Methods and apparatus for retrieving and displaying map-related data for visually displayed maps of mobile communication devices

• US 7,913,192 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Johnson, Eric, Dicke, Ronald Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zahr; Ashraf
• Application Number:
  US11/483,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.14, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/864
• 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 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

One method involves causing a viewable map region of a map to be displayed, the viewable map region having points of interest (POI) indicators; monitoring to detect a user selection of one of the POI indicators; causing information corresponding to the POI indicator to be displayed in response to detecting the user selection, the information including a file identifier corresponding to a file; monitoring to detect a user selection of the file identifier; and causing, with use of a file link, file contents information of the file to be requested and received through a wireless network from a file server in response to detecting the user selection. The file contents of the file are provided in a converted XML format. Preferably, data associated with the files are maintained in one or more private databases separate from the public network database which stores the map data.

Claims

1. A method for use in providing map-related data associated with a point of interest (POI) for visually displayed maps in a cellular telephony device which operates in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving, via the cellular telecommunications network, map data from a public location-based service server of a public location-based service network having a network database which includes the map data;

causing a viewable map region of a map to be visually displayed in a display of the cellular telephony device in accordance with the map data, the viewable map region having one or more POI indicators;

monitoring to detect an end user selection of one of the POI indicators through a user interface of the cellular telephony device;

causing information corresponding to the POI indicator to be visually displayed in the display in response to detecting an end user selection of one of the POI indicators, the information including a file identifier and a file link to an electronic file document associated with the POI indicator, the electronic file document being stored on a private network file server of a private network which is separate and apart from the public location-based service network, the electronic file document including file contents formatted in an original file format and located at the file link to the electronic file document in the private network file server, the original file format being DOC or PDF format;

monitoring to detect, via the user interface, an end user selection of the file identifier of the electronic file document;

sending, to the private network file server, via the cellular telecommunications network, a request for the file contents of the electronic file document with use of the file link in response to detecting the end user selection of the file identifier; and

receiving, via the cellular telecommunications network, the file contents of the electronic file document in a converted format, different from the original file format, for display in the display in response to the request, the converted format being XML format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the map data comprises one or more maplets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the map data includes a map element identifier associated with the POI indicator, a file name, and the file link associated with the electronic file document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the map data includes a map element identifier associated with the POI indicator, a file name, the file link associated with the electronic file document, and a file category or keyword for use in searching for the file from the cellular telephony device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information which includes the file identifier and the file link is requested and received from the private network file server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, from the cellular telephony device to the private network file server, a request for the information which includes the file icon and the file link; and

receiving, at the cellular telephony device, the information from the private network file server in response to sending the request for the information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the private network file server operates to convert the file contents from the original file format to the converted format for the cellular telephony device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the cellular telecommunications network, a request for the map data to a enterprise server, which is passed to the public location-based service server of the public location-based service network.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the file identifier comprises a file icon indicative of the original file format of the electronic file document.

10. The method of claim 1, which is performed for each viewable map region of a plurality of viewable map regions of the map to be visually displayed in the display.

11. The method of claim 1, which is embodied in a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium which are executable by one or more processors for performing the method.

12. A cellular telephony device operative in a cellular telecommunications network, the cellular telephony device comprising:

a cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the cellular RF transceiver;

a user interface which includes a visual display;

the one or more processors being operative to;

receive, via the cellular RF transceiver, map data from a public location-based service server of a public location-based service network having a network database which includes the map data;

cause a viewable map region of a map to be visually displayed in the display in accordance with the map data, the viewable map region having one or more points of interest (POI) indicators;

monitor to detect an end user selection of one of the POI indicators through the user interface;

cause information corresponding to the POI indicator to be visually displayed in the display in response to detecting an end user selection of one of the POI indicators, the information including a file identifier and a file link to an electronic file document associated with the selectable map element, the electronic file document being stored on a private network file server of a private network which is separate and apart from the public location-based service network, the electronic file document including file contents formatted in an original file format and located at the file link to the electronic file document in the private network file server, the original file format being DOC or PDF format;

monitor to detect, via the user interface, an end user selection of the file identifier of the electronic file document;

send, to the private network file server, via the cellular RF transceiver, a request for the file contents of the electronic file document with use of the file link in response to detecting the end user selection of the file identifier; and

receive, via the cellular RF transceiver, the file contents of the electronic file document in a converted format, different from the original file format, for viewing in the cellular telephony device in response to the request, the converted format being XML format.

13. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the map data comprise one or more maplets.

14. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the map data includes a map element identifier associated with the POI indicator, a file name, and the file link associated with the electronic file document.

15. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the map data includes a map element identifier associated with the POI indicator, a file name, the file link associated with the electronic file document, and a file category or keyword for use in searching for the electronic file document from the cellular telephony device.

16. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the file identifier comprises a file icon indicative of the original file format of the electronic file document.

17. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the private network file server operates to convert the file contents from the original file format to the converted format for the cellular telephony device.

18. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the the one or more processors are further operative to:

send, via the cellular RF transceiver, a request for the information which includes the file icon and the file link; and

receive, via the cellular RF transceiver, the information from the private network file server in response to sending the request for the information.

19. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the information which includes the file icon and the file link is requested and received from the private network file server.

20. The cellular telephony device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

send, via the cellular RF transceiver, a request for the map data to a enterprise server, which is passed to the public location-based service server of the public location-based service network.

21. A communication system, comprising:

a public location-based service server of a public location-based service network having a map database;

a private network file server of a secure private network having a file database, the file database storing one or more electronic file documents, each electronic file document including file contents stored in an original file format which is DOC or PDF format;

a cellular telephony device, comprising;

a cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

a user interface which includes a visual display;

the one or more processors being operative to;

retrieve, via the cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver, map data from the public location-based service server;

retrieve a file identifier and a file link to an electronic file document stored in the file database of the secure private network;

cause a viewable map region of a map to be visually displayed in the display based on the map data, the viewable map region having one or more point of interest (POI) indicators;

monitor to detect an end user selection of one of the POI indicators through the user interface;

cause information corresponding to the POI indicator to be visually displayed in the display in response to detecting an end user selection of the POI indicator, the information including the file indicator of the electronic file document which is requested and received from the private network file server;

monitor to detect, via the user interface, an end user selection of the file identifier of the electronic file document;

send, to the private network file server via the cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a request for the file contents of the electronic file document with use of the file link in response to detecting the user selection of the file identifier; and

receive, via the cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver, the file contents of the electronic file document in a converted format, different from the original file format, for viewing in the cellular telephony device in response to the request, the converted format being XML format.

22. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the file identifier comprises a file icon indicative of the original file format of the electronic file document.

23. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the information which includes the file icon and the file link is requested and received from the private network file server.

24. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

send, via the cellular RF transceiver, a request for the information which includes the file icon and the file link; and

receive, via the cellular RF transceiver, the information from the private network file server in response to sending the request for the information.

25. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

send, via the cellular RF transceiver, a request for the map data to a enterprise server, which is passed to the public location-based service server of the public location-based service network.