Method and Apparatus of a Marking Objects in Images Displayed on a Portable Unit

• US 20150286363A1
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thaddeus Gabara
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens

Abstract

Each interesting location on a screen of a portable unit is marked by a transparent flag or marker. Then, when the user scales up (magnifies the image) the map to view one of the locations, transparent arrows are placed on the screen identified with transparent location markers indicating the direction the user needs to move to arrive at the remaining locations marked earlier by markers. Either the portable unit can be moved while the map remains stationary or the device remains stationary while the map is moved by the touch screen. By following each transparent arrow, which constantly calculates the new direction as the view of the map changes, the user arrives at the desired location, often in a shortest distance, without getting lost. Once this location is viewed, the user can then proceed to follow a second transparent arrow corresponding to a second desired location. This can be done for each marked location without changing the scale or entering new search data terms since all transparent arrows (markers) can be shown on the screen. An option can exist where the user moves to the marked location immediately by issuing a verbal or physical command.

Claims

1. A portable unit located in a first position comprising:

a marker placed on a stationary map identifying, a location;

a screen of die portable unit displays a portion of the stationary map, wherein the marker is not visible on the screen; and

an arrow displayed on the screen points in a direction to the marker, wherein

a movement of the portable unit from the first position in the direction of the arrow displays a previously unseen portion of the stationary map on the screen, wherein

the previously unseen portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen contains the marker identifying the location.

2. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

the portable unit is moved by a user.

3. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one memory buffer configured to store the portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen of the portable unit or configured to prefetch the previously unseen portion of the stationary map corresponding to a newly calculated position of the portable unit due to the movement of the portable unit from the first position in the direction of the arrow.

4. The portable unit of claim 3, further comprising:

an RF module to access an external database to supply the memory buffers with data of portions of the stationary map.

5. The portable unit of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one microprocessor configured to issue instructions to the at least one memory buffer to provide data corresponding to the newly calculated position due to the movement of the portable unit from the first position and to apply that data corresponding to the previously unseen portion of the stationary map at the newly calculated position to the screen of the portable unit.

6. The portable unit of claim 5, further comprising:

an inertial guidance system having at least one 3-axis accelerometer sensor configured to provide acceleration information of the portable device and at least one 3-axis gyroscope sensor configured to provide orientation information of the portable device, wherein

the at least one microprocessor is configured to calculate the newly calculated position of the portable unit based on the acceleration information and the orientation information due to the movement of the portable unit from the first position.

7. A portable unit located in a first position comprising:

a marker placed on a stationary map identifying a location;

a screen of the portable unit displays a portion of the stationary map, wherein the marker is not visible on the screen;

an arrow displayed on the screen points in a direction to the marker, wherein the portable unit is moved from the first position in the direction of the arrow; and

at least one microprocessor configured to issue instructions to at least one memory buffer to provide data corresponding to a newly calculated position due to the movement of the portable unit from the first position and to display that data on the screen of the portable unit that corresponds to a previously unseen portion of the stationary map at the newly calculated position.

8. The portable unit of claim 7, wherein

the portable unit is moved by a user.

9. The portable unit of claim 7, wherein

the previously unseen portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen contains the marker identifying the location.

10. The portable unit of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one memory buffer configured to store the portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen of the portable unit or configured to prefetch the previously unseen portion of the stationary map corresponding to the newly calculated position of the portable unit.

11. The portable unit of claim 7, further comprising:

a local memory configured to store all portions of the stationary map.

12. The portable unit of claim 7, further comprising:

an inertial guidance system having at least one 3-axis accelerometer sensor configured to provide acceleration information of the portable device and at least one 3-axis gyroscope sensor configured to provide orientation information of the portable device, wherein

the at least one microprocessor is configured to calculate the newly calculated position of the portable unit based on the acceleration information and the orientation information and display the previously unseen portion of the stationary map on the screen of the portable unit.

13. A portable unit located in a first position comprising:

a marker placed on a stationary map identifying a location;

a screen of the portable unit displays a portion of the stationary map, wherein the marker is not visible on the screen;

an arrow displayed on the screen points in a direction to the marker, wherein the portable unit is moved from the first position in the direction of the arrow;

an inertial guidance system having at least one 3-axis accelerometer sensor configured to provide acceleration information of the portable device and at least one 3-axis gyroscope sensor configured to provide orientation information of the portable device, wherein

at least one microprocessor is configured to calculate a newly calculated position of the portable unit based on the acceleration information and the orientation information and configured to display the stationary map corresponding to the newly calculated position on the screen of the portable unit.

14. The portable unit of claim 13, wherein

the portable unit is moved by a user.

15. The portable unit of claim 13, wherein

a previously unseen portion of the stationary map is displayed on the screen, wherein the previously unseen portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen contains the marker identifying the location.

16. The portable unit of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one memory buffer configured to store the portion of the stationary map being displayed on the screen of the portable unit or configured to prefetch any portion of the stationary map corresponding to the newly calculated position of the portable unit.

17. The portable unit of claim 16, further comprising:

the at least one microprocessor configured to issue instructions to the at least one memory butler to provide data corresponding to the newly calculated position due to a movement of the portable unit from the first position and to display that data on the screen of the portable unit that corresponds to a previously unseen portion of the stationary map at the newly calculated position.

18. The portable unit of claim 13, further comprising:

a local memory configured to store all portions of the stationary map.

19. A portable unit located in a first position comprising:

a marker placed on a stationary map identifying a location;

a screen of the portable unit displays a portion of the stationary map, wherein the marker is not visible on the screen;

an arrow displayed on the screen points in a direction to the marker, wherein the portable unit is moved from the first position in the direction of the arrow; and

at least one memory butler configured to store the portion of the stationary map being displayed on the screen of the portable unit or configured to prefetch any portion of the stationary map corresponding to a newly calculated position of the portable unit after being moved from the first position.

20. The portable unit of claim 19, wherein

the portable unit is moved by a user.

21. The portable unit of claim 19, wherein

a previously unseen portion of the stationary map is displayed on the screen, wherein the previously unseen portion of the stationary map displayed on the screen contains the marker identifying the location.

22. The portable unit of claim 19, further comprising:

a local memory configured to store all portions of the stationary map.

23. The portable unit of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one microprocessor configured to issue instructions to the at least one memory buffer to provide data corresponding to the newly calculated position after being moved from the first position and to display that data on the screen of the portable unit that corresponds to the newly calculated portion of the stationary map at the newly calculated position.

24. The portable unit of claim 19, comprising:

an inertial guidance system having at least one 3-axis accelerometer sensor configured to provide acceleration information of the portable device and at least one 3-axis gyroscope sensor configured to provide orientation information of the portable device, wherein

at least one microprocessor is configured to calculate the newly calculated position of the portable unit based on the acceleration information and the orientation information and display a newly calculated stationary map on the screen of the portable unit based on the newly calculated position.