Patents by Inventor Aaron I. Crane

Aaron I. Crane has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8706404
    Abstract: Systems, devices, features, and methods for routing to a fuel or gasoline station before returning a rental vehicle are disclosed. For example, one method comprises identifying a selected destination to be a rental service return location associated with a rental vehicle. An option to obtain gasoline before returning the rental vehicle to the rental service return location is offered. Upon selection of the option, a gasoline station along a route to the rental service return location is identified. Route guidance to the gasoline station is provided. Route guidance from the gasoline station to the rental service return location is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Navteq B.V.
    Inventor: Aaron I. Crane
  • Patent number: 8255155
    Abstract: A technique of detecting a speed detection of a vehicle using a geographic database (200, 322, 326, 508, 510) of a navigation system (300, 502) has been provided, which obtains a current position of the vehicle (404) and at least one predefined characteristic (418) relating to the current position of the vehicle from the geographic database, sets (420(1)) a sensitivity level to detect a speed detection of the vehicle based, at least in part, on the at least one predefined characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Navteq B.V.
    Inventors: Aaron I. Crane, Timothy W. Gibson
  • Publication number: 20100082246
    Abstract: Systems, devices, features, and methods for routing to a fuel or gasoline station before returning a rental vehicle are disclosed. For example, one method comprises identifying a selected destination to be a rental service return location associated with a rental vehicle. An option to obtain gasoline before returning the rental vehicle to the rental service return location is offered. Upon selection of the option, a gasoline station along a route to the rental service return location is identified. Route guidance to the gasoline station is provided. Route guidance from the gasoline station to the rental service return location is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Inventor: Aaron I. Crane
  • Patent number: 7197500
    Abstract: An improved method and system for storage of data that represent geographic features in a region. The data are organized into parcels each of which contains data that represent those geographic features that are located within a separate one of a plurality of rectangular areas into the region is divided. The method identifies linearly extending features that extend across multiple rectangular areas so that data representing the linearly extending feature can be included in each parcel that contains data that represents a rectangular area in which the linearly extending feature extends at least in part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Navteq North America, LLC
    Inventors: Vijaya S. Israni, Richard A. Ashby, Paul M. Bouzide, John C. Jasper, Robert P. Fernekes, Gregory M. Nyczak, Nicholas E. Smith, David S. Lampert, James A. Meek, Aaron I. Crane
  • Patent number: 6381533
    Abstract: A data collection system and method match the positions of one or more cellular phones, or other types of wireless phones, to data indicating the locations of roads in a geographic area to derive data about phones located in vehicles traveling along the roads. The data about phones located in vehicles traveling along the roads are used for updating or refining a geographic database, traffic monitoring and reporting, or for other purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Aaron I. Crane, Joseph R. Roberts, Frank J. Kozak
  • Patent number: 5968109
    Abstract: An improved method and system for storage of geographic data on physical storage media. The geographic data are stored in a manner that facilitates and enhances use and access of the data by various navigation application functions in navigation systems that use the data. The geographic data includes a parcelization that separates the geographic data into parcels having less than or equal to a maximum parcel size but having at least a desired fill percentage. The parcelization method also provides for a division arrangement that facilitates addressing and identification of the parcels. According to a further aspect, the geographic data includes special nodal entities that are used to collapse complex intersections, such as roundabouts, cloverleaves, and divided highways, into simpler data representations. The special nodal entities are associated with road segment data entities and used in a route calculation program in place of regular node entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Vijaya S. Israni, Richard A. Ashby, Paul M. Bouzide, John C. Jasper, Robert P. Fernekes, Gregory M. Nyczak, Nicholas E. Smith, David S. Lampert, James A. Meek, Aaron I. Crane