Method and apparatus of a marking objects in images displayed on a portable unit

• US 9,965,140 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2011
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thaddeus Gabara
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US13/337,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,325 Days
• Field of Search: 345419, 345427, 345592
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens

Abstract

Location markers are placed on objects presented on a display screen. The location markers can be letters, numbers, or shapes placed near the desired objects to be viewed. After magnification, those earlier determined location markers of the display screen are located off-screen. However, arrows are labeled and point to the off-screen markers. The user moves the background image in the direction of the arrow to find that object. This innovative technique allows the user to mark locations, magnify the image of the map, and find all marked locations (without reverting to a lower magnification) by following pointers that direct the user to locations that are currently out of view of the screen. Furthermore, the user can find all marked locations without getting lost.

Claims

1. A portable unit comprising:

a memory configured to store a map mapped within a three dimensional space;

a first plane selected within the three dimensional space;

a plurality of locations selected within the three dimensional space of the map, the plurality of locations that are selected are each marked with a location marker, some of the plurality of locations are located on a first side of the first plane, and all remaining plurality of locations are located on a second side of the first plane;

an image of the map is displayed on a screen of the portable unit, the image corresponds to the first plane within the three dimensional space, wherein none of the plurality of locations selected are visible in the image displayed on the screen; and

each one of the plurality of locations marked with the location marker have a corresponding transparent arrow displayed on the screen pointing to their location marker, if the transparent arrow is a tail, the tail indicates that the transparent arrow points to the location markers located on the first side of the first plane, and if the transparent arrow is a head, the head indicates that the transparent arrow points to the location markers located on the second side of the first plane.

2. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

the diameter of each transparent arrow is proportional to the distance that the corresponding location marker is displaced from the first plane.

3. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

each location marker can be selected from the group consisting of letters, numbers, and different shapes placed next to the desired locations to be viewed.

4. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of locations is selected by a user.

5. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

when the portable unit is moved in the direction of either the transparent arrow with the head or the transparent arrow with the tail, the location being pointed to is eventually displayed on the screen.

6. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an RF module to access an external database to supply the memory with data.

7. A method of locating a plurality of locations comprising the steps of:

storing a map mapped within a three dimensional space into a memory;

selecting a first plane within the three dimensional space;

selecting within the three dimensional space of the map the plurality of locations, the plurality of locations that are selected are each marked with a location marker, some of the plurality of locations are located on a first side of the first plane, and all remaining plurality of locations are located on a second side of the first plane;

displaying an image of the map on a screen of the portable unit corresponding to the first plane within the three dimensional space, wherein at least one of the plurality of locations selected are visible in the image displayed on the screen; and

marking non-visible ones of the plurality of locations with the location marker;

associating each of the non-visible ones of the plurality of locations with a transparent arrow, each transparent arrow is displayed with the image on the screen, the location markers on the first side have their corresponding transparent arrow as a point, the point indicating the transparent arrow is pointing perpendicular from the first plane to its location marker on the first side, the location markers on the second side have their corresponding transparent arrow as a head, and the head indicating the transparent arrow is pointing perpendicular from the first plane to its location marker on the second side.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the diameter of each transparent arrow is proportional to the distance that the corresponding location marker is displaced from the first plane.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein

the location markers can be selected from the group consisting of letters, numbers, and different shapes placed near the desired locations to be viewed.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein

each of the plurality of locations is selected by a user.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein

when the portable unit is moved in the direction of either the transparent arrow with the head or the transparent arrow with the tail, the location being pointed to is eventually displayed on the screen.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

accessing an external database with an RF module to supply the memory with data.

13. A portable unit comprising:

a map mapped within a three dimensional space;

a first plane selected within the three dimensional space;

a plurality of locations selected within the three dimensional space of the map, the plurality of locations that are selected are each marked with a location marker, some of the plurality of locations are located on a first side of the first plane, and the rest of the plurality of locations are located on a second side of the first plane;

an image of the map is displayed on a screen of the portable unit, the image corresponding to the first plane within the three dimensional space, wherein none of the plurality of locations selected are visible in the image displayed on the screen; and

each one of the plurality of locations marked with the location marker and is identified with a transparent arrow, each of the transparent arrows are displayed on the screen, the transparent arrows with a point, point perpendicular from the first plane into the first side to their corresponding location marker, and the transparent arrows with a head, point perpendicular from the first plane into the second side to their corresponding location marker.

14. The portable unit of claim 13, wherein

the diameter of each transparent arrow is proportional to the distance that the corresponding location marker is displaced from the first plane and when the portable unit is moved in the direction of either the transparent arrow with the head or the transparent arrow with the tail, the location being pointed to is eventually displayed on the screen.

15. The portable unit of claim 13, further comprising:

a memory configured to store an image of the map; and

an RF module configured to access an external database to supply the memory with data.

16. The portable unit of claim 13, wherein

each of the plurality of locations is selected by a user.