Granted Patent B2

US 12,630,271 · App. 18/883,667 · Granted May 19, 2026

Inventors: Taylor Clark (Dahlonega, GA); Thomas J. Schultz (Cushing, MN); Brian Laser (Suwanee, GA); Adam Iles (Mississauga, CA)

Assignee: Johnson Outdoors Inc.

B63B49/00G01S15/89B63B2213/02

Abstract

Claims (55)

1 . A computer-implemented method for dynamically adjusting navigational routing paths through an inshore and nearshore coastal area within a navigation display in a graphical user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a first window containing a marine navigational map within the graphical user interface on a fish finder;

displaying a navigational routing path overlaid on the first window containing the marine navigational map within the graphical user interface on the fish finder, wherein the navigational routing path includes a plurality of segments embedded with depth data for each of the plurality of segments, the plurality of segments generated by correlating location information for each of the plurality of segments with the depth data, the depth data adjusted to one of a mean lower low water (MLLW), a lowest astronomical tide (LAT), or a Lowest Observed Tide (MIN TIDE);

receiving tide data, by a processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window;

automatically generating a display depth by correlating time data with the tide data to generate a local tide influence factor, by a processor, for each of the plurality of segments and adjusting the depth data in view of the local tide influence factor; and

displaying the display depth overlaid on each respective plurality of segments of the navigational routing path on the first window containing the marine navigational map within the graphical user interface on the fish finder to correspond to a current depth of the segment.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

receiving boat draft information;

determining a safe depth, by a processor, based on the boat draft information; and

wherein the step of displaying the navigational routing path comprises the steps of:

displaying each segment that has an associated display depth greater than or equal to the safe depth in a first line style; and

displaying each segment that has an associated display depth less than the safe depth in a second line style visually different than the first line style.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of displaying the navigational routing path comprises the step of:

displaying each segment that has an associated display depth that is negative in a third line style that is visually different than the first line style and the second line style.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving tide data, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window comprises the steps of:

displaying a second window overlapping the first window within the graphical user interface on a fish finder, the second window containing a navigation setting user interface;

receiving a water level offset, by the processor, from the navigation setting user interface of the second window overlapping the first window within the graphical user interface on a fish finder;

using the water level offset as the tide data in the step of automatically generating the display depth by the processor.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving tide data, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window comprises the step of receiving tide data, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window transmitted by a tide station.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving tide data, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window comprises the steps of:

receiving high/low information, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed in the first window transmitted by a secondary tide station;

determining a present time and location, by the processor, from a global positioning system (GPS) signal;

interpolating a current water height, by the processor, based on the present time and location from the GPS signal and on the high/low information transmitted by the secondary tide station using a sine wave calculation from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and

using the current water height as the tide data in the step of automatically generating the display depth by the processor.

7 . A computer-implemented method for generating dynamically adjustable navigational routing paths through an inshore and nearshore coastal area to be displayed within a navigation display in a graphical user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

recording time and location information from a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal while surveying a navigational routing path through the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed within a navigation display in a graphical user interface of a fish finder;

recording depth information from a sonar depth sounder while surveying the navigational routing path through the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed within a navigation display in a graphical user interface of a fish finder;

recording tide data while surveying the navigational routing path through the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed within a navigation display in a graphical user interface of a fish finder;

correlating the location information with the depth information, by a processor, to generate segments of the navigational routing paths having depth information associated therewith;

correlating the time information with the tide information, by a processor, to generate a local tide influence factor;

adjusting the depth information associated with each of the segments, by a processor, based on the local tide influence factor to generate one of a Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), a Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT), or a Lowest Observed Tide (MIN TIDE) adjusted depth; and

storing the navigational routing paths, by a processor in a non-transitory fish finder computer readable media, having segments with the MLLW, the LAT, or the MIN TIDE adjusted depth associated therewith.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising the steps of displaying the navigational routing paths having segments with the MLLW, the LAT, or the MIN TIDE adjusted depth associated therewith through the inshore and nearshore coastal area displayed within the navigation display in the graphical user interface of the fish finder, by the processor, overlaid on the navigation display.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:

receiving current local tide information;

dynamically adjusting, by a processor, the MLLW, the LAT, or the MIN TIDE adjusted depth associated with each of the segments based on the current local tide information to provide current depth information for each segment; and

displaying the current depth information of each of the segments of the navigational routing paths, by a processor, on the navigation display in the graphical user interface of the fish finder.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:

receiving boat draft information;

determining a safe depth, by the processor, based on the boat draft information; and

wherein the step of displaying the navigational routing path comprises the steps of:

displaying each segment that has an associated current depth information greater than or equal to the safe depth in a first line style; and

displaying each segment that has an associated current depth information less than the safe depth in a second line style visually different than the first line style.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of displaying the navigational routing path comprises the step of:

displaying each segment that has an associated current depth information that is negative in a third line style that is visually different than the first line style and the second line style.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of receiving current local tide information comprises the steps of:

displaying a window within the graphical user interface on the fish finder, the window containing a navigation setting user interface;

receiving a water level offset, by the processor, from the navigation setting user interface of the window within the graphical user interface on the fish finder;

using the water level offset as the current local tide information in the step of dynamically adjusting the MLLW, the LAT, or the MIN TIDE adjusted depth associated with each of the segments based on the current local tide information to provide current depth information for each segment.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of receiving current local tide information comprises the step of receiving current local tide information transmitted by a tide station.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of receiving current local tide information comprises the steps of:

receiving high/low information, by the processor, for the inshore and nearshore coastal area transmitted by a secondary tide station;

determining a present time and location, by the processor, from a global positioning system (GPS) signal;

interpolating a current water height, by the processor, based on the present time and location from the GPS signal and on the high/low information transmitted by the secondary tide station using a sine wave calculation from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and

using the current water height as the current local tide information in the step of dynamically adjusting the MLLW, the LAT, or the MIN TIDE adjusted depth associated with each of the segments based on the current local tide information to provide current depth information for each segment.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (18)