WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES NAVIGATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO TRAVELERS

A wireless telecommunications system is disclosed that provides both telecommunications service and navigational assistance to travelers. In particular, the present invention addresses three common navigation problems. First, to aid a traveler who takes the same trip infrequently, the present invention records the movement of the traveler during one trip and, thereafter, provides navigational assistance on how to recreate the trip again at a later time. Second, to aid a traveler in making the homeward portion of a trip, the present invention records the outward-bound portion of the trip and, thereafter, provides navigational assistance on how to get home. And third, to aid a traveler who is trying to recreate the trip of another traveler, the present invention records the movement of one traveler when taking a trip and, thereafter, provides navigational assistance to other travelers on how to recreate the trip taken by the first. In general, the present invention performs two distinct steps. In accordance with the first step, the present invention records the movement of a wireless terminal associated with a traveler as the traveler makes a trip. In accordance with the second step, the present invention generates a set of navigational directions based on a previously recorded trip, which directions indicate either how to recreate the trip or how to backtrack the trip. Those directions are then transmitted to a wireless terminal that is associated with a traveler who desires the directions.