Business data display and position correction in street-side imagery

• US 9,020,745 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnston, Carolyn P., Reyes-Gomez, Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Holcomb, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng, Jonathan K
• Application Number:
  US12/414,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207
• US Class Current: 701/208
• 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: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A separate panel may be used to display business icons near images of business entries, if the GIS does not include a business'"'"'s front door geolocation. Users may place icons that represent business entities near the entrances to the entity. Also, a concise but extensive display of business listing data (e.g., reviews, summaries, services, hours, etc.) in the display near the geolocation and the presentation of further information upon user actions such as a mouse-overs, may avoid browsing away from the viewing application in order to learn more about the business.

Claims

1. A method for updating a location of an entity via an electronic image, comprising:

illustrating to a user the electronic image of the location at a known view level;

presenting a display area having a plurality of different movable icons in a first separate window on a view of the electronic image, each movable icon, in the first separate window, being displayed with a corresponding entity that describes each movable icon, wherein the first separate window is displayed automatically, on the view of the electronic image, based on at least one entity in the electronic image, when a proper location of the at least one entity is unclear in the electronic image;

allowing the user to place each movable icon of the plurality of different movable icons and the corresponding entity from the first separate window to the proper location on an object from a plurality of objects in the electronic image, the proper location representing the location of the corresponding entity on the object in the electronic image, wherein the plurality of movable icons and the corresponding entities in the first separate window have different proper locations on the object;

determining an updated Geographic Information System (GIS) position of the entity according to the proper location with respect to the electronic image;

storing the updated GIS position of the entity in a memory; and

using the updated GIS position of the entity in future electronic images.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying previously placed movable icons in the proper location on the electronic image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if an entity describing a previously placed movable icon is displayed on the electronic image and if the previously placed movable icon is selected, displaying an additional information, in a second separate window, about the entity being represented by the previously placed movable icon that was selected.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the additional information in a third separate window wherein selecting a topic covered in the additional information in the second separate window displays additional details of the topic in the third separate window without navigating outside the electronic image.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional information comprises at least one selected from a group comprising:

a URL for the entity;

a summary review of the entity;

contact information for the entity;

payment option;

price ranges; and

summary information for the entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated GIS position of the entity is stored based on a significant number of users placing same movable icon at same proper location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein

one of the plurality of objects comprises a multistory building;

a ray points toward a floor of the multistory building; and

the movable icon being displayed relates to the entity on or near to the floor of the multistory building being pointed to by the ray.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of objects having numerous entities related to displayed movable icons.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first separate window is not movable and the plurality of different movable icons cannot be placed outside the view of the electronic image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of objects being buildings and the corresponding entity being a business, wherein the first separate window is displayed near the corresponding entity'"'"'s entry based on a determination that GIS does not include the corresponding entity'"'"'s front door geolocation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated GIS position is temporarily stored until a significant number of unknown users validate the updated GIS position.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing an authorized user to modify the updated GIS position stored in a database immediately.

13. A computer system comprising a processor physically configured to execute computer executable instructions, a memory physically configured to store computer executable instructions and an input/output circuit, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for updating a location of an entity via an electronic image view, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

illustrating to a user the electronic image view of the location at a view level;

presenting a movable icon and the entity in a separate window on the electronic image view, wherein the separate window is displayed automatically based on entities in the electronic image view when a proper location of one or more corresponding entities is unclear in the electronic image view;

allowing the user to relocate both the movable icon and the entity from the separate window to the proper location on the electronic image view, the proper location representing location corresponding to the entry of the entity with regard to the electronic image view;

determining an updated Geographic Information System (GIS) position of the entity according to the proper location with regard to the electronic image view, wherein the updated GIS position is determined using a depth map created based on a determination of the view level;

storing the updated GIS position of the entity in a memory; and

using the updated GIS position of the entity in future electronic images.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising computer executable instructions for displaying previously placed movable icons in the proper location on the electronic image view.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising if a previously placed movable icon is selected, computer executable instructions for displaying an additional information about the entity being represented by the previously placed movable icon that was selected, the additional information being displayed in an additional window.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the additional information comprises at least one selected from a group comprising:

a URL for the entity;

a summary review of the entity;

contact information for the entity;

payment option;

price ranges; and

summary information for the entity.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the electronic image view comprises the plurality of objects, the plurality of objects being buildings and the entity being a business, each of the plurality of objects having numerous entities related to displayed movable icons.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein:

one of the plurality of objects comprises a multistory building;

a ray points toward a floor of the multistory building; and

the movable icon being displayed relates to the entity on or near to the floor of the multistory building being pointed to by the ray.

19. A computer storage medium physically configured according to computer executable instructions for updating a location of an entity according to an electronic image view, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

illustrating to a user the electronic image view of the location at a known view level;

displaying a plurality of movable icons and a plurality of entities in a separate window on the electronic image view when a proper location of the at least one entity is unclear in the electronic image, each of the plurality of movable icons corresponding to one of the plurality of entities known to be located within area displayed by the electronic image view;

enabling the user to drag both a first movable icon and a corresponding entity from the separate window to a proper location on the electronic image view, the proper location representing a position of the corresponding entity at a sub address with regard to an address in the electronic image view, wherein the plurality of entities are placed to separate proper locations at the same address;

determining an update Geographic Information System (GIS) position of the corresponding entity according to the proper location of the first movable icon in the electronic image view;

storing the update GIS position of the corresponding entity in a memory;

upon receiving a selection of the first movable icon after the user placed the first movable icon at the proper location, displaying additional information about the corresponding entity, the additional information being displayed in an additional window; and

using the update GIS position of the entity in future electronic images.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein the additional information comprises at least one selected from a group comprising:

a URL for the entity;

a summary review of the entity;

contact information for the entity;

payment option;

price ranges; and

summary information for the entity.