Method and system for associating content with map zoom function

• US 8,504,945 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gabriel Jakobson, Steven Rueben
• Original Assignee: Gabriel Jakobson, Steven Rueben
• Inventors: Jakobson, Gabriel, Rueben, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/012,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/781, 715/855, 715/712, 715/788, 701/208, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/855
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, or a region within the digital map, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing the POI content in response.

Claims

1. A method for displaying point-of-interest (“

POI”

)-related content on an electronic map, comprising;

providing an electronic device having a map display application that is coupled to the internet and a display for displaying a selected area of an electronic map, wherein at each zoom level, the electronic map displays at least one POI;

defining a pre-determined zoom level for the electronic map;

receiving a zoom-in command, wherein the zoom-in command is directed at the selected area of the electronic map;

determining if the pre-determined zoom level of the electronic map has been reached;

if the pre-determined zoom level has been reached, determining the number of POIs displayed on the electronic map prior to receiving the last zoom-in command;

if it is determined a single POI was displayed on the electronic map prior to receiving the last zoom-in command, selecting the single POI;

if it is determined two or more POIs were displayed on the electronic map prior to receiving the last zoom-in command, further;

determining the geographic coordinates of a center of the selected area displayed on the electronic map;

determining the geographic coordinates of the two or more POIs;

comparing the geographic coordinates of each of the two or more POIs with the geographic coordinates of the center of the map;

determining which of the two or more POIs has associated POI-related content on the remote server; and

selecting from the two or more POIs having the associated POI-related content on the remote server, the POI closest to the center of the selected area of the electronic map;

transmitting information identifying the selected POI to the remote server;

receiving the POI-related content for the selected POI from the remote server; and

displaying the POI-related content on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoom-in command is received from an input device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input device is a touch screen programmed to transmit to the map display application a zoom-in command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the POI-related content is displayed on top of the selected area of the electronic map.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the POI-related content is displayed in place of the electronic map.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving an additional zoom-in command or a pan action command, the POI-related content is removed from the display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the POI-related content is responsive to controls within the map display application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the selecting the POI step, the POI associated with user preferences is selected automatically.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the POI-related content is a photographed image of the selected POI.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining if the pre-determined zoom level step has been reached, the pre-determined zoom level corresponds to the maximum zoom level of the selected area of the map.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein in the receiving the POI-related content from the remote server step, the POI-related content is in the form of a computer media file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer media file contains an image.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein in the receiving the POI-related content step, the POI-related content is one or more map tiles.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein in the receiving POI-related content step, the POI-related content received from the remote server includes information for a plurality of the POIs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a user can select the POI-related content to display from the plurality of the POIs on the selected area of the map.

16. A method for selecting information to display in an electronic map display application, comprising:

displaying an electronic map generated by the electronic map display application;

defining a maximum-zoom-level for the electronic map;

receiving a user input, wherein the user input is received by an object external to mapping-related content displayed by the electronic map;

determining if the user input is a zoom-in command, wherein the zoom-in command increases zoom-level of the electronic map;

determining the displayed map in the electronic map-display application is at the defined maximum-zoom-level as result of the zoom-in command;

if it is determined the user input is not the zoom-in command, or if the user input is the zoom-in command and the displayed map is not at the maximum-zoom-level, receiving map tiles from a remote mapping server;

if it is determined the user input is the zoom-in command and if the displayed map is at the maximum-zoom-level, determining a first point-of-interest (“

POI”

) and a second POI on the displayed map, wherein the first POI is closest to the center of the displayed map;

transmitting information identifying the first POI to a remote server,

receiving a first response from the remote server indicating no POI-related content for the first POI is available;

transmitting information identifying the second POI to the remote server;

receiving a second response from the remote server providing POI-related content for the second POI; and

displaying the POI-related content for the second POI.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the POI-related content is a photographic image of the second POI.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the POI-related content is received from a remote mapping server.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the POI-related content is alterable in response to commands from the map display application.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the POI-related content is received from a data store of POI content.

21. A method of displaying information on an electronic map, comprising:

defining a pre-determined zoom level for content displayed in the electronic map;

receiving a zoom-in command from a user of a map-display application on an electronic device, wherein the zoom-in command is directed at the entirety of a visible area of the electronic map displayed on the map-display application, and wherein the zoom-in command is intended to enhance display of the visible area;

comparing a new zoom level achieved by the zoom-in command with the pre-determined zoom level;

determining if the pre-determined zoom level has been reached as result of the zoom-in command;

determining a center of the visible area of the electronic map;

identifying one or more points-of-interest (“

POI”

) visible in the visible area of the electronic map;

determining which of the one or more POIS has associated POI-related content on the remote server; and

selecting from the one or more POIs having the associated POI-related content on the remote server, a single POI closest to the center of the visible area of the electronic map;

transmitting information identifying the single POI to the remote server;

receiving content associated with the single POI from the remote server; and

displaying the content association with the single POI on the electronic map.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the single POI is a region of the electronic map presently visible in the map-display application.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the content associated with the single POI is a media file supported by the map-display application.