INTERACTIVE ELECTRONICALLY PRESENTED MAP

• US 20100138796A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activemap LLC
• Original Assignee: Activemap LLC
• Inventors: Jakubassa, Erika, Abramson, Michael, Atkin, Geoff, Grisham, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/855
• 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: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/053 Detail-in-context presentations fisheye or wide-angle transformations G06T3/047
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention provides computerized systems and methods for providing electronically presented interactive area representation, such as a map, and information associated therewith. A user can select text, imagery, or other information presented on the map and associated with one or more items or locations, causing presentation of information relating to the associated one or more items or locations, such as appropriate contact information or a hyperlink to an appropriate Web site. Additionally or alternatively, a user can input or select, based on a query or otherwise, information relating to one or more items or locations associated with text, imagery, or other information presented on the map, causing presentation of an indication of one or more locations of the associated text, imagery, or other information on the map. A magnifier feature allowing internal navigation within the map can be provided. Additionally, animated images can appear to move over the map.

Claims

1. A system for providing a user-interactive electronic area representation, comprising:

at least one database storing at least one area representation of an area and related information;

at least one computer and a computer readable storage medium or media including computer code that causes the at least one computer to cause a display device to display thereon;

a first display comprising a stored area representation, user selectable stored information relating to the one or more items at different locations on the area representation for different items and outside of the area representation user selectable stored additional information related to the one or more items;

in response to user input selecting information related to the one or more items displayed on the first display, a second display comprising a stored area representation and stored information related to the selected information; and

in response to user input selecting additional information displayed on the first display, a third display comprising a stored area representation and stored information related to the selected additional information.

4. The system, method or computer readable medium or media of claim 1, 2 or 3, respectively, wherein information displayed in response to user selection comprises an indication of information displayed in the first display.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising the at least one computer in response to input thereto from a pointing device causing the display device to display thereon another highlighted portion that is different from of the highlighted portion and another magnified representation corresponding to the other highlighted portion.

2. A method of providing a user-interactive electronic area representation, comprising:

at least one computer causing a display device to display a first display comprising an area representation, user selectable information relating to the one or more items at different locations on the area representation for different items and outside of the area representation user selectable additional information related to the one or more items;

in response to user input selecting information related to the one or more items displayed on the first display, the at least one computer causing the display device to display a second display comprising an area representation and information related to the selected information; and

in response to user input selecting additional information displayed on the first display, the at least one computer causing the display device to display a third display comprising an area representation and information related to the selected additional information.

3. A computer readable medium or media including computer code that causes at least one computer to perform a method of providing a user-interactive electronic area representation on a display device, the method comprising:

at least one computer causing a display device to display a first display comprising an area representation, user selectable information relating to the one or more items at different locations on the area representation for different items and outside of the area representation user selectable additional information related to the one or more items;

in response to user input selecting information related to the one or more items displayed on the first display, the at least one computer causing the display device to display a second display comprising an area representation and information related to the selected information; and

in response to user input selecting additional information displayed on the first display, the at least one computer causing the display device to display a third display comprising an area representation and information related to the selected additional information.

5. A method for providing an animated electronic map on a display device under control of at least one computer, comprising:

the at least one computer causing the display device to display thereon a map with a portion thereof displayed highlighted;

the at least one computer causing the display device to display thereon an image moving with respect to the map being displayed including through the highlighted portion and through the magnified representation of the highlighted portion, the image being represented magnified in the magnified portion as compared to the image moved with respect to the map being displayed, and the image being simultaneously displayed in the magnified representation of the highlighted portion of the map being displayed and in the map being displayed when the image is displayed in the highlighted portion.