Cars and other vehicles are popular forms of transportation for business and commerce purposes, but are also increasingly used as tools for entertainment and leisure. For example, traveling by car is a favorite past time in the United States, and road trips are often accompanied by touring along the way. For example, a party traveling from Connecticut to New Jersey may travel by way of New York to visit famous sites such as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. Most automobiles that feature navigation systems also have communication facilities to allow real time updating of navigation activities such as route directions. However, some systems do not include communications facilities, or the user does not wish to use such facilities because of cost or other considerations.
Moreover, while navigation instructions with respect to both roads and sites can be useful, there is presently a difficulty in allowing a third party to track the progress of the driver. For example, a parent of a teenager may wish to observe the progress of the teenager in driving from point A to point B, or may wish to at least have some way of knowing that the trip was safely and successfully made.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds