SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING ADDRESS INFORMATION ON A MAP

• US 20090119009A1
• Filed: 11/07/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: DICKE, Ronald Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers

Abstract

A method of displaying a map on a wireless communications device includes steps of determining a current position of the wireless communications device, determining address information corresponding to the current position of the wireless communications device, and presenting the address information to a user of the device. The address information can be displayed onscreen as a pair of odd and even numbers representing the street addresses on each side of the street at the current position of the device. The street addresses can be determined by interpolating the address from an address range for the path segment along which the device is traveling. Alternatively, where specific addresses have been stored in association with coordinates, the closest address can be determined. This technology facilitates navigation by presenting street numbers corresponding to the real-time position of the device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a map on a wireless communications device, the method comprising steps of:

identifying a position on the map;

determining address information corresponding to the position displayed on the wireless communications device; and

presenting the address information via a user interface of the device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of identifying the position on the map comprises identifying a center of the map displayed onscreen.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of identifying the position on the map comprises receiving current position information representing a current position of the wireless communications device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of presenting the address information comprises displaying a street number on a map adjacent to a graphical current position indicator displayed on the map.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of presenting the address information comprises audibly reporting the address information.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the address information further comprises audibly reporting the address information in addition to the displaying of the street number.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of presenting the address information comprises displaying a pair of odd and even street numbers corresponding to addresses on each side of the current position.

8. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of determining address information comprises steps of:

identifying a path segment along which the device is traveling based on the current position of the device;

determining an address range for the path segment; and

interpolating a street address corresponding to the current position of the device by calculating a ratio of a distance of the device along the path segment relative to a total length of the path segment and then applying the ratio to the address range to interpolate the street address corresponding to the current position of the device.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising steps of:

determining an address spacing between successive street addresses along the path segment; and

rounding off an interpolated street address to a nearest value of the address spacing.

10. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of determining address information comprises steps of:

identifying a path segment along which the device is traveling based on the current position of the device;

obtaining specific street addresses for the path segment along with corresponding coordinates of longitude and latitude for each of the specific street addresses along the path segment; and

determining which of the specific street addresses is closest to the current position of the device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the step of determining which of the street addresses is closest comprises steps of:

determining a bearing of the device representing a direction of travel of the device along the path segment; and

determining the closest specific street address to the current position by only computing distances to specific street addresses adjacent to or ahead of the current position while ignoring specific street addresses that lie behind the device.

12. A computer program product comprising code which, when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device, is adapted to display a map on a display of the wireless communications device by performing steps of:

identifying a position on the map;

determining address information corresponding to the position; and

presenting the address information via a user interface of the device.

13. The computer program product as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of identifying the position on the map comprises identifying a center of the map displayed onscreen.

14. The computer program product as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of identifying the position on the map comprises receiving current position information representing a current position of the wireless communications device.

15. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein the code is further adapted to perform the step of displaying a street number on a map adjacent to a graphical current position indicator displayed on the map.

16. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein the code is adapted to perform the step of displaying a pair of odd and even street numbers corresponding to addresses on each side of the current position.

17. A wireless communications device comprising:

a display for displaying a map; and

a processor operatively coupled to memory for identifying a position on the map and for executing a map application configured to render the map on the display of the device, the map application being configured to dynamically determine and present address information corresponding to the position identified on the map.

18. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 17 wherein the position identified on the map is a center of the map displayed onscreen.

19. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 17 further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining a current position of the device, wherein the map application dynamically presents address information corresponding to the current position of the device.

20. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 19 wherein the display of the device displays a street number on the map adjacent to a graphical current position indicator representing graphically the current position of the device.

21. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 20 further comprising a speaker for audibly reporting the address information.

22. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 19 wherein the display of the device displays a pair of odd and even street numbers adjacent to a graphical current position indicator that graphically represents the current position of the device on the map.

23. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 19 wherein the map application is configured to determine address information by:

identifying a path segment along which the device is traveling based on the current position of the device;

determining an address range for the path segment; and

interpolating a street address corresponding to the current position of the device by calculating a ratio of a distance of the device along the path segment relative to a total length of the path segment and then applying the ratio to the address range to interpolate the street address corresponding to the current position of the device.

24. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 19 wherein the map application is configured to determine address information by:

identifying a path segment along which the device is traveling based on the current position of the device;

obtaining specific street addresses for the path segment along with corresponding coordinates of longitude and latitude for each of the specific street addresses along the path segment; and

determining which of the specific street addresses is closest to the current position of the device.