Map Magnifier

• US 20120316782A1
• Filed: 06/09/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: SARTIPI, Siamak, BECKETT, Jason Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,207,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/455
• 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: G06K 2215/0057 Sizing and resolution changes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20101 Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A method of magnifying a portion of a map displayed on a computing device includes displaying the map at a first zoom level and displaying a magnified portion of the map at a second zoom level. The magnified portion comprises an interactive map element. The magnified portion acts as a localized map magnifier. The magnified portion may be round to resemble a virtual magnifying glass. In certain implementations, multiple map magnifiers may be displayed simultaneously. Map magnifiers may be displayed, for example, at waypoints along a route, at map markers corresponding to points of interest or at the locations associated with search results.

Claims

1. A method of magnifying a portion of a map displayed on a computing device, the method comprising:

displaying the map at a first zoom level;

displaying a magnified portion of the map at a second zoom level; and

wherein the magnified portion comprises an interactive map element.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein displaying the map comprises:

displaying map markers at locations associated with each one of a plurality of search results; and

displaying a plurality of magnified portions of the map at each of the locations associated with the search results such that the map markers and an area surrounding each of the map markers are magnified a the second zoom level.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein displaying the map comprises:

displaying a route comprising waypoints; and

displaying a plurality of magnified portions at each of the waypoints along the route.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein displaying the map comprises:

identifying one or more map features satisfying a user search criterion;

displaying the one or more map features in a plurality of magnified portions of the map.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising:

receiving user input to jump from a first magnified portion of the map to a second magnified portion of the map.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising:

highlighting one of the plurality of magnified portions of the map to signify that the interactive map element in the magnified portion of the map that is currently highlighted may currently receive user input.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving input on a user interface to specify one or more of a size and shape of the magnified portion; and

adjusting one or more of the size and shape of the magnified portion in response to the input.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified portion of the map at the second zoom level comprises displaying a substantially circular map magnifier having a circular outer frame such that the map magnifier resembles a virtual magnifying glass.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified portion of the map comprises simultaneously displaying a plurality of magnified portions of the map.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded into a memory and executed by a processor of a computing device causes the computing device to:

display a map at a first zoom level;

display a magnified portion of the map at a second zoom level; and

wherein the magnified portion comprises an interactive map element.

11. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10 wherein the code is further configured to:

display map markers at locations associated with each one of a plurality of search results; and

display a plurality of magnified portions of the map at each of the locations associated with the search results such that the map markers and an area surrounding each of the map markers are magnified a the second zoom level.

12. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10 wherein the code is further configured to:

display a route comprising waypoints; and

display a plurality of magnified portions at each of the waypoints along the route.

13. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10 wherein the code is further configured to:

identify one or more map features satisfying a user search criterion;

display the one or more map features in a plurality of magnified portions of the map.

14. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13 wherein the code is further configured to:

receive user input to jump from a first magnified portion of the map to a second magnified portion of the map.

15. A computing device for displaying a map and for simultaneously displaying a magnified portion of the map, the computing device comprising:

a processor operatively connected to a memory for executing a map application; and

a display for displaying the map and for simultaneously displaying the magnified portion of the map as an overlay on the map, wherein the magnified portion comprises an interactive map element.

16. The computing device as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a user input device for receiving user input for navigating between a plurality of magnified portions simultaneously displayed on the map.

17. The computing device as claimed in claim 15 further comprising:

a user input device for receiving a search term;

a communication subsystem for communicating the search term to a web-based search engine and for receiving search results; and

wherein the map is displayed at a first zoom level such that all search results are located on the map, and wherein one or more of the search results are displayed as magnified portions of the map.

18. The computing device as claimed in claim 15 further comprising:

a user input device for specifying location information;

a communication subsystem for communicating the location information to a web-based map service and for receiving a route from the map service; and

wherein the map is displayed at a first zoom level such that the route is fully displayed on the map, and wherein one or more of the waypoints along the route are displayed as magnified portions of the map.

19. The computing device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the processor is configured to cause the display to highlight one of the plurality of magnified portions of the map to signify that the interactive map element in the magnified portion of the map that is currently highlighted may currently receive user input.

20. The computing device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to automatically resize the magnified portions of the map based on a number of magnified portions to be displayed on the map.