Mapping application with interactive compass

• US 10,739,980 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moha, Alexandre, Carlhian, Alexandre, Godfrey, Edouard D., Borios, Guillaume, Baumann, Laurent, van Os, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): Trapanese, William C
• Application Number:
  US15/594,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20170315691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a mapping application that includes a novel compass control that can be used to navigate a presentation of a map. The mapping application displays one of a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of the map and a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map at a given time. The compass control may be used to rotate a view of the map based on a first type of input to the compass control and transition between the 2D presentation and the 3D presentation based on a second type of input to the compass control. In addition to causing the application to perform the various operations, the compass control in some embodiments serves as (1) an indicator as to whether the mapping application is currently in a 2D mode or a 3D mode and (2) an indicator that continuously points to north.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a mapping application for execution by at least one processing unit, the mapping application comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying one of a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of a map or a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map at a given time; and

displaying a first selectable control for receiving (i) a first type of input to rotate a view of the map from a first orientation to a second orientation (ii) a second type of input to rotate the view of the map to the first orientation, and

(iii) receiving a third type of input to transition between the 2D presentation and the 3D presentation;

wherein the 2D presentation comprises a first perspective of a virtual camera pointing downwards towards the 2D map from an overhead view and the 3D presentation comprises a second perspective of a virtual camera pointing towards the 3D map at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees above the horizon.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping application further comprises sets of instructions for presenting an animation on the map during a transition between the 2D presentation and the 3D presentation.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping application further comprises sets of instructions for presenting an animation on the map during a transition between the 3D presentation and the 2D presentation.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first type of input is a drag operation.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second type of input is a drag operation.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the view of the map rotates at a computed rate after receiving the first or second type of input.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the view of the map transitions between the 2D and 3D representations at a computed rate after receiving the third type of input.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the 3D presentation of the map is at a view that from a location above the map is at a non-perpendicular angle towards a location on the map.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second types of input are received from a trackpad or a mouse of a device.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sets of instructions for displaying the first selectable control comprises instructions for:

displaying the first selectable control in an emphasized manner when an indicator is positioned over the first selectable control.

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a mapping application which when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:

a display area for displaying one of a two-dimensional (2D) presentation of a map or a three-dimensional (3D) presentation of the map at a given time; and

a first selectable control for receiving (i) a first type of input to rotate a view of the map from a first orientation to a second orientation and (ii) a second type of input to rotate the view of the map to the first orientation, and

(iii) receiving a third type of input to transition between the 2D presentation and the 3D presentation;

wherein the 2D presentation comprises a first perspective of a virtual camera pointing downwards towards the 2D map from an overhead view and the 3D presentation comprises a second perspective of a virtual camera pointing towards the 3D map at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees above the horizon.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the mapping application presents an animation on the map during a transition between the 2D presentation and the 3D presentation.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the mapping application presents an animation on the map during a transition between the 3D presentation and the 2D presentation.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first type of input is a drag operation.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second type of input is a drag operation.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the view of the map rotates at a computed rate after receiving the first or second type of input.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the view of the map transitions between the 2D and 3D representations at a computed rate after receiving the third type of input.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the 3D presentation of the map is at a view that from a location above the map is at a non-perpendicular angle towards a location on the map.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and second types of input are received from a trackpad or a mouse of a device.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first selectable control is displayed in an emphasized manner when an indicator is positioned over the first selectable control.