BLOCK VIEW FOR GEOGRAPHIC NAVIGATION

• US 20100325589A1
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ofek, Eyal, Wexler, Yonatan, Aguera y Arcas, Blaise H., DeMaio, Pasquale
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• 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: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

Various embodiments provide techniques for geographic navigation via one or more block views. According to some embodiments, a block view can include a visual image of a geographic location that is visually similar to a panoramic image. In some example implementations, a block view can be scrolled to navigate images of a geographic location. In one or more embodiments, a bubble view can be displayed of one or more locations within the block view. The bubble view can include a zoomed image of one or more aspects of a block view. Further to some embodiments, a map view can be utilized along with the block view and/or the bubble view. The map view can include a two-dimensional representation of the geographic location from an aerial perspective, and can include a more general level of detail concerning the geographic location, such as streets, cities, states, bodies of water, and so on.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

causing, with a computing device, a block view and a bubble view of a geographic location to be displayed as part of a user interface;

receiving, with the computing device, an indication of navigation within one or more of the block view or the bubble view; and

when the navigation is within the block view, causing, with the computing device and responsive to the navigation within the block view, navigation within the bubble view.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the navigation is within the bubble view, causing, with the computing device and responsive to the navigation within the bubble view, navigation within the block view.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises a plurality of images of the geographic location that are stitched together.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises an abstracted image of the geographic location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises one or more annotations of geographic features included in the block view.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bubble view is configured to display a location included in the block view.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the block view comprises a block icon that indicates an orientation of the bubble view with respect to the geographic location.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bubble view is situated at one end of the block view and displays one or more geographic areas that are adjacent to the geographic location displayed in the block view.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising causing a second bubble view to be displayed at another end of the block view, the second bubble view displaying one or more other geographic areas that are adjacent to the geographic location displayed in the block view.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, with the computing device, the indication of navigation within one or more of the block view or the bubble view in response to a user manipulation of a block icon displayed as part of the block view; and

causing, with the computing device and responsive to the navigation within the block view, navigation within the bubble view, the navigation within the bubble view corresponding to the user manipulation of the block icon.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

causing, with a computing device, a block view of a travel route to be displayed in a user interface;

receiving, with the computing device, an indication of navigation along the travel route; and

dynamically updating, with the computing device and responsive to a further navigation along the travel route, the block view.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing, with the computing device, a second block view of the travel route to be displayed, wherein the block view comprises a first side of the travel route and the second block view comprises a second side of the travel route.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically updating, with the computing device and responsive to the further navigation along the travel route, the second block view.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising displaying, with the computing device and responsive to the further navigation along the travel route, a static image as part of the second block view.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing, with the computing device, a map view of the travel route to be displayed; and

dynamically updating, with the computing device and responsive to the further navigation along the travel route, the map view.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing, with the computing device, a bubble view of a location along the travel route to be displayed, wherein the navigation along the travel route occurs responsive to user input to the bubble view.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing a map view that includes the travel route to be displayed, wherein the navigation along the travel route occurs responsive to user input to the map view.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer-executable instructions that are executable to:

receive an indication of a zoom-in on a map view that includes a geographic location;

determine that the zoom-in on the map view has reached a map zoom threshold; and

cause, responsive to determining that the zoom-in has reached the map zoom threshold, a block view of the geographic location to be displayed.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable to:

receive an indication of a zoom-in on the block view;

determine that the zoom-in on the block view has reached a block zoom threshold; and

;

cause, responsive to determining that the zoom-in on the block view has reached the block zoom threshold, a bubble view of the geographic location to be displayed.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable to:

receive an indication of a zoom-out of the bubble view of the geographic location;

cause, responsive to the zoom-out of the bubble view of the geographic location, the block view to be displayed.