travel information corresponding to a current-driving area is retrieved from a travel information database after verifying a current location.
In operation S80, the travel information existing in the driving area, that is, a travel course of a corresponding area and an individual POI list in the course are provided based on the search result.
When the user selects, from the POI list, a destination to move to in operation S90, a destination for route guidance is designated as the destination selected by the user, and the route guidance service to the corresponding destination is performed in operation S100.
The present invention may provide travel information of a driving area while driving using the route guidance service.
The method of providing the travel information service according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be recorded in computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. The media and program instructions may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM disks and DVD; magneto-optical media such as optical disks; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described embodiments of the present invention.
A travel information service system and a method of providing a travel information service according to the present invention have following effects.
First, a travel course for each area and an individual destination for each course are provided with detailed information of each destination for a terminal, thereby improving a user convenience in searching for the destination and collecting travel information.
Second, a user may directly set a course with a destination and create a travel course, thereby providing an optimized travel guidance service based on a travel purpose or a travel type.
Third, travel information corresponding to a driving area while driving may be provided, thereby extending benefits of a user terminal.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended thereto and their equivalents.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2007-0010972 | Feb 2007 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2007/006857 | 12/27/2007 | WO | 00 | 7/31/2009 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008/093935 | 8/7/2008 | WO | A |
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