G
Guns Guns Guns
Guest
I'd love to see Webbway and/or Failias comment on this:
Microsoft may be attempting to corner the market on GPS systems for use by pedestrians, or they may have opened a fertile ground for discrimination lawsuits.
We won't really know until actual devices incorporating the designs in this patent begin to appear.
Described as a patent on pedestrian route production, the patent describes a two-way system of building navigation devices targeted at people who are not in vehicles, but still require the use of such a device to most efficiently route to their destination.
Microsoft feels that this patent addresses an unmet need for assisted navigation on foot.
Loosely the patent breaks down into three categories; gathering data, analyzing data and user requirements, and route generation.
For example, the user inputs their destination and any constraints or requirements they might have, such as a wheelchair accessible route, types of terrain they are willing to cross, the option of public transportation, and a way point such as the nearest Starbucks on the route.
Any previously configured preferences are also considered, such as avoiding neighborhoods that exceed a certain threshold of violent crime statistics (hence the description of this as the "avoid bad neighborhoods" patent), fastest route, most scenic, etc.
The system then analyzes potential routes, considers constraints, compares data sources, and delivers the appropriate instructions in the form selected by the user, such as a scrolling map, turn-by-turn direction, or spoken guidance.
http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/personal-tech/geo-location/232301460
Microsoft may be attempting to corner the market on GPS systems for use by pedestrians, or they may have opened a fertile ground for discrimination lawsuits.
We won't really know until actual devices incorporating the designs in this patent begin to appear.
Described as a patent on pedestrian route production, the patent describes a two-way system of building navigation devices targeted at people who are not in vehicles, but still require the use of such a device to most efficiently route to their destination.
Microsoft feels that this patent addresses an unmet need for assisted navigation on foot.
Loosely the patent breaks down into three categories; gathering data, analyzing data and user requirements, and route generation.
For example, the user inputs their destination and any constraints or requirements they might have, such as a wheelchair accessible route, types of terrain they are willing to cross, the option of public transportation, and a way point such as the nearest Starbucks on the route.
Any previously configured preferences are also considered, such as avoiding neighborhoods that exceed a certain threshold of violent crime statistics (hence the description of this as the "avoid bad neighborhoods" patent), fastest route, most scenic, etc.
The system then analyzes potential routes, considers constraints, compares data sources, and delivers the appropriate instructions in the form selected by the user, such as a scrolling map, turn-by-turn direction, or spoken guidance.
http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/personal-tech/geo-location/232301460
