Interactive visual representation of points of interest data

• US 9,552,129 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramos, Gonzalo A., Wantland, Timothy P., Barnett, Donald A., Impas, Romualdo T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US13/429,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20130249812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 715/846
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

Search results may be rendered on a map utilizing one or more points of interest. An individual point of interest may include a casing layer and a core layer. Casing layers and/or core layers may be configured to change in size and color at different levels of detail associated with zoom operations. Zoom operations may further include de-clustering overlapping points of interest to eliminate overlap. A hover input associated with a cluster may render a numerical value associated with a corresponding number of points of interest that appear in the cluster. Various embodiments provide a visual language that enables a continuous representation, at different levels of detail, that range from a single discrete point to multiple points that are near each other or clustered together to unify the look-and-feel of represented elements and provide interactive consistency across various map properties and platforms.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an input associated with a search;

responsive to receiving said input, rendering search results on a map utilizing one or more points of interest, wherein the one or more points of interest are represented by a given geometry and respective points of interest include both a respective casing layer and a respective core layer, wherein individual casing layers serve as backgrounds of individual points of interest and individual core layers serve as foregrounds on the individual casing layers of the individual points of interest;

changing a zoom level of the map responsive to another user input; and

as the zoom level of the map changes;

changing the color of the individual casing layers of the individual points of interest at different levels of detail as a function of the zoom level; and

changing the size of the individual core layers relative to the individual casing layers while maintaining the geometry of the individual points of interest at different levels of detail as a function of the zoom level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual casing layers and the individual core layers are circular.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as the zoom level of the map changes, adding lead lines to the individual points of interest.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual points of interest further comprise content layers having content shown over the individual core layers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual casing layers are rendered in an ambient color tone that reflects an associated color of the map.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual core layers are rendered relatively smaller when the map is zoomed out.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as the zoom level of the map changes, rendering the individual points of interest with different visual styles for a default state, a hover state, and a selected state.

8. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

rendering search results on a map utilizing a plurality of points of interest, wherein respective points of interest include both a casing layer and a core layer, and wherein individual casing layers serving as backgrounds of individual points of interest and individual core layers serving as foregrounds on the individual casing layers of the individual points of interest;

conducting a zoom operation; and

responsive to conducting the zoom operation;

de-clustering overlapping points of interest in a cluster so that the overlapping points of interest do not overlap; and

changing sizes of the individual core layers relative to the individual casing layers.

9. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein conducting the zoom operation comprises conducting the zoom operation responsive to receiving a touch input.

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

connecting de-clustered points of interest to respective locations using lead lines.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10, the acts further comprising:

receiving a selection identifying a selected point of interest; and

responsive to receiving the selection, rendering a visual affordance associated with the selected point of interest and using the visual affordance to provide information about the selected point of interest.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the visual affordance comprises a pop-up menu.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the individual core layers increase in size relative to the individual casing layers as the map is zoomed in during the zoom operation.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

responsive to the overlapping points of interest exceeding a threshold number, rendering a navigable visual affordance associated with the cluster and configured to enable navigation through points of interest in the cluster,

wherein said de-clustering is performed in instances when the overlapping points of interest do not exceed the threshold number.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

receiving a hover input associated with the cluster; and

responsive to receiving the hover input, rendering a numerical value associated with a corresponding number of points of interest that appear in the cluster.

16. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 15, wherein receiving the hover input comprises receiving a touch input.

17. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein said de-clustering is performed using Delaunay triangulation.

18. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein said de-clustering is performed using expansion boxes each of which includes one or more points of interest.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a display; and

one or more computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

render, on the display, search results on a map utilizing a plurality of points of interest, wherein the plurality of points of interest are represented by a given geometry and respective points of interest include both a casing layer and a core layer;

conduct a zoom operation by zooming in on the map; and

responsive to conducting the zoom operation, increase sizes of individual core layers of individual points of interest relative to individual casing layers of the individual points of interest, the sizes being increased while zooming in on the map.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

responsive to conducting the zoom operation, change transparency of the individual casing layers while zooming in on the map.