FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to navigation systems and, in particular, to a navigation system for providing route-of-travel directions to a dynamically moving target.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many global positioning system (GPS) units in use at the present time by which a stationary target geographical destination is entered into a GPS unit by a user and on-screen or dictated routing directions to the stationary target geographical destination are provided by the GPS unit to the user. In situations where multiple parties are in need of routing directions to the same stationary target geographical destination, each party simply uses his or her GPS unit as just described. When, however, the target is moving and multiple parties, in need of routing directions from their respective locations to the target, have related interests in the target, the task of acquiring routing directions to the moving target can become more difficult for the multiple parties collectively than when the target is stationary.

The present invention is concerned with providing multiple parties having related interests in a dynamically moving target with routing directions to the target. Two of the various applications of the present invention may be characterized, in general, by (1) multiple parties directly acquiring information about the changing location of a dynamically moving target to develop routing directions to the target, and (2) one or more parties acquiring information about the changing location of a dynamically moving target from one or more of the other parties to develop routing directions to the target. Such applications of the present invention are best understood by way of two specific examples.

Consider the coverage by a television station of a weather condition, such as a tornado, or police activity, such as capturing an escaped zoo animal. Because such subjects are likely to capture the imaginations of viewers, the television station is likely to dispatch more than one news gathering crew and vehicle to provide viewers with complete coverage.

With each news crew, acting on its own and, individually accessing an external source to acquire information about the changing location of the moving subject or incident to be covered (i.e., the "target") and each news crew can develop routing directions to the moving target by means of a GPS unit, provided there is an external source for providing the needed changing location information of the target and the news crew correctly identifies the external source of information which will be different for the various subjects or incidents that are covered.

At times, television news crews? in news gathering vehiclesy discover, and then follow, a moving target news event. When additional news crews and vehicles are dispatched, the newly dispatched news crews are likely to acquire information about the changing location of the target from the news crew that discovered and began following the target (i.e., the "lead" news crew), and directions to the target from the lead news crew via cellular/mobile telephones or other communications equipment. Such operation requires familiarity with the surroundings and exchanges between the lead crew and the follower news crews might be awkward in that specific routing directions might have to be repeated or clarified and updated as the target moves, all of which takes the lead news crew away from it primary task of reporting the event.

It will be understood that the examples considered above represent only two general applications of the present invention by which a plurality of parties, having related interests in a moving target, develop routing directions to the moving target and that the present invention has other applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A navigation system for routing directions to a moving target, constructed in accordance with the present invention, includes a satellite server for receiving information of the changing location of a moving target and transmitting the information of the changing location of the moving target. This navigation system also includes a plurality of GPS transmitter/receivers for individually receiving the information of the changing location of the moving target transmitted by the satellite server, programming the changing location of the moving target, and communicating with a GPS server to receive routing directions from the locations of the transmitter/receivers to the changing location of the target.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a navigation system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a navigation system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a navigation system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Figure 1 , which shows a first embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system for routing directions to a moving target, constructed in accordance with the present invention, includes a satellite server 10 for receiving information of the changing location of a moving target from an external source. The receiving of this information by satellite server 10 is represented by an arrow 12. The external source of the information about the changing location of the moving target may be, for example, a global positioning server, a municipal agency, a news bureau, or other source of information that is concerned with the particular target of interest. Satellite server 10 also transmits the information of the changing location of the moving target. Satellite server 10 may be a server of conventional construction and operation that receives signals containing specific information and transmits signals containing the specific information.

A navigation system for routing directions to a moving target, constructed in accordance with the present invention, also includes a plurality of GPS transmitter/receivers 14, 16, and 18. The receiving of this information by transmitter/receivers 14, 16, and 18 is represented by arrows 20, 22, and 24, respectively. The expression transmitter/receiver is intended to include two separate components or a single component. The locations of GPS transmitter/receivers 14, 16, and 18 are designated in Figure 1 by reference characters "A" "B" "C" respectively. Transmitter/receivers 14, 16, and 18 may be of conventional construction and operation, but modified by suitable means for receiving the information of the changing location of the moving target transmitted by satellite server 10.

After the information of the changing location of the moving target is received from satellite server 10, each GPS transmitter/receiver 14, 16, and 18 programs this information and communicates with a GPS server to receive routing directions from the locations "A" "B" "C" of the GPS transmitter/receivers to the changing location of the target in the usual manner, as represented in Figure 1 by arrows 26, 28, and 30, respectively. The frequency of communications between GPS transmitter/receivers 14, 16, and 18 and the GPS server to acquire up-dated routing directions to the moving target is determined by the needs of the users of the GPS transmitter/receivers.

Satellite server 10, functioning as a common source of information about the changing location of a moving target, facilitates acquiring this information by the users of GPS transmitter/receiver 14, 16, and 18, rather than acquiring this information from an external source that is likely to be different for different moving targets. Instead of placing the burden of identifying the correct external source of information about the particular moving target on the individual users, the information about the changing location of the particular moving target is made available to the users by accessing a server, such as satellite server 10.

Referring to Figure 2, which shows a second embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system for routing directions to a moving target, constructed in accordance with the present invention, includes a first GPS transmitter/receiver 40 in which a changing destination, namely a moving target in relative proximity to transmitter/receiver 40, is programmed. GPS transmitter/receiver 40 communicates with a GPS server to receive routing directions from a changing location of the GPS transmitter/receiver, designated by reference character "A" in Figure 2, as the GPS transmitter/receiver remains in proximity to the moving target in the same manner as with a stationary destination or target, except the routing directions change as changes in the destination or target are programmed in the GPS transmitter/receiver. Communication between transmitter/receiver 40 and the global positioning server is represented in Figure 2 by arrow 42.

GPS transmitter/receiver 40 also transmits information of its location that is received by a satellite server 44. The transmission of the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40 is represented by arrow 46 "A" LOCATION INFORMATION. In effect, GPS transmitter/receiver 40 serves as a pseudo moving destination or target, representative of the actual moving target of interest that is in relative proximity to GPS transmitter/receiver 40, and transmits to satellite server 44 information of its changing location as being representative of information of the changing location of the actual destination or target of interest. GPS transmitter/receiver 40 may be of conventional construction and operation when satellite server 44 is arranged to receive the same transmissions as those received by the global positioning server. When satellite server 44 is arranged as a dedicated server, so that the transmissions of information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40 differ from the transmissions of the GPS transmitter/receiver to the global positioning server, the GPS transmitter/receiver can be arranged in a suitable manner.

After receiving the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40, satellite server 44 transmits this information to a second GPS transmitter/receiver 48, the location of which is designated by reference character "B" in Figure 2. The transmission of the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40 from satellite server 44 to GPS transmitter/receiver 48 is represented by arrow 50 "A" LOCATION INFORMATION in Figure 2.

Subsequent to receiving the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40, GPS transmitter/receiver 48 communicates with the GPS server to receive routing directions from the location "B" of GPS transmitter/receiver 48 to the location "A" of GPS transmitter/receiver 40, as represented in Figure 2 by arrow 52. GPS transmitter/receiver 48 communicates with the GPS server to receive routing directions from the location of the GPS transmitter/receiver 48 to the changing location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40 in the same manner as with a stationary target, except the routing directions change as changes in the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40 are received by GPS transmitter/receiver 48. In effect, transmitter/receiver 40 is a moving target for transmitter/receiver 48 which, as indicated above, is representative of the actual moving target of interest that is in relative proximity to GPS transmitter/receiver 40. GPS transmitter/receiver 48 may be of conventional construction and operation, but modified in a suitable manner to receive transmissions from satellite server 44 of the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40

Figure 3 illustrates a third embodiment of a navigation system for routing to a moving target constructed in accordance with the present invention This embodiment of the present invention is generally similar to the Figure 3 embodiment The same reference numerals, used to identify components of the Figure 2 embodiment^ are used to identify the same components in the Figure 3 embodiment

In the Figure 3 embodiment of the present invention, a third GPS transmitter/receiver 60 is added to the navigation system Satellite server 44, in addition to receiving information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 40, receives transmissions from GPS transmitter/receiver 48 of information of the location "B" of GPS transmitter/receiver 48 This is represented by arrow 62 "B" LOCATION INFORMATION in Figure 3

Satellite server 44 transmits the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 48 to GPS transmitter/receiver 60, as represented by arrow 64 "B" LOCATION INFORMATION Upon receiving information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 48, transmitted from satellite server 44, GPS transmitter/receiver 60 communicates with the GPS server to receive routing directions from the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 60, represented by the designation "C" in Figure 2, to the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 48 as represented by arrow 66 In effect, GPS transmitter/receiver 48 serves as a second target and transmits to satellite server 44 information of its changing location GPS transmitter/receiver 60 may be of conventional construction and operation, but modified in a suitable manner to receive transmissions from server 44 of the information of the location of GPS transmitter/receiver 48.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. Additionally, the invention is intended to incorporate the tracking of targets which can include cell phones, automobiles, aircrafts, or water vessels.