the details of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with references to fig1 - 32 . the present invention provides a method and system for graphically sending ( and sharing ), retrieving , and planning location - relevant information with a mapping and real - time communications applications , where both applications can be integrated into one application or each application is separate and capable of communicating with the other . the present invention may be embodied in a mapping and real - time communication application , such as the “ map messenger ” application owned and licensed by the networks in motion corporation of pasadena , calif . fig1 illustrates a high - level diagram of one environment that is a suitable computing and networking environment in which the invention may be implemented . the invention will be described in the general context of an application that executes on an operating system in conjunction with a personal computer , but those skilled in the art will realize that this invention also may be implemented in combination with other program modules . program modules typically include routines , programs , data structures , etc . that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . this invention is not limited to a typical personal computer , but may also be utilized with other computing systems , such as handheld devices , mobile laptop computers , wireless phones , in - vehicle navigation systems , programmable consumer electronics , mainframe computers , distributed computer systems , etc ., and the like . fig1 includes a typical personal computer 100 , that includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 135 , video adapter 134 , hard disk drive 107 , optical disk 108 , serial port 109 , magnetic disk drive 110 , system bus 106 , and network interface 136 . the hard disk drive 107 typically refers to a local non - volatile storage system for storing large amounts of data , such as map data . the optical disk 108 typically refers to a cd - rom disk used for storing read - only data , such as an installation program . the serial port interface 109 is typically used to connect 113 the computer 100 to external devices 111 , such as a keyboard , mouse , and graphical touch screen interface , and also can connect 137 to positioning devices 138 , such as a gps receiver . the keyboard and mouse 111 , amongst other input devices 138 , enable users to input information into the computer 100 . the connection 113 & amp ; 137 cables can include a serial cable or universal serial bus ( usb ) cable . other input devices , that are not shown , may include a joystick , scanner , camera , microphone , or the like . the magnetic disk drive 110 is typically used to store small amounts data , in comparison to a hard 107 or optical 108 disk drive , and typically lacks the data transfer rates of those other storage drives , but it enables both readable and writable capability . the hard disk drive 107 , optical disk drive 108 , serial port interface 109 , and magnetic disk drive 110 are all connected to the main system bus 106 of the computer 100 for transferring data . a monitor 116 or other type of display device , such as a lcd display , is connected 117 to the computer system &# 39 ; s 100 video adapter 134 , which is connected to the system bus 106 . additional peripheral output devices , which are not included in this embodiment , such as a printer , speaker , etc ., can also be connected to a personal computer 100 . the system bus 106 also connects to the network interface 136 , central processing unit ( cpu ) 135 , and system memory 101 . the system memory 101 contains both random access memory ( ram ) 103 , and read only memory ( rom ) 102 , that typically consists of the bios ( basic input / output system ) of the computer , necessary for containing basic routines that enable the transfer of information between elements within the personal computer 100 . the ram 103 stores a number of program modules , such as the mapping and communication program , including map data , 105 , and the operating system 104 of the personal computing device 100 or personal computer 100 . one example of such a program module 105 can be the “ map messenger ” program previously mentioned . a network interface 136 , shown in fig1 , illustrates how data is typically transferred between other computing devices 122 , 126 , 127 , & amp ; 130 and a computer 100 through an internet , intranet , or extranet network 124 . additionally , this connection 115 can be implemented using a modem 112 that is connected 114 to the personal computing device 100 by using a serial port interface 109 . in one embodiment , a computer 100 can connect 121 to a network 124 , such as an internet , intranet , or extranet , by various means that are well known in the art , such as by using a digital subscriber line ( dsl ) cable . additionally , a computing device 100 can also connect to the internet 124 by means of a wireless connection 120 to a wireless base station 122 , where the antenna is coupled 119 to the network interface 136 of the computing device or personal computer 100 . the wireless base station 122 is also connected 123 to the internet , intranet , or extranet network 124 by some means well known to people skilled in the art , such as a t1 connection . a wireless base station 122 can represent a local area network ( lan ) base station , such as that used in an office building , or a wide area network ( wan ) base station , such as that used in a cellular , personal communications system ( pcs ), 3g , or the like , wireless phone network . the internet , intranet , or extranet 124 allows for connection 129 & amp ; 128 to other personal computing devices 126 & amp ; 127 , such as a wireless phone , hand - held device , in - vehicle navigation ( i . e ., telematics device ), or the like . the internet , intranet , or extranet 124 is also connected 125 to a central or distributed server system 130 , however this connection is not necessary in a peer - to - peer environment . this server system 130 can contain a real - time communication server 132 , a mapping server 133 which can provide map data for devices that do not have large storage capabilities , and a database 131 where location - relevant information such as pois can be stored . the real - time communication system 150 , as illustrated in fig1 a , can be either one of two possible systems , both of which apply to this invention . the first embodiment is a peer - to - peer system , where each computing device 100 , 126 , & amp ; 127 is connected to the internet , intranet , or extranet 124 by some means 120 , 122 , & amp ; 123 , or 121 , or 115 , 112 , & amp ; 114 , or 129 or 128 , such as a wireless connection or landline connection . this connection provides the capability for all computing devices 100 , 126 , & amp ; 127 to communicate directly with each other , in a peer - to - peer manner . this peer - to - peer environment allows for an ad - hoc user - to - user configuration for sending data to and from all users . the second embodiment , sometime referred to as a star configuration system to people skilled in the art , uses a centralized ( or distributed ) server system 130 that is connected 125 to the internet , intranet , or extranet 124 providing the infrastructure for all computing devices ( 100 , 126 , & amp ; 127 ) where each user &# 39 ; s computing device 100 , 126 , & amp ; 127 is connected directly to the server system 130 . the server system effectively acts as a router for passing location data to and from individual or groups of users . fig2 illustrates an application screen display of the real - time communication and mapping program ( rtcmp ) 201 with a sample map 224 displayed below a menu bar 200 . a location - relevant object is a map object that has a spatial component associated with it , such as latitude and longitude values , and is graphically selectable by the user . identified on the map display 224 are several location - relevant objects 211 , 210 , 212 , 206 , 205 , 203 , & amp ; 204 , that are selectable either in the rtcmp 201 , or , when the two applications have been separated , such as shown in fig4 a , in the mapping application 419 . a user is an entity , which can be an inanimate object ( i . e ., phone , vehicle , boat , etc .) or a living thing ( i . e ., person , pet , etc .) that uses the real - time communications system to communicate with other users . an example of various location - relevant objects , as shown in the sample map 224 , includes a person ( i . e ., user ) 211 , vehicle ( i . e ., user ) 205 , plane ( i . e ., user ) 203 , poi ( i . e ., a gas station ) 210 , map identifier ( i . e ., city name ) 212 , route 206 , and a geo - fenced boundary 204 . a route 206 is comprised of an origin 207 and one or more destination points 209 & amp ; 202 , which can each be considered a “ link ”. the route is illustrated as a series of links , such as link 209 that connects an origin 207 and a destination 202 . it should be noted , and appreciated to those skilled in the art , that a link need not be a straight line as illustrated in the sample map 224 , but rather follows the topography of the roadways calculated between two route points , such as an origin 207 and destination 202 point . however , for simplicity , all links are illustrated as straight lines . also provided in the rtcmp 201 is an icon pointer 208 , or cursor , that provides a signal to the rtcmp 201 to indicate an active segment of the display 201 . when an element or object of the screen display is coincident with the focus of the icon pointer 208 , that element or object is said to have the focus of the icon pointer 208 . when the input device , such as a mouse , receives a triggered input , such as a mouse click or tap of a touchpad , the element having the focus of the icon pointer 208 at that moment is selected . the real - time communication 212 part of the application is illustrated to the left of the map 224 . the real - time communication feature 212 , denoted as the messenger window , preferably provides a listing of users that are connected , in real - time communication , to the user &# 39 ; s application . this list of users 212 is denoted as a roster list of users . the top - level user 213 , or the controller of the rtcmp 201 program , is illustrated as “ user a ” 213 . “ user a ” 213 has two groups 214 & amp ; 219 beneath it , with each group consisting of four users . the first group , denoted as “ group 1 ” 214 , has four users organized within it , “ user 1 ” 215 , “ user 2 ” 216 , “ user 3 ” 217 , and “ user 4 ” 218 . the second group , denoted as “ group 2 ” 219 , also has four users beneath it 220 , 221 , 222 , & amp ; 223 , where a user in this group 219 is represented here as , for instance , a vehicle . fig3 illustrates one embodiment of a situation where a user can map another user &# 39 ; s location using a simple graphical method of selecting a user , contact , or group of users or contacts , and dragging - and - dropping its graphical representation onto the map display 224 . for example , in order to map “ user 1 ” 215 icon pointer 301 is used to select the roster list representation of “ user 1 ” 215 , typically by such mechanisms as a mouse “ click - hold ” or a “ tap - hold ” of a touchpad for a handheld device . this action typically provides feedback to the user by highlighting or outlining 306 the selected user , such as “ user 1 ” 215 . the list representation of “ user 1 ” 215 is then dragged 302 into the map display 224 , and “ dropped ” 303 , such as when the mouse “ click ” ( or button ) or the tapped - hold in a handheld device is dropped . people skilled in the art know that a “ drag ” or “ drop ” operation for a desktop computer with a mouse is different than a handheld device , but the essence of both operations remains the same . the drop action generally occurs when the user stops dragging the icon pointer and releases the mouse button . the release of the mouse button , at the point of the focus of the pointer 301 and at the moment the mouse button is released anywhere on the map display 224 , is identified by the rtcmp 201 . this “ drag - and - drop ” operation signals to the rtcmp 201 program to initiate a location request , depending on whether the location information for the selected roster list user is stored locally , as in the form of a contact 311 , or remotely , as in the form of a user 215 connected by the real - time communication system 150 . if the selected user &# 39 ; s location information is stored locally , as is the case with a contact whose location information is typically stored in a vcard that is located locally in the storage medium ( such as a hard disk drive 107 or magnetic disk drive 110 ) of the computing device 100 , then the location request retrieves the said location information and uses that for the mapping operation . if the location information is stored remotely , or is updated in an on - demand format , then the real - time communication system 150 is used to retrieve the location information from the remote user , such as “ user 1 ” 215 . in one embodiment , ‘ user 1 ” 215 represents a user with a wireless phone . after the process of “ dragging - and - dropping ” the user &# 39 ; s graphical representation , such as “ user 1 ” 215 , onto the map display 224 , the rtcmp 201 uses the real - time communication system 150 to initiate a request for “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 215 location . this location request is communicated via the real - time communication system 150 to “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 215 computing device application and either notifies “ user 1 ” of the location request or automatically retrieves “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” current location information from “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” rtcmp 126 . a notification of a location request is given to “ user 1 ” if its permissions and / or preferences that specify notifications of location requests are preferably required for “ user a ” or for all users on “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” roster list . note that “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” rtcmp 126 does not have to be in the exact form of “ user a &# 39 ; s ” rtcmp 201 , but only provide the functionality required by the real - time communication system 150 for the sending of location - relevant information . for instance , “ user 1 ” 215 does not have to have a positioning device , such as a gps device 138 , connected to their rtcmp 126 . the location information for “ user 1 ” 215 may only include its vcard information , which is stored locally on “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” computing device . after the location information from “ user 1 ” 215 has been retrieved and sent back through the real - time communication system 150 , “ user a &# 39 ; s ” rtcmp 201 maps “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 215 retrieved location on the map display 224 of varying resolution and size . fig5 illustrates “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” current position 501 on a map display 224 of “ user a &# 39 ; s ” rtcmp 201 . additionally , in another embodiment shown in fig3 , “ user a ” 213 can select 304 a contact , such as “ contact 1 ” 311 , and , using the same “ drag 305 and drop 303 ” method , can map the contact &# 39 ; s location information on the map display 224 of varying resolution and size . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , this “ drag - and - drop ” method allows users to retrieve and map location information locally or remotely through a real - time communication system 150 . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig4 , a typical instant message ( im ) window 407 , known to people skilled in the art , includes , for desktop computing devices , a menu bar 410 , text entry window 405 , and a send button 406 for use in transferring composed messages . an im window 407 typically also displays the user identification token 409 ( i . e . user &# 39 ; s name , email address , etc .) of the remote user to which these instant messages are being sent . while engaged in an instant message session with another user 409 , the local user ( i . e ., “ user a ” 213 ) preferably types messages that are viewable in the message window display 408 , also included in a typical im window 407 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , in one embodiment , a method for mapping 401 and requesting a user &# 39 ; s text location 403 information , as shown in fig4 , can be implemented by pressing a button 402 & amp ; 403 on an im window application . for example , if a user wishes to receive another user &# 39 ; s current geo - coded street address information , without mapping that user &# 39 ; s location on a map , such as receiving the text “ 738 lawrence road , pasadena , calif ., 91101 ”, a user only need to press a button 403 on an im window 407 . the real - time communication system 150 preferably request from the other user their current location information , which includes obtaining their permission for transferring the said location information . one embodiment of such a permission request is illustrated in fig4 b . for example , a user using a similar im window 452 , which illustrates that real - time communication ( i . e . instant messaging ) is occurring with “ user a ” 450 . the other similarities to the previous im window 407 , such as the menu bar 460 , send button 453 , and message composition window 454 are also shown . the location request 459 may resemble a message in the message window display 451 , displaying the option to accept 455 or decline 458 the location request 459 . a user can accept 455 or decline 458 the location request 459 by using an icon pointer 457 to select either choice . upon accepting the location request 459 from “ user a ” 450 , the local rtcmp would acquire its current position information from a positioning device 138 or from pre - defined position information , such as a default home address stored locally in a computer file . after the location information for the accepting user has been sent to the requesting user &# 39 ; s ( i . e . “ user a ”) real - time communication program , the im window 407 will display said location information . in another embodiment , “ user a ” 213 can request “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 409 location information for mapping . the same process is initiated and once the location information for “ user 1 ” 409 has been obtained , a mapping program 413 or map display 224 preferably display on a map of varying resolution and size “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 409 current location 501 . additionally , another embodiment for mapping “ user 1 &# 39 ; s ” 409 location information using the real - time communication system 150 is to graphically select 404 the message display window 408 of the im window 407 and “ drag 411 and drop 412 ” onto a mapping program 413 . this would cause the mapping program 413 to map the user &# 39 ; s current location of varying resolution in the map display of the mapping program 413 . for both embodiments , where the real - time communication program 407 is not part of the mapping program 413 , a hardware or software conduit ( e . g ., api ) is necessary in order to pass the necessary commands that will trigger the mapping program 413 to map the desired location of varying resolution . this mapping operation can also be completed using the ‘ locate on map ’ 402 button or from a similar action familiar to those skilled in the art . an additional benefit of this invention , as illustrated in fig4 a , is that both the real - time communication program 414 and mapping program 419 need not be integrated into one application . the only requirement is that the two applications allow the transfer of the necessary data required for this invention , which can be accomplished , as people skilled in the art know , by using software api , dlls , or the like . in another embodiment , as shown in fig4 a , a location request and mapping event can be triggered using a real - time communication program 414 , by selecting from a menu 417 the function 418 to map a user &# 39 ; s location . current prior art system , such as microsoft &# 39 ; s mappoint can be integrated with a pim manger , such as microsoft &# 39 ; s outlook to allow a user to initiate the mappoint application such that it displays the address information of a contact by clicking a button in the pim manager . however , the advantage of this invention over this and other prior art systems , as people skilled in the art will appreciate , is that the location - relevant data is obtained , in a graphical manner , via a real - time communication system 150 from other users or from an internet - connected database 131 . in another embodiment , a user can use an icon pointer 416 to select a user 421 , or set of users 415 , whose location information should be mapped on a separate , non - integrated mapping program 419 . the user can then invoke the appearance of a pop - up menu 417 or a menu available from the menu bar of the application 422 , and then choose the option from either menu to map the user &# 39 ; s location . the appearance of the pop - up menu 417 can be invoked either by “ right - clicking ” the selected user &# 39 ; s graphical representation in the roster list , or by using a tap - and - hold operation on a handheld device , which are all well known techniques to people skilled in the art . the pop - up menu 417 would illustrate various actions , one of which is mapping the selected user &# 39 ; s location 418 . selecting the option to map the selected user &# 39 ; s location would cause the location information to be retrieved as previously described in this section . once the real - time communication program 414 has received the location information from the appropriate user 421 , the program 414 would establish a connection with the mapping program 419 and pass the necessary data to initiate the mapping of varying resolution and size of the retrieved location information 420 . this invention provides the ability send location - relevant objects to other users , and as people skilled in the art will appreciate , location - relevant objects may include routes . in one embodiment , as shown in fig6 , a pre - calculated route 206 is defined as having an origin 207 and one or more destinations 209 & amp ; 202 . making a route selectable by an icon pointer 604 enables the local user 213 to initiate the process of sending the route to a user , or group of users in their roster list , as shown in fig6 . to send a route to a user or group of users , a local user 213 first selects the route 206 with their icon pointer 604 and drags 602 the route to the graphical representation for the specific roster list user , such as “ user 1 ” 215 , to which the route should be sent . the graphical representation for “ user 1 ” 215 illustrates some feedback to the local user 213 controlling the pointer that the route selected 601 is ready to be sent . the feedback , as know to people skilled in the art , is typically shown as a highlighted image 603 on the graphical representation of the selected user that the dragged object should be sent to . the two displayed icon pointers 604 & amp ; 601 in fig6 illustrate different actions . specifically , the first pointer 604 illustrates that a user is about to select a location - relevant object , while a second pointer 601 illustrates that an object has been selected and is now being dragged with the pointer 604 . once the route 206 has been dropped onto the graphical representation of the destination user “ user 1 ” 215 , the route is sent via the real - time communication system 150 to the destination user “ user 1 ” 215 . in this embodiment , the destination user “ user 1 ” 215 has an option to accept 1203 or decline 1204 the receipt of the route from the sender “ user a ” 213 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , “ user 1 ” 215 can receive in its im window 1205 the request for the receipt of location - relevant information , indicating the option to accept or decline the receiving of said route by a message text question 1211 within the im window &# 39 ; s text display 1208 . the im window 1205 is similar to the previously mentioned im windows 407 & amp ; 452 , since it also includes a menu bar 1210 , a user identification display of the current user the message window is connected with 1209 , a text entry window 1207 and a send button 1206 . the remote user , “ user 1 ” 215 can accept 1203 or decline 1204 the transfer using their icon pointer 1202 . additionally , in another embodiment , a user can send a route 206 , shown in fig6 a , using a similar approach . for example , a user 213 can select the route 608 and then immediately select the user “ user 1 ” 215 to which the route 206 should be sent . this process does not require the drag - and - drop method , displays a different line type 607 to indicate the route sending selection process has begun , and consists of two back - to - back selection processes . the first selection 608 is the selection of the route 206 or location - relevant object , and the second selection 605 is the selection of the destination user 215 to which the route 206 should be sent . prior to the second selection 605 , the local user 213 can move the pointer 608 over the destined user 215 , where the user 215 can highlight 606 indicating that the user 215 has been selected . once the second selection 605 has been made , a menu 609 would pop - up displaying the options for the local user 213 to take , one of which , as in this case , is to send the route to the highlighted 606 user “ user 1 ” 215 . once the local user 213 moves the icon pointer 608 over the menu 609 and selects “ send ‘ route ’ to user 1 ” 610 , as shown in fig6 a , the route 206 will be sent to the user “ user 1 ” 215 using the real - time communication system 150 . other embodiments exist for this invention for sending location - relevant objects , such as selecting a location - relevant object , such as a route 206 , as shown in fig7 . after the route 206 has been selected using the icon pointer 700 , a pop - up menu appears 701 that displays the local user &# 39 ; s 702 roster list of users and groups of users , including the local user 702 itself . using the icon pointer 802 , as illustrated in fig8 , the local user 213 can select 801 the graphical representation of the user 704 to which the route 206 should be sent . the process is completed when the user “ clicks ” or “ taps ” the destination user or group of users , or by an equivalent mechanism known to people skilled in the art . in this embodiment , the route 206 that is sent includes all necessary information to completely re - create the route 206 on the remote user &# 39 ; s 704 application without any loss of information . other location - relevant objects , as people skilled in the art will appreciate , include pois , such as map identifiers which include names associated specifically with a map , such as city names , street names , highways names , interstates names , rivers names , state names , or a map name that is associated with a location . a poi can include , without limitation , a house , business , person , pet , map identifier , etc ., and is also a well known term to people skilled in the art . for example , if a map displays a name on a map display , then that location on the map can be assumed to be the location associated with the displayed name . this invention allows users to send map identifiers using the real - time communication system 150 to other users in their roster list or , in an ad - hoc manner , to other users identified by a unique identifier , such as an e - mail address , telephone number , or the like . on a map display 224 a user 213 preferably uses the icon pointer 901 to select 903 a map identifier , such as a city name 902 . after selecting 903 the city name 902 , the user can drag 904 the location - relevant object to the graphical representation for another user 220 in the local user &# 39 ; s 213 roster list . as an aid to the user 213 , the application can highlight 906 the specific user 220 that the icon pointer 905 is focused 220 on . once the user 213 releases , or drops , the location - relevant object 902 on the destination user 220 , then the location - transfer process begins by using the real - time communication system 150 , sending the poi to the selected user as previously described , thus allowing the receiving user 220 to utilize the location - relevant object for a number of purposes , such as mapping , routing , etc . another embodiment of sending pois , which include map identifiers , is illustrated in fig1 . after a user selects a map identifier , such as the city name pasadena 902 , with an icon pointer 1001 , a new pop - up menu would appear 1002 showing the main user &# 39 ; s 213 roster list . selecting a user “ vehicle 1 ” 309 from this pop - up menu will initiate the sending of the selected poi 902 to the selected user 309 . using the icon pointer 1101 , shown in fig1 , to select 1103 the specific user 309 to send the poi to allow the local user to effectively send pois over the real - time communication system 150 to any user in their roster list . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , a local user of the rtcmp 201 program can transfer location - relevant information between users on their roster list , where the initiator acts as the location transfer hub of said location information . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the local user 213 of the rtcmp 201 program can send the location information of “ user 1 ” 215 to “ user 4 ” 218 by using a graphical method . for example , the local user “ user a ” 213 can use the icon pointer 1316 to select 1302 the source user “ user 1 ” 215 , where a selection is known to be made when the icon pointer 1301 is illustrative of a selected object , when compared to the normal icon pointer symbol 1316 . the graphical representation of “ user 1 ” 215 can then be dragged 1304 to its destination position , which in this example is the graphical representation for “ user 4 ” 218 , so that the location information of “ user 1 ” 215 is transferred to “ user 4 ” 218 . this action is competed in the rtcmp 201 program by moving the icon pointer 1301 to the new location 1303 over the destination user “ user 4 ” 218 . the destination user “ user 4 ” 218 is highlighted 1317 when the icon pointer 1303 is focused on the destination user “ user 4 ” 218 . the real - time communication system 150 provides the infrastructure for this transfer . the transfer occurs by requesting the location information from “ user 1 ” 215 and after “ user 1 ” 215 has agreed to sending their location information to “ user 4 ” 218 , the location transfer can occur using a number of methods of the real - time communication system 150 . for example , a peer - to - peer method can be employed , sending the information directly from “ user 1 ” 215 to “ user 4 ” 218 , or the location - information can be sent to a real - time communication server 132 and then redirected to the “ user 4 ” 218 . additionally , the location - information can be sent from “ user 1 ” 215 to the rtcmp 201 of the initiating user “ user a ” 213 and then sent to “ user 4 ” 218 . the first two methods allow “ user a ” 213 to initiate the transfer , even if “ user 1 ” 215 and “ user 4 ” 218 do not have each other in their own roster lists , and the location - information does not necessarily ever have to be sent to the initiating user “ user a ” 213 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , the mapping program does not need to be integrated with the real - time communication program in order to compete this transaction , as shown in fig4 a as “ application 1 ” 414 . another embodiment of transferring location information between other users , where the initiator acts as the location - transfer hub , is shown in fig1 . if the destination user is illustrated as an icon map object 1312 , representing “ vehicle 1 ” 220 , location - relevant information and objects can be transferred to the vehicle icon 1312 , and thus the user of “ vehicle 1 ” 220 by selecting objects and dragging and dropping them onto the icon representation of “ vehicle 1 ” 1312 on a map display 224 . for example , by selecting 1315 “ vehicle 4 ” 223 , using the icon pointer 1314 , “ user a ” can drag 1313 the icon list representation of “ vehicle 4 ” 223 onto the map icon representation of “ vehicle 1 ” 1312 , and drop or select the icon map representation of “ vehicle 1 ” 1312 using the icon pointer 1311 . this will initiate , as previously described , the transfer process of sending “ vehicle 4 &# 39 ; s ” 223 location information to “ vehicle 1 ” 220 using a graphical method . also , this process can be reversed , since the local user 213 can select 1311 , drag 1313 and drop 1314 the vehicle icon representation of “ vehicle 1 ” 1312 to the “ vehicle 4 ” user list representation 223 , thus initiating the location transfer from user “ vehicle 1 ” 220 to user “ vehicle 4 ” 223 . additionally , this process can be done using a user &# 39 ; s icon map representation 1308 to graphically initiate the transfer of “ user 2 &# 39 ; s ” 1308 current location information to another user &# 39 ; s icon map representation , such as “ vehicle 1 ” 1312 . in another embodiment , selecting “ user 2 &# 39 ; s ” 216 icon map representation 1308 , and using the icon pointer 1309 to drag 1310 and using the icon pointer 1309 to drop the icon onto the “ vehicle 1 ” 220 user map icon representation 1312 initiates the location - transfer from “ user 2 ” 216 to “ vehicle 1 ” 220 . in another embodiment , a local user 213 can select 1306 a poi 1305 , such as a gas station , drag 1307 it to the vehicle icon map representation 1312 , and drop it , using the icon pointer 1311 , onto the vehicle icon map representation 1312 of “ vehicle 1 ” 220 in order to initiate the transfer of the poi 1305 to “ vehicle 1 ” 220 . the difference of this scenario compared to the previous location - transfers , is that the location for the poi 1305 is known , or not changing since the poi 1305 is a static object ( i . e ., similar to a map identifier ), prior to the start of the location transfer process . thus , a location request need not be sent to the poi 1305 , since its location is already known . the real - time communication program of the rtcmp 201 will then transfer the location - information of the poi 1305 to the selected user 1312 immediately upon their acceptance of the transfer . another advantage of this invention is that it allows a local user 213 to send their current location to another user on their roster list graphically . in one embodiment , shown in fig1 , “ user a ” 213 uses the icon pointer 1402 to select 1401 their own icon list representation and then drags 1403 the icon pointer 1405 to another user &# 39 ; s icon list representation 218 . the highlight 1404 is shown to illustrate that the icon pointer 1405 is over “ user 4 &# 39 ; s ” 218 icon list representation . dropping or releasing the icon pointer 1405 initiates the transfer of the location information of “ user a ” 213 to the selected user “ user 4 ” 218 , and sends the location information after the requested user “ user 4 ” 218 has accepted the transfer of said location information . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , this graphical transfer of the local user &# 39 ; s location information significantly reduces the process required in prior art systems . as illustrated in fig6 , the invention allows a user to send a route to another user . after the destination user has accepted the route , as illustrated in fig1 , if the remote destination user is running a rtcmp 126 similar to the sender &# 39 ; s rtcmp the received route 1505 will be displayed in the destination user &# 39 ; s map display 224 , as shown in fig1 . the received route 1505 is the same as the original route 206 , with the same origin 1501 and destination points 1502 and 1503 as the original route 206 , except that the received route 1505 is being displayed on the destination user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 rtcmp 126 . additionally , the sender 213 has the option to also send their own real - time location information 1504 via the real - time communication system 150 to the destination user 215 , which can then be graphically displayed on the map display 224 of the destination user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 rtcmp 126 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , this allows users to send or share routes with other users in real - time . an additional benefit of this invention , as shown in fig1 , is that the received route 206 does not have to include only the sending user &# 39 ; s (“ user a ”) 213 original route origin and destination points , amongst all the other parameters that completely define the sent route , such as the map database identifier , all relevant turn points , user preferences , etc . the destination user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 rtcmp 126 can automatically adjust the received route &# 39 ; s 206 origin and destination points based on the destination user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 rtcmp 126 preferences . for example , the new origin of the received route can be automatically changed to the destination user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 current location information or to a chosen origin location , and the sent route 206 can then be recalculated and displayed on the destination user &# 39 ; s map display 224 . in one embodiment , illustrated in fig1 , the original received route 1505 , consisting of origin 1501 and destination points 1502 & amp ; 1503 , is displayed on the local user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 map display 224 . additionally , the real - time location information 1504 of the sending user (“ user a ”) 213 is also sent to the local user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) real - time communication program and displayed on the map display 224 of the local user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 rtcmp 126 . a received route may include a destination location where the local user (“ user 1 ”) 215 may want to meet the sending user (“ user a ”). in this case , the local user (“ user 1 ”) 215 would want to calculate a new route 1602 based on its own current location information 1601 and the desired meeting and / or destination points 1502 & amp ; 1503 present in the received route 206 . a benefit of this invention is that all links 1603 in the route need not be re - calculated , but only the part of the received route 206 that has changed . for example , the portion 1505 of the received route 206 ( which consists of route points 1501 , 1502 , & amp ; 1503 and links 1505 & amp ; 1603 as shown in fig1 ) between points 1501 and 1502 is the only portion of the route 1505 that needs to be recalculated , since the destination points 1502 & amp ; 1503 are common between both users . thus , a new link 1602 can be calculated based on the received route &# 39 ; s first destination point 1502 and the local user &# 39 ; s (“ user 1 ”) 215 current location 1601 or preferred origin point . the rest of the route links 1603 can remain common between both users . additionally , as shown in fig1 , the original received route 206 could be displayed in combination with the new route 1602 and the real - time location of both users 1504 & amp ; 1601 along those routes can also be displayed . in addition to having the capability to map roster list users and contacts , send location - relevant information and objects , such as pois , routes , etc ., and handle permission issues with sending and receiving said location - relevant information and objects , all using the real - time communication system 150 , this invention also has the capability to modify , create , and save routes using the real - time communication system 150 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , modifying , creating , and saving routes via a real - time communication system 150 allows users to make use of mapping and routing applications not available in current or prior art . the following figures relating to routes assume the application is in a route - planner mode , except as otherwise noted , since some of the same actions that are used for sending and mapping pois can also be utilized for modifying , creating , planning , and retrieving routes . as illustrated in fig1 , a route 1708 is defined as a combination of destination points 1701 , 1702 , & amp ; 1703 , or an origin 1701 and one or more destination points 1702 & amp ; 1703 . a map display 224 showing a pre - calculated route 1708 provides a user with a graphical illustration of the route , which provides better planning capabilities than standard driving directions or text information . current prior art , such as microsoft &# 39 ; s mappoint application , allows the ability to graphically add destination points to a pre - calculated route by selecting a point on the route and dragging - and - dropping the selected point to a new location in order to add a new destination point or change an existing one . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , using a real - time communication system 150 with a mapping application allows the capability to add users , contacts , or groups of users and contacts , using a graphical mechanism , to a pre - calculated route . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , a user can select 1704 a user 215 from a roster list of users using a icon pointer 1705 . the user can then drag 1706 the selected user 215 to a point 1709 on the pre - calculated route 1708 to dynamically add a new destination point 1709 to the pre - calculated route 1708 , which corresponds to the current location information for the selected user which is obtained from the real - time communication system 150 . as an additional benefit , a user can select a point 1709 on a pre - calculated route 1708 using the icon pointer 1707 where a new destination point should be added , and drag 1706 that point 1709 with the icon pointer 1705 to a user , contact , or group of users and contacts in the messenger window 212 . once the selection in the messenger window 212 is highlighted 1704 , the icon pointer 1705 is dropped or released over the icon list representation for a user “ user 1 ” 215 . this action would cause the current location information for “ user 1 ” 215 , obtained using the real - time communication system 150 , to be added as a new destination point in the route 1708 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , the real - time communication system 150 does not have to be used , since the location information can be retrieved locally , as is typically the case with a user &# 39 ; s contact information . both of the previously described methods for adding a user , contact , or group of users or contacts to a pre - calculated route involve adding them to a portion of the pre - calculated route . in the provided embodiments , as shown in fig1 , this was between the pre - calculated route points “ 1 ” 1701 and “ 2 ” 1702 . the location information of the user , contact , or group of users or contacts can be incorporated into the route as a new destination point between these two points . the result is a system without the burden of recalculating the preferred order of destinations each time a new destination is added . the new destination is directly inserted in the proper order because the user is presented with the graphical representation of the pre - calculated route and has graphically identified the order position of the new destination point . the rtcmp 126 does not need to recalculate the entire route , but rather only the portion that was altered by the addition of the new destination . another aspect of this invention is allowing the user to directly add destinations , similar to the previous embodiments , except that the user selects 1801 the user , contact , or group of users or contacts with the icon pointer 1802 and drags 1803 the listing representation of the user “ user 1 ” 215 to a route planner window 1710 and adds 1804 the selected 1801 user “ user 1 ” 215 in the preferred destination order . similarly , as illustrated before , the destination order is determined by the order that the user adds the new destinations to the route planner window 1710 or the position in which they are added if an origin 1701 and / or destination points 1702 & amp ; 1703 already exist . for example , los angeles , calif . 1701 is the origin , while kansas city , mo . 1702 is the second stop and new york , n . y . 1703 is the final destination . when the user adds the location of the selected 1801 user “ user 1 ” 215 in - between 1804 the origin 1701 and first destination 1702 , the route is recalculated based on the new order and on the retrieved location - information of the user “ user 1 ” 215 added to the route 1708 in the route planner window 1710 . the location information for user “ user 1 ” 215 is retrieved using the real - time communication system 150 . as illustrated in fig1 , the map display 224 shows a new route 1901 that includes the new destination point of dallas , tex . 1902 . the route planner window 1710 illustrates the added destination point of dallas , tex . 1902 as the first destination point ( i . e ., point # 2 ), the order of which was determined by the point at which the dropping or releasing action occurred , typically by using a mouse click release or any other acceptable mechanism for releasing the element with the focus of the icon pointer 1804 , as shown in the previous figure . the origin and destination order of the route 1708 in the route planner window 1710 is follows that displayed in the map display window 224 . in one embodiment , when the route planner window 2013 , as shown in fig2 , is open , the system is considered to be in a route - planning mode . fig2 - 21 illustrate the addition of roster list users and pois to a pre - calculated route using a graphical method . as shown in fig2 , a pre - calculated route 2004 is has an origin of los angeles , calif . 2001 and destination points kansas city , mo . 2002 and new york , n . y . 2003 . the origin and destination points are shown graphically on the map display 224 in the form of a route 2004 and in the route planner window 2013 in the form of a list . both static pois , whose positions are stored in the map data of the rtcmp 201 and dynamic pois , which are graphical icon representations of roster list users whose position information is obtained using the real - time communication system 150 , can be selected on the map display 224 using a graphical method defined by this invention to graphically add origin and destination points to a pre - calculated route . in one embodiment , a user can select 2006 a graphical icon representation of a user 2005 , whose position information is obtained using the real - time communication system 150 , then using the icon pointer 2006 , drag 2012 the icon representation of the user 2005 to a pre - calculated route 2004 . the point 2014 at which the user releases the selected object using the icon pointer 2007 is added to the pre - calculated route as a new destination point . additionally , a user can select a static poi 2009 , such as a gas station , using the icon pointer 2008 , and drag 2013 the poi icon to the route planner window 2013 in order to add the new destination point in between the first 2002 and second 2003 destination points . adding a new destination point can automatically recalculate the new route , or the user can initiate the new route calculation . also , the user can drag 2011 the selected static poi 2009 to the pre - calculated route 2004 and add a new destination point to the pre - calculated route 2004 at the point 2015 where the poi icon was dropped by releasing the selected poi 2010 , which is done , as known to people skilled in the art , by a mouse click release , tap release , etc . the newly added destination points can also be illustrated in the route planner window 2013 as italicized , indicating that they are to be added once the route has been recalculated . as shown in fig2 , the new route that was calculated in the previous example includes the new origin 2001 and destination points 2101 , 2002 , 2102 , & amp ; 2003 . the new destination points that were added are shown in fig2 as san jose , calif . 2101 , which is the position of another user 2005 updated using the real - time communication system 150 , and blacksburg , va . 2102 , the position of the poi 2009 . it should be noted , and appreciated by those skilled in the art , that the only the links of the route that have changed are the ones that need to be recalculated and not the entire route . under this example , the entire route needs to be recalculated . another benefit of this invention is illustrated in fig2 . in route - planner mode a user can select 2206 a poi 2205 , such as a gas station , and drag 2204 it to a graphical icon representation 2202 of a roster list user on the map display 224 , and then drop or release the icon pointer 2201 with the focus over the graphical icon representation 2202 of a roster list user in order to create a route from the location of that roster list user to the selected poi 2205 . additionally , after having selected the poi 2205 , when the icon pointer 2201 is focused over the graphical icon representation 2202 of the roster list user on the map display 224 , the messenger window 212 icon listing of said user 220 will also highlight 2203 , as illustrated in fig2 . it should be noted that the location information of the roster list user whose graphical icon representation 2202 was selected was known and can be periodically updated using the real - time communication system 150 . the calculated route 2304 between “ vehicle 1 ” 2202 and the “ gas station ” 2205 whose address is in pittsburgh , pa . is displayed in the map display 224 of fig2 . additionally , the route planner window 2303 illustrates the order of the origin 2301 and destination 2302 of the route 2304 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , multiple pois can be added to the route 2304 using this approach , such that each poi , in this embodiment , is added as the last destination in the route 2304 and displayed as such in the route planner window 2303 . additionally , this method of adding a destination to a route can be reversed , such that , in one embodiment , the graphical icon representation 2202 of the roster list user “ vehicle 1 ” 220 can be dragged onto a poi &# 39 ; s graphical icon representation 2205 on the map display 224 . in this embodiment , the order of the destinations is chronological , according to the time a new destination point was added to the route 2304 . in both of these embodiments the route is dynamically calculated based on location updates from the real - time communication system 150 . an added benefit of this invention is that the destination points of the previous embodiments do not have to be static pois , but can be dynamic pois that represent roster list users and the real - time communication system 150 can be used to obtain real - time location updates . one embodiment , shown in fig2 , includes two graphical icon representations 2403 & amp ; 2406 of roster list users “ vehicle 1 ” 220 and “ user 4 ” 218 , respectively . the selection of the graphical icon representation 2406 of roster list user “ user 4 ” 218 causes the roster list window 212 list representation of “ user 4 ” 218 to highlight 2407 . dragging the select user 2406 using the icon pointer 2405 so that it is positioned over the graphical icon representation 2403 of roster list user “ vehicle 1 ” 220 causes the roster list window 212 representation of user “ vehicle 1 ” 220 to highlight 2402 . once the graphical icon representation 2406 of roster list user “ user 4 ” 218 is dropped or released onto the graphical icon representation 2403 of roster list user “ vehicle 1 ” 2403 , a real - time route between the first user 2406 (‘ destination ) and the second user 2403 (‘ origin ’) is created . since the initial location information for both users are known , the real - time communication system 150 can be used when new position updates arrive , and then a new route is recalculated based on those new locations . shown in fig2 is the route 2504 calculated between the graphical icon representations for the origin user 2403 and destination user 2406 . the route planner window 2501 also shows the order of the route between the two users , where the origin 2502 is the location of “ vehicle 1 ” 220 and the destination 2503 is the location of “ user 4 ” 218 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , multiple destinations can be added to this route using both static ( i . e ., pois ) and dynamic ( i . e ., roster users ) location - relevant objects , where the order , in this embodiment , of the new destination point is based on the order it was added . using this invention also allows for adding pois to a route planner using a drag - and - drop method . in one embodiment , as shown in fig2 , a poi 2601 , such as a map identifier ( i . e ., city name of pasadena ), can be graphically selected using an icon pointer 2602 and using a dragging motion 2603 or some other accepted practice used by those in the art . the selected poi 2601 can then be dragged into a route planner window 2609 . the user can then use the icon pointer 2604 to drop the poi 2601 into the route planner window 2609 , where the focus of the icon pointer 2604 relative to the current origin 2606 and destination points 2607 & amp ; 2608 determines the new order of the origin and destination points . for example , the poi 2601 was added to the end of the list of origin and destination points in the route planner window 2609 , thus causing this poi 2601 to be the last destination 2605 of the route , which can be either a pre - calculated or a previously - uncalculated route . illustrating the use of a combination of both static pois and dynamic pois , which represent roster list users , in the graphical creation of a route is further shown in fig2 . in one embodiment , with the program in a route mode operation , a user can create a route by selecting 2701 the icon list representation of a roster list user “ user 1 ” 215 using an icon pointer 2702 . then by dragging 2703 the roster list user icon list representation 215 to a graphical icon representation 2704 on a map display 224 and releasing it with the icon pointer 2705 focused over the destined objected 2704 , so that the destined object &# 39 ; s 2704 roster list representation 223 is highlighted 2709 in the roster list window 212 . this action will add both objects to a route in the route planner window 2710 . for instance , the origin 2711 is the location of the destined object 2704 of the drag 2703 operation , and the first destination point 2712 is the location of the roster list user 215 . the same process can be completed using a static poi 2707 , where the user selects the poi 2707 using an icon pointer 2708 and drags 2706 the icon pointer to the desired map object 2704 . when the icon pointer 2705 is focused on the desired map object 2704 on the map display 224 and then released both objects will be added to the route in the route planner window 2710 . since the destination object is already the origin 2711 in the route planner , the poi 2707 is added to the end of the destination points 2713 in the route planner window 2710 . it should be noted that as location updates arrive using the real - time communication system 150 , the location of all points in the route planner window 2710 that are tied to the real - time communication system 150 could be updated accordingly . in one embodiment as shown in fig2 , after all destination points have been added using this graphical system and method , and a route is computed , a route 2805 is displayed in the route planner window 2801 and on the map display 224 . the origin will be the user 2802 that was first selected and the first destination is that object 2803 upon which the first selected object was dropped . the second destination will be the poi 2804 that was added to the first selected object 2802 . thus , the new route 2805 will display the origin and destination points 2802 & amp ; 2803 & amp ; 2804 in both the map display 224 and route planner window 2801 . another aspect of this invention , while in a route planner mode , allows an extremely efficient mechanism for creating routes to and from the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” 213 current location . in one embodiment , for an in - vehicle navigation application , creating a route from the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” 213 current location to the location of another user or contact simply involves selecting the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” 213 roster list representation 213 with the icon pointer 2902 , which will cause it to be highlighted 2901 , and dragging 2905 it to another roster list user &# 39 ; s list representation , such as “ user 4 ” 218 . when the icon pointer 2904 is focused over the user &# 39 ; s list representation 218 , as illustrated by it being highlighted 2903 , and then dropped or released a route 2914 from the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” location to the user &# 39 ; s “ user 4 ” 218 location is created . additionally , selecting local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” roster list representation 213 , which becomes highlighted upon selection , using the icon pointer 2902 , then dragging 2906 the icon pointer 2907 to the list representation of a contact 2909 , illustrated by the contact &# 39 ; s list representation being highlighted 2908 , and finally dropping or releasing it will create a route 2911 from the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” location to the location of “ contact 1 ” 2909 . both of these embodiments can use the real - time communication system 150 for location updates . if both the user &# 39 ; s and the contact &# 39 ; s location information is stored locally or cached , then the real - time communication system 150 is not necessary . as illustrated in fig2 , the double arrows 2905 & amp ; 2906 indicate that the dragging operation process can be reversed , and the contacts and other users can be selected and then dragged and dropped into the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” roster list representation 213 with the icon pointer . other objects that can be used for route creation in an in - vehicle navigation system in route planner mode , such as shown in fig3 , include pois or any graphical map object ( i . e ., map identifiers , users , etc .). in one embodiment , the local user &# 39 ; s “ user a ” roster list representation 213 can be selected with the icon pointer 3002 , illustrated by the local user &# 39 ; s icon representation 213 being highlighted 3001 , and then dragged 3003 and dropped using the icon pointer 3005 onto a poi 3004 in order to create a route . as illustrated in fig3 , a route 3105 is generated between the current location 3106 of “ user a ” 213 and the location of the poi 3104 . additionally , the route planner window 3103 is updated to include both the origin 3101 and destination 3102 points . it should be noted that the origin could be a moving point when it represents an object whose location information is updated locally or through the real - time communication system 150 . as people skilled in the art will appreciate , having a history trail based on a moving origin or destination points can provide a very necessary capability for graphically viewing location history trails based on real - world routes . in one embodiment , as shown in fig3 , an original route 3207 between an origin 3201 and destination 3202 is displayed in a route planner window 3210 . the original route 3207 that was created is shown in the map display 224 . as location updates arrive via the real - time communication system 150 , the origin location of “ vehicle 1 ” 3201 & amp ; 220 changes thus changing its location on the map display 224 . the new origin location on the map display 224 is shown 3205 , as well as the original destination point 3203 . additionally , a new route 3208 is computed between the new origin 3205 and original destination 3203 . when the location of the origin 3201 changes again 3206 a new route 3209 will be computed based on the new origin location 3201 & amp ; 3206 and the original destination 3202 & amp ; 3203 . instead of erasing the original route 3207 , it is displayed as a different color and pattern than the newly updated routes 3208 & amp ; 3209 . in another embodiment , a legend can even be displayed to illustrate the pattern and color of the routes correlated with the time when they were updated . this route history allows the user to better graphically analyze the route information when using a dynamically updated route origin or destination . it should be noted that the present invention may be embodied in forms other than the preferred embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof the specification contained herein provides sufficient disclosure for one skilled in the art to implement the various embodiments of the present invention , including the preferred embodiment , which should be considered in all aspect as illustrative and not restrictive ; all changes or alternatives that fall within the meaning and range or equivalency of the claim are intended to be embraced within .