Floor selection on an interactive digital map

• US 9,323,420 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailiang, Zhou, Jones, Jonah
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Application Number:
  US13/853,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A digital map of a geographic area is displayed via a user interface, and a 3D representation of a multi-story building located in the geographic area is displayed on the digital map. The 3D representation includes multiple stacked, individually selectable floor maps corresponding to the floors of the multi-story building. A scrolling gesture over a point within the 3D representation of the building, that includes a motion in a direction substantially along a vertical axis of the 3D representation of the building, is received. In response, the floor maps are consecutively activated, and visual attributes of the activated floor map are changed relative to every other floor maps in the 3D representation, so that no more than one of floor maps is activated at one time.

Claims

1. A method in a computing device having a user interface for providing an interactive display of multi-story buildings displayed on a map, wherein the user interface is configured to receive gesture-based input, the method comprising:

displaying a digital map of a geographic area via the user interface;

displaying, on the digital map, a three-dimensional (3D) representation of a multi-story building located in the geographic area, including displaying a plurality of stacked, individually selectable floor maps corresponding to a plurality of floors of the multi-story building;

detecting, via the user interface, a scrolling gesture over a point within the 3D representation of the building that includes a motion in a direction substantially along a vertical axis of the 3D representation of the building; and

consecutively activating the plurality of floor maps in response to detecting the scrolling gesture in an order of scrolling to thereby create an animation effect, including changing visual attributes of the activated floor map relative to every other one of the plurality of floor maps, wherein no more than one of the plurality of floor maps is activated at one time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of stacked, individually selectable floor maps includes displaying the plurality floor maps in a partially overlapping manner, wherein:

a first one of the plurality floor maps, when activated, partially occludes a second one of the plurality floor maps, and

the second one of the plurality floor maps, when activated, partially occludes the first one of the plurality floor maps.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying internal floor features for the activated floor map, including displaying one or more of (i) internal wall layout, (ii) names of businesses or individuals occupying portions of the activated floor, and (iii) indication of location of building facilities; and

displaying respective floor contours free of internal floor features for the remaining ones of the plurality of floor maps.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the internal floor features for the activated floor map are displayed in response to receiving a confirmation of selection of the activated floor map via the user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the scrolling user gesture includes detecting a speed associated with the motion, and wherein the plurality of floor maps are consecutively activated at a rate proportional to the detected speed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the visual attributes of the activated floor map includes at least one of (i) highlighting the activated floor map, (ii) changing line thickness properties of the activated floor map, and (iii) changing color properties of lines defining external boundaries of the activated floor map.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the 3D representation of a multi-story building is in response to receiving a selection of the multi-story building via the user interface;

the method further comprising displaying a low-detail representation of the multi-story building free of individually selectable floor maps when the multi-story building is not selected.

8. A method in a computing device for providing a digital map of outdoor and indoor locations via a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a digital map of a geographic area within a viewport on the user interface, wherein the digital map includes a plurality of map elements representing outdoor physical entities;

displaying an external representation of a multi-story building located in the geographic area within the viewport;

receiving a selection of a point on the digital map via the user interface;

in response to determining that the selected point is within the external representation of the multi-story building;

generating an expanded representation of the multi-story building, including simultaneously displaying a plurality of floor maps corresponding to different floors of the multi-story building, and

consecutively activating a display of the plurality of floor maps in response to detecting a scrolling gesture that operates directly on the expanded representation of the multi-story building, the scrolling gesture including a motion in a direction substantially along a vertical axis of the expanded representation of the building, including activating the display of the plurality of floor maps in an order of scrolling to thereby create an animation effect; and

in response to determining that the selected point is outside the external representation of the multi-story building, providing a plurality of functions for changing the display of the plurality of map elements representing outdoor physical entities.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selected point on the digital map is a first point, and wherein activating the display of the one of the plurality of floor maps includes detecting a selection of a second point that is within the one of the plurality of floor maps and outside the remaining ones of the plurality of floor maps.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein activating the display of one of the plurality of floor maps includes changing visual attributes of the activated floor map relative to every other one of the plurality of floor maps.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of floor maps are displayed as a stack in partially overlapping manner, and wherein activating the display of one of the plurality of floor maps includes bringing the activated floor map to a foreground whereby no part of the activated floor map is occluded by any other one of the plurality of floor maps.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the expanded representation of the multi-story building includes displaying the plurality of floor maps on a plurality of respective planes arranged in a stack and displayed in a perspective view.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of floor maps includes displaying a respective contour for each of the plurality of floor maps without displaying internal features of the corresponding floor when none of the floors of the multi-story building is selected.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein no more than one of the plurality of floor maps is activated at one time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a confirmation of selection of the activated floor map via the user interface; and

displaying internal floor features for the selected floor map, including not displaying internal floor features for any other one of the plurality of floor maps.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of functions for changing the display of the plurality of map elements include at least one of pan, zoom, and rotate.

17. A method in a computing device having a user interface for providing an interactive display of multi-story buildings displayed on a map, wherein the user interface is configured to receive gesture-based input, the method comprising:

displaying a digital map of a geographic area via the user interface;

displaying, on the digital map, a three-dimensional (3D) representation of a multi-story building located in the geographic area, including displaying a plurality of stacked, individually selectable floor maps corresponding to a plurality of floors of the multi-story building;

detecting, via the user interface, a scrolling gesture that operates directly on the 3D representation of the multi-story building, the gesture including a motion in a direction substantially along a vertical axis of the 3D representation of the building; and

consecutively activating one of the plurality of floor maps in response to detecting the gesture in an order of scrolling to thereby create an animation effect, including changing visual attributes of the activated floor map relative to every other one of the plurality of floor maps.