US 6,748,225 B1 · Method and system for the determination of location by retail signage and other readily recognizable landmarks

Abstract

A system and method for determining a current location by the visual identification of retail signage and other readily recognizable landmarks comprising a service center having one or more service agents, a plurality of inbound communication channels allowing the service center to receive a communication from a lost traveler or a traveler unfamiliar with the particular locale, a switch platform in the service center directing the communication received from the traveler to one of the one or more service agents. The lost traveler identifies for the service agent one or more of landmarks the traveler sees proximate to the traveler's current location. A database is maintained which includes a plurality of records corresponding to the geographic location information for a plurality of landmarks in a given region. A host computer executes a search of the database for the one or more landmarks visually identified by the traveler. The host computer attempts to determine the current geographic location from a search of the database. If successful, the service provider provides to the traveler an indication of the traveler's current location.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for determining a current geographic location of a traveler where the traveler is capable of visually identifying one or more landmarks proximate to the current geographic location, the method comprising:

establishing a communication link between the traveler and a service provider;
receiving from the traveler a communication of a visual identification of the one or more landmarks proximate to the current geographic location, and information about a direction in which the traveler is heading;
searching for the one or more landmarks visually identified by the traveler in a database having records corresponding to geographic location information for a plurality of landmarks in a given region;
based on at least the information about the direction, identifying to the traveler a second landmark from the plurality of landmarks which is in proximity of the one or more landmarks;
and
determining the current geographic location and a heading direction of the traveler based on at least a confirmation by the traveler of the second landmark.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for the determination of location by retail signage and other readily recognizable landmarks

Life of this patent

Method and system for the determination of location by retail signage and other readily recognizable landmarks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20