Map application with improved search tools

• US 10,161,761 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Bradford A., Weinberg, Joshua C., Fino, Jorge, Larus, Mark B., Barbour, Sarah G.
• Primary Examiner(s): ElChanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/209,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20170205243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a mapping application that provides a variety of UI elements for allowing a user to specify a location (e.g., for viewing or serving as route destinations). In some embodiments, these location-input UI elements appear in succession on a sequence of pages, according to a hierarchy that has the UI elements that require less user interaction appear on earlier pages in the sequence than the UI elements that require more user interaction. In some embodiments, the location-input UI elements that successively appear in the mapping application include (1) selectable predicted-destination notifications, (2) a list of selectable predicted destinations, (3) a selectable voice-based search affordance, and (4) a keyboard. In some of these embodiments, these UI elements appear successively on the following sequence of pages: (1) a default page for presenting the predicted-destination notifications, (2) a destination page for presenting the list of predicted destinations, (3) a search page for receiving voice-based search requests, and (4) a keyboard page for receiving character input.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for previewing routes to destinations associated with a search, the program implemented by a mobile device, comprising sets of instructions for:

causing, by the mobile device, a list of search results to be displayed on a vehicle display screen;

upon selection of a first search result on the list,

displaying, on the vehicle display screen, a first destination associated with the selected first search result on a map;

displaying on the map a first route to the first destination; and

displaying first and second controls,

said first control for displaying on the map a second route to the first destination;

said second control for displaying on the map a second destination associated with a second search result in the list of search results.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1,

wherein the list of search results presented in a first display area of a mapping application, and

wherein the destination, route, and first and second controls are displayed in a second display area of the mapping application.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 2, wherein the first display area is a search result page, while the second display area is a route-preview page, wherein the mapping application does not display the two pages concurrently.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a zoom third control upon selection of the first destination on the list, the zoom third control comprising only first and second zoom levels, the first zoom level providing a detailed view of the destination, while the second zoom level providing an overview of the route to the destination.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for:

through the first, second and third controls, receiving input to iterate through and examine different destinations and routes to the destinations in order to identify a desired destination.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a fourth control for initiating a navigation presentation to the destination that is displayed on the map.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the fourth control is displayed upon selection of the first search result, the program further comprising a set of instructions for receiving selection of the first control after receiving input to iterate through different search results through the second control.

8. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for previewing routes to destinations associated with a search, the program implemented by a mobile device, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a search query;

performing a search based on the received search query;

based on the search, presenting, on a vehicle display screen, a list of search results on a first page;

upon selection of a first search result on the list, presenting a second page

to display a first destination associated with the selected first search result on a map,

to display on the map a first route to the first destination; and

to display first and second controls,

said first control for displaying on the map a second route to the first destination;

said second control for displaying on the map a second destination associated with a second search result in the list of search results.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program is executed by the mobile device connected to the vehicle display screen through an interactive communication system of the vehicle, and the first and second pages are displayed on the vehicle display screen.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for receiving the selection of the first search result from the vehicle'"'"'s interactive communication system.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a zoom third control upon selection of the first destination on the list, the zoom third control comprising only first and second zoom levels, the first zoom level providing a detailed view of the destination, while the second zoom level providing an overview of the route to the destination.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for:

through the first, second and third controls, receiving input to iterate through and examine different destinations and routes to the destinations in order to identify a desired destination.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a fourth control for initiating a navigation presentation to the destination that is displayed on the map.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fourth control is displayed upon selection of the first destination, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for receiving selection of the first control after receiving input to iterate through different destinations through the second control.

15. A device comprising:

at least one processing unit;

a machine readable storage storing a program for execution by the processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

presenting a list of search results on a vehicle display screen;

upon selection of a first search result on the list,

displaying, on the vehicle display screen, a first destination associated with the selected first search result on a map,

displaying on the map a first route to the first destination; and

displaying first and second controls,

said first control for displaying on the map a second route to the first destination;

said second control for displaying on the map a second destination associated with a second search result in the list of search results.

16. The device of claim 15,

wherein the search result list is presented in a first display area of a mapping application,

wherein the destination, route, and first and second controls are displayed in a second display area of the mapping application.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first display area is a search result page, while the second display area is a route-preview page, wherein the mapping application does not display the two pages concurrently.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a zoom third control upon selection of the first destination on the list, the zoom third control comprising only first and second zoom levels, the first zoom level providing a detailed view of the destination, while the second zoom level providing an overview of the route to the destination.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for:

through the first, second and third controls, receiving input to iterate through and examine different destinations and routes to the destinations in order to identify a desired destination.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a fourth control for initiating a navigation presentation to the destination that is displayed on the map.