Information mapping approaches

• US 8,649,976 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Never-Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Never-Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Kreft, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US13/545,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 701/445, 701/400, 701408-411, 701/426, 701/438, 701/453, 701/454, 701/467, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.24, 4554561-4563, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 701/445
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods, systems and applications for updating, enhancing, organizing, and utilizing geographic maps, for locating points of interest and places of businesses, or POI'"'"'s. Embodiments provide a method for collecting geo-coordinate data on POIs by eliciting participation of the business owners or designated employees to identify the specific locations of POI'"'"'s on a map; a map program which synchronizes to a centralized database where POI and other more frequently changing and time-dependent map information is downloaded to individual users; a map program, where in addition to the standard contact information, “qualitative” information and website links are included in an POI information box to aid in pre-qualifying a POI before selection and in booking a reservation; a method for locating markers on an Internet-based search engine map; and an improved contact management system that allows locations of contacts to be viewed on a map while minimizing address geocoding.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, at a computing device, from a first source over a network, a first set of geographical information;

wherein the first set of geographical information indicates one or more first points of interest;

receiving, at the computing device, from a second source that is different than the first source, over the network, a second set of geographical information;

wherein the second set of geographical information indicates one or more second points of interest;

storing the one or more first points of interest and the one or more second points of interest in a first map layer;

storing the geographical map in a second map layer that is different than the first map layer;

causing, to be displayed, on a display screen of the computing device, concurrently on a geographical map, a first point of interest that is indicated in the first set of geographical information from the first source and a second point of interest that is indicated in the second set of geographical information from the second source;

after causing the first point of interest and the second point of interest to be displayed, updating one of the first map layer or the second map layer independent of the other of the first map layer or the second map layer.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

after causing the first point of interest and the second point of interest to be displayed concurrently, receiving first update data that indicates one or more changes to the first set of geographical information;

in response to receiving the first update data, causing the first set of geographical information to be updated.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

in response to receiving first input, causing a third set of geographical information to be stored in association with a first category;

in response to receiving second input, causing a fourth set of geographical information to be stored in association with the first category;

in response to receiving third input that selects the first category, causing data associated with the third set and the fourth set to be displayed concurrently on a second geographical map.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

in response to receiving fourth input, causing a fifth set of geographical information to be stored in association with a second category that is different than the first category.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

causing a plurality of folders to be displayed concurrently;

wherein each folder of the plurality of folders corresponds to a different category;

wherein the plurality of folders includes a first folder that corresponds to the first category.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the plurality of folders includes a second folder, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause receiving fifth input that creates the second folder.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

causing concurrently displaying, in association with the first point of interest and the second point of interest, one or more elements of qualitative information respectively associated with the first point of interest and the second point of interest.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein causing is performed in response to input that indicates a selection of a folder that is associated with the first set of geographical information and the second set of geographical information.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

storing, at a computing device, in a particular data set of a first map layer, a first data set of a first point of interest;

storing, at the computing device, in the particular data set of the first map layer, a second data set of a second point of interest that is different than the first point of interest;

storing a geographical map in a second map layer that is different than the first map layer;

causing, to be displayed concurrently on the geographical map on a display screen of the computing device, the first point of interest and the second point of interest;

after causing the first and second points of interest to be displayed concurrently on the geographical map, updating the particular data set without updating the second data set or the second map layer.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein updating the particular data set comprises adding, to the particular data set, a third data set of a third point of interest that is different than the first and second points of interest.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein updating the particular data set comprises updating the first data set without updating the second data set.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computing device is any of an in-vehicle navigation system, a personal digital assistant, and a telephone with a graphic display.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein:

the first point of interest is one of a first plurality of points of interest of a first establishment;

the first plurality of points of interest are indicated in a first set of geographical information;

updating comprises;

receiving first update data that indicates one or more changes to the first set of geographical information;

in response to receiving the first update data, updating the first map layer.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

receiving first update data that indicates one or more changes to the geographical map;

in response to receiving the first update data, updating the second map layer.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second map layer comprises multiple map layers.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, prior to storing the first data set of the first point of interest and the second data set of the second point of interest:

receiving, over a network from a first source, a first set of geographical information that indicates the first point of interest;

receiving, over the network from a second source that is different than the first source, a second set of geographical information that is different than the first set of geographical information and that indicates the second point of interest.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein a first establishment maintains the first source and a second establishment maintains the second source.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

causing to be displayed concurrently in association with the first point of interest and the second point of interest, one or more elements of qualitative information respectively associated with the first point of interest and the second point of interest.