Indicating availability of indoor content on a digital map

• US 9,684,947 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailiang, Zhou
• Primary Examiner(s): Ma, Tize
• Application Number:
  US14/472,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20150103102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• 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: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2012 Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/20 Linear translation of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. panning
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling

Abstract

An interactive digital map of a geographic area is provided via a viewport that defines a visible portion of the digital map. The digital map includes a representation of a structure. The viewport is panned relative to the digital map in response to receiving a user request. An indication that indoor map data is available for the structure is displayed in response to determining that the viewport is panning, and the indication is removed in response to determining that the viewport has stopped panning.

Claims

1. A method in a computing device for indicating availability of indoor map content, the method comprising:

providing, by one or more processors, an interactive digital map of a geographic area via a viewport, wherein the viewport defines a visible portion of the digital map, including generating a first representation of a structure;

moving, by the one or more processors, the viewport relative to the digital map in response to one or more commands;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether indoor map data is available for the structure;

in response to determining that indoor map data is available for the structure;

(i) while the viewport is moving, displaying a second representation of the structure that indicates that indoor map data is available for the structure in place of the first representation of the structure, and

(ii) when the viewport has stopped moving, displaying the first representation of the structure in place of the second representation of the structure; and

in response to determining that indoor map data is not available for the structure, continuing to display the first representation of the structure while the viewport is moving and when viewport has stopped moving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second representation includes one or more of:

(i) a different color applied to the structure than applied by the first representation,

(ii) different shading applied to the structure than applied by the first representation,

(iii) a different texture applied to the structure than applied by the first representation, and

(iv) a shadow applied to the structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via a communication network, map data for generating the interactive digital map, wherein the digital map includes representations of a plurality of structures, wherein the map data indicates for which of the plurality of structures indoor map data is available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the second representation of the structure in place of the first representation of the structure is further in response to determining that a zoom level at which the interactive digital map is being displayed is above a certain threshold level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the first representation of the structure in place of the second representation of the structure includes gradually fading in display of the first representation of the structure in the viewport and gradually fading out display of the second representation of the structure from the viewport.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the second representation of the structure includes gradually fading in display of the second representation of the structure in the viewport and gradually fading out display of the first representation of the structure from the viewport.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the first representation of the structure in place of the second representation of the structure includes delaying displaying of the first representation of the structure until a certain period of time has elapsed after determination of movement of the viewport has stopped moving.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the second representation of the structure in place of the first representation of the structure includes delaying display of the second representation of the structure until a period of time has elapsed after determination of movement of the viewport has started moving.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon instructions for indicating availability of indoor map content that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

provide an interactive digital map of a geographic area via a viewport, wherein the viewport defines a visible portion of the digital map, including generating a first representation of a structure;

move the viewport relative to the digital map in response to one or more commands;

determine whether indoor map data is available for the structure;

in response to determining that indoor map data is available for the structure;

(i) while the viewport is moving, display a second representation of the structure that indicates that indoor map data is available for the structure in place of the first representation of the structure, and

(ii) when the viewport has stopped moving, display the first representation of the structure in place of the second representation of the structure; and

in response to determining that indoor map data is not available for the structure, continue to display the first representation of the structure while the viewport is moving and when viewport has stopped moving.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first representation of the structure and the second representation of the structure differ in one or more of:

(i) color,

(ii) shading,

(iii) texture, and

(iv) presence of a shadow.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

determine a zoom level at which the digital map is being displayed, wherein the display of the second representation of the structure in place of the first representation of the structure is further in response the determination that the zoom level at which the interactive digital map is being displayed is above a certain threshold level.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to gradually display the first representation of the structure after a determination of movement of the viewport has stopped moving.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to gradually display the second representation of the structure in place of the first representation of the structure after a determination of movement of the viewport has started moving.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to delay display of the first representation of the structure in place of the second representation of the structure for a certain period of time after a determination of movement of the viewport has stopped moving.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to delay display of the second representation of the structure in place of the first representation of the structure for a certain period of time after a determination of movement of the viewport has started moving.

16. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a user interface coupled to the one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing thereon instructions for indicating availability of indoor map content, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

display, via a viewport on the user interface, an interactive digital map of a geographic area, wherein the viewport defines a visible portion of the digital map, and wherein the digital map includes a visual representation of a structure disposed within geographic area,

move the viewport in accordance with user input received via the user interface,

display an indication overlying the representation of the structure that indoor map data is available for the structure while the viewport is moving, and remove the indication when the viewport has stopped moving.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the indication includes one or more of:

(i) a different color applied to the structure,

(ii) different shading applied to the structure,

(iii) a different texture applied to the structure,

(iv) a shadow of the structure, and

(v) an indicator of indoor map features.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine a zoom level at which the digital map is being displayed, and wherein display of the indication overlying the representation of the structure that indoor map data is available is further in response to the determination that the zoom level at which the interactive digital map is being displayed is above a certain threshold level.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

detect a selection of the structure via the user interface, and

provide the indoor map data on the interactive digital map in response to the selection.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein to provide the indoor map data, the instructions cause the computing device to display a floor plan of at least one floor of the structure.