Intelligent adjustment of map viewports at launch

• US 9,261,380 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Bradford A., Blumenberg, Christopher, Edwards, Catherine A., van Os, Marcel, Gautier, Patrice O., Barbour, Sarah G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/842,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 701/538, 715/792
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A method of selectively displaying maps on a mobile device. The method sends a map application, which had been displaying a first map, to the background. The method then returns the map application to the foreground. The method then determines whether to redisplay the previous map or display a map surrounding the then current location of the device. The determination is based on various factors including user interaction, time that the map application has been in the background and distance traveled while the map application is in the background.

Claims

1. A method of displaying maps in a map application running on a mobile device, the method comprising:

displaying a first map in the map application operating in a foreground mode;

sending the map application to operate in a background mode;

receiving a command to return the map application to operate in the foreground mode;

returning the map application to the foreground and displaying the first map while identifying a current location of the mobile device; and

based on an assessment of a set of conditions, selectively continuing to display the first map or displaying a second map that is associated with the current location of the device,

wherein the set of conditions comprises a condition relating to whether interaction with the first map is received within a threshold amount of time after returning to the display of the first map,

wherein the second map is displayed when interaction with the map is not received within the threshold amount of time, while the first map is continued to be displayed when interaction with the map is received within the threshold amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold amount of time is based on an amount of time required to identify the current location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular time passes between sending the map application to operate in the background and returning the map application to the foreground, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the particular time is less than a second threshold amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device travels a particular distance between sending the map application to operate in the background and returning the map application to the foreground, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the particular distance is less than a threshold distance.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a distance from a location of the device to a location represented by the first map, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the distance from the location of the device to the location represented by the first map is greater than a threshold distance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the map application to operate in the background comprises closing the application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein returning to the map application comprises re-opening the map application.

8. A non-transitory computer readable media storing a set of programs which when executed on at least one processing unit displays maps in a map application, the set of programs comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying a first map in a display area of the map application operating in a foreground mode;

sending the map application to operate in a background mode;

receiving a command to return to the map application to operate in the foreground mode;

returning the map application to the foreground and displaying the first map in the display area while identifying a current location of the mobile device; and

based on an assessment of a set of conditions, selectively continuing to display the first map or displaying a second map that is associated with the current location of the device,

wherein the set of conditions comprises a condition relating to whether interaction with the first map is received within a threshold amount of time after returning to the display of the first map,

wherein the second map is displayed when interaction with the map is not received within the threshold amount of time, while the first map is continued to be displayed when interaction with the map is received within the threshold amount of time.

9. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the threshold amount of time is based on an amount of time required to identify the current location of the mobile device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein a particular time passes between sending the map application to operate in a background mode and the returning the map application to the foreground, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the particular time is less than a second threshold amount of time.

11. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the device travels a particular distance between sending the map application to operate in the background and the returning the map application to the foreground, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the particular distance is less than a threshold distance.

12. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the set of programs further comprises a set of instructions for determining a distance from a location of the device to a location represented by the first map, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the distance from the location of the device to the location represented by the first map is greater than a threshold distance.

13. A method of displaying maps in a map application running on a mobile device, the method comprising:

returning a map application to the foreground after the map application was previously sent into the background while displaying a first map; and

based on an assessment of a set of conditions, selectively continuing to display the first map or displaying a second map that is associated with a current location of the device,

wherein the set of conditions comprises a condition relating to whether the current location is more than a threshold distance from a previous location at which the map application was previously in the foreground and was previously displaying the first map,

wherein the second map is displayed when the current location is more than the threshold distance, while the first map is continued to be displayed when the current location is less than a threshold distance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the map application has been running in the background for more than a threshold time before the returning of the map application to the foreground.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of conditions further comprises whether the device has moved to a location that is not displayed on the first map while the map application was in the background.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of conditions further comprises whether a location represented by the first map was less than a second threshold distance away from the mobile device when the map application was sent to the background.

17. A non-transitory computer readable media storing a set of programs which when executed on at least one processing unit displays maps in a map application, the set of programs comprising sets of instructions for:

reopening a map application after the map application was previously closed while displaying a first map; and

based on an assessment of a set of conditions, selectively continuing to display the first map or displaying a second map that is associated with a current location of the device,

wherein the set of conditions comprises a condition relating to whether the current location is more than a threshold distance from a previous location at which the map application was closed;

wherein the second map is displayed when the current location is more than the threshold distance, while the first map is continued to be displayed when the current location is less than a threshold distance.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the set of conditions further comprises a condition relating to whether the map application has been closed for more than a threshold time before the reopening of the map application.

19. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the set of conditions further comprises whether the map application has moved to a location that is not on the first map while the map application was closed.

20. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 17, wherein the set of conditions further comprises whether a location represented by the first map was less than a threshold distance away from the mobile device when the map application was closed.