Interactive Map

• US 20130339891A1
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Blumenberg, Christopher, Waldman, Jaron I., van Os, Marcel, Williamson, Richard J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 21/3664 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 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

An interactive capability enables a user to dynamically adjust the content of an electronic map. Different modes can be chosen to emphasize features relevant to a particular interest, e.g. commuting, tourism, weather, etc. Combinations of modes can be selected to create a customized map. When a search is conducted, the chosen mode functions as a filter for the retrieved results. The map responds to user input directed to a given feature, to display information relevant to that feature. Tapping or clicking on a highway displays the locations of services along the highway, Touching two points on the map causes available routes between them to be computed and displayed to the user, along with relevant data for each route. Geospatial applications can be integrated with the map to provide information pertaining to the area displayed on the map, and to refine search results to those that are relevant to the area.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a map on a computing device, Comprising:

storing information to be displayed on the map in a memory of the computing device, the stored information comprising a plurality of different layers of information, wherein each layer contains a respective type of information;

displaying a map on a display of the computing device, the map comprising a plurality of the layers of information superimposed upon one another;

in response to a user selection of a display mode corresponding to a topic of interest, displaying at least one layer containing information that is associated with the selected mode; and

enhancing the value of at least one display parameter for map features of each displayed layer that are associated with the selected mode, relative to a default value for the display parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of suppressing the display of features that do not pertain to the selected mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of suppressing the display of features that do not pertain to the selected mode includes reducing the value of at least one display parameter for map features associated with a displayed layer, relative to a default value for the display parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter is opacity of displayed map features associated with the layer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter is color saturation of displayed map features associated with the layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, for at least one of the display modes, the information in a layer associated with that mode includes locations of services related to the corresponding topic.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information in the layer associated with the display mode further includes textual data pertaining to at least one of the services.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the location of a service is identified by an indicator on the map, and said textual data is displayed in response to a user input directed to the indicator on the map.

11. The method of claim 1, further including displaying identifications of multiple available display modes, and in response to user selection of a plurality of the identifications, creating a custom display mode comprising a combination of the respective layers of information associated with the selected display modes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the custom display mode comprises a map containing a composite of the layers of information associated with the selected display modes.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the custom display mode comprises a plurality of maps that are displayed concurrently, with each map corresponding to a respective one of the selected display modes.

14. The method of claim 11, further including displaying a user interface that enables the user to select one of the following views for the custom display mode:

a map containing a composite of the sets of information associated with the selected display modes, and

a plurality of maps that are displayed concurrently, with each map corresponding to a respective one of the selected display modes.

19. The method of claim 1, further including, upon receipt of results in response to a search conducted while the map is in a particular display mode, filtering the presentation of the results to the user in accordance with at least one heuristic associated with the display mode.

20. The method of claim 1, further including detecting movement of the computing device, and in response to entry of a user query, filtering the presentation of the results to the user in accordance with the direction of movement of the computing device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, if the user query requests locations of services, the filtering comprises limiting the presentation to services that are located in the general direction of movement of the computing device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the filtering comprises limiting the results that are presented in accordance with at least one factor affecting the rate of movement of the computing device.

8-9. -9. (canceled)

15. The method of claim l, further including;

displaying a user interface via which the user is enabled to designate an order of priority among multiple available display modes; and

in response to a user input indicating a desire to switch from a current display mode to another display node, displaying the layers of information associated with a display mode whose priority value is immediately adjacent the priority value of the current display mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the e computing device includes a touch input device, and the user input is a directional swipe of the touch input device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user input comprises activation of a directional control element displayed in conjunction with the map.

18. The method of claim 15, further including displaying the display mode having the highest priority value upon initial display of the map.

23-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A computing device, comprising:

a computer-readable memory configured to store information to be displayed on a map, the stored information comprising a plurality of different sets of information, wherein at least some of the sets contain information that pertains to different respective topics;

a display device; and

a processor configured to display, on the display device, a map comprising a plurality of superimposed layers of information, wherein each layer contains a respective one of the stored sets of information;

wherein the processor is responsive to a user selection of a display mode, corresponding to a topic of interest, to display at least one layer whose information is associated with the corresponding topic, and to suppress the display of at least one layer whose information does not pertain to the selected topic.

26. The computing device of claim 25 wherein, in response to user selection of a display mode, the processor enhances the value of at least one display parameter for map features contained in at least one layer associated with the selected display mode, relative to a default value for the display parameter.

27. The computing device of claim 25 wherein, in response to user selection of a display mode, the processor reduces the value of at least one display parameter for map features associated with a layer whose information does not pertain to the selected display mode, relative to a default value for the display parameter.

28. The computing device of claim 25, wherein at least one of the sets of information contains a reference to an external resource, and wherein the processor is responsive to the selection of a display mode associated with the at least one set of information to access data from the referenced resource.

29-49. -49. (canceled)

50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the following operations:

display a map on a display of the computing device, the map comprising a plurality of superimposed layers of information, wherein the information of each layer pertains to a different respective topic;

in response to a user selection of a display mode corresponding to a topic of interest, displaying at least one layer whose information is associated with the corresponding topic, and

suppressing the display of at least one layer whose information does not pertain to the selected topic.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to enhance the value of at least one display parameter for map features associated with a layer whose information is associated with the corresponding topic, relative to a default value for the display parameter.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to reduce the value of at least one display parameter for map features associated with a layer whose information does not pertain to the selected topic, relative to a default value for the display parameter

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to display a user interface via which the user is enabled to designate an order of priority among multiple available display modes;

and

in response to a user input indicating a desire to switch from a current display mode to another display mode, display a layer of information associated with a display mode whose priority value is immediately adjacent the priority value of the current display mode.

53. The computer-readable medium of 50, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to display identifications of multiple available display modes and, to response to user selection of a plurality of the identifications, create a custom display mode comprising a combination of the respective sets of information associated with the selected display modes.

55-76. -76. (canceled)