Image based computer interfaces

• US 20040010367A1
• Filed: 03/13/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HP Inc.
• Inventors: Pollard, Stephen Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 6,965,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A mobile computing device has a touch sensitive display screen for displaying an image including a pictorial representation of a location. A user supplies a request to the device for information relating to parts of the location shown in the pictorial representation. A GPS system and compass in the device produce data relating to the current position and current orientation of the device. A controller of the device responds to the data to select the pictorial representation.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising a controller, a display for displaying an image including a pictorial representation of at least a part of a view of a location, an input device for enabling a user to request information relating to the location, and a locator for deriving data relating to at least one of a current position and a current orientation of the device, the controller being arranged to receive the data and to select the pictorial representation to be displayed at least partly on the basis of the data.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed by selecting one of a plurality of stored images of which the pictorial representation forms at least a part.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed by selecting a part of a stored image to form the pictorial representation.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the pictorial representation to be displayed has a viewing direction associated with it, and the controller is arranged for varying the viewing direction of the pictorial representation to be displayed by varying which part of the stored image forms the pictorial representation to be displayed.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to update the pictorial representation to be displayed in real time in response to changes in at least one of said current position and said current orientation.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the input device is arranged to enable the user to provide a user input, and the controller is arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed at least partly on the basis of the user input.

7. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a transmitter for communicating with a remote source.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the controller is arranged to retrieve said information from the remote source via the transmitter in response to an input to the input device.

9. A device according to claim 7 wherein the controller is arranged to retrieve data for producing the pictorial representation to be displayed from the remote source.

10. A mobile computing device comprising a controller, a display for displaying an image including a pictorial representation of at least a part of a view of a location, a user input for enabling a user to request information relating to the location, and a data generator for deriving data relating to at least one of a current position and a current orientation of the device, the controller being arranged to receive the data and to select the pictorial representation to be displayed at least partly on the basis of the data.

11. A device according to claim 10 wherein the controller is arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed by selecting one of a plurality of stored images of which the pictorial representation to be displayed forms at least a part.

12. A device according to claim 10 wherein the controller is arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed by selecting a part of a stored image to form the pictorial representation to be displayed.

13. A device according to claim 12 wherein the pictorial representation to be displayed has a viewing direction associated with it, and the controller is arranged for varying the viewing direction of the pictorial representation to be displayed by varying which part of the stored image forms the pictorial representation to be displayed.

14. A device according to claim 10 wherein the controller is arranged to update the pictorial representation to be displayed in real time in response to changes in at least one of said current position and said current orientation.

15. A device according to claim 10 including a user interface for enabling the user to provide a user input, the controller being arranged to select the pictorial representation to be displayed at least partly on the basis of the user input.

16. A device according to claim 10 further comprising a communications interface for communicating with a remote source.

17. A device according to claim 16 wherein the controller is arranged to retrieve said information from the remote source via the communications interface in response to an input to the user input.

18. A device according to claim 16 wherein the controller is arranged to retrieve data for producing the pictorial representation to be displayed from the remote source.

19. A device according to claim 10 wherein the pictorial representation is a view from the current position of the device.

20. A device according to claim 12 wherein the stored image is in the form of a panorama image.

21. A device according to claim 15, wherein the pictorial representation to be displayed includes one or more hotspots, whereby the user input enables the user to select the hotspot, whereupon information relevant to a part of the displayed image associated with the hotspot is provided to the user.

22. A system for providing information to a user comprising a device according to claim 16 and a data store arranged to store data and forming said remote source.

23. A system according to claim 22 wherein the data store has a plurality of images stored thereon, each having associated with it an indicator relating to at least one of a viewing position and a viewing direction of at least a part of it.

24. A method of storing data representing a view of a location, the method comprising the steps of recording an image including a pictorial representation of the view, associating with the image an indicator of at least one of a location and a direction of the view, and associating with a part of the image a link to information relating to a part of the location corresponding to said part of the image.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the pictorial representation is recorded using a digital camera.

26. A method according to claim 24 wherein the pictorial representation is a panorama image and the indicator is a directional indicator, and further comprising associating a part of the panorama image with a direction of a corresponding part of the pictorial representation by using the directional indicator.

27. A method according to claim 24 wherein the indicator is a positional indicator, and further comprising associating the pictorial representation with a position from which the view can be seen by using the positional indicator.

28. A file server comprising a memory having stored therein data stored according to claim 24 and a communications port for enabling remote retrieval of said data.

32. A computer readable medium carrying data stored according to the method of claim 24.

29. A method of providing information to a user via a mobile computing device, the method comprising receiving data relating to at least one of a current position and a current orientation of the device, selecting an image including a pictorial representation of a view of a location at least partly on the basis of said data, and presenting the pictorial representation to the user on the device together with at least one link to information relating to the location.

30. A method according to claim 29 wherein the device includes a screen and further including presenting the pictorial representation on the screen.

31. A computer readable medium carrying instructions which when run on a computing device cause the computing device to perform the method of claim 29.