Sharing navigation data among co-located computing devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10492029-B2
Application number	US-201815978873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2018
Priority date	Jan 21, 2016
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

This document describes systems, methods, devices, and other techniques for sharing navigation data among computing devices. The techniques can include identifying, by a first computing device, a second computing device, based on the first computing device detecting an audio signal emitted by one or more speakers of the second computing device, wherein the second computing device is running a navigation application that has been programed to navigate a geographic route. Using information encoded in the audio signal that was emitted by the one or more speakers of the second computing device, the first computing device can determine the geographic route that the navigation application running on the second computing device has been programmed to navigate. A representation of the geographic route can be displayed on an electronic display of the first computing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing navigation data among co-located computing devices, comprising:
receiving, at a first computing device that is running a navigation application that has been programmed to navigate a geographic route, a request from a second computing device for the first computing device to share the geographic route with the second computing device;
in response to receiving the request and determining that the second computing device or a user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device, encoding an audio signal with information indicative of the geographic route being navigated by the navigation application of the first computing device; and
outputting, with one or more speakers of the first computing device or one or more speakers of a vehicle, and to the second computing device, the audio signal.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to receiving the request from the second computing device for the first computing device to share the geographic route with the second computing device:
(i) determining an identity of the second computing device or an identity of the user of the second computing device, and
(ii) based on the identity of the second computing device or the identity of the user of the second computing device, determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device comprises determining whether a social media account of a user of the first computing device is connected to a social media account of the user of the second computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device comprises determining whether the user of the second computing device is listed in a contact list for a user of the first computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first computing device, at a time that is after the audio signal is output and while the navigation application running on the first computing device continues to navigate the route, a second audio signal from the second computing device that is encoded with other information indicative of a different, second route to a destination or another destination; and
in response to receiving the second audio signal, automatically determining the second route and re-programming the navigation application running on the first computing device to navigate the different, second route.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first computing device is a mobile computing device or is at least a portion of an integrated navigation computer system installed in the vehicle, and
the second computing device is a mobile computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a center frequency of the audio signal is at least 20 kilohertz.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the audio signal encodes an address that indicates a location on a computer network at which information that specifies the geographic route can be accessed.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising outputting the audio signal with the one or more speakers of the vehicle.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at a first computing device that is running a navigation application that has been programmed to navigate a geographic route, a request from a second computing device for the first computing device to share the geographic route with the second computing device;
in response to receiving the request and determining that the second computing device or a user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device, encoding an audio signal with information indicative of the geographic route being navigated by the navigation application of the first computing device; and
outputting, with one or more speakers of the first computing device or one or more speakers of a vehicle, and to the second computing device, the audio signal.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to receiving the request from the second computing device for the first computing device to share the geographic route with the second computing device:
(i) determining an identity of the second computing device or an identity of the user of the second computing device, and
(ii) based on the identity of the second computing device or the identity of the user of the second computing device, determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device comprises determining whether a social media account of a user of the first computing device is connected to a social media account of the user of the second computing device.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the second computing device or the user of the second computing device is authorized to receive navigation data shared by the first computing device comprises determining whether the user of the second computing device is listed in a contact list for a user of the first computing device.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, by the first computing device, at a time that is after the audio signal is output and while the navigation application running on the first computing device continues to navigate the route, a second audio signal from the second computing device that is encoded with other information indicative of a different, second route to a destination or another destination; and
in response to receiving the second audio signal, automatically determining the second route and re-programming the navigation application running on the first computing device to navigate the different, second route.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein:
the first computing device is a mobile computing device or is at least a portion of an integrated navigation computer system installed in a vehicle, and
the second computing device is a mobile computing device.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein a center frequency of the audio signal is at least 20 kilohertz.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the audio signal encodes an address that indicates a location on a computer network at which information that specifies the geographic route can be accessed.

18. A first computer device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored th

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Harding Dean
• Foster Andrew

Classifications

• G01C21/362 Primary

  received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application · CPC title

• G01C21/3667

  Display of a road map (G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635) · CPC title

• G01C21/3492

  employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• H04W4/024 Primary

  Guidance services · CPC title

• G01C21/3415 Primary

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title