Sharing geographical information between users

• US 9,436,666 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dayan, Tal, Ross, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US14/795,267
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• 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 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/78 characterised by source locations or destination locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number

Abstract

Users can collaborate to annotate a map by sharing geographical information. Map data can be stored locally or remotely while annotations are stored in an annotation server. A presentation device such as a personal computer can use the map data to display a map and can access the annotations on the annotation server and display them. Different users can edit the annotations and save them on the annotation server. The annotations presented to users who are simultaneously viewing them can be synchronized. Presentation devices can download modules for sharing geographical information from servers such as web servers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a map server, map data of a geographical area for presentation to a first user on a first user device;

receiving, by an annotation server from the first user device, a live annotation associated with a geographical location within the geographical area, wherein the live annotation comprises a description associated with the geographical location within the geographical area;

obtaining, by the annotation server, an updated description for the live annotation;

providing updated map data of the geographical area including providing by the annotation server, the updated description of the live annotation for presentation to the first user on the first user device;

receiving, from a different second user associated with a second user device, a request for map data of a second geographical area that includes the geographical location associated with the live annotation received from the first user; and

in response to the request, providing, to the second user device, map data of the second geographical area, including providing, by the annotation server, the live annotation received from the first user for presentation to the second user on the second user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device obtains the updated description for the live annotation from data broadcast by a live data source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device requests the updated description for the live annotation from a live data source.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second user, an edit to the live annotation;

updating the live annotation according to the edit received from the second user; and

providing the updated live annotation for presentation to one or more other users.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, from the second user, the edit to the live annotation comprises receiving the live annotation from the second user concurrently with the live annotation being displayed by the first user device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising pushing the edit to the live annotation received from the second user to the first user device for presentation to the first user.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein updating the live annotation according to the edit received from the second user comprises:

determining that the second user is among a group of users having editing access for the live annotation.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, from the second user, the edit to the live annotation comprises receiving one or more viewing parameters associated with the live annotation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the viewing parameters comprise one or more of an orientation of the live annotation and a layer of information to display with the live annotation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, from the different second user, the request for map data of the second geographical area comprises receiving, from the second user, a uniform resource locator corresponding to the live annotation received from the first user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the first user, a request to share the live annotation received from the first user with one or more other users including the second user.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

providing, by a map server, map data of a geographical area for presentation to a first user on a first user device;

receiving, by an annotation server, from the first user device, a live annotation associated with a geographical location within the geographical area, wherein the live annotation comprises a description associated with the geographical location within the geographical area;

obtaining, by the annotation server, an updated description for the live annotation;

providing updated map data of the geographical area including providing by the annotation server, the updated description of the live annotation for presentation to the first user on the first user device;

receiving, from a different second user associated with a second user device, a request for map data of a second geographical area that includes the geographical location associated with the live annotation received from the first user; and

in response to the request, providing, to the second user device, map data of the second geographical area, including providing, by the annotation server, the live annotation received from the first user for presentation to the second user on the second user device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first user device obtains the updated description for the live annotation from data broadcast by a live data source.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first user device requests the updated description for the live annotation from a live data source.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the second user, an edit to the live annotation;

updating the live annotation according to the edit received from the second user; and

providing the updated live annotation for presentation to one or more other users.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein receiving, from the second user, the edit to the live annotation comprises receiving the live annotation from the second user concurrently with the live annotation being displayed by the first user device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising pushing the edit to the live annotation received from the second user to the first user device for presentation to the first user.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein updating the live annotation according to the edit received from the second user comprises:

determining that the second user is among a group of users having editing access for the live annotation.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein receiving, from the second user, the edit to the live annotation comprises receiving one or more viewing parameters associated with the live annotation.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the viewing parameters comprise one or more of an orientation of the live annotation and a layer of information to display with the live annotation.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein receiving, from the different second user, the request for map data of the second geographical area comprises receiving, from the second user, a uniform resource locator corresponding to the live annotation received from the first user.

22. The system of claim 12, further comprising receiving, from the first user, a request to share the live annotation received from the first user with one or more other users including the second user.

23. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

providing, by a map server, map data of a geographical area for presentation to a first user on a first user device;

receiving, by an annotation server from the first user device, a live annotation associated with a geographical location within the geographical area, wherein the live annotation comprises a description associated with the geographical location within the geographical area;

obtaining, by the annotation server, an updated description for the live annotation;

providing updated map data of the geographical area including providing by the annotation server, the updated description of the live annotation for presentation to the first user on the first user device;

receiving, from a different second user associated with a second user device, a request for map data of a second geographical area that includes the geographical location associated with the live annotation received from the first user; and

in response to the request, providing, to the second user device, map data of the second geographical area, including providing, by the annotation server, the live annotation received from the first user for presentation to the second user on the second user device.