System and method for displaying information using a compass

• US 20060244638A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Lettau, Ty
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.100
• 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: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A system and method displays a compass control with a map or other image. The compass control displays locations that may be displayed on the map, as well as locations that are outside of the map area being displayed, to allow the user to view such locations and interact with them.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information, comprising:

retrieving the information from a server over a network responsive to a request;

displaying a portion of the information in a first area;

displaying a user interface control for controlling the display of the information in a second area;

receiving, on the user interface control, an indication from a user to move the view of the information, the indication having one of at least sixteen different directions from a point on the user interface control; and

changing the view of the information responsive to the indication to display a different portion of the information in a second area, the second area being in a direction corresponding to the direction of the indication, the second area having a substantially same size as the first area.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

displaying in the first area at least one first icon corresponding to at least one location, each first icon having a position relative to a point in the first area;

displaying in the second area at least one second icon, each corresponding to one of the at least one first icons; and

wherein each of the at least one second icons has a position in the second area with respect to a point in the second area, corresponding to the location of the corresponding first icon.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the point in the first area comprises a point at least near the center of the first area; and

the point in the second area comprises a point at least near the center of the second area.