Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system is disclosed. A request for a route to a large scale point of interest having multiple entrances is obtained. Data indicating a meeting point for the large scale point of interest is obtained from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. The meeting point defines a location within the large scale point of interest or proximate to the large scale point of interest. A route to the meeting point location is calculated and the meeting point location is sent to another user.

Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for traveling a route is performed by a navigation system. A preferred name of a feature visible from a road segment is obtained in a native language from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. The parts-of-speech of the preferred name are identified and converted into a target language text providing the preferred name in a target language. A guidance message includes the target language text in the target language.

Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for traveling a route is disclosed. A plurality of features visible from a road segment of the route is obtained from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. An importance rating for each of the identified features is determined. The guidance message references the identified feature having a highest determined importance rating. The importance rating considers a permanence or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature. The importance rating is adjusted to favor the identified feature closest to the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.

Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system is disclosed. A request for a route to a large scale point of interest having multiple entrances is obtained. Data indicating a meeting point for the large scale point of interest is obtained from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. The meeting point defines a location within the large scale point of interest or proximate to the large scale point of interest. A route to the meeting point location is calculated and the meeting point location is sent to another user.

Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for traveling a route is disclosed. A preferred name of a feature visible from a road segment is obtained in a native language from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. The parts-of-speech of the preferred name are identified and converted into a target language text providing the preferred name in a target language. A guidance message includes the target language text in the target language.

Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for traveling a route is disclosed. A plurality of features visible from a road segment of the route is obtained from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. An importance rating for each of the identified features is determined. The guidance message references the identified feature having a highest determined importance rating. The importance rating considers a permanence or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature. The importance rating is adjusted to favor the identified feature closest to the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.

Abstract: A directory assistance request is received from a caller such that the caller requests a particular business. A process identifies at least one advertisement for a business that competes with the requested business. The advertisement for the competing business is played to the caller. The caller is then given the option of selecting the competing business or the requested business.

Abstract: This patent describes a method and apparatus to automatically and accurately winnow down arbitrarily large amounts of electronic information created by a particular population of actors to only those subsets of particular interest by having a causal relationship, even when retrieved documents containing this information do not individually satisfy the search criteria used. An actor in this context is defined as any entity, single or aggregate, capable of creating, distributing, modifying, or receiving digital information. Once identified, this subset of information may, for example, be processed, analyzed, redacted, or destroyed, depending on the context of the system's use.

Abstract: A processing system for retrieving interrelated documents is described. The system comprises a document repository for storing a plurality of documents, a metadata repository for storing a plurality of metadata elements to represent relations between the documents, and a sociological analysis engine to identify relationships between the documents using the metadata elements from the metadata repository.

Abstract: A processing system for retrieving interrelated documents is described. The system comprises a document repository for storing a plurality of documents, a metadata repository for storing a plurality of metadata elements to represent relations between the documents, and a sociological analysis engine to identify relationships between the documents using the metadata elements from the metadata repository.