Customized wall map printing system

• US 20060010100A1
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RM Acquisition LLC (Rand McNally & Company)
• Original Assignee: Rand McNally & Company
• Inventors: McAvoy, John, Wendland, Lloyd, Yefsky, Alan, Breyer, Sean, Benstead, Barbara, Greathouse, Polly, Nguyen, Brian, Lamont, Ashton, Arnold, Tara
• Granted Patent: US 7,274,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

An electronic wall map design and printing system enables a user to select or specify the size, coverage area and detail level of a wall map and to customize the wall map based on the user'"'"'s needs via a fully automated electronic interface. For ease of viewing during the creation of the wall map, the design and printing system displays the wall map being designed on the electronic user interface at a first detail level or resolution that is less than the level of detail or resolution used to print the wall map. However, the user may use the electronic interface to view portions of the wall map on the user interface at the same level of detail to be actually printed on the wall map to thereby enable the user to assure that the level of detail to be printed on the wall map is adequate for the user'"'"'s purposes without making the wall map, as printed, hard to read. Once the user has designed the wall map by selecting the size, coverage area, and other customizable features such as titles, specialized icons, etc., the user may have the wall map printed at a printing facility owned by the map provider or may have the wall map sent to and printed by a third party printer such as a copying service located near the user.

Claims

1. A map generation system for use in creating a printable map, comprising:

a computer readable memory;

a map database that stores map data;

a first routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to access the map database to obtain map data pertaining to a selected map area associated with the printable map;

a second routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to display on a user interface a first electronic map depicting the selected map area using a first level of map detail; and

a third routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to display on the user interface a second electronic map depicting a portion of the selected map area using a second level of map detail that is greater than the first level of map detail.

2. The map generation system of claim 1, wherein the second level of map detail is a level of map detail to be used to print the printable map on a substrate.

3. The map generation system of claim 2, wherein the first routine includes a selection routine for enabling a user to specify the selected map area.

4. The map generation system of claim 3, wherein the selection routine enables a user to specify an address and a size of the selected map area to select the selected map area.

5. The map generation system of claim 2, wherein the second routine is adapted to display a map boundary defining a boundary of the selected map area to be used as the boundary of the printable map.

6. The map generation system of claim 5, wherein the second routine is adapted to display an indication of a size associated with the selected map area.

7. The map generation system of claim 2, wherein the second routine is adapted to enable the user to move one or more boundaries associated with the selected map area to redefine the selected map area.

8. The map generation system of claim 7, wherein the second routine is adapted to enable the user to shift the map boundaries over a different section of map area while keeping the size of the selected map area constant.

9. The map generation system of claim 7, wherein the second routine is adapted to enable the user to increase or decrease the size of the selected map area in a proportional manner.

10. The map generation system of claim 2, wherein the third routine is adapted to display a magnification indicator over the first electronic map and to enable the user to select the portion of the selected map area to display as the second electronic map using the magnification indicator.

11. The map generation system of claim 1, wherein the second and third routines are adapted to display the first and second electronic maps simultaneously on the user interface.

12. The map generation system of claim 1, further including a fourth routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to enable a user to add one or more features to the printable map.

13. The map generation system of claim 12, wherein the one or more features includes one of a title for the printable map, an icon to be placed at a particular location within the printable map, and one or more radius circles to be placed on the printable map.

14. The map generation system of claim 1, further including a fourth routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to enable a user to select one or more print features to be used to print the printable map.

15. The map generation system of claim 14, wherein the one or more print features includes at least one of the specification of a print facility at which to print the printable map, whether to laminate the printable map when printed, the orientation of the printable map with respect to a substrate on which the printable map is to be printed, and the physical size of the printable map when printed.

16. The map generation system of claim 15, wherein the fourth routine is adapted to display a list of possible print facilities and to enable a user to select one of the possible print facilities from the list of possible print facilities as the print facility to use to print the printable map.

17. The map generation system of claim 1, wherein the map database includes indications of a plurality of map areas defining a plurality of published maps, wherein the selected map area includes a multiplicity of the map areas associated with the published maps and further including a fourth routine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor to cause the printable map to include indications of the multiplicity of map areas associated with the published maps when printed.

18. The map generation system of claim 17, wherein the fourth routine is adapted to cause the printable map to include boundaries associated with the published maps when printed.

19. The map generation system of claim 1, wherein the first routine includes a routine that enables a user to select a particular level of map detail to be use to print the printable map.

20. A method of creating a printable map, comprising:

enabling a user to select a map area defining a geographical area to be depicted by the printable map;

displaying the selected map area on a user interface as a first electronic map at a first level of map detail; and

displaying a portion of the selected map area on the user interface as a second electronic map at a second level of map detail, wherein the second level of map detail includes more map detail than the first level of map detail.

21. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, including printing the selected map area as a printed map using the second level of map detail.

22. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, wherein displaying a portion of the selected map area as the second electronic map includes displaying the portion of the selected map area at the level of map detail that will be used to print the printable map.

23. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, wherein enabling the user to select a map area includes enabling the user to select an address or a location to be included in the selected map area and enabling the user to select a size for the selected map area.

24. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to change the selected map area by enabling the user to move a boundary of the selected map area on the first electronic map.

25. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to change the selected map area by enabling the user to proportionally change multiple boundaries of the selected map area on the first electronic map to change the size of the geographical area associated with the selected map area.

26. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to select a location at which the printable map is to be printed.

27. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to select a manner of delivering the printable map, once printed, to an intended recipient.

28. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, wherein displaying the selected map area on a user interface as the first electronic map includes displaying indications of the geographical area covered by the selected map area.

29. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, wherein displaying a portion of the selected map area on the user interface as the second electronic map includes displaying the second electronic map on the user interface simultaneously with the first electronic map.

30. The method of creating a printable map of claim 29, wherein displaying a portion of the selected map area on the user interface as a second electronic map includes enabling a user to move the second electronic map with respect to the first electronic map on the user interface.

31. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to add one or more features to the printable map via the user interface.

32. The method of creating a printable map of claim 20, further including enabling the user to print the printable map to include indications of boundaries associated with one or more previously published maps.

33. A method of creating a wall map, comprising:

storing map data in a map database at a first location;

enabling a user at a second location, remote from the first location, to access the map data to obtain and view map data for a selected geographical area and to specify a wall map to be printed; and

enabling the user to print the wall map at a third location, remote from the second location.

34. The method of creating a wall map of claim 33, wherein enabling the user at the second location to access the map data via a public communications network.

35. The method of creating a wall map of claim 34, wherein enabling the user at the second location to access the map data via the public communications network includes enabling the user at the second location to access the map data via the internet.

36. The method of creating a wall map of claim 33, wherein enabling the user to print the wall map at the third location, includes enabling the user to print the wall map at a commercial printing facility remote from the first location and the second location.

37. The method of creating a wall map of claim 36, wherein enabling the user to print the wall map at the third location includes enabling the user to select one of a plurality of possible commercial printing facilities at which to print the wall map.

38. The method of creating a wall map of claim 36, wherein enabling the user to print the wall map at the third location includes enabling the user to select a manner of delivery of the wall map from the commercial printing facility to an intended recipient.

39. The method of creating a wall map of claim 33, further including printing the wall map at the third location to include indications of boundaries associated with one or more commercially published printed maps.

40. The method of creating a wall map of claim 33, wherein enabling the user at the second location to access the map data to obtain and view map data for a selected geographical area includes displaying the selected map area as a first electronic map at a first level of map detail on a user interface at the second location and displaying a portion of the selected map area as a second electronic map at a second level of map detail on the user interface at the second location, wherein the second level of map detail has more map detail than the first level of map detail.

41. The method of creating a wall map of claim 40, wherein allowing a user to specify the wall map to be printed includes allowing the user to use the first and second electronic maps to change the geographical area to be depicted by the wall map to be printed.

42. A method of creating a map, comprising:

storing map data associated with a plurality of publicly available maps;

enabling a person to select a geographical area to be covered by the map, wherein the geographical area includes map data associated with two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps; and

printing the map to depict the selected geographical area and to include indications of the two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps.

43. The method of creating a map of claim 42, wherein printing the map includes printing the map to include indications of boundaries of the two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps.

44. The method of creating a map of claim 43, wherein printing the map further includes printing the map to include page numbers associated with the two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps.

45. The method of creating a map of claim 42, wherein printing the map includes printing the map to include index markings associated with the two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps.

46. The method of creating a map of claim 42, wherein printing the map includes printing the map as a wall map.

47. The method of creating a map of claim 42, wherein the publicly available maps are street maps.

48. The method of creating a map of claim 42, wherein printing the map to depict the selected geographical area and to include indications of the two or more of the plurality of publicly available maps includes printing the map at the same level of map detail used to print the plurality of publicly available maps.

49. A method of creating a printable map via a remote user terminal, comprising:

enabling a user to select a map area defining a geographical area to be depicted by the printable map at the remote user terminal;

allowing the user to specify custom information to be printed on the printable map at the remote user terminal;

obtaining map data pertaining to the selected map area from a map database;

displaying a version of the printable map at the remote user terminal, the displayed version of the printable map including at least some of the map data pertaining to the selected map database and the custom information; and

enabling the user to have the printable map automatically printed from the remote user terminal.

50. The method of creating a printable map of claim 49, wherein allowing the user to select a map area including allowing the user to specify one of an address, a city or a zip code.

51. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to a select a map area includes allowing the user to specify one or more boundaries defining the map area.

52. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to specify custom information includes allowing the user to select a title for the printable map.

53. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to specify custom information includes allowing the user to select an icon to be placed on the printable map.

54. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to specify custom information includes allowing the user to select a scale marking for the printable map.

55. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to specify custom information includes allowing the user to select to place page numbers on the printable map.

56. The method of creating a printable map of claim 55, wherein the page numbers are indexed to page numbers of one or more publicly available maps.

57. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein allowing the user to specify custom information includes allowing the user to select to place grid lines on the printable map.

58. The method of creating a printable map of claim 50, wherein displaying a version of the printable map at the remote user terminal includes displaying a low resolution version of the printable map, the low resolution version of the printable map being lower in resolution than the printable map when printed.

59. The method of creating a printable map of claim 58, wherein enabling the user to have the printable map printed from the remote user terminal includes enabling the user to have the printable map printed at a print site remote from the user terminal and remote from the map database.

60. The method of creating a printable map of claim 59, wherein the print site is a third party commercial printing facility.