INTELLIGENT ADJUSTMENT OF MAP VIEWPORTS AT LAUNCH

• US 20140218392A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Bradford A., Blumenberg, Christopher, Edwards, Catherine A., van Os, Marcel, Gautier, Patrice O., Barbour, Sarah G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,261,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• 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: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A method of selectively displaying maps on a mobile device. The method sends a map application, which had been displaying a first map, to the background. The method then returns the map application to the foreground. The method then determines whether to redisplay the previous map or display a map surrounding the then current location of the device. The determination is based on various factors including user interaction, time that the map application has been in the background and distance traveled while the map application is in the background.

Claims

1. A method of displaying maps in a map application running on a mobile device, the method comprising:

displaying a first map in the map application;

leaving the map application;

receiving a command to return to the map application;

returning to the map application and displaying the first map while identifying a current location of the mobile device; and

selectively continuing to display the first map if a set of conditions is met or displaying a second map if the set of conditions is not met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises receiving a user interaction with the first map while identifying the current location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular time passes between the leaving of the map application and the returning to the map application, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the particular time is less than a threshold amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device travels a particular distance between the leaving of the map application and the returning to the map application, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the particular distance is less than a threshold distance.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a distance from a location of the device to a location represented by the first map, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the distance from the location of the device to the location represented by the first map is greater than a threshold distance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein leaving the map application comprises changing the map application from running in a foreground of the device to running in a background of the device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein returning to the map application comprises changing the map application from running in the background of the device to running in the foreground of the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein leaving the map application comprises closing the application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein returning to the map application comprises re-opening the map application.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a set of programs which when executed on at least one processing unit displays maps in a map application, the set of programs comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying a first map in the map application;

leaving the map application;

receiving a command to return to the map application;

returning to the map application and displaying the first map while identifying a current location of the mobile device; and

selectively continuing to display the first map if a set of conditions is met or displaying a second map if the set of conditions is not met.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises receiving a user interaction with the first map while identifying the current location of the mobile device.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein a particular time passes between the leaving of the map application and the returning to the map application, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the particular time is less than a threshold amount of time.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the device travels a particular distance between the leaving of the map application and the returning to the map application, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the particular distance is less than a threshold distance.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the set of programs further comprises a set of instructions for determining a distance from a location of the device to a location represented by the first map, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the distance from the location of the device to the location represented by the first map is greater than a threshold distance.

15. A method of displaying maps in a map application running on a mobile device, the method comprising:

returning a map application to the foreground after the map application was previously sent into the background while displaying a first map; and

selectively redisplaying the first map if a set of conditions is not met or displaying a second map if the set of conditions is met.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the map application has been running in the background for more than a threshold time before the returning of the map application to the foreground.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the device has moved to a location that is not on the first map while the map application was in the background.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein meeting the set of conditions further comprises determining that a location represented by the first map was less than a threshold distance away from the mobile device when the map application was sent to the background.

19. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a set of programs which when executed on at least one processing unit displays maps in a map application, the set of programs comprising sets of instructions for:

reopening a map application after the map application was previously closed while displaying a first map; and

selectively redisplaying the first map if a set of conditions is not met or displaying a second map if the set of conditions is met.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the map application has been closed for more than a threshold time before the reopening of the map application.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein meeting the set of conditions comprises determining that the map application has moved to a location that is not on the first map while the map application was closed.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 21, wherein meeting the set of conditions further comprises determining that a location represented by the first map was less than a threshold distance away from the mobile device when the map application was closed.