DISPLAYING MAP LAYERS IN ORDER

• US 20130342545A1
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: APPLETON, Benjamin Charles, McGill, James Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• 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: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/122 Tiling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally

Abstract

A system and method for displaying map layers in order. First vector data which defines one or more features of a first layer of a map is received from a server. Second vector data which defines one or more features of a second layer of the map is received from the server. A first order for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer is received. The first vector data and the second vector data are rendered for display based on the received first order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received first order.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method of displaying map layers in order, the method comprising:

receiving, from a server, first vector data which defines one or more features of a first layer of a map;

receiving, from the server, second vector data which defines one or more features of a second layer of the map;

receiving a first order for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer; and

rendering the first vector data and the second vector data for display based on the received first order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received first order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the first vector data, the receiving the second vector data and the rendering are performed by an application on an electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the application is a web browser.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer of the map corresponds to at least one point of interest specified by a user, and wherein the second layer of the map corresponds to at least one other point of interest specified by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one point of interest and the at least one other point of interest correspond to respective search queries by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first order is a user-specified value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first order is specified by a hover event associated with a feature in either the first layer or the second layer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for differentiated display of the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one or more features of the second layer based on the received first order.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing for differentiated display comprises changing at least one of color, size, style, text, highlighting or animation of at least one feature, so as to differentiate the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one or more features of the second layer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second order for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer; and

rendering the first vector data and the second vector data for display based on the received second order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received second order.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second order is a user-specified value.

12. A system for displaying map layers in order, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a server, first vector data which defines one or more features of a first layer of a map;

receiving, from the server, second vector data which defines one or more features of a second layer of the map;

receiving a first order, corresponding to a user-specified value, for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer; and

rendering the first vector data and the second vector data for display based on the received first order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received first order.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiving the first vector data, the receiving the second vector data and the rendering are performed by an application on an electronic device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first layer of the map corresponds to at least one point of interest specified by a user, and wherein the second layer of the map corresponds to at least one other point of interest specified by the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one point of interest and the at least one other point of interest correspond to respective search queries by the user.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first order is specified by a hover event associated with a feature in either the first layer or the second layer.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

providing for differentiated display of the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one or more features of the second layer based on the received first order.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the providing for differentiated display comprises changing at least one of color, size, style, text, highlighting or animation of at least one feature, so as to differentiate the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one or more features of the second layer.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second order for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer; and

rendering the first vector data and the second vector data for display based on the received second order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received second order.

20. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a server, first vector data which defines one or more features of a first layer of a map, wherein the first layer of the map corresponds to at least one point of interest specified by a user;

receiving, from the server, second vector data which defines one or more features of a second layer of the map, wherein the second layer of the map corresponds to at least one other point of interest specified by the user;

receiving a first order for displaying the one or more features of the first layer relative to the one more features of the second layer; and

rendering the first vector data and the second vector data for display based on the received first order, to display the one or more features defined by the first layer relative to the one or more features defined by the second layer based on the received first order.