Method, apparatus and system for use in navigation

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods, processes and systems for use in determining navigation. Some embodiments provide methods that receive a communication at a mobile navigation system from an external device, determine whether the communication comprises navigation information, extract the navigation information when the communication comprises navigation information, identify a navigation location based on the navigation information, retrieve a current location, and generate navigation instructions between the current location and the navigation location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile navigation system for use in navigating, comprising:
 a receiver;   a processor coupled to the receiver wherein the processor includes a program for performing the following processing steps:
 determining whether a communication received by the receiver comprises navigation information; 
 extracting the navigation information when the communication comprises the navigation information; 
 identifying a navigation location based on the navigation information; 
   retrieving a current location; and
 generating navigation instructions between the current location and the navigation location. 
   
     
     
         2 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein the receiver comprises a Bluetooth wireless transceiver. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing the following processing steps:
 determining whether the communication comprises a navigation command; and   implementing the determining whether the communication comprises the navigation command and implementing the extracting of the navigation information when the communication does comprises the navigation command.   
     
     
         4 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 3 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said determining whether the communication comprises said navigation command, wherein said determining comprises determining whether the communication comprises a navigation system identifier for the mobile navigation system. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said determining whether the communication comprises the navigation information comprising parsing the communication, and determining whether the communication comprises a location information identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said extracting the navigation information comprising identifying a portion of content of the communication that is selected. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 6 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said extracting the navigation information comprising identifying the selected portion of content selected on a local display. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1  wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing the following processing step:
 determining whether the communication comprises multimedia information, wherein the mobile navigation system further comprises: 
 a local display for displaying the multimedia information. 
 
     
     
         9 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 8  wherein said processor coupled to said receiver wherein the processor includes a program for performing the following processing steps:
 determining whether a vehicle within which the local display is located is moving; 
 preventing the multimedia information from being displayed on the local display when the vehicle is moving; and 
 routing the multimedia information to a secondary display and displaying the multimedia information on the secondary display when the vehicle is moving. 
 
     
     
         10 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 9 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said routing the multimedia information comprising routing the multimedia information to the secondary display that is generally not viewable by an operator of the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 1  wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing the following processing step:
 transmitting at least a portion of the generated navigation instructions to an external device. 
 
     
     
         12 . The mobile navigation system of  claim 11 , wherein said processor coupled to said receiver includes a program for performing said step of said generating the navigation instructions comprising generating graphical image data representative of the navigation instructions whereby the transmitting at least the portion of the generated navigation instructions comprises transmitting the graphical image data to the external device to be displayed on the external device. 
     
     
         13 . A navigation direction acquisition system comprising:
 a wireless communication device for receiving a transmit command;   a processor coupled to the wireless communication device wherein the processor includes a program for performing the following processing steps:
 identifying location information stored in the wireless communication device associated with the command; 
 identifying a receiving mobile navigation system; 
 generating a communication comprising formatting the communication to be recognized by the receiving mobile navigation system as intended for use by the receiving mobile navigation system; and 
 sending the communication to the wireless communication device for transmission to the receiving mobile navigation system. 
   
     
     
         14 . The navigation direction acquisition system of  claim 13 , wherein said processor coupled to said wireless communication device includes a program for performing said step of said formatting of the communication comprising incorporating a navigation system identifier and the location information into the communication. 
     
     
         15 . The navigation direction acquisition system of  claim 13 , wherein said processor coupled to said wireless communication device includes a program for performing said step of said identifying the location information comprises identifying content that has been selected through the wireless communication device. 
     
     
         16 . The navigation direction acquisition system of  claim 13 , wherein said processor coupled to said wireless communication device includes a program for performing said step of said identifying the location information comprises parsing display information of content being displayed and detecting a location information identifier. 
     
     
         17 . The navigation direction acquisition system of  claim 13 , wherein said processor coupled to said wireless communication device includes a program for performing said step of said generating of the communication comprising formatting the communication and incorporating a predefined header identifying the communication as a location communication.