Block view for geographic navigation

• US 10,215,585 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ofek, Eyal, Aguera y Arcas, Blaise H., DeMaio, Pasquale, Wexler, Yonatan
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Ce Li
• Application Number:
  US15/042,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20160161276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• 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: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

Various embodiments provide techniques for geographic navigation via one or more block views. According to some embodiments, a block view can include a visual image of a geographic location that is visually similar to a panoramic image. In some example implementations, a block view can be scrolled to navigate images of a geographic location. In one or more embodiments, a bubble view can be displayed of one or more locations within the block view. The bubble view can include a zoomed image of one or more aspects of a block view. Further to some embodiments, a map view can be utilized along with the block view and/or the bubble view. The map view can include a two-dimensional representation of the geographic location from an aerial perspective, and can include a more general level of detail concerning the geographic location, such as streets, cities, states, bodies of water, and so on.

Claims

1. A computerized system for navigation within a user interface, wherein the system comprises:

a processor; and

memory storing computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive an indication of a zoom-in on a map view of a geographic location displayed within the user interface;

determine that the zoom-in on the map view has reached a map zoom threshold;

in response to determining that the zoom-in has reached the map zoom threshold, display a block view of the geographic location;

receive an indication of a zoom-in on the block view of the geographic location, wherein the block view displays a side of a travel route through the geographic location;

determine that the zoom-in on the block view has reached a block zoom threshold; and

in response to determining that the zoom-in has reached the block zoom threshold, display a bubble view of the geographic location.

2. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

receive an indication of a zoom-out of the bubble view of the geographic location;

display the block view of the geographic location;

receive an indication of a zoom-out of the block view of the geographic location; and

display a map view of the geographic location.

3. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the map view comprises a two-dimensional representation of a geographic location from an aerial perspective.

4. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the bubble view comprises zoomed image of one or more aspects of the block view.

5. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the bubble view comprises an actual image of one or more aspects of the block view.

6. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

present the bubble view with a bubble icon that points along the travel route through the geographic location;

receive a selection of the bubble icon; and

navigate the bubble view along the travel route.

7. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

receive a selection of an object that is displayed in the bubble view;

place focus on the object;

navigate toward the object in the bubble view.

8. The computerized system for navigation of claim 7, wherein the memory further comprises computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

rotate the bubble view towards the object as the navigation approaches the object.

9. The computerized system for navigation of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises computerized instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

reach a location of the object in focus in the bubble view;

receive an indication of zoom-in on the object in focus; and

zoom into a front surface of the object.

10. The computerized system for navigation of claim 9, wherein the indication of zoom-in on the object in focus comprises a second selection of the bubble icon.

11. The computerized system for navigation of claim 9, wherein the abstraction of the geographic location comprises an approximated outline drawing of the geographic location.

12. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises an abstraction of the geographic location.

13. The computerized system for navigation of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises a linear view of two or more elevation images stitched together.

14. A computerized method for navigation within a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a map view of a geographic location within the user interface;

in response to receiving a zoom-in selection from the map view, zooming into the map view;

in response to determining that map the view has reached the map zoom threshold, displaying a block view of the geographic location, wherein the block view comprises a side of a travel route through the geographic location;

in response to receiving a zoom-in selection from the block view, zooming into the block view; and

in response to determining that a block zoom threshold has been reached, displaying a bubble view of the geographic location.

15. The computerized method for navigation of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a zoom-in selection from the bubble view; and

determining an effect of the zoom-in selection based on a location of a particular object that is in focus in the bubble view.

16. The computerized method for navigation of claim 14 further comprising:

in response to receiving a selection of an object displayed in the bubble view, placing focus on that object;

orienting the bubble view toward the object; and

navigating toward the object in the bubble view.

17. The computerized method for navigation of claim 14 further comprising:

displaying a bubble icon in the bubble view that points along a travel route through the geographic location; and

in response to receiving a selection of the bubble icon, navigating the bubble view along the travel route.

18. The computerized method for navigation of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving a selection to change an orientation of the bubble icon to point along a different direction of the travel route;

navigating the bubble view along the different direction of the travel route.

19. The computerized method for navigation of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to receiving a selection of one of the plurality of objects, focusing the bubble view on the selected one of the plurality of objects;

receiving a second selection of the bubble icon; and

zooming into a surface of the selected one of the plurality of objects.

20. The computerized method for navigation of claim 14, wherein the block view comprises a linear view of two or more elevation images stitched together.