Adding annotations to a map

• US 9,442,911 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hagiwara, Kenji, Melendez, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Baserman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US14/151,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3856 Data obtained from user input
• 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 3/0484 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided to allow a user to insert annotations or comments in a map application and place such annotations or comments on a digital map, as desired by the user.

Claims

1. A map application including one or more programs of instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and executable by a computer, wherein the map application executable by the computer comprises:

a map display interface that displays a floormap on an electronic display, one or more user-selectable device objects being shown on the displayed floormap; and

an annotation interface that captures user-entered device information as an annotation object, causes the map display interface to display the annotation object capturing the user-entered device information and superimposed on the floormap displayed on the electronic display, and permits the user to relocate the annotation object from a first position on the floormap to another position on the floormap, wherein

the annotation interface provides a device details user interface including plural device fields associated with the selected device object, the device details user interface being configured to (a) receive user selection of one or more device fields amongst the plural device fields associated with the selected device object and (b) receive user input or selection of device-associated values corresponding to the selected device fields that are to be inserted in the displayed annotation object superimposed on the floormap, wherein each device-associated value selected or input by the user is inserted in the displayed annotation object superimposed on the floormap.

2. The map application of claim 1, wherein the annotation interface includes a user interface part to receive user instruction to turn on and turn off display of the annotation object.

3. The map application of claim 1, wherein

the map display interface is configured to permit user selection of a device object shown on the floormap, and to associate the annotation object with the selected device object.

4. The map application of claim 3, wherein the map display interface causes the annotation object to be shown initially at the first position near the device object to which the annotation object is associated.

5. The map application of claim 1, wherein one or more of the device-associated values are automatically inserted in the displayed annotation object.

6. The map application of claim 1, wherein the displayed floormap includes a floor portion corresponding to space on the floor of the office facility and a whitespace portion disposed to border at least one side of the floor portion and not corresponding to any space on the floor of the office facility.

7. The map application of claim 6, wherein the whitespace portion surrounds the floor portion.

8. The map application of claim 6, wherein the map display interface includes a whitespace adjustment part for user adjustment of at least one of position, size and dimensions of the whitespace portion, and the map display interface dynamically adjusts the displayed whitespace portion in response to the user adjustment.

9. The map application of claim 6, wherein the map display interface automatically places the annotation object in the whitespace portion.

10. A computer program product including one or more programs of instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by a computer, wherein the computer program product executable by the computer comprises:

a map display interface that displays a floormap on an electronic display, wherein one or more device objects are shown on the floormap; and

an annotation interface that captures user-entered device information as an annotation object, wherein

the map display interface is configured to permit user selection of a device object shown on the floormap and to associate the annotation object with the selected device object, and wherein

the map display interface displays the annotation object capturing the user-entered device information, superimposed on the floormap displayed on the electronic display, and permits the user to relocate the annotation object from a first position on the floormap to another position on the floormap, wherein

the annotation interface provides a device details user interface including plural device fields associated with the selected device object, the device details user interface being configured to (a) receive user selection of one or more device fields amongst the plural device fields associated with the selected device object and (b) receive user input or selection of device-associated values corresponding to the selected device fields that are to be inserted in the displayed annotation object superimposed on the floormap, wherein each device-associated value selected or input by the user is inserted in the displayed annotation object superimposed on the floormap.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein one or more of the device-associated values are automatically inserted in the displayed annotation object.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the displayed floormap includes a floor portion corresponding to space on the floor of the office facility and a whitespace portion disposed to border at least one side of the floor portion and not corresponding to any space on the floor of the office facility.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the map display interface includes a whitespace adjustment part for user adjustment of at least one of position, size and dimensions of the whitespace portion, and the map display interface dynamically adjusts the displayed whitespace portion in response to the user adjustment.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the map display interface automatically places the annotation object in the whitespace portion.

15. The computer program product Of claim 12, wherein the whitespace portion surrounds the floor portion.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the annotation interface includes a user interface part to receive user instruction to turn on and turn off display of the annotation object.

17. A method performed by a computer program product, the method comprising:

displaying a floormap on an electronic display, one or more user-selectable device objects being shown on the displayed floormap;

providing an annotation interface to capture user-entered device information as an annotation object and associating the annotation object with a selected device object;

displaying the annotation object capturing the user-entered device information, superimposed on the displayed floormap and permitting the user to relocate the annotation object from a first position on the floormap to another position on the floormap;

providing a device details user interface including plural device fields associated with the selected device object, to (a) receive user selection of one or more device fields amongst the plural device fields associated with the selected device object and (b) receive user input or selection of device-associated values corresponding to the selected device fields that are to be inserted in the displayed annotation object, wherein each device-associated value selected or input by the user is inserted in the displayed annotation object superimposed on the floormap.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising automatically inserting one or more of the device-associated values in the displayed annotation object.