PDA systems, functional data, and methods for generating a route

A PDA system, comprising:

• a storage device to store navigation data;
• a server operable to communicate with the storage device;
• and
• a PDA device operable to communicate with and retrieve navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the PDA device includes a processor in communication with a memory, wherein the processor and memory cooperate to:
• generate a projected route from a starting location, one or more available locations, and an ending location, wherein each available location has an associated cost;
• evaluate each available location as the projected route as the projected route is constructed if an available location is adjacent to a last inserted available location and has a least cost when compared to costs associated with all available adjacent locations;
• and
• insert a adjacent locations into a first data structure such that a first location of the first data structure is a least cost location of the data structure, and wherein the first data structure is a treap data structure.

A PDA having functional data for selecting an optimal route, the functional data comprising:

• a beginning node representative of an initial geographic location;
• a destination node representative of a desired geographic location;
• an optimal route, wherein the optimal route is a path starting with the beginning node and including one or more selected intermediate nodes and ending with the destination node;
• and
• one or more available nodes wherein each available node includes a cost associated therewith including each available node in the path as one of the selected intermediate nodes, wherein as one or more of the available nodes become available for inspection the available nodes are organized as a first data structure, wherein a least cost available node is a first node of the data structure, and wherein the first data structure is a treat) data structure.

A method in a PDA of generating a projected route, comprising:

• in a PDA, receiving an initial starting location and an ending location;
• identifying one or more available locations existing between the starting location and the ending location;
• beginning with the stating location and proceeding to the ending location initiating a first evaluation by selecting one or more adjacent locations from the available locations and as one or more of the adjacent locations are selected inserting each of the selected adjacent locations into a first data structure, wherein a first location of the first data structure is always associated with a least cost location of the first data structure, and wherein the first data structure is a treap data structure;
• and
• generating the projected route from the starting location, one or more of the selected adjacent locations which occupy the first location of the first data structure, and the ending location.

A personal digital assistant (PDA), comprising:

• a calendar function;
• an address book function;
• a processor operably coupled to a memory and a display;
• means for dynamically generating a route path using the processor and the memory from a moveable location associated with the PDA to a destination of the PDA by repetitively dynamically expanding one or more adjacent locations and inserting the adjacent locations into a first data structure wherein one or more first locations of the first data structure are associated with a then existing least cost location in the route path, the route path is dynamically generated from the moveable location, the first locations of the first data structure, and the destination;
• and
• means for dynamically communicating at least a portion of the route path to the display.