Mapping application with 3D presentation

• US 9,367,959 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Forstall, Scott, Moore, Bradford A., van Os, Marcel, Blumenberg, Christopher, Vulcano, Emanuele, Law, Brady A., Piemonte, Patrick S., Ball, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/632,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,353 Days
• Field of Search: 715/851
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 : Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 : using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 : Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 : using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A device that includes at least one processing unit and stores a multi-mode mapping program for execution by the at least one processing unit is described. The program includes a user interface (UI). The UI includes a display area for displaying a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of a map or a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map. The UI includes a selectable 3D control for directing the program to transition between the 2D and 3D presentations.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a set of processing units;

a non-transitory machine readable medium for storing a multi-mode mapping program for execution by at least one of the processing units, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

providing a display area for displaying a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of a map or a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map; and

providing a single input control for changing between three different appearances to indicate three different states of the map being displayed in the display area, the three different appearances comprising;

a first appearance to indicate the display of the 2D presentation of the map in the display area;

a second appearance to indicate the display of a first type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area; and

a third appearance to indicate the availability of data for displaying a second type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area,

wherein the single input control changes to the third appearance from one of the other two appearances while the display area is displaying a presentation of the map associated with one of the other two appearances.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the single input control has a fourth appearance to indicate the display of the second type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the data for displaying the second type of the 3D presentation comprises map data that is produced from camera captured images, wherein the availability of the data is based on whether camera captured images are available for a particular location that is being displayed in the display area.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the displayed second type of the 3D presentation of the map includes a 3D display of buildings.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the 3D display of the buildings includes 3D animated renderings of the buildings that have been graphically generated.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the animated renderings are based on vertex data.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the 3D display of the buildings includes 3D renderings of the buildings from raster image data generated from images captured by flying over the buildings.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the images are captured by a flying object, including at least one of a manned or unmanned plane, a helicopter, and a satellite.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a touch-sensitive display screen, wherein the single input control is a selectable single input control, wherein, upon receiving a touch input on the selectable single input control, the display area switches between the 2D presentation of the map and the 3D presentation of the map.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the single input control also changes between the first and second appearances when a gestural input on the touch sensitive display screen causes the display area to switch between the 2D presentation of the map and the 3D presentation of the map.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the gestural input comprises at least two different touch contacts that are dragged along the touch-sensitive display screen in the particular direction or within a threshold of the particular direction.

12. A non-transitory machine readable medium for storing a multi-mode mapping program for execution by at least one of the processing units, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

providing a display area for displaying a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of a map or a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map; and

providing a single input control for changing between three different appearances to indicate three different states of the map being displayed in the display area, the three different appearances comprising;

a first appearance to indicate the display of the 2D presentation of the map in the display area;

a second appearance to indicate the display of a first type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area; and

a third appearance to indicate the availability of data for displaying a second type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area,

wherein the single input control changes to the third appearance from one of the other two appearances while the display area is displaying a presentation of the map associated with one of the other two appearances.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the single input control has a fourth appearance to indicate the display of the second type of the 3D presentation of the map in the display area.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the data for displaying the second type of the 3D presentation comprises map data that is produced from camera captured images, wherein the availability of the data is based on whether camera captured images are available for a particular location that is being displayed in the display area.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the displayed second type of the 3D presentation of the map includes a 3D display of buildings.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the 3D display of the buildings includes 3D animated renderings of the buildings that have been graphically generated.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the animated renderings are based on vertex data.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the 3D display of the buildings includes 3D renderings of the buildings from raster image data generated from images captured by flying over the buildings.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the images are captured by a flying object, including at least one of a manned or unmanned plane, a helicopter, and a satellite.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the display area and single input control are for display on a touch-sensitive display screen, wherein the single input control is a selectable single input control, wherein, upon receiving a touch input on the selectable single input control, the display area switches between the 2D presentation of the map and the 3D presentation of the map.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein the single input control also changes between the first and second appearances when a gestural input on the touch sensitive display screen causes the display area to switch between the 2D presentation of the map and the 3D presentation of the map.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 21, wherein the gestural input comprises at least two different touch contacts that are dragged along the touch-sensitive display screen in the particular direction or within a threshold of the particular direction.