Mapping method and system

• US 20060026170A1
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Diab, Ali, Kreitler, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 9,607,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A method comprises the steps of: transmitting a map request from a client computer to a server; receiving in the client computer data representing a map from a map server; receiving, in the client computer, dynamic, location-based data from a content provider separately from the data representing the map; generating within the client computer a rendering of the dynamic, location-based data overlaid on the map; and displaying the rendering on the client computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a map request from a client computer to a server;

receiving in the client computer data representing a map from a map server;

receiving, in the client computer, dynamic, location-based data from a content provider separately from the data representing the map;

generating within the client computer a rendering of the dynamic, location-based data overlaid on the map; and

displaying the rendering on the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic, location-based data include traffic data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the rendering is displayed with icons representing the traffic data on the map at locations corresponding to the locations represented by the icons.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the icons are located near a representation of a road on the map, and the traffic data include average speed of vehicles traveling on the road.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the icons are shown on both sides of a representation of the road, indicating respective average speeds of vehicles on each respective side of the road.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the icons are located near a representation of a road on the map, and the traffic data include icons representing traffic incidents or road construction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a summary of one of the traffic incidents or road construction is displayed when a cursor is moved over a location of a corresponding icon representing the traffic incident or road construction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein additional details of the one traffic incident or road construction are displayed when the icon is selected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the map server and the content provider are hosted on different computers from each other.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based data are represented on the map by interacive icons, the method further comprising displaying additional information pertaining to a location represented by one of the icons when the cursor is placed over the icon or the icon is selected.

21. A computer readable medium encoded with computer program code such that, when the computer program code is executed by a client computer, the client computer performs the method of claim 1.

22. A computer readable medium encoded with computer program code such that, when the computer program code is executed by a first client computer, the first client computer performs the method of claim 11.

11. A method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a map request from a first user at a first client computer to a web server, including a request for data representing a map provided by the web server, and for user-defined location-based data stored on a second client computer operated by a second user but not permanently stored on the web server, wherein the user-defined location-based data are transmitted from the second client computer to the server in a transmission initiated by the server in response to the map request;

receiving, in the first client computer, data representing the map;

receiving, in the first client computer, a representation of the location-based data, wherein the server transmits the representation of the user-defined location-based data to the first client computer separately from the data representing the map;

generating within the first client computer a rendering of icons representing the user-defined location-based data overlaid on the map; and

displaying the icons on the map at the first client computer at corresponding locations to which the location-based data pertain.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the location-based data are photographs or descriptions of individual locations represented by points on the map.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving in the first client a message from the second client containing a link to the web server, and using the link to access the server to transmit the map request to the server.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising presenting a link on a web page hosted by the second client, wherein the first client uses the link to access the server to transmit the map request to the server.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a map request from a client computer to a first web server, the map request including a request for data representing a map that is stored in a second web server and for location-based data that are stored in the first web server, wherein the first web server requests that the second web server transmit the data representing the map and the location-based data to the client computer in response to the map request from the client computer, and the second web server obtains the location-based data from the first web server;

receiving, in the client computer, data from the second web server representing the map separately from a representation of the location-based data;

generating within the client computer a rendering of the user-defined location-based data overlaid on the map; and

displaying the user-defined location-based data on the map on the client computer at locations corresponding to the locations to which the data pertain.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a database query from the client computer to the first web server;

receiving a response to the query from the first web server, the response including the location-based data; and

displaying a link or control in the client computer, such that selection of the link or control initiates the map request transmitting step.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first web server hosts a web-based classified advertisement service that receives the map request from the client, and the second web server hosts a web-based mapping service.

23. A computer readable medium encoded with computer program code such that, when the computer program code is executed by a client computer, the client computer performs the method of claim 15.

18. A system, comprising:

at least one server for receiving a request for a map, and for providing data representing the map, and for causing dynamic, location-based data from a content provider to be provided separately from the data representing the map;

a client computer that transmits the map request to the server, and receives the data representing the map from the server, and receives the dynamic, location-based data separately from the data representing the map, the client computer comprising;

means for generating a rendering of the dynamic, location-based data overlaid on the map; and

a display that displays the rendering on the client computer.

19. A system comprising:

a web server that receives a map request;

a first client computer that transmits the map request to the web server, the map request including a request for data representing a map provided by the web server and for user-defined location-based data not permanently stored on the web server; and

a second client computer that stores the user-defined location-based data, wherein;

the second client computer transmits the user-defined location-based data to the server in a transmission initiated by the server in response to the map request,

the server transmits a representation of the user-defined location-based data to the first client computer and separately transmits the data representing the map to the first client computer, and

the first client computer generates and displays a rendering of icons representing the user-defined location-based data overlaid on the map at corresponding locations to which the location-based data pertain.

20. A system comprising a client computer and a first and a second web server,

said client computer transmitting a map request to the first web server, the map request including a request for location-based data that are stored in the first web server and for data representing a map that is stored in the second web server, wherein:

the first web server requests that the second web server transmit the data representing the map and the location-based data to the client computer in response to the map request from the client computer,

the second web server obtains the location-based data from the first web server, and

the client computer receives the data representing the map from the second web server separately from a representation of the location-based data and generates and displays a rendering of the user-defined location-based data overlaid on the map at corresponding locations to which the data pertain.