Voice-controlled navigation device utilizing wireless data transmission for obtaining maps and real-time overlay information

A navigation system device comprising:

• a subscriber unit configured to receive and transmit information, the subscriber unit including a global positioning system mechanism to determine subscriber position information, an output mechanism to convey information to a subscriber, and a speech processing mechanism to accommodate communications between the subscriber unit and the subscriber;
• and a service provider configured to communicate with the subscriber unit, the communications between the service provider and the subscriber unit including the reception and transmission of to receive navigation information including map information from a server provider,
• wherein the output mechanism prompts is to prompt the subscriber to speak destination information, the speech processing mechanism receives to receive the destination information,
• and the subscriber unit transmits to transmit the subscriber position information and the destination information to the a service provider, and the service provider responds by transmitting the receive navigation information to the subscriber unit, which conveys including map information from the service provider and convey the navigation information to the subscriber via the output mechanism,
• wherein each of the subscriber unit and the service provider encrypt information before transmitting the information, and
• wherein each user of the subscriber unit is assigned an encryption key, the speech processing mechanism is configured to identify a user on the basis of the voice of the user, and the subscriber unit is configured to use the encryption key assigned to the identified user during navigation by the identified user.

A navigation system comprising:

• a subscriber unit configured to receive and transmit information, the subscriber unit including a global positioning system mechanism to determine subscriber position information, an output mechanism to convey information to a subscriber, and a speech processing mechanism to accommodate communications between the subscriber unit and the subscriber;
• and
• a service provider configured to communicate with the subscriber unit, the communications between the service provider and the subscriber unit including the reception and transmission of navigation information including map information,
• wherein the output mechanism prompts the subscriber to speak destination information, the speech processing mechanism receives the destination information and the subscriber unit transmits the subscriber position information and the destination information to the service provider, and the service provider responds by transmitting the navigation information to the subscriber unit, which conveys the navigation information to the subscriber via the output mechanism, and
• wherein the service provider is configured to store the subscriber position information, the subscriber unit is configured to measure the distance between the stored subscriber position information and a current position, and the subscriber unit transmits the current position to the service provider when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance.

A navigation system device comprising:

• a subscriber unit configured to receive and transmit information, the subscriber unit including a global positioning system mechanism to determine subscriber position information, an output mechanism to convey information to a subscriber, and a speech processing mechanism to accommodate communications between the subscriber unit and the subscriber;
• and a service provider configured to communicate with the subscriber unit, the communications between the service provider and the subscriber unit including the reception and transmission of to receive navigation information including map information from a service provider,
• wherein the output mechanism prompts is to prompt the subscriber to speak destination information, the speech processing mechanism receives to receive the destination information,
• and the subscriber unit transmits to transmit the subscriber position information and the destination information to the service provider, and the service provider responds by transmitting the receive navigation information to the subscriber unit, which conveys from the service provider and convey the navigation information to the subscriber via the output mechanism, and
• wherein the subscriber unit includes a firmware and a software portion, the subscriber unit being configured to receive encrypted firmware and software upgrades, the upgrades being decrypted by, and programmed into, the subscriber unit.

A navigation method comprising:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider, after encrypting the information;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, encrypted navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• encrypting, by each of the subscriber unit and the service provider, information before transmission;
• assigning, by the subscriber unit, a first user of a the subscriber unit an encryption key;
• associating the encryption key of the first user with the voice of the first user;
• identifying the first user when the first user speaks;
• and
• using the encryption key assigned to the first user during navigation by the first user.

A navigation method comprising:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider, after encrypting the information;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, encrypted navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• encrypting, by each of the subscriber unit and the service provider, information before transmission;
• and
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, encrypted firmware or software upgrades.

A navigation method comprising:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber by synthetically generating a recognizable speech pattern;
• determining, by the subscriber unit, the distance between the current position and a position related to one or more points along the route;
• and
• requesting new map information from the service provider when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance.

A navigation method comprising:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• storing, by the service provider, the position information;
• measuring, by the subscriber unit, the distance between the stored position information and the current position;
• and
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the current position to the service provider when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of processor-executable instruction sequences for:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• determining, by the subscriber unit, the distance between the current position and a position related to one or more points along the route;
• and
• requesting new map information from the service provider when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance;
• and
• notifying the subscriber that the route has been deviated from when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of processor-executable instruction sequences for:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider, after encrypting the information;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, encrypted navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• encrypting, by each of the subscriber unit and the service provider, information before transmission;
• assigning, by the subscriber unit, a first user of a the subscriber unit an encryption key;
• associating the encryption key of the first user with the voice of the first user;
• identifying the first user when the first user speaks;
• and
• using the encryption key assigned to the first user during navigation by the first user.

A computable-readable medium encoded with a plurality of processor-executable instruction sequences for:

• receiving, by a subscriber unit, position information and destination information, the destination information being spoken by a subscriber;
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the position information and the destination information to a service provider;
• receiving, by the subscriber unit, navigation information from the service provider, the navigation information involving a plurality of points along a route from a current position to a destination;
• conveying, by the subscriber unit, the navigation information to the subscriber;
• storing, by the service provider, the position information;
• measuring, by the subscriber unit, the distance between the stored position information and the current position;
• and
• transmitting, by the subscriber unit, the current position to the service provider when the distance exceeds a predetermined distance.