System and method for displaying information using a compass

• US 8,863,023 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Lettau, Ty
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US12/325,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: 715/848, 715/850, 715/851, 715/854, 715/855, 715/738
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A system and method displays a compass control with a map or other image. The compass control displays locations that may be displayed on the map, as well as locations that are outside of the map area being displayed, to allow the user to view such locations and interact with them.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying a portion of an electronic representation of a surface in a display area of a display device, to provide a view of the electronic representation;

receiving a selection of a point on a displayed user interface control;

identifying a direction and a distance of the selected point from a reference point on the user interface control;

in response to the received selection, changing the view of the electronic representation to display a different portion of the electronic representation in the display area based on the identified direction and distance;

displaying, on the user interface control, an icon representing a location on the surface out of the view, the location having an orientation relative to the displayed view indicated by a position of the icon on the user interface control, and the location having a distance from the displayed view indicated by at least one of a color, a size and a transparency of the icon; and

in response to a selection of the icon, changing the view of the electronic representation to include the location represented by the icon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface control is displayed in a display area that is distinct from the display area in which the electronic representation is displayed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display area in which the user interface control is displayed is included within the display area in which the electronic representation is displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic representation comprises a map and wherein the portion of the electronic representation comprises a portion of the map.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface control comprises a compass user interface control having a selectable surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the view of the electronic representation comprises:

initiating requests for additional information to display in the display area as the view of the displayed electronic representation in the display area is changing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first icon in the display area;

displaying, on the user interface control, a second icon related to the first icon; and

changing the display of the second icon on the user interface control when changing the view of the electronic representation in the display area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the second icon comprises:

displaying the second icon at a position on the user interface control relative to a reference point in a display area in which the user interface control is displayed, the relative position of the second icon corresponding to a position of the related first icon relative to a reference point in the display area in which the portion of the electronic representation is displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a direction of the selected point from the reference point on the user interface control comprises:

identifying one of multiple different available directions from a center of the user interface control.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference point is a center of the user interface control, and wherein changing the view of the electronic representation comprises:

increasing a speed at which the view of the representation changes as the identified distance of the selected point from the center of the user interface control increases.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified direction is one of a number of selectable directions, the number being a fraction of a resolution of an input device used to select the selected point on the displayed user interface control.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

storage, coupled to the processor, including executable instructions for performing operations comprising;

displaying a portion of information in a display area of a display device, to provide a view of the information;

receiving a selection of a point on a displayed user interface control;

identifying a direction and a distance of the selected point from a reference point on the user interface control;

in response to the received selection, changing the view of the information to display a different portion of the information in the display area based on the identified direction and distance;

displaying, on the user interface control, an icon representing a location in the information out of the view, the location having an orientation relative to the displayed view indicated by a position of the icon on the user interface control, and the location having a distance from the displayed view indicated by at least one of a color, a size and a transparency of the icon; and

in response to a selection of the icon, changing the view of the information to include the location represented by the icon.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface control is displayed in a display area that is distinct from the display area in which the information is displayed.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display area in which the user interface control is displayed is included within the display area in which the information is displayed.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the information comprises a map and wherein the portion of the information comprises a portion of the map.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user interface control comprises a compass user interface control having a selectable surface.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein changing the view of the information comprises:

initiating requests for additional information to display in the display area as the view of the displayed information in the display area is changing.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a first icon in the display area;

displaying, on the user interface control, a second icon related to the first icon; and

changing the display of the second icon on the user interface control when changing the view of the information in the display area.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein displaying the second icon comprises:

displaying the second icon at a position on the user interface control relative to a reference point in a display area in which the user interface control is displayed, the relative position of the second icon corresponding to a position of the related first icon relative to a reference point in the display area in which the portion of the information is displayed.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein identifying a direction of the selected point from the reference point on the user interface control comprises:

identifying one of multiple different available directions from a center of the user interface control.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein identifying a direction of the selected point from the reference point on the user interface control comprises:

identifying one of multiple different available directions from a center of the user interface control.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the reference point is a center of the user interface control, and wherein changing the view of the information comprises:

increasing a speed at which the view of the information changes as the identified distance of the selected point from the center of the user interface control increases.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein the reference point is a center of the user interface control, and wherein changing the view of the information comprises:

increasing a speed at which the view of the information changes as the identified distance of the selected point from the center of the user interface control increases.

24. The system of claim 12, wherein the identified direction is one of a number of selectable directions, the number being a fraction of a resolution of an input device used to select the selected point on the displayed user interface control.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program, the computer program including instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

displaying a portion of information in a display area of a display device, to provide a view of the information;

receiving a selection of a point on a displayed user interface control;

identifying a direction and a distance of the selected point from a reference point on the user interface control;

in response to the received selection, changing the view of the information to display a different portion of the information in the display area based on the identified direction and distance;

displaying, on the user interface control, an icon representing a location in the information out of the view, the location having an orientation relative to the displayed view indicated by a position of the icon on the user interface control, and the location having a distance from the displayed view indicated by at least one of a color, a size and a transparency of the icon; and

in response to a selection of the icon, changing the view of the information to include the location represented by the icon.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the user interface control is displayed in a display area that is distinct from the display area in which the information is displayed.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the display area in which the user interface control is displayed is included within the display area in which the information is displayed.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the information comprises a map and wherein the portion of the information comprises a portion of the map.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the user interface control comprises a compass user interface control having a selectable surface.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein changing the view of the information comprises:

initiating requests for additional information to display in the display area as the view of the displayed information in the display area is changing.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a first icon in the display area;

displaying, on the user interface control, a second icon related to the first icon; and

changing the display of the second icon on the user interface control when changing the view of the information in the display area.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein displaying the second icon comprises:

displaying the second icon at a position on the user interface control relative to a reference point in a display area in which the user interface control is displayed, the relative position of the second icon corresponding to a position of the related first icon relative to a reference point in the display area in which the portion of the information is displayed.

33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the identified direction is one of a number of selectable directions, the number being a fraction of a resolution of an input device used to select the selected point on the displayed user interface control.