Apex Standards Claim Construction


Patent: US6917876B2
Filed: 2001-05-04
Issued: 2005-07-12
Patent Holder: (Original Assignee) Trafficmaster PLC     (Current Assignee) Route Guidance Systems LLC
Inventor(s): David Kenneth Martell, Jeffrey Solomon

Title: Route guidance for vehicles

Abstract: A route guidance system for vehicles comprises central computing apparatus ( 6 ), transmitting apparatus ( 1 ) by way of which the central computing apparatus ( 6 ) is informed of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network and by way of which the vehicles are supplied with route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to respective desired destinations, the transmitting apparatus ( 1 ) including transmitting devices ( 4 ) for carrying by the respective vehicles and by way of which the central computing apparatus ( 6 ) is informed as to the desired destinations, computing apparatus ( 8 ) serving to inform the central computing apparatus ( 6 ) as to traffic congestion on the network, and speech synthesisers ( 4 ) for carrying by the respective vehicles and arranged to speak instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations.

The First Claim: 1. A route guidance system for guiding a driver of a vehicle to a desired destination on a road network, comprising: a central computer adapted to calculate route guidance data providing a route for the vehicle to the desired destination; means for supplying the vehicle with the route guidance data calculated by the central computer, providing a channel of communication which is opened to transmit said route guidance data to the vehicle in a short burst and is then closed, so that transmission to the vehicle via said channel ceases, unless and until a need for further transmission via said channel to the vehicle arises; means far receiving the route guidance data calculated by the casual computer; and means for presenting respective instructions to the vehicle as to the route to be taken to the desired destination.


Disclaimer: The promise of Apex Standards Claim Construction (CC) is that it will conduct the Broadest Reasonable, Ordinary, or Customary Interpretation for the claim elements of a target patent or the technical specification languages of an industrial standard. Therefore, a top-down, apriori evaluation is enabled, allowing stakeholders to swiftly and effectively analyze the relevance and scope of terms and phrases under consideration prior to making complex, high-value judgments. CC is intended to alleviate the initial burden of evidence by providing an exhaustive list of contextual semantic understandings that can be used as building blocks in the development of a prosecution-ready, licensing-ready, or litigation-ready work product. Stakeholders can then utilize the CC to revise the original claim or technical languages, as well as to find more relevant arts in order to build strategy and accomplish additional goals.

Reference	Claim Element / Subject Matter	Feature	Meaning	Claim Construction & Interpretation
[1]	1 . A route guidance system [1]	route guidance system [1]	[Meaning 1] system [Meaning 2] facility [Meaning 3] device [Meaning 4] unit [Meaning 5] guidance system [Meaning 6] communication system	[Interpretation 1] road network guidance system for use in an automotive vehicle [Interpretation 2] system for providing route guidance data to the vehicle and
[2]	for guiding (directing, enabling, assisting, steering, driving) a driver [2]	driver [2]	[Meaning 1] route [Meaning 2] user [Meaning 3] journey [Meaning 4] current position [Meaning 5] possible route [Meaning 6] driving route	[Interpretation 1] vehicle to an appropriate destination on an existing road network or for assisting in the guidance [Interpretation 2] user of the system to take an optimum route for the movement [Interpretation 3] route to be taken from an origin in the field of view [Interpretation 4] vehicle to an appropriate route to be taken from the current position [Interpretation 5] driver of the vehicle to take an optimum route from the location [Interpretation 6] route to be taken by the driver or the passenger [Interpretation 7] vehicle to take an optimum route from an initial position
[3]	of a vehicle [3]	vehicle [3]	[Meaning 1] vehicles [Meaning 2] moving vehicle [Meaning 3] road vehicle [Meaning 4] motor vehicle [Meaning 5] vehicle to travel [Meaning 6] vehicle along the route	[Interpretation 1] mobile vehicle to take an optimal route from an origin of departure [Interpretation 2] vehicle to take an appropriate route from an origin of the vehicle [Interpretation 3] road vehicle to take an en route for the vehicle [Interpretation 4] vehicle to take an optimal route from an initial location
[4]	to a desired (given, respective, specific, required, particular) destination [4]	destination [4]	[Meaning 1] target [Meaning 2] location [Meaning 3] destination located [Meaning 4] target location [Meaning 5] desired destination [Meaning 6] destination of travel	[Interpretation 1] location of the vehicle to reach the desired destination from among one or more desired destinations [Interpretation 2] route to an intended destination of the vehicle from an origin of the desired route located [Interpretation 3] location of the vehicle to reach at least one desired destination located [Interpretation 4] route to the desired destination from an origin to the desired destination [Interpretation 5] vehicle destination from among at least one vehicle destination located [Interpretation 6] route to the desired destination from among several possible routes [Interpretation 7] location of the vehicle in relation to an existing location
[5]	on a road network [5]	road network [5]	[Meaning 1] route [Meaning 2] journey [Meaning 3] road [Meaning 4] public road [Meaning 5] selected route [Meaning 6] predetermined route	[Interpretation 1] basis of route guidance data calculated by the system and transmitted to the vehicle for presentation [Interpretation 2] predetermined route for the vehicle to be taken to the desired destination [Interpretation 3] road network in order to take the route to the desired destination [Interpretation 4] way to be taken to the destination by the vehicle [Interpretation 5] route to the desired destination provided by the central computer [Interpretation 6] road or highway in order to take the desired route
[6]	, comprising (comprises, wherein, includes, having, including) : a central computer [6]	computer [6]	[Meaning 1] calculator [Meaning 2] processor [Meaning 3] unit [Meaning 4] processing computer [Meaning 5] computer being [Meaning 6] control computer	[Interpretation 1] calculator for receiving data from the road network and from other data sources and which is [Interpretation 2] central computer connected to the road network via an access point and [Interpretation 3] computer connected to the road network and to the vehicle and being [Interpretation 4] calculator for receiving the desired destination from the road network and being
[7]	adapted (arranged, programmed, operable, designed, operating) to calculate (generate, supply, recalculate, calculating, produce) route guidance data [7]	route guidance data [7]	[Meaning 1] instructions [Meaning 2] data [Meaning 3] information [Meaning 4] guidance data [Meaning 5] data for [Meaning 6] route data	[Interpretation 1] route guidance data for the vehicle based on information from the road network and information for [Interpretation 2] route guidance data for the driver of the vehicle for [Interpretation 3] the route guidance data for the route guidance system for
[8]	providing (defining, including, representing, regarding, concerning) a route for the vehicle [3] to the desired destination [4] ; means for supplying (providing, programming, furnishing, loading, presenting) the vehicle [3] with the route guidance data [7] calculated (prepared, required, transmitted, produced, supplied) by the central computer [6] , providing a channel [8]	channel [8]	[Meaning 1] means [Meaning 2] mode [Meaning 3] path [Meaning 4] unidirectional channel [Meaning 5] radio channel [Meaning 6] single channel	[Interpretation 1] communication channel for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via the road network and having an adjustable mode [Interpretation 2] means for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via at least one channel of at least one type [Interpretation 3] route for the vehicle to the desired destination and comprising an channel [Interpretation 4] data transmission channel to the vehicle and having an opening [Interpretation 5] channel for transmission of route guidance data via an area
[9]	of communication [9]	communication [9]	[Meaning 1] radio [Meaning 2] communications [Meaning 3] transmission [Meaning 4] low bandwidth [Meaning 5] limited bandwidth [Meaning 6] the vehicle	[Interpretation 1] low transmission capacity for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via said channel and having an access door [Interpretation 2] limited bandwidth for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via said channel and comprising at least one switch [Interpretation 3] radio frequency for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via radio waves and having an intermittently operable switch [Interpretation 4] radio frequency for transmitting said route guidance data to the vehicle via said radio frequency channel [Interpretation 5] said route guidance data to the vehicle via which the vehicle can receive said data and [Interpretation 6] radio frequency communication between the central computer and the vehicle itself and [Interpretation 7] said route guidance data to the vehicle via an electronic switch means
[10]	which is opened (adapted, enabled, operable, activated, open) to transmit (send, pass, convey, provide, communicate) said route guidance data [7] to the vehicle [3] in a short burst and is then closed (blocked, sealed, released, disconnected, disabled) , so that transmission [10]	transmission [10]	[Meaning 1] transmitting [Meaning 2] transmissions [Meaning 3] communication [Meaning 4] transmission of data	[Interpretation 1] transmission of said route guidance data calculated by the central computer directly [Interpretation 2] said channel is closed when the need for transmission of said data [Interpretation 3] during the short burst the transmission of route guidance data
[11]	to the vehicle [3] via said channel [8] ceases (continues, occurs, begins, proceeds, cease) , unless and until a need for further transmission [10] via said channel [8] to the vehicle [3] arises (results, comes, occur, exists, arose) ; means far receiving (storing, updating, monitoring, transmitting, processing) the route guidance data [7] calculated by the casual computer [6] ; and means for presenting (transmitting, delivering, providing, issuing, supplying) respective instructions [11]	instructions [11]	[Meaning 1] information [Meaning 2] indications [Meaning 3] guidance information [Meaning 4] information relating [Meaning 5] visual indications [Meaning 6] routes guidance data	[Interpretation 1] route guidance data calculated by the central computer and the received data [Interpretation 2] routes to the driver of the vehicle and for providing an indication [Interpretation 3] road segments of the road network in the form of visual indications [Interpretation 4] portions of the route guidance data calculated by the computer
[12]	to the vehicle [3] as to the route to be taken to the desired destination [4] .