EP0838771A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Interface layer for navigation system
Assignee: Here North America LLC
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Filing: 1997-10-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-10-24
Abstract
Abstract An improved method and system that provides for a data access interface layer in a navigation system. The navigation system is of the type that includes a navigation application software program that provides navigating features to a user of the system and a geographic database stored on a computer-readable storage medium wherein the geographical database includes information relating to the geographical region about which the navigation system provides the navigation features to the user. The data access interface layer is preferably stored in the navigation system as a library of software functions. The data access interface layer operates in conjunction with the navigation system application software. The data access interface layer isolates the navigation application software from the geographic data which are stored on the storage medium. The data access interface layer intercepts requests by the navigation application software for geographic data. The data access interface layer retrieves geographic data from the storage medium and converts the data into a format usable by the navigation application software. The data access interface layer also provides for memory management that facilitates accessing and using geographic data from the particular storage medium quickly and efficiently. By recognizing that different media types have different physical formats, the data access interface layer accommodates and isolates the differences so that the portions of the data access interface layer that interact with the navigation application software can be generic.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard A. Ashby
- 👤 Vijay S. Israni
- 👤 David S. Lampert
- 👤 Senthil K. Natesan
- 👤 Grant S. Killey
- 👤 John C. Jasper
- 👤 Jerry S. Feigen
- 👤 Paul M. Bouzide
- 👤 Robert P. Fernekes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 06:00
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09B; G09B29/00; G09B29/10; G09B29/106; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/26; G01C21/38; G01C21/3863; G01C21/387; G01C21/3878; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/29; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/09; G08G1/0962; G08G1/0968; G08G1/0969; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99932; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99942; Y10S707/99943
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A computer program product for use in a navigation system
wherein the navigation system includes a navigation application program for
providing navigating features to a user of the navigation system and a
geographic database stored on a physical storage medium in a computer-readable
physical storage format, said computer program product comprising an
interface layer comprising: means for accepting and processing requests for geographic data from
the navigation application program; and means for translating geographic data from said physical storage format
and providing said geographic data to said navigation application program in a
logical data model format.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
60 words
The invention of Claim 1 wherein said query logic executing
means further comprises: means for providing a cursor to said navigation application program in
response to a request for geographic data from said navigation application
program, said cursor result including multiple records. and said cursor providing
means responsive to said translating means and adapted to receive said
geographic data therefrom.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The invention of Claim 2 wherein said cursor providing means
further comprises: means for providing a first portion of said cursor in said logical data
model format; and means for providing an entity identifier to a first remainder of said
cursor wherein said first remainder is maintained in a compressed format.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The invention of Claim 3 wherein said cursor providing means
further comprises: a fetch next function means adapted to provide a second portion of said
cursor in said logical data model format, said second portion comprised of said
first remainder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The invention of Claim 1 wherein said program code further
comprises: means for managing indexes responsive to said means for accepting and
processing requests and index information, said indexes managing means
providing an identifier for obtaining geographic data on said physical storage
medium for responding to said requests by said navigation application program.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The invention of Claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said index
information is located on said storage medium, and wherein said indexes
managing means provides parcel identifiers for obtaining pointers to parcels on
said physical storage medium containing geographic data for responding to said
requests by said navigation application program.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The invention of Claim 5 wherein said indexes managing means
further comprises: an interface for translating a specific entity identifier passed from said
navigation application program to a parcel identifier for a parcel on said
physical storage medium.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The invention of Claim 5 wherein said index managing program
code further comprises: an interface for taking an index specifier and query parameters from said
means for accepting and processing requests and returning a set of parcel
identifiers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The invention of Claim 5 further comprising: means for reading index information from said physical storage medium
into a buffer, said indexes managing means coupled to said buffer to obtain said
index information therefrom.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
The invention of Claim 1 wherein said translating means further
comprises: means to unpack parcelized geographic data from said physical storage
format into a decompressed intermediate format; and means to transform said geographic data from said decompressed
intermediate format into data entities in said logical data format for returning to
said navigation application program.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention of Claim 1 wherein said means for transforming
further comprises: a first interface for translation of geographic database entities from the
physical storage format into a decompressed intermediate format; and a second interface for translation of geographic database entities from
said decompressed intermediate format to the logical data model format in
which said geographic data are provided to said means for accepting and
executing requests.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
75 words
The invention of Claim 11 wherein said means for transforming
further comprises: a metatranslation means responsive to a metadata table on said physical
storage medium and said first interface and adapted to translate said geographic
data in said decompressed intermediate format at a first version level to a
decompressed intermediate format at a second version level and provide said
geographic data in said decompressed intermediate format at a second version
level to said second interface.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
75 words
The invention of Claim 1 wherein said computer program
product further comprises: means for managing resources comprising: means for allocating and freeing memory of said navigation system for
use as a memory pool by said computer program product; and means for accessing a cache memory buffer in said memory pool that
stores a parcel read from said physical storage medium, said parcel identified
by means of a parcel identifier provided by an indexes managing means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
The invention of Claim 13 wherein said resource managing
means further comprises: means for initiating an I/O transaction from the physical storage medium
to read said parcel therefrom if said cache memory buffer accessing means
finds that said parcel is not stored in said cache memory buffer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The invention of Claim 14 wherein said I/O initiating means
further comprises: means for storing parcel identifiers in a queue; and means for reordering parcel identifiers while in said queue.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
The invention of Claim 15 wherein said I/O initiating means
further comprises: means for translating said parcel identifiers to a physical media address
while in said queue.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
52 words
The invention of Claim 15 wherein said navigation system
further includes a media device driver and wherein means for reordering said
parcel identifiers further comprises: means responsive to said media device driver to obtain a physical read
head position and adapted to output said physical read head position to said
reordering means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
The invention of Claim 13 wherein said means for managing
resources further comprises: means for locking a cache memory when a parcel is stored therein and a
buffer address is returned to said means for executing query logic.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The invention of Claim 13 wherein said means for managing
resources further comprises: means for resizing said memory pool in response to a call from said
navigation application program.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
106 words
A computer usable medium having computer-readable program
code physically embodied therein for causing a navigation application program
to use a computer-readable geographic database stored on a physical storage
medium in a physical storage format, said computer-readable program code in
said article of manufacture comprising: computer-readable program code for causing a computer to execute
query logic for accepting requests for geographic data from the navigation
application program; and computer readable means for causing a computer to translate said
geographic data from said physical storage format: computer readable means for causing a computer to provide said
geographic data to said navigation application program in a generic ASCII
format.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
68 words
The invention of Claim 20 wherein the physical storage format
of the geographic database to be used organizes said geographic data into a
plurality of parcels, and wherein said invention further comprises: computer-readable program code means for causing a computer to
associate said requests with parcels in said physical storage format; and computer-readable program code for causing a computer to read said
parcel from said physical storage medium.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The invention of Claim 20 wherein the physical storage medium
comprises a CD-ROM.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
106 words
An interface layer for use in a navigation system wherein said
navigation system includes a navigation application program portion wherein
the navigation system manipulates geographic data provided in a geographic
database stored in a physical storage format on a physical storage medium, said
interface layer stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising: a query logic program means for receiving requests from the navigation
application program portion for geographic data; a data transformation program means for transforming geographic data
from said physical storage format; and a data return program means for providing said transformed geographic
data to said navigation application program portion in response to said requests.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
77 words
The invention of Claim 23 wherein said interface layer further
comprises: an indexes management program means responsive to said query logic
program means and adapted to associate said requests from said navigation
application program portion with parcel identifiers associated with parcels in
said physical storage format containing geographic data and to provide said
parcel identifiers to a memory management library program means to obtain
said parcels to provide to said data transformation program means for
transformation therein.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
57 words
The invention of Claim 24 wherein said indexes management
program means further comprises means to obtain said parcel identifiers from
said storage medium, and wherein said indexes management program means
further comprises means to obtain pointers to parcels on said physical storage
medium containing geographic data for responding to said requests by said
navigation application program portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
37 words
The invention of Claim 24 wherein said indexes management
program means further comprises: program means for translating specific entity identifiers passed from said
navigation application program portion to parcel identifiers for parcels on said
physical storage medium.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
35 words
The invention of Claim 24 wherein said index managing program
means further comprises: program means for taking index specifiers and query parameters from
said query logic program means and returning a set of parcel identifiers.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of using a computer-based navigation system wherein
said navigation system includes navigation application program functions
wherein said navigation application program functions are adapted to use a
geographic database stored on a computer-readable medium in a physical
storage format, the method comprising: accepting a request from one of said navigation application program
functions for geographic data; using an index to identify a parcel in said physical storage format that
includes the geographic data for responding to said request; transforming geographic data stored in said physical storage format in
said parcel into a format usable by said navigation application; and providing said transformed geographic data to said one of said
navigation application program functions.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of Claim 28 wherein said providing step further
comprises: transforming said geographic data from said physical storage format into
an intermediate decompressed format; and transforming said geographic data from said intermediate decompressed
format to said format usable by said navigation application program functions.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of Claim 28 further comprising the step of: prior to accepting a request from said navigation application, reading a
metadata file from said storage medium; storing a portion of said metadata file in memory; and using said metadata file to translate from a version level of said physical
storage format to a version level of said navigation application program
functions.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of Claim 28 further comprising: after a plurality of data entities are identified in response to said request
from said one of said navigation application program functions, providing a
first partial result set of said plurality of data entities in said format usable by
said navigation application program functions to said one of said navigation
application program functions.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of Claim 31 further comprising the step of: if said plurality of data entities exceeds a first threshold,
providing a first partial result set of said plurality of data entities up to said first
threshold in said format usable by said navigation application program functions
to said one of said navigation application program functions and maintaining
entity identifiers for a portion of said plurality data entities exceeding said first
threshold.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
98 words
The method of Claim 31 further comprising the step of: if said plurality of data entities exceeds a first threshold and a
second threshold greater than said first threshold, providing a first partial result
set of said plurality of data entities up to said first threshold in said format
usable by said navigation application program to said one of said navigation
application program functions, maintaining entity identifiers for a portion of
said plurality data entities exceeding said first threshold, and maintaining a
reference cursor to reexecute said request for geographic data for data entities
exceeding said second threshold.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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