MANAGING MAP ELEMENTS USING AGGREGATE FEATURE IDENTIFIERS
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for providing map data to a client device via a communication network, the method comprising:
- generating map data that conforms to a non-raster format, wherein the map data is for rendering a raster map image of a geographic area at a selected zoom level at the client device, wherein the raster map image includes a plurality of map elements, each corresponding to a respective physical entity or a portion of a physical entity in the geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of map elements is visible at the selected zoom level;
generating map feature data that specifies a map feature selectable from the map data at the client device, wherein the map feature includes two or more of the plurality of map elements and does not include at least one of the plurality of map elements, wherein the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities, wherein the related entities are associated with a common commercial, business, academic, or a residential entity, and wherein the map feature includes at least two map elements that correspond to physical entities of different types, including;
providing an indication of a portion of the map data that corresponds to the map feature, andproviding a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature; and
causing the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device via a communication network.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
To provide map data to a client device for rendering a raster map image including map elements corresponding to various physical entities, map data is generated in a non-raster format. A method includes generating a description of a map feature that includes two or more of the map elements and does not include at least one of the map elements, where the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities or portions of a same physical entity. Generating a description of the map feature includes providing an indication of a portion of the map data corresponding to the map feature providing a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature. The method further includes causing the map data and the description of the map feature to be transmitted to the client device via a communication network.
76 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for providing map data to a client device via a communication network, the method comprising:
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generating map data that conforms to a non-raster format, wherein the map data is for rendering a raster map image of a geographic area at a selected zoom level at the client device, wherein the raster map image includes a plurality of map elements, each corresponding to a respective physical entity or a portion of a physical entity in the geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of map elements is visible at the selected zoom level; generating map feature data that specifies a map feature selectable from the map data at the client device, wherein the map feature includes two or more of the plurality of map elements and does not include at least one of the plurality of map elements, wherein the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities, wherein the related entities are associated with a common commercial, business, academic, or a residential entity, and wherein the map feature includes at least two map elements that correspond to physical entities of different types, including; providing an indication of a portion of the map data that corresponds to the map feature, and providing a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature; and causing the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device via a communication network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 31)
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4. (canceled)
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5. (canceled)
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13. A computing device operating on a communication network, the computing device comprising:
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one or more processors; a computer-readable memory storing thereon instructions including; a map data generator that, when executed on the one or more processors, generates map data for rendering a raster map image of a geographic area at a client device at a specified zoom level, wherein the map data specifies a plurality of geometric shapes according to a non-raster format, and wherein the raster map image depicts a plurality of physical entities in the geographic area; and a map feature controller that, when executed on the one or more processors, selects several but not all of the geometric shapes, independently of defining multiple subsets of the map data for rendering portions of the raster map image of a same size, to generate map feature data that corresponds to a group of two or more related physical entities selected from the plurality of physical entities, wherein the map feature does not correspond to at least one of the plurality of physical entities, and wherein to generate the map feature data, the map feature controller (i) provides an indication of a portion of the map data that corresponds to the map feature and (ii) provides a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature; wherein the computing device causes the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device via the communication network. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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16. (canceled)
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22. A method in a computing device for providing interactive map content, the method comprising:
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receiving, via a communication network, map data for a geographic area and for a specified zoom level that conforms to a non-raster format, including receiving a plurality of descriptors, each specifying a geometric shape of a respective one of a plurality of map elements, wherein each of the plurality of descriptors is independently interpretable to render a corresponding map element; receiving map feature data that specifies a map feature selectable from the map data, wherein the map feature includes two or more of the plurality of map elements and does not include at least one of the plurality of map elements, wherein the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities in the geographic area or portions of a unitary physical entity, including receiving an indication of which of the plurality of map elements are associated with the map feature; interpreting the map data to generate a raster map image to be displayed via a user interface, including rendering the plurality of map elements; and providing, via the user interface, an indication that the two or more of the plurality of map elements are associated with the map feature, including indicating a region of the raster map image that encompasses the entire map feature, wherein the indicated region has boundaries determined by the geometry of the map elements associated therewith. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33)
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27. (canceled)
Specification