ROUTE DISPLAY AND REVIEW

• US 20130325341A1
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: van Os, Marcel, Vulcano, Emanuele, Blumenberg, Christopher, Moore, Bradford A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3874 Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/005 : Map projections or methods associated specifically therewith
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 : using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 : Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

For a device running a mapping application that includes a display area for displaying a map and a set of graphical user interface (GUI) items, a method for providing routes is described. The method computes a route between a starting location and a destination location. The route includes a sequence of maneuvering instructions for guiding a user through the route. The method provides a movable GUI item for showing each maneuvering instruction in the sequence in order to allow a user to navigate the route by moving the GUI items in and out of the display area.

Claims

1. For a device running a mapping application that includes a display area for displaying a map and a set of graphical user interface (GUI) items, a method for providing routes comprising:

computing a route between a starting location and a destination location, the route includes a sequence of maneuvering instructions for guiding a user through the route; and

providing a movable GUI item for showing each maneuvering instruction in the sequence in order to allow a user to navigate the route by moving the GUI items in and out of the display area.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a portion of a map to display in the display area based on a particular set of movable GUI items for showing a particular set of maneuvering instructions that are displayed in the display area.

3. The method of claim 1, moving a movable GUI item for a maneuvering instruction out of the display area based on the user'"'"'s inputs.

4. The method of claim 1, moving a movable GUI item for a maneuvering instruction into the display area based on the user'"'"'s inputs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first maneuvering instruction and a second maneuvering instruction in the sequence correspond to a first region of the map and a second region of the map, respectively, the method further comprising:

displaying in the display area the first region of the map and the movable GUI item of the first maneuvering instruction;

moving out the first GUI item out of the display area and moving in the second GUI item into the display area upon receiving a user input to move the first GUI item.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second GUI items are neighboring GUI items in the sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first maneuvering instruction and a second maneuvering instruction in the sequence correspond to a first region of the map and a second region of the map, respectively, the method further comprising:

displaying in the display area the first region of the map and the movable GUI item of the first maneuvering instruction;

moving out the first GUI item out of the display area and moving in the second GUI item into the display area upon receiving a user input to move the first region of the map.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second GUI items are not neighboring GUI items in the sequence.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a movable GUI item for displaying a maneuvering instruction resembles a road sign.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a maneuvering instruction of the sequence of maneuvering instructions is for guiding the user at a junction in the route.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the route is a first route, further comprising:

receiving the starting and destination locations;

computing a second route between the starting and destination location; and

displaying the first and second routes in a map.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a UI item for showing an overview of the route; and

upon receiving a selection of the UI item for showing the overview, displaying the entire route in the map.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a UI item for showing an overview of the route; and

upon receiving a selection of the UI item for showing the overview, displaying a scrollable list of the maneuvering instructions in the sequence.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein a GUI item for displaying a maneuvering instruction resembles a road sign.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises a UI item for causing the second display area to display an entire route in the map.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises a UI item for causing the second display area to display a scrollable list of the maneuvering instruction in the sequence.

14. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a mapping application which when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:

a first display area for displaying a set of user interface (UI) items each of which shows a maneuvering instruction of a sequence of maneuvering instructions for guiding a user through a route between a starting location and a destination location; and

a second display area for displaying a region of a map.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first display area is translucently overlaid on the second display area such that the UI items appear to move over the map displayed in the second display area.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein each maneuvering instruction in the sequence is associated with a region of the map.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein a particular region of the map that is associated with a particular maneuvering instruction includes a juncture for which the particular maneuvering instruction guides the user.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second display area is for displaying a particular region of the map when the first display area is displaying a particular maneuvering instruction that is associated with the particular region of the map.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first display area is for displaying the UI item for showing a particular maneuvering instruction when the user manipulates the map to cause the second display area to display a particular region of the map that is associated with the particular maneuvering instruction.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the mapping application allows the user to move the set of GUI items such that only a subset of the GUI items are displayed in the first display area.

24. A method for defining a mapping application for a map and a set of user interface (UI) items, said mapping application comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:

in the GUI;

defining a first display area for displaying a set of user interface (UI) items each of which shows a maneuvering instruction of a sequence of maneuvering instructions for guiding a user through a route between a starting location and a destination location; and

defining a second display area for displaying a region of a map.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the first display area is translucently overlaid on the second display area such that the UI items appear to move over the map displayed in the second display area.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein each maneuvering instruction in the sequence is associated with a region of the map.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 26, wherein a particular region of the map that is associated with a particular maneuvering instruction includes a juncture for which the particular maneuvering instruction guides the user.