US Patent 7822540 Systems, methods, and programs for determining a travel-related time

Systems, methods, and programs obtain a start position and obtain map information including link information and mesh information, the mesh information dividing an area covered by the map information in a mesh grid having a plurality of adjacent meshes. The systems, methods, and programs calculate an estimated travel related time for specific ones of the meshes based on an origin mesh including the start position by assigning time offsets to specific ones of the meshes based on at least one of a type and a number of links entering the specific ones of the meshes starting from the origin mesh and in the order of transitions from one mesh to another mesh over mesh borders in a flow pattern representing increasing distances from the origin mesh.