The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 11, 2000
Filed:
Sep. 25, 1997
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka-fu, JP;
Abstract
Road network data is divided into a plurality of road network areas and one or a plurality of routes are obtained between the divided road network areas. The obtained routes are stored into a route data storage device 1. When a starting point and a destination are specified from a point input device 2, an area investigating device 3 investigates two road network areas to which the points belong. A route retrieving device 4 retrieves the route data corresponding to the combination of the obtained two road network areas from the route data storage device 1. A peripheral route searching device 8 searches for connecting routes in the road network areas to which the starting point and the destination belong, on the basis of the road network data stored in the road network data storage device 7. Further, the peripheral route searching device 8 produces the entire route from the starting point to the destination by using the route data retrieved from the route data storage device 1 and the connecting routes searched for in the vicinities of the starting point and the destination and presents the route to a user through an output device 6. This way, routes between arbitrary two road network areas are obtained in advance and stored as route data. When a starting point and a destination are specified, the route data between the corresponding road network areas are retrieved and a route from the starting point to the destination is presented on the basis of the retrieved route data. Thus the route can be searched for in an instant.