Map display control apparatus, map display control method and computer readable medium

• US 8,723,892 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishiya, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US13/052,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 345/676, 345/636, 701/409, 701/426
• US Class Current: 345/676
• 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

Abstract

A map display control apparatus includes: an accepting section configured to accept a search character; a search section configured to search for a landmark on a map, wherein a name of the landmark at least partly matches the search character; a position adjusting section configured to adjust a display position of the map such that the searched landmark search results appear in the map; a search refining section configured to perform a new search for the landmark and refine the landmark search results whenever a new character is added to the search character; and a position movement section configured to move the display position of the map, depending on a number of the refined landmark search results or a position of the refined landmark search results.

Claims

1. A map display control apparatus comprising:

an accepting section configured to accept a search character;

a search section configured to search for a landmark on a map, wherein a name of the landmark at least partly matching the search character;

a position adjusting section configured to adjust a display position of the map such that the searched landmark search results appears in the map;

a search refining section configured to perform a new search for the landmark and refine the landmark search results whenever a new character is added to the search character; and

a position movement section configured to move the display position of the map, depending on the number of the refined landmark search results or a position of the refined landmark search results.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position movement section is configured to move the display position of the map such that the refined landmark search results appears in the map.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the position movement section is configured to move the display position of the map such that a landmark search result positioned closest to the center of the map is positioned in the center of the map.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second search refining section configured to refine the landmark search results through a method other than character input, when the refined landmark search results comprises a plurality of landmark search results.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a third search refining section configured to refine all of the landmark search results in response to a user operation concerning the display position of the map, when at least one of the landmark search results does not appear in the map.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a selector configured to select either one of the search refining section and the second search refining section so as to refine the landmarks search results either by adding the new character to the search character or by the method other than the character input in response to a user'"'"'s operation, when the searched landmark search results comprises a plurality of landmark search resluts.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein when the searched landmark search results comprises a plurality of landmark search results, the landmark search results are refined by a distance or a direction from a center of the map to each of the landmark search results.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the landmark search results are refined to a landmark search result positioned closest to the center of the map.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the landmark search results are refined to a landmark search result positioned in a designate direction from the center of the map.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the map is divided by a plurality of lines extending from the center of the map into a plurality of ranges, and the landmark search results are refined to a landmark search result positioned in a designate range of the ranges.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the map is divided by four lines extending from the center of the map into four ranges, and the landmark search results are refined to a landmark search result positioned in a designate range of the ranges, the designate range being designated by a cursor key.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the searched landmark search results are divided into a plurality of groups, each of the groups corresponding to one of operations, and wherein, in response to a certain operation, the landmark search results are refined to a landmark search result belonging to a group corresponding to the certain operation.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position movement section is configured to move the display position of the map continuously.

14. A map display control method for controlling a computer to perform operations comprising:

(a) accepting a search character;

(b) searching for a landmark on a map, a name of the landmark at least partly matching the search character;

(c) adjusting a display position of the map such that the searched landmark search results appear in the map;

(d) performing a new search for the landmark and refining the landmark search results whenever a new character is added to the search character; and

(e) moving the display position of the map, depending on a number of the refined landmark search results or a position of the refined landmark search results.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for controlling a computer to perform operations comprising:

(a) accepting a search character;

(b) searching for a landmark on a map, wherein a name of the landmark at least partly matches the search character;

(c) adjusting a display position of the map such that the searched landmark search results appear in the map;

(d) performing a new search for the landmark and refining the landmark search results whenever a new character is added to the search character; and

(e) moving the display position of the map, depending on a number of the refined landmark search results or a position of the refined landmark search results.