Map version control methods and apparatus for updating the use of network-maintained map data sets for mobile communication devices

• US 8,014,796 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Boudreau, Jesse Jospeh, Johnson, Eric, Klassen, Gerhard Dietrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kelley; Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/483,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A map version control method of providing updates of network-maintained map data sets in mobile communication devices includes the steps of receiving a version of map data from a network database through a wireless communication network; causing the map to be visually displayed in a display in accordance with the version of the map data; maintaining storage of the version of the map data in a cache; receiving, through the wireless communication network, an indication indicating that an alternative or updated version of the map data corresponding to the map is available in the network database. The map corresponding to the alternative version of the map data may include one or more map objects that are unavailable in the map of the other version or an appearance that is different from the appearance of the map of the other version, where the map data may be obtained from a plurality of different network databases.

Claims

1. A map version control method for use in providing updates of network-maintained map data sets in mobile communication devices, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving, at a mobile communication device through a wireless communication network, one or more maplets of map data for rendering a map, each said maplet having a plurality of layers of map data received upon request from the mobile communication device, each said layer including a version number and a plurality of data entries associated therewith, each said layer being obtained from a database of a different network than another said layer, each said data entry indicating a plurality of data points for rendering one or more artifacts or labels within an area of interest of the map;

storing the map data;

causing the map of the area of interest to be rendered in a display of the mobile communication device by combining the plurality of layers of the stored map data;

receiving, through the wireless communication network, an indication indicating availability of an alternative version of one of the layers which may be different from a stored version of a corresponding layer of the stored map data;

identifying one of an acceptance and a declination of the alternative version of said layer;

comparing a version number of said layer of the alternative version with the version number included in said corresponding layer of the stored version;

if the version number of the alternative version is greater than the version number of the stored version, and the acceptance is identified;

causing one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent through the wireless communication network, receiving the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest through the wireless communication network in response to the one or more requests, and causing the map of the area of interest to be rendered in the display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data but with use of the alternative version of said layer; and

if the version number of the alternative version is less than or equal to the version number of the stored version, or the acceptance is identified;

refraining from causing the one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent through the wireless communication network, and continuing to cause the map to be rendered in the display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data but without use of the alternative version of said layer.

2. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the indication is presented in the form of a message and with a user input prompt for an end user response for the acceptance or the declination.

3. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the map rendered using the alternative version of said layer includes one or more map objects that are unavailable in the map rendered using the stored version.

4. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the map rendered using the alternative version of said layer provides one or more map objects that are unavailable in the map rendered using the stored version.

5. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the map rendered using the alternative version of said layer provides an appearance that is different from the appearance of the map rendered using the stored version.

6. The map version control method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the acceptance is identified;

storing the alternative version of said layer to replace the stored version of said corresponding layer.

7. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying one of an acceptance and a declination of the alternative version comprises the further acts of receiving the acceptance or declination by an end user through a user interface of the mobile communication device.

8. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying one of an acceptance and a declination comprises the further acts of identifying a stored configuration setting for a mapping application of the mobile communication device used for rending the maps in the visual display based on the map data.

9. The map version control method of claim 1, wherein the acts of causing the one or more requests to be sent and receiving the alternative version of said layer are performed without requesting and receiving the other layers.

10. The map version control method of claim 1, which is embodied in a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored on the computer readable medium which are executable by one or more processors of a mobile communication device for performing the method.

11. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

one or more processors;

a cache memory coupled to the one or more processors;

a user interface which includes a visual display;

the one or more processors being operative to;

receive, via the wireless transceiver from one or more network databases, one or more maplets of map data for rendering a map, each said maplet having a plurality of layers of map data received upon request from the mobile communication device, each said layer including a version number and a plurality of data entries associated therewith, each said layer being obtained from a database of a different network than another said layer, each said data entry indicating a plurality of data points for rendering one or more artifacts or labels within an area of interest of the map;

cause the map data to be stored in the cache memory;

cause the map of the area of interest to be rendered in the visual display by combining the plurality of layers of the stored map data;

receive, via the wireless transceiver, an indication indicating availability of an alternative version of one of the layers which may be different from a stored version of a corresponding layer of the stored map data;

identify one of an acceptance and a declination of the alternative version said layer;

compare a version number of said layer of the alternative version with the version number included in said corresponding layer of the stored version;

if the version number of the alternative version is greater than the version number of the stored version, and the acceptance is identified;

cause one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent via the wireless transceiver, receive the alternative version of the said layer for the area of interest from the one or more network databases via the wireless transceiver in response to the one or more requests, and cause the map of the area of interest to be rendered in the visual display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data but with use of the alternative version of said layer; and

if the version number of the alternative version is less than or equal to the version number of the stored version, or the declination is identified;

refrain from causing one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent via the wireless transceiver, and continue to cause the map to be rendered in the visual display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data but without use of the alternative version of said layer.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the indication is presented in the form of a message and with a user input prompt for an end user response for the acceptance or the declination.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

if the acceptance is identified;

storing the alternative version of said layer in the cache memory to replace the stored version of said corresponding layer.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are operative to identify the one of an acceptance and a declination of the alternative version by receiving the acceptance or declination by an end user through a user interface of the mobile communication device.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are operative to identify the one of an acceptance and a declination of the alternative version by identifying a stored configuration setting for a mapping application of the mobile communication device used for rending the maps.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are operative to cause the one or more requests to be sent and receive the alternative version of said layer without requesting and receiving the other layers.

17. A map version control method of providing updates of network-maintained map data sets for mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

causing map data to be sent from a plurality of network databases to a mobile communication device via a wireless communication network in one or more maplets for use in rendering a map at the mobile communication device, each said maplet including a plurality of layers of map data communicated upon request from the mobile communication device, each said layer including a version number and a plurality of data entries associated therewith, each said layer being obtained from a network database of a different network than another said layer, each said data entry indicating a plurality of data points for rendering one or more artifacts or labels within an area of interest of the map;

receiving an alternative version of one of the layers of the map data from one of the network databases, the alternative version being different from a stored version of a corresponding layer in the map data, said layer of the alternative version including a version number which is different from the version number associated with said corresponding layer of the map data;

causing an indication to be sent to the mobile communication device via the wireless communication network, the indication indicating availability of the alternative version of said layer and including the version number associated therewith;

if the mobile communication device accepts the alternative version;

receiving one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest via the wireless communication network and causing the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent to the mobile communication device via the wireless communication network in response to the one or more requests, so that the map of the area of interest may be rendered in a display of the mobile communication device by combining the plurality of layers of the map data with use of the alternative version of said layer; and

if the mobile communication device refrains from accepting the alternative version;

refraining from causing the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent to the mobile communication device via the wireless communication network, so that the map of the area of interest may be rendered in the display of the mobile communication device by combining the plurality of layers of the map data without use of the alternative version of said layer.

18. The map version control method of claim 17, wherein the act of causing the alternative version of said layer to be sent is performed without sending other layers to the mobile communication device.

19. The map version control method of claim 17, wherein the map rendered with use of the alternative version of said layer includes one or more map objects that are unavailable in the map rendered with use of the stored version.

20. The map version control method of claim 17, wherein the map rendered with use of the alternative version of said layer provides one or more map objects that are unavailable in the map rendered with use of the stored version.

21. The map version control method of claim 17, wherein the map rendered with use of the alternative version said layer provides an appearance that is different from the appearance of the map rendered with use of the stored version.

22. The map version control method of claim 17, which is embodied in a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored on the computer readable medium which are executable by one or more processors.