Displaying representative images in a visual mapping system

• US 9,182,895 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gold, Jonathan A., Ha, Huy T., Hjelmstad, John Alan, Caro-Bruce, Timothy, Volkert, Christopher Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/102,128
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/12 Relief maps relief models G09B25/06

Abstract

Embodiments provide systems and methods for generating a street map that includes a position identifier that identifies a location on the street map. The method and system may also generate and display a plurality of images representative of the location of the position identifier. A user may interact with a position identifier or one of several scroll icons to view images of other locations on the street map and/or to obtain driving directions between two locations.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing system to;

receive a search request relating to a display of a geographic location;

determine, in response to the search request, a plurality of geographically adjacent images corresponding to the geographic location;

stitch together at least a portion of the plurality of geographically adjacent images to provide a three-hundred and sixty degree view of a region surrounding the geographic location, the region being centered proximate the geographic location;

receive a selection of at least one interactive element; and

cause a change in display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of geographically adjacent images includes a view of at least a portion of the region surrounding the geographic location.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing system to:

provide a display including a first representative image of the plurality of geographically adjacent images corresponding with the geographic location, the first representative image comprising an image captured at substantially the geographic location.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing system to:

cause to be displayed proximate to the plurality of geographically adjacent images, a first movement icon and a second movement icon, wherein the first movement icon and the second movement icon are oriented in a direction approximating a direction of movement; and

in response to an interaction with one of the first movement icon or the second movement icon, cause the display to provide at least a second image of the plurality of geographically adjacent images,

wherein a user is able to perform at least one of sequentially viewing adjacent images of the plurality of geographically adjacent images within the region surrounding the geographic location using one of the first movement icon or the second movement icon.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of geographically adjacent images are configured to provide a continuous lateral view within the region surrounding the geographic location.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a search request relating to a display of a geographic location;

determining, in response to the search request, a plurality of geographically adjacent images corresponding to the geographic location;

generate a three-hundred and sixty degree view of a region surrounding the geographic location using at least a portion of the plurality of geographically adjacent images;

receiving a selection of at least one interactive element;

enabling for selection of one of a first icon or a second icon, the first icon being configured to zoom in on a display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location and the second icon being configured to zoom out on the display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location;

receiving a selection of the second icon to cause at least one change in a display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location, the at least one change in the display corresponding to zooming out on the display;

determining that the display is zoomed out to a predetermined amount; and

removing from display the second icon.

7. The computer-implement method of claim 6, wherein the at least one change in the display includes:

causing to be displayed a first lateral view within the region surrounding the geographic location.

8. The computer-implement method of claim 6, wherein the at least one change in the display includes:

causing to be displayed a second lateral view in an opposite direction to a first lateral view.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first lateral view corresponds to a view along a first side of a roadway within the region surrounding the geographic location, the second lateral view corresponding to a view along an opposite side of the roadway within the region surrounding the geographic location.

10. The computer-implement method of claim 6, wherein the at least one change in the display includes:

causing to be displayed a third view within the region surrounding the geographic location, the third view corresponding to an aerial view of the region surrounding the geographic location.

11. The computer-implement method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a map including a translatable icon representative of a current geographic location being viewed, the translatable icon being configured to move on the map to correspond to a location of the plurality of geographically adjacent images being currently provided on a display.

12. The computer-implement method of claim 6, further comprising:

stitching together the plurality of geographically adjacent images to provide a view of the region surrounding the geographic location.

13. The computer-implement method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving at least one interaction with the plurality of geographically adjacent images to change a view of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location, the at least one interaction corresponding to dragging a cursor element with respect to the plurality of geographically adjacent images provided on the display.

14. The computer-implement method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing information relating to the geographic location to at least one algorithm configured to dynamically select the plurality of geographically adjacent images.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving a search request relating to a display of a geographic location;

determining, in response to the search request, a plurality of geographically adjacent images corresponding to the geographic location;

generating a three-hundred and sixty degree view of a region surrounding the geographic location using at least a portion of the plurality of geographically adjacent images;

receiving a selection of at least one interactive element;

enabling for selection of one of a first icon or a second icon, the first icon being configured to zoom in on a display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location and the second icon being configured to zoom out on the display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location;

receiving a selection of the second icon to cause at least one change in a display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location, the at least one change in the display corresponding to zooming out on the display;

determining that the display is zoomed out to a predetermined amount; and

removing from display the second icon.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executed by the one or more processors to perform the set of operations of:

causing to be displayed one of a first lateral view within the region surrounding the geographic location or a second lateral view in an opposite direction to the first lateral view,

wherein the first lateral view corresponds to a view along a first side of a roadway within the region surrounding the geographic location, the second lateral view corresponding to a view along an opposite side of the roadway within the region surrounding the geographic location.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executed by the one or more processors to perform the set of operations of:

receiving selection of one of a first icon or a second icon, the first icon being configured to zoom in on a display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location and the second icon being configured to zoom out on the display of the three-hundred and sixty degree view of the region surrounding the geographic location.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executed by the one or more processors to perform the set of operations of:

providing information relating to the geographic location to at least one algorithm configured to dynamically select the plurality of geographically adjacent images.