Method and apparatus for displaying geographic location

• US 9,638,528 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Li, Ling, Wang, Jun, Shan, Yi, Chen, Pinlin, Zhuo, Dacheng, Wu, Liang
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Isaac
• Application Number:
  US14/600,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20150134235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 701409, 455466
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying a geographic location. The method comprises providing a terminal device to a user, wherein the terminal device includes a processor and a screen. Through a processor of the terminal device, the method comprises receiving a positioning instruction from the user; acquiring a first location based on the positioning instruction; acquiring information of at least one point of interest (POI) associated with the first location; displaying the first location on a map displayed in a first display area on the screen; and displaying a first POI list in a second display area on the screen, wherein the first POI list includes at least one entry being displayed in a first order, each entry includes the information of a POI in the at least one POI.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying a geographic location, comprising:

providing a terminal device to a user, the terminal device including a processor and a screen; and

operating, by the processor, an instant communication application installed in the terminal device, and under the instant communication application;

receiving a positioning instruction on a session interface of the instant communication application, the session interface configured to display messages sent and received with the instant communication application,

displaying a map interface of the instant communication application on a first display area of the screen in response to the positioning instruction;

acquiring, by the processor, a first location in response to the positioning instruction;

acquiring, by the processor, information of at least one point of interest (POI) associated with the first location;

displaying, by the processor, the first location on the map interface displayed in the first display area on the screen; and

displaying, by the processor, a first POI list in a second display area on the screen, wherein the first POI list includes at least one entry being displayed in a first order, each entry including information of a POI (POI information).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, under the instant communication application:

when receiving a selection operation on an entry in the first POI list, acquiring, by the processor, a second location corresponding to a selected entry;

displaying the second location on the map interface displayed in the first display area in response to the selection operation on the entry; and

displaying the first POI list in a second order in the second display area in response to the selection operation on the entry.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the first order the at least one entry is listed based on a distance of the first location to a POI corresponding to the at least one entry;

and

in the second order the selected entry is a first entry in the first POI list and a remaining entry of the at least one entry is listed based on the distance of the first location to a POI corresponding to the remaining entry.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, under the instant communication application,

when receiving an editing operation on the second location, editing, by the processor, POI information of the second location, wherein the editing operation includes at least one of a remark adding operation or a renaming operation;

and

when receiving a release operation on the second location, releasing, by the processor, the POI information of the second location to at least one of a website or an application configured to run on the terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring of the first location comprises:

when receiving a dragging operation on the map interface displayed in the first display area, updating the map interface according to a movement track of the dragging operation, and selecting a central location of the map interface displayed at an end of the dragging operation as the first location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein POI information associated with the first location comprises at least one of:

POI information with a distance to the first location less than a preset threshold;

or

POI information having same keyword information as the first location,

wherein the POI information having the same keyword information as the first location comprises at least one of;

POI information having same street information as the first location;

POI information having same community information as the first location;

or

POI information having a same place name as the first location.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, under the instant communication application:

displaying, by the processor on the screen, a search input box and a search option configured to allow the user to input a keyword in the search input box and send a search instruction to the processor by selecting the search option;

when receiving the search instruction, searching, by the processor, for POI information associated with the keyword;

displaying, by the processor, a current location of the terminal device on the map interface in the first display area; and

displaying a second POI list in the second display area, wherein the second POI list includes the POI information associated with the current location.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, under the instant communication application:

when receiving a selection operation on a POI information in the second POI list, acquiring, by the processor, a third location according to selected POI information on the second POI list;

displaying, by the processor, the third location on the map interface; and

displaying, by the processor, a third POI list in the second display area, wherein the third POI list comprises POI information associated with the third location.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, under the instant communication application:

when receiving a message including POI information sent from another terminal device, displaying an interactive object on a session interface of the instant communication application, the session interface configured to display messages sent and received under the instant communication application the interaction object based on received POI information, wherein the interaction object comprises at least one of address information or a POI title in the received POI information; and

when receiving a check operation on the interaction object, displaying, by the processor on the map interface, the received POI information at a location corresponding to the received POI information.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, under the instant communication application:

when displaying the received POI information and when a distance between a current location of the terminal device and the location corresponding to the received POI information is less than a preset threshold, displaying the current location of the terminal device on the map interface.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a set of instructions; and

a processor in communication with the processor-readable non-transitory storage medium, configured to execute the set of instructions to;

operate an instant communication application installed in the apparatus, and within the instant communication application, the set of instructions further executable by the processor to;

receive a message directed to the instant communication application, the message including location information;

display, on a screen, an interactive object on a session interface of the instant communication application in response to the message, the session interface configured to display messages sent and received with the instant communication application, the interactive object including the location information and responsive to user interaction;

display a map within the instant communication application on a first display area of the screen in response to a selection operation on the interactive object;

acquire a first location based on the location information of the interactive object;

acquire information of at least one point of interest (POI) associated with the first location;

display the first location on a map displayed in the first display area on the screen; and

display a first POI list in a second display area on the screen, wherein the first POI list includes at least one entry being displayed in a first order, each entry including POI information of a POI.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

when receiving a selection operation on an entry in the first POI list, acquire a second location corresponding to a selected entry;

display the second location on the map displayed in the first display area; and

display the first POI list in a second order in the second display area.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in the first order the at least one entry is listed based on a distance of the first location to a POI corresponding to the at least one entry to the first location;

and

in the second order the selected entry is a first entry in the first POI list and a remaining entry of the at least one entry is listed based on the distance of the first location to a POI corresponding to the remaining entry.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

send, in response to receipt of a send operation on the second location, the POI information of the second location to a receiver specified by the sending operation, wherein the POI information of the second location is configured to generate an interactive object mapped to the second location on the receiver, and the receiver is associated with a contact saved in the instant communication application.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein to acquire the first location the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to conduct at least one of:

acquisition of a current location apparatus as the first location;

or

in response to receipt of a dragging operation on the map displayed in the first display area, update a map according to a movement track of the dragging operation, and select a central location of the map displayed at an end of the dragging operation as the first location.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein POI information associated with the first location comprises at least one of:

POI information with a distance to the first location less than a preset threshold;

or

POI information having same keyword information as the first location,

wherein the POI information having the same keyword information as the first location comprises at least one of;

POI information having same street information as the first location;

POI information having same community information as the first location;

or

POI information having a same place name as the first location.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

display on the screen a search input box and a search option configured to allow a user to input a keyword in the search input box and send a search instruction to the processor by selecting the search option;

when receiving the search instruction, search for POI information associated with the keyword;

display a current location on the map in the first display area;

display a second POI list in the second display area, wherein the second POI list includes the POI information associated with the current location.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

in response to receipt of a selection operation on a POI information in the second POI list, acquire a third location according to selected POI information on the second POI list;

display the third location on the map; and

display a third POI list in the second display area, wherein the third POI list comprises POI information associated with the third location.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

display the first location and in response to a distance between a current location of the apparatus and the first location being less than a preset threshold, display the current location of the apparatus on the map.

20. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein within the instant communication application the processor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:

store, in response to a sharing operation on the second location, the POI information of the second location in at least one of a local storage area or a server, and permit a receiver specified by the sharing operation to check and modify the POI information of the second location.