Data providing structure, data providing method and data providing terminal

• US 6,718,344 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirono, Chiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/862,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/217, 382/180, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A data structure system for displaying map data and related data. Required map data and related data, including names of shops and the goods sold by those shops, are displayed on a screen using a first application program having a function for converting received additional drawing data and setting data to the aforesaid data format and transmitting it by inter-application exchange, then using a second application program that displays a map on the display screen according to the setting data transmitted by the first application program and displays additional data on the screen map corresponding to the additional drawing data.

Claims

1. A system using data structures for providing map data and data related to said map data at a user terminal, comprising:

map data means for storing said map data corresponding to position data, for sending a map data search page to said user terminal, for retrieving said map data according to multiple searching parameters simultaneously entered by a user using said map data search page, said multiple searching parameters including business hours and business name information in addition to a location name, and for displaying at said user terminal only said map data retrieved in response to said searching parameters when said user directly accesses said map data;

position data means for storing said position data and first map-related data in accordance with one of said position data and said map data, for sending said position data and first map-related data search page to said user terminal, for retrieving said position data and said first map-related data according to said multiple searching parameters entered by said user using said position data and first map-related data search page, and for displaying at said user terminal only said position data and said first map-related data retrieved according to said multiple searching parameters when said user directly accesses said position data and said first map-related data;

guide data means for storing second map-related data, for sending a guide data search page to said user terminal, for retrieving said second map-related data in response to said searching parameters entered by said user using said guide data search page, and for displaying at said user terminal only said second map-related data retrieved according to said multiple searching parameters when said user directly accesses said second map-related data, wherein said guide data means selectively displays map data corresponding to said second map-related data only when said user desires to view said second map-related data and said corresponding map data; and

network means for transferring to said map data means, to said position data means, and to said guide data means said searching parameters entered using said map data search page, and for transferring from said map data means said map data, from said position data means said position data and said first map-related data, and from said guide data means said second map-related data and said map data, wherein said map data means, said position data means, and said guide data means are linked together.