System and method to correlate and access related text with locations on an electronically displayed map

• US 20020042819A1
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Transactions
• Original Assignee: Transactions
• Inventors: Reichert, Ron, Kowalczyk, Karol, Mouat, Tom, Hoang, Bich
• Application Number:
  US09/961,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042819A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

A system and method for the electronic display of a map and textual information relating to destinations on a map is disclosed. The display is provided on a client browser operating in a distributed server computer environment such as the Internet. In response to input from the user of destination and regional paramerers, icons representing a class or classes of destinations that contain embedded functions to enable the user to access textual information related to the destination are displayed on a digital map.

Claims

1. A system for searching for a selected class of destinations by geographic location comprising a server, said server in communication with a first database containing information relating to electronically displayed maps of regions, and in communication with a second database containing information relating to destinations, said second database containing information relating to a plurality of classes of destinations, and means to provide input to said server in the form of geographical locations and class destinations, wherein in response from input relating said class destination and input relating to a geographic location, and means to provide as an output a display of information in the form of a regional map having a plurality of icons, said regional map provided in response to said input from said input relating to said geographical locations and said icons provided in response to said input relating to said class destinations and said icons located at positions on said map at geographical locations representing the location of said destinations represented by said icon, and said icons further comprising control functions wherein the activation of said control functions provides a new display, said new display containing text-based information, said text-based information comprising information relating to said destination.

2. The system recited in claim 1 wherein said system is implemented on the Internet and said output is provided in HTTP and said new display comprises a new browser window.

3. The system recited in claim 1 wherein said system is implemented on the Internet and said output is provided in HTTP and said new display is revealed by a mouseover.

4. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said browser window further comprises the presentation of hyperlinks to a new Internet site on the world wide web.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said destinations are selected from a predetermined list of destination classes.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said text-based information is presented in a predetermined manner based upon a predetermined hierarchy that is implemented by information provider.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said predetermined hierarchy comprises preferred destinations selected by the information provider.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said hierarchy is determined by proximity to the geographic location input data.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the predetermined hierarchy is based upon alphabetical listing of destinations within said regional.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein the display of said icon that was originated by said authorized user is limited to a predetermined time period and after the expiration of said predetermined time period, said icon is no longer displayed in response to correlated geographic and destination search inputs.

6. A system for the display of text-based information relating to geographical locations by an information provider comprising providing means to received input of geographical and destination information, a database containing data relating to destinations and data relating to the visual representation of geographical locations, a program for searching said database based upon said input of destination and geographic input information, a program for correlating and destination information search results and geographic information search results in an output, said output further comprising a graphic representation of a map containing icons, said icons representing a graphic indicia of said destination search results, wherein the location of said icons are displayed on said graphic representation of a map at the geographical location of said destination results, said icon further comprising a control function, said control function that can be activated by a user and provide a second output, said second output comprising text-based information relating to the destination represented by said icon.

7. A system for the display of text-based information relating to geographical locations by an information provider on a personal computer comprising providing means to receive input relating to geographic region parameters and destination parameters, a first search program that searches for predetermined destinations within a selected geographical region based upon user input, a first output in the form of graphical display of a first map region containing icons, said icons representing a graphic indicia of output destinations having geographic locations and generated in response to said input relating to destination parameters, and said icon located and displayed on said map at said geographical location of said output destination, and a control function, said control function comprising a moveable search field, said moveable search field comprising a second defined geographic region within said first displayed map region and the location of said field controlled by said user, and in response to the activation of a second program function, text-based information relating to any said icons within a selected search field is displayed.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein said means to receive input relating to geographical regions and destinations comprises a browser window on client and said client sends over a distributed network to a server that performs said first and said second said search functions on a first and second database, is first database containing and said second database, correlating said server correlates the results of first and said second result and transmit a display in response to said search functions over said distribution network to said client.

9. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein said destinations are comprised of a set of predetermined classes.

15. A method for displaying test-based information relating to a particular destination in response to a users search for a destination within a geographic region comprising receiving input from a user in the form of geographic and a class destination, searching a first database for an output in the form of a visual geographic display of a map correspondence to said geographic region, search a second database for any of the user selected destination classes within said geographic region, correlating said destination results with said regional results, and providing a icon at the said location, correlating said icon with text-based information relating to said icon.

16. A method of enabling an Internet user to associate text-based information with an icon representing a destination on an electronically displayed map comprising a first step of providing a first input field to allow a user to register and therefore gain access to a limited access second input field comprising a selection of a predetermined number of destination classes, in response to the selection of a class destination, providing a third input field for receiving text-based information relating to said destination, said information including the address of said location, correlating said input from said third input field to a regional geographic map containing the address provided in said third input field, associating an icon relating to said input from said third input field and in response to a subsequent input of data corresponding to said input data relating to geographic region and destination, providing an output containing a display of a regional map that includes an icon located at location of the address of said user created destination and said icon containing a function for accessing information that was provided by said user relating to said icon.