User interface, device and method for displaying special locations on a map

• US 8,595,638 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Belitz, Sanna Maarit, Suutarinen, Jorma Tapio, Hirvonen, Ari Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/200,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 715/766, 715/835, 715/848, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/766
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A user interface comprising a controller configured to display a map and to display at least one marked location on said map. The location is associated with at least one graphical object. The controller is further configured to determine whether a first graphical object will overlap a second graphical object when rendered and if so said controller is configured to create a third graphical object being associated with said first and second graphical objects and render said third graphical object.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine whether graphical objects to be displayed on a map at a given zoom level will overlap when rendered when the map is displayed at said given zoom level;

cause stacking of at least some of the graphical objects that have been determined to overlap at the given zoom level to create a further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects;

cause display of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects and display of other graphical objects;

cause changing of said given zoom level to a further zoom level that is more zoomed in than the given zoom level; and

cause splitting up of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the stacked graphical objects into a plurality of second further graphical objects that do not overlap with each other or with other graphical objects at said further zoom level.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a graphical object has a visual representation being displayed when rendered, said visual representation being an image.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said image is a minimization (thumbnail) of a photograph.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said further graphical object'"'"'s visual representation is a visual representation of a graphical object being associated with said further graphical object.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said controller is further configured to receive a selection command for the further graphical object and to cause display of said visual representations of graphical objects being associated with said further graphical object in response thereto.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause display of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a window and cause display of one of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a first size and the other of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a second size wherein said first size is larger than said second size.

7. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said visual representation of a graphical object contains a number indicating the number of associated graphical objects.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said association between a graphical object and a location exist in a correlation of geographical coordinates.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine whether a graphical object overlaps another graphical object by determining if said graphical objects visual representations would overlap when rendered.

10. A method comprising;

determining, by a processor, whether graphical objects to be displayed on a map at a given zoom level will overlap when rendered when the map is displayed at said given zoom level;

causing stacking of at least some of the graphical objects that have been determined to overlap at the given zoom level to create a further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects;

causing display of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects and display of other graphical objects;

causing changing of said given zoom level to a further zoom level that is more zoomed in than the given zoom level; and

causing splitting up of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the stacked graphical objects into a plurality of second further graphical objects that do not overlap with each other or with other graphical objects at said further zoom level.

11. A method according to claim 10 further comprising receiving a selection command for the further graphical object and causing display of said visual representations of graphical objects being associated with said further graphical object in response thereto.

12. A method according to claim 10 further comprising determining whether a graphical object overlaps another graphical object by determining if visual representations of said graphical objects would overlap when rendered.

13. An apparatus configured to implement a method according to claim 10.

14. Computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions being a computer readable medium and configured when said program product is run on a computer or network device, to:

determine whether graphical objects to be displayed on a map at a given zoom level will overlap when rendered when the map is displayed at said given zoom level;

cause stacking of at least some of the graphical objects that have been determined to overlap at the given zoom level to create a further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the stacked graphical objects;

cause display of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects and display of other graphical objects;

cause changing of said given zoom level to a further zoom level that is more zoomed in than the given zoom level; and

cause splitting up of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the stacked graphical objects into a plurality of second further graphical objects that do not overlap with each other or with other graphical objects at said further zoom level.

15. A computer program product as in claim 14, wherein the program code portions are further configured, when said program product is run on a computer or network device, to receive a selection command for the further graphical object and cause displaying of visual representations of graphical objects being associated with said further graphical object in response thereto.

16. A computer program product as in claim 14, wherein the program code portions are further configured, when said program product is run on a computer or network device, to cause displaying of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a window and cause displaying of one of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a first size and the other of said visual representations of said associated graphical objects in a second size wherein said first size is larger than said second size.

17. A computer program product as in claim 14, wherein the program code portions are further configured, when said program product is run on a computer or network device, to determine whether a graphical object overlaps another graphical object by determining if visual representations of said graphical objects would overlap when rendered.

18. An apparatus configured to implement a computer program product according to claim 14.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether graphical objects to be displayed on a map at a given zoom level will overlap when rendered when the map is displayed at said given zoom level;

means for causing stacking of at least some of the graphical objects that have been determined to overlap at the given zoom level to create a further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects;

means for causing display of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the at least some of the stacked graphical objects and display of other graphical objects;

means for causing changing of said given zoom level to a further zoom level that is more zoomed in than the given zoom level; and

means for causing splitting up of the further graphical object representing and enabling identification at said given zoom level of the stacked graphical objects into a plurality of second further graphical objects that do not overlap with each other or with other graphical objects at said further zoom level.