METHODS, ELECTRONIC DEVICES, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING GEOGRAPHICAL PRESENCE USING MAP TILES

• US 20100002012A1
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Andreasson, Markus Mans Folke
• Application Number:
  US12/167,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20100002012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

An electronic device is operated by determining an approximate geographic location of the electronic device, determining a zoom level for a geographic map tile that encompasses the approximate geographic location, determining horizontal and vertical coordinates for the geographic map tile based on the zoom level and the approximate geographic location of the electronic device, and sending the horizontal and vertical coordinates and zoom level to another device as a geographic presence indicator for the electronic device. Related electronic devices and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic device, comprising:

determining an approximate geographic location of the electronic device;

determining a zoom level for a geographic map tile that encompasses the approximate geographic location;

determining horizontal and vertical coordinates for the geographic map tile based on the zoom level and the approximate geographic location of the electronic device; and

sending the horizontal and vertical coordinates and zoom level to another device as a geographic presence indicator for the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the approximate geographic location comprises using a navigation module to determine the approximate geographic location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the navigation module is a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the approximate geographic location comprises:

displaying at least a part of a map on the electronic device; and

receiving user input that identifies the approximate geographic location of the electronic device on the map.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the at least part of the map comprises:

changing the part of the map displayed on the electronic device responsive to the user input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying the at least part of the map comprises:

changing the zoom level for the at least part of the map responsive to the user input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoom level is given by Z, the horizontal coordinate has a range from 0 to 2^Z−

1, and the vertical coordinate has a range from 0 to 2<sup>Z−

1</sup>.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the zoom level responsive to user input.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the zoom level comprises:

providing a plurality of default zoom levels associated with a plurality of possible recipients of the geographic map tile, respectively; and

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of default zoom levels.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding Points Of Interest (POI) to the geographic map tile.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a mobile terminal.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a controller configured to determine an approximate geographic location of the electronic device, to determine a zoom level for a geographic map tile that encompasses the approximate geographic location, to determine horizontal and vertical coordinates for the geographic map tile based on the zoom level and the approximate geographic location of the electronic device, and to send the horizontal and vertical coordinates and zoom level to another device as a geographic presence indicator for the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the approximate geographic location by using a navigation module to determine the approximate geographic location.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the navigation module is a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the approximate geographic location by displaying at least a part of a map on the electronic device and receiving user input that identifies the approximate geographic location of the electronic device on the map.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to display the at least part of the map by changing the part of the map displayed on the electronic device responsive to the user input.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to display the at least part of the map by changing the zoom level for the at least part of the map responsive to the user input.

18. A computer program product for operating an electronic device, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to determine an approximate geographic location of the electronic device;

computer readable program code configured to determine a zoom level for a geographic map tile that encompasses the approximate geographic location;

computer readable program code configured to determine horizontal and vertical coordinates for the geographic map tile based on the zoom level and the approximate geographic location of the electronic device; and

computer readable program code configured to send the horizontal and vertical coordinates and zoom level to another device as a geographic presence indicator for the electronic device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the approximate geographic location comprises computer readable program code configured to use a navigation module to determine the approximate geographic location.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein computer readable program code configured to determine the approximate geographic location comprises:

computer readable program code configured to display at least a part of a map on the electronic device; and

computer readable program code configured to receive user input that identifies the approximate geographic location of the electronic device on the map.