Method and apparatus for providing access to maps on a personal digital assistant (PDA)

• US 20040157641A1
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Chithambaram, Nemmara, Robinson, Kevin Glen, DeAguiar, John R., Roy, Gregory Andrew, Munro, Roderick Gaetan, Marantz, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the invention provide for an interactive geographic information system on a personal digital assistant (PDA). The system enables the viewing and interaction with geographic information on a PDA. Such information is available while the PDA is connected to a network (i.e., online) and while disconnected (i.e., offline). Embodiments provide the PDA with the functionality commonly available in a standard client comprised of a complete computer system. For example, embodiments provide raster maps for multiple zoom levels, with each zoom level comprising multiple tiles allowing for “virtual roaming” across a map. One or more embodiments also provide raster zooms (by scaling existing raster tiles), selectable vector geometry (for interacting and highlighting with user objects), geo-referencing information for map navigation, meta-data in the form of layer definitions (visibility, display attributes, etc.), links to object attributes in databases, links to object reports generated by corporate web servers, uploadable, sharable redlining data (created from scribbles on the field), offline access on a PDA, and a compact PDA database. Thus, one or more embodiments of the invention provide interactive maps and business objects that can be viewed and queried on a PDA, both in an online and offline mode.

Claims

1. A system for accessing geographic information comprising:

(a) two or more geographically distributed servers;

(b) a personal digital assistant;

(c) a servlet executing on one of the servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms, the servlet configured to;

(i) obtain geographically distributed map data from the two or more servers_wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

(ii) obtain geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more servers;

(iii) declutter the map and attribute data;

(iv) compact and encode the map and attribute data;

(v) place the compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network in a location accessible to the personal digital assistant;

(d) an application on the personal digital assistant, the application configured to;

(i) obtain the compacted and encoded map and attribute data from the location over the network;

(ii) display the compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to the network when displaying the compacted and encoded map and attribute data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the application is further configured to transmit an assignment to the servlet and wherein the servlet is further configured to transmit compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the application is further configured to synchronize a status related to the assignment by communicating with the servlet.

5. A system for accessing geographic information comprising:

(a) a personal digital assistant;

(b) a local database on the personal digital assistant; and

(c) an application on the personal digital assistant, the application configured to;

(i) load an active workspace from the local database;

(ii) the active workspace using map definitions obtained from map data that is geographically distributed on two or more geographically distributed servers to create a new map model wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

(iii) the new map model populating layers in the map model, wherein compacted and encoded map and attribute data are formatted, wherein the attribute data is obtained from the two or more geographically distributed servers; and

(iv) display the formatted compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data is stored in a local personal digital assistant database.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data are obtained from a servlet across a network, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to a network.

9. A system for accessing geographic information comprising:

(a) two or more geographically distributed servers;

(b) a servlet executing on one or more of the servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms, the servlet configured to;

(i) obtain geographically distributed map data from the two or more servers_wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

(ii) obtain geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more servers;

(iii) declutter the map and attribute data;

(iv) compact and encode the map and attribute data; and

(v) place the compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network in a location accessible to a personal digital assistant.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the servlet is further configured to:

receive an assignment; and

place compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the servlet is further configured to synchronize a status related to the assignment by communicating with the personal digital assistant.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the map and attribute data are for a single user.

13. A method for accessing geographic information on a personal digital assistant, comprising:

a servlet obtaining geographically distributed map data from two or more servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms and wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the servlet obtaining geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more servers;

the servlet decluttering the map and attribute data;

compacting and encoding the map and attribute data;

obtaining the compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network on a personal digital assistant; and

displaying the compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to the network when displaying the compacted and encoded map and attribute data.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

the personal digital assistant transmitting an assignment to a servlet; and

the servlet placing compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment in a location accessible to the personal digital assistant.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising synchronizing a status related to the assignment by communicating with the servlet.

17. A method for accessing geographic information comprising:

loading an active workspace from a local database on a personal digital assistant;

the active workspace using map definitions, obtained from map data that is geographically distributed on two or more geographically distributed servers, to create a new map model wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the new map model populating layers in the map model, wherein compacted and encoded map and attribute data are formatted, wherein the attribute data is obtained from the two or more geographically distributed servers; and

displaying the formatted compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data is stored in a local personal digital assistant database.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data are obtained from a servlet across a network.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to a network

21. A method for accessing geographic information comprising:

a servlet obtaining geographically distributed map data from two or more geographically distributed servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms and wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the servlet obtaining geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more geographically distributed servers;

decluttering the map and attribute data;

compacting and encoding the map and attribute data; and

placing the compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network in a location accessible to a personal digital assistant.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving an assignment; and

placing compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising synchronizing a status related to the assignment by communicating with the personal digital assistant.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the map and attribute data are for a single user.

25. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer hardware device and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer hardware device to perform a method for accessing geographic information, the method comprising:

a servlet obtaining geographically distributed map data from two or more geographically distributed servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms and wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the servlet obtaining geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more geographically distributed servers;

obtaining decluttered, compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network; and

displaying the decluttered, compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to the network when displaying the decluttered, compacted and encoded map and attribute data.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25, the method further comprising:

transmitting an assignment to a servlet; and

the servlet placing compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment in a location accessible to the personal digital assistant.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, the method further comprising synchronizing a status related to the assignment by communicating with the servlet.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an assignment; and

placing compacted and encoded map and attribute data for the assignment.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 28 wherein the method further comprises synchronizing a status related to the assignment by communicating with the personal digital assistant.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein the map and attribute data are for a single user.

29. A article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a personal digital assistant and embodying one or more instructions executable by the personal digital assistant to perform a method for accessing geographic information, the method comprising:

loading an active workspace from a local database on the personal digital assistant;

the active workspace using map definitions obtained from map data that is geographically distributed on two or more geographically distributed servers to create a new map model wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the new map model populating layers in the map model, wherein compacted and encoded map and attribute data are formatted, wherein the attribute data is obtained from the geographically distributed servers; and

displaying the formatted compacted and encoded map and attribute data on the personal digital assistant.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data is stored in a local personal digital assistant database.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 29 wherein the compacted and encoded map and attribute data are obtained from a servlet across a network.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 29 wherein the personal digital assistant is not connected to a network.

33. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer hardware device and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer hardware device to perform a method for accessing geographic information, the method comprising:

a servlet obtaining geographically distributed map data from two or more geographically distributed servers, wherein the servlet is implemented by a single code stream for use on multiple platforms and wherein the map data comprises metadata in a form of layer definitions for vector based map layer data;

the servlet obtaining geographically distributed attribute data from the two or more geographically distributed servers;

decluttering the map and attribute data;

compacting and encoding the map and attribute data; and

placing the compacted and encoded map and attribute data over a network in a location accessible to a personal digital assistant.