Method of handling context during scaling with a map display

• US 6,650,326 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Huber, Mark, Robare, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US09/767,054
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/428, 345/582, 345/587, 345/629-631, 345/637, 345/639, 345/640, 345/660, 345/661, 345/667-669, 345/794-797, 345/800, 345/804, 345/805, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

A method for displaying a zooming operation on a display screen of a computing platform. The method includes retrieving data from a geographic data storage system, possibly located on another system, displaying a starting image that shows geographic features at a first scale with a first level of detail and then displaying an ending image that shows the same geographic features at a second scale with a second level of detail. Between the displaying of the starting image and the displaying of the ending image, at least one intermediate image is displayed. The intermediate image combines two component images of at least some of the same geographic features shown in the starting or ending image. The two component images in the intermediate image are at the same scale and are registered with respect to each other so that the same geographic features represented in the two component images coincide. One of the two component images in the intermediate image includes at least a portion of the starting image and is formed using data from a first layer of a geographic database. The other of the two component images in the intermediate image is formed using data from a second layer of the geographic database.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a zooming operation on a display screen of a client computing platform, the method comprising:

obtaining a collection of data for displaying map images of geographic features;

using said data to display on the display screen a first image showing geographic features at a first scale with a first level of detail and then to display on the display screen a second image showing the same geographic features at a second scale with a second level of detail, wherein the second scale is different from the first scale; and

between the displaying of the first image and the displaying of the second image, displaying on the display screen an intermediate image that combines two component images showing at least some of the same geographic features,

wherein the two component images in the intermediate image arm at the same scale,

wherein the two component images in the intermediate image are registered so that the same geographic features represented in the two component images coincide, and

wherein one of the two component images in the intermediate image includes at least a portion of the first image and is formed using data from a first layer of a geographic database and the other of the two component images in the intermediate image is formed using data from a second layer of the geographic database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two component images in the intermediate image is displayed at a less than full color saturation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second image is formed using data from the second layer of the geographic database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one of the two component images in the intermediate image gradually fades out.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the other of the two component images in the intermediate image gradually fades in.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some geographic features represented by the first image are displayed differently in the second image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the scale used for the intermediate image corresponds to the first scale.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the scale used for the intermediate image corresponds to the second scale.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

obtaining geographic data from the first layer of the geographic database to display the first image; and

obtaining geographic data from the second layer of the geographic database to display the intermediate image.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two component images in the intermediate image is displayed with transparency.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image and the second image are displayed using the Scalable Vector Graphics standard.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image and the second image are displayed in an Internet browser.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing platform is a vehicle navigation system.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining comprises downloading the collection of data from a server.

15. A method of providing context while zooming a map display on a client computing platform, the method comprising:

obtaining data from a first layer of a geographic database to represent geographic features at a first scale in a first image;

displaying said first image on the display screen;

using data from a second layer of the geographic database to represent at least some of the geographic features at a second scale in a second image, wherein the second scale is different from the first scale;

displaying said second image on the display screen after displaying said first image;

combining data from at least two separate layers of the geographic database to represent at least some of the geographic features in a third image, wherein the two separate layers include at least one of the first layer and the second layer, and wherein the third image is separate from the first image and the second image;

displaying said third image on the display screen after displaying said first image and before displaying the second image.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

prior to the step of using data from the first layer of the geographic database to represent geographic features at the first scale in the first image, downloading the data used to represent the geographic features in the first image, the second image and the third image from a server.

17. A method of providing context while zooming a map display on a client computing platform, the method comprising:

obtaining data from a first layer of a geographic database located on a server to represent geographic features at a first scale in a first image;

displaying said first image on the display screen;

using data from a second layer of the geographic database located on the server to represent at least some of the geographic features at a second scale in a second image, wherein the second scale is different from the first scale;

displaying said second image on the display screen after displaying said first image;

combining data from at least two separate layers of the geographic database to represent at least some of the geographic features in a third image, wherein the two separate layers include at least one of the first layer and the second layer;

displaying said third image on the display screen after displaying said first image and before displaying the second image

prior to the step of using data from the first layer of the geographic database to represent geographic features at the first scale in the first image, downloading the data used to represent the geographic features in the first image, the second image and the third image from the server; and

downloading a routine from the server that adjusts layer transparency depending upon zoom layer.

18. A method of presenting a map on a display screen of a client computing platform, comprising the steps of:

sending a request from the client computing platform to a server for map data;

on the client computing platform, receiving map data from the server, wherein the map data includes data from at least two separate layers, wherein each of said layers represents geographic features at a different level of detail;

using the map data from one of said layers to present on a display screen of the client computing platform a first map image that represents geographic features in a first geographic area;

initiating a zooming operation on the client computing platform; and

presenting an intermediate image on the display screen of the client computing platform, wherein the intermediate image includes at least a portion of the first map image and also includes a second map image of the same geographic features shown in the portion of the first map image using data from another of said layers, wherein tile same geographic features shown by the first map image and the second map image in the intermediate image coincide.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of presenting is performed by an SVG viewer.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

on the client computing platform, receiving a routine from the server along with the map data, wherein the routine is used to adjust layer transparency depending upon zoom layer.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the first map represents geographic features located along a calculated route.

22. A method of presenting a map on a display screen of a client computing platform, comprising the steps of:

sending a request from the client computing platform to a server for map data;

on the client computing platform, receiving map data from the server, wherein the map data includes data from at least two separate layers, wherein each of said layers represents geographic features at a different level of detail;

using the map data from one of said layers to present on a display screen of the client computing platform a first map image that represents geographic features in a first geographic area;

initiating a zooming operation on the client computing platform; and

presenting an intermediate image on the display screen of the client computing platform, wherein the intermediate image includes at least a portion of the first map image and also includes a second map image of the same geographic features shown in the portion of the first map image using data from another of said layers, wherein the same geographic features shown by the first map image and the second map in the intermediate image coincide;

after presenting the intermediate image, presenting an ending image on the display screen of the client computing platform, wherein the ending image includes at least a portion of the same geographic features shown in the first map image but at a different scale and wherein the ending image is formed using data from a layer other than the layer used for forming the first map image.

23. A method of zooming a map on a computer display comprising:

obtaining map data;

using said map data for

displaying representations of geographic features on a display screen at a first scale with a first level of detail;

displaying representations of at least some of the same geographic features on the display screen at a second scale with a second level of detail, wherein the second scale is different from the first scale and the second level of detail is different from the first level of detail; and

displaying an intermediate image after the displaying of the representations of the geographic features at the first scale and before the displaying of at least some of the same geographic features at the second scale, wherein the intermediate image is separate from said representation at the first scale and said representation at the second scale, wherein the intermediate image overlays representations of at least some of the geographic features at two different levels of detail, wherein the two different levels of detail include one of;

the first level of detail and the second level of detail,

the first level of detail and a level of detail between the first level of detail and the second level of detail, and

the second level of detail and a level of detail between the first level of detail and the second level of detail.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of obtaining comprises obtaining said map data from a server.