METHOD FOR DISPLAYING LOCATION RELATED INFORMATION

• US 20120287162A1
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jilion SA (Vivendi SE)
• Original Assignee: Jilion SA (Vivendi SE)
• Inventors: AMINIAN, Mehdi, Crivelli, Zeno, Coiro, Andrea, Zangs, Octave
• Application Number:
  US13/467,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20120287162A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

A method for displaying location related information on display (1) comprising:

• • scrolling and/or resizing a displayed electronic map (2) according to scrolling and/or resizing commands entered by a user,
  • displaying a virtual instrument (10) over the electronic map (2), comprising a pointer (12) and delimiting a portion (100) of the electronic which is changed when the electronic map (2) is scrolled and/or resized,
  • automatically displacing the pointer (12) within this portion (100) for pointing to a most relevant location (200) among all locations (20) in this portion (100),
  • displaying location related information (8, 5, 6, 16, A, B, C, D, C′, D′) about this most relevant location (200).

The method according to the invention allows a user to easily and quickly select a location and to get an instant and easy-to-read display of some location related information, e.g. weather forecast information.

Claims

1. A method for displaying location related information on display (1) comprising:

displaying an electronic map (2) on said display (1),

scrolling and/or resizing said electronic map (2) according to scrolling and/or resizing commands entered by a user, so as to modify the area of said electronic map (2) which is displayed,

displaying a virtual instrument (10) over said electronic map (2), said virtual instrument (10) comprising a pointer (12) and delimiting a portion (100) of said electronic map (2), wherein said portion (100) is changed when said electronic map is scrolled and/or resized,

automatically displacing the pointer (12) within said portion (100) of the electronic map (2) for pointing to a most relevant location (200) among all locations (20) in said portion (100) of said electronic map (2),

displaying location related information (8, 5, 6, 16, A, B, C, D, C′

, D′

) about said most relevant location (200) on said display (1).

2. The method of claim 1, said one or more location related information comprising weather forecast information (8) and/or ephemerides.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position and/or the size of said virtual instrument (10) on said display (1) is fixed or wherein the position and/or the size of said virtual instrument (10) on said display (1) can be changed by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising

comparing the locations (20) displayed on said portion (100) of said electronic map (2),

determining said most relevant location (200) by using at least one of the following finding criteria:

most populated location

most cited location within an internet search engine

most cited location within an internet social network

most touristic location

capital city.

5. The method of claim 1, said one or more location related information comprising at least one of the following information:

locations'"'"' names (5);

locations'"'"' geographical positions;

locations'"'"' current time or date (6, 16);

locations'"'"' population.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising

automatically updating the pointer (12) position while the virtual instrument (10) and/or the electronic map area (2) are moved and/or changed and/or scaled.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual instrument (10) is a virtual watch dial.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising

changing by a user a skin, so as to change the aspect of said virtual watch dial.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising

changing by a user a function mode of said virtual instrument (10) by rotating a bezel (14) of said virtual watch dial.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual instrument (10) displays in a graphic form a diurnal (A) and a nocturnal (B) portion of the day at said most relevant location (200) and/or a today (C) and a tomorrow (D) portions and/or a this week (C′

) and a next week (D′

) portions each of said portions (A;

B;

C;

D;

C′

;

D′

) corresponding to a different colour.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising

automatically selecting a provider (9) of location related information according to the user location and/or to the most relevant location (200) and/or user preferences.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic map (2) is displayed as a background image on said display (1),

wherein said virtual instrument (10) has a ring shape, wherein said portion (100) delimitated by said ring shape is a circular region of said electronic map (2) within said ring,

wherein location related information is displayed over said electronic map (2) outside of said ring,

wherein additional location related information, including local time and/or local duration of day and night, is displayed with different colour segments of said ring.

13. A computer-readable storage medium for displaying one or more location related information on a display (1), encoded with instructions for causing a programmable processor for performing the method of claim 1.

14. An electronic device for displaying one or more location related information comprising

a display (1) for displaying an electronic map (2) and for displaying location related information (8, 5, 6, 16, A, B, C, D, C′

, D′

) about a most relevant location (200) among all locations (20) in a portion (100) of said electronic map (2);

haptic means for scrolling and/or resizing said electronic map (2) by a user, so as to modify the area of said map which is displayed,

a first module for displaying a virtual instrument (10) over said electronic map (2), said virtual instrument (10) comprising a pointer (12) and delimiting said portion (100) of said electronic map (2), wherein said portion (100) is changed when said electronic map (2) is scrolled and/or resized,

a second module for automatically displacing the pointer (12) within said portion (100) of the electronic map (2) for pointing to the most relevant location (200).

15. A server enabling one or more displays (1) to display one or more location related information comprising

a receiver for receiving from one or more electronic devices (1) the position of a virtual instrument (10) on an electronic map (2), the scrolling and/or resizing commands entered by a user of said one or more displays (1) and the size of said virtual instrument (10)

a third module for comparing one or more data (5, 6) related to the locations displayed on a portion (100) of said electronic map (2) delimited by said virtual instrument (10),

a fourth module for determining a most relevant location (200) among all locations (20) in said portion (100) by using at least one of the following finding criteria:

most populated location

most cited location within an Internet search engine

most cited location within an internet social network

most touristic location

capital city

a transmitter for transmitting to said one or more electronic devices said most relevant location (200).