Method and System for Plotting a User's Position on a Display

• US 20100131192A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicholas Clark
• Original Assignee: Nicholas Clark
• Inventors: Clark, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A method and system for showing a user his position in a set geographic area in which all parts of the geographic area are visible on a display at all times, and in which the user'"'"'s position is shown as moveable relative to the set geographic area. The method and system utilize a positioning system (such as GPS) on the user and a display visible to the user to track and display the user'"'"'s movement. In some versions the user defines the geographic area by positioning himself at the edges of the area. In other versions the user marks the geographic area on a map or chart on the display. In this way the user will always know his position relative to the same boundaries, without the need for zooming or scrolling the display.

Claims

1. A method of representing a position of a user on a display visible to the user, comprising:

a. determining the user'"'"'s geographic position with a locating device, wherein the geographic position is within a region having constant geographic boundaries;

b. calculating a virtual position as a function of the user'"'"'s geographic position; and

c. plotting the virtual position on the display, wherein the region corresponds to a fixed zone of the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed zone consists of the entire display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual position comprises a two-dimensional position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual position comprises a three-dimensional position, and wherein a third dimension is represented by the appearance of a symbol representing the virtual position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a component of a portable computing device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the portable computing device further comprises the locating device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the portable computing device is selected from the group consisting of:

a cellular telephone, a PDA, a smart-phone, a handheld computing device, a laptop personal computer, and a portable navigation system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d. determining a second geographic position of a second user with a second locating device, wherein the second geographic position is within a second region having constant geographic boundaries;

e. calculating a second virtual position as a function of the second geographic position; and

f. plotting the second virtual position on the display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second region comprises the first region.

10. The method of claim 1, farther comprising:

d. plotting a virtual destination position on the display within the zone; and

e. registering a collision event if the user'"'"'s virtual position is at least proximate to the virtual destination position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual destination position changes after a temporal interval.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual destination position changes to a new virtual position after the collision event.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the new virtual destination position is determined by a predefined rule set.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the new virtual destination position corresponds to the trajectory of an object.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the constant geographic boundaries.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the definition of the constant geographic boundaries of the region further comprises:

d. placing the user at a first geographic orientation point within the region;

e. determining the geographic position of the user at the first geographic orientation point;

f. placing the user at a second geographic orientation point within the region;

g. determining the geographic position of the user at the second geographic orientation point;

h. calculating a first virtual orientation point as a function of the first geographic orientation point; and

i. calculating a second virtual orientation point as a function of the second geographic orientation point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the region is polygonal, further comprising.

j. placing the user at a set of at least one additional geographic orientation point;

k. determining the geographic position of the user at each of the additional geographic orientation points;

l. calculating an additional virtual orientation point as a function of each of the geographic positions of each additional geographic orientation point;

m. defining the region as a polygon having vertices corresponding to each of the first, second, and additional geographic orientation points; and

n. defining the fixed zone as a polygon having vertices corresponding to each of the first, second, and additional virtual orientation points.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the region is an equilateral polygon, further comprising:

j. defining the region as the equilateral polygon, wherein the first geographic orientation point corresponds to a regional polygonal vertex, and wherein the second geographic orientation point corresponds to a regional polygonal center; and

k. defining the fixed zone as the equilateral polygon, wherein the first virtual orientation point corresponds to a zonal polygonal vertex, and wherein the second virtual orientation point corresponds to a zonal polygonal center.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the region is circular, further comprising:

j. defining the region as a circle wherein the center of the region is the first geographic orientation point and the circumference of the region comprises the second geographic orientation point; and

k. defining the fixed zone as a circle wherein the center of the zone is the first virtual orientation point and the circumference of the zone comprises the second virtual orientation point.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the region is rectangular, further comprising:

j. placing the user at an additional geographic orientation point;

k. determining the geographic position of the user at the additional geographic orientation point;

l. calculating an additional virtual orientation point as a function of the geographic position of the additional geographic orientation point;

m. defining the region as a rectangle wherein a first regional vertex is the first geographical orientation point, wherein a second regional vertex is the second geographical orientation point, and wherein a third regional vertex is the additional geographical orientation point; and

n. defining the fixed zone as a rectangle wherein a first zonal vertex is the first virtual orientation point, wherein a second zonal vertex is the second virtual orientation point, and wherein a third zonal vertex is the additional virtual orientation point.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the definition of the constant geographic boundaries of the region further comprises:

d. representing a virtual reference point on the display, wherein the virtual reference point corresponds to a geographic reference point known to the user;

e. specifying on the display a first virtual orientation point;

f. calculating a first geographic orientation point as function of the first virtual orientation point;

g. specifying on the display a second virtual orientation point; and

h. calculating a second geographic orientation point as function of the first virtual orientation point.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the region is polygonal, further comprising:

i. specifying on the display a set of at least one additional virtual orientation point;

j. calculating an additional geographic orientation point as a function of each of the additional virtual orientation points;

k. defining the region as a polygon having vertices corresponding to each of the first, second, and additional geographic orientation points; and

l. defining the fixed zone as a polygon having vertices corresponding to each of the first, second, and additional virtual orientation points.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the region is an equilateral polygon, further comprising:

j. defining the region as the equilateral polygon, wherein the first geographic orientation point corresponds to a regional polygonal vertex, and wherein the second geographic orientation point corresponds to a regional polygonal center; and

k. defining the fixed zone as the equilateral polygon, wherein the first virtual orientation point corresponds to a zonal polygonal vertex, and wherein the second virtual orientation point corresponds to a zonal polygonal center.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the region is circular, further comprising:

i. defining the region as a circle wherein the center of the region is the first geographic orientation point and the circumference of the region comprises the second geographic orientation point; and

j. defining the fixed zone as a circle wherein the center of the zone is the first virtual orientation point and the circumference of the zone comprises the second virtual orientation point.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the region is rectangular, further comprising

i. specifying on the display an additional virtual orientation point;

j. calculating an additional geographic orientation point from the additional virtual orientation point;

k. defining the region as a rectangle wherein a first regional vertex is the first geographical orientation point, wherein a second regional vertex is the second geographical orientation point, and wherein a third regional vertex is the additional geographic orientation point; and

l. defining the fixed zone as a rectangle wherein a first zonal vertex is the first virtual orientation point, wherein a second zonal vertex is the second virtual orientation point, and wherein a third zonal vertex is the additional virtual orientation point.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s virtual position is plotted as a game piece.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s virtual position is plotted as an art stylus.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a virtual path of the user'"'"'s virtual position over time.

29. The method of claim 27, farther comprising:

d. calculating a statistic based on the user'"'"'s virtual path; and

e. communicating the statistic to the user;

f. wherein the statistic is selected from the group consisting of;

average speed, distance traveled, net velocity, instant speed, instant velocity, maximum speed, average acceleration, maximum acceleration, duration of maximum speed, duration of maximum velocity, and duration of maximum acceleration.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is a rectangle, and wherein the zone is a rectangle congruent to the region.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d. determining an object geographic position of an object with an object locating device, wherein the object geographic position is within the region;

e. calculating an object virtual position as a function of the object geographic position; and

f. plotting the object virtual position on the display.

32. A method of representing a position of a user on a rectangular display, comprising:

a. locating the user at a first corner of a rectangular region having constant geographic boundaries;

b. determining with a GPS receiver the geographic location of the user as a first geographic boundary point;

c. relocating the user to a second corner of the region;

d. determining the geographic location of the user with a GPS as a second geographic boundary point;

e. relocating the user to a third corner of the region;

f. determining with a GPS receiver the geographic location of the user as a third geographic boundary point;

g. calculating a first virtual boundary point as a function of the first geographic boundary point;

h. calculating a second virtual boundary point as a function of the second geographic boundary point;

i. calculating a third virtual boundary point as a function of the third geographic boundary point;

j. defining the edges of the display as a rectangle, wherein a first display corner corresponds to the first virtual boundary point, a second display corner corresponds to the second boundary point, and wherein the first display corner is not adjacent to the second display corner;

k. generating a linear x-axial regression between longitude coordinate and a virtual X coordinate, wherein the virtual X coordinate is a function of the longitude coordinate;

l. generating a linear y-axial regression between latitude coordinate and a virtual Y coordinate, wherein the virtual Y coordinate is a function of the latitude coordinate;

m. determining the user'"'"'s latitude coordinate and the user'"'"'s longitude coordinate with a GPS, wherein the user is within the region;

n. calculating the user'"'"'s virtual X coordinate according to the x-axial regression;

o. calculating the user'"'"'s virtual Y coordinate according to the y-axial regression;

p. plotting the user'"'"'s virtual position on the display at the user'"'"'s virtual X coordinate and the user'"'"'s virtual Y coordinate.

33. A system for representing a position of a user in a region having constant geographical boundaries on a bounded display, comprising:

a. a display visible to the user;

b. a display controller capable of rendering a virtual position of the user on the display;

c. a locating device for determining a geographic position of the user;

d. a processor in communication with the locating device wherein the processor is programmed to perform the steps of;

i. determining the virtual position of the user as a function of the geographic position communicated by the locating device;

ii. causing the display controller to render the virtual position on the display; and

iii. defining a virtual boundary of a fixed zone of the display corresponding to the constant geographic boundaries of the region.

34. A system for representing a position of a user on a display visible to the user, comprising:

a. a means of determining the user'"'"'s geographic position, wherein the geographic position is within a region having constant geographic boundaries;

b. a means of calculating a virtual position as a function of the user'"'"'s geographic position; and

c. a means of plotting the virtual position on the display, wherein the region corresponds to a fixed zone of the display.

35. An electronic data storage device comprising a stored program, wherein the stored program comprises:

a. a module for defining a virtual boundary of a fixed zone of a display corresponding to a constant geographical boundary of a region, wherein the entirety of the region is displayed in the fixed zone; and

b. a module for calculating a virtual position of a user as a function of the geographic position of the user.