REPRESENTATION OF OVERLAPPING VISUAL ENTITIES

• US 20110265030A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Jeff J., Impas, Romualdo T., Loomis, Anne H., Paulin, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/002 Magnetic work holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• 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 3/04842 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 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• 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 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 : for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5569 : details of specially adapted mobile parts, e.g. electromechanical control devices motors in general H02K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 : Work holding

Abstract

Various embodiments present a combined visual entity that represents overlapping visual entities. The combined visual entity can include a primary visualization that represents one of the overlapping visual entities and annotations that represent others of the overlapping visual entities. For example, a map view can include multiple geographical entities that overlap. A primary visualization can be rendered that represents one of the multiple geographical entities. The primary visualization can be visually annotated (e.g., with symbols, letters, or other visual indicators) to indicate others of the multiple geographical entities. In some embodiments, a zoom operation can cause visual entities to be added and/or removed from the combined visual entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that multiple visual entities overlap;

retrieving multiple visualizations, the multiple visualizations including a different visualization for each of the multiple visual entities; and

rendering a combined visual entity that includes the multiple visualizations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple visual entities correspond to one or more locations on a map.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple visual entities represent entities from multiple data layers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple visual entities represent one or more business entities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the multiple visual entities overlap comprises considering a display location for each of the multiple visual entities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the multiple visual entities overlap comprises considering geographic coordinates for each of the multiple visual entities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined visualization comprises a primary visualization and one or more annotations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary visualization corresponds to one of the multiple visual entities and the one or more annotations correspond to one or more others of the multiple visual entities.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to receiving an indication of a zoom level change, determining that a visual entity of the multiple visual entities no longer overlaps with one or more other visual entities of the multiple visual entities; and

removing a visualization for the visual entity from the combined visual entity.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing information about one or more of the multiple visual entities to be displayed responsive to receiving an indication of a user interaction with the combined visual entity.

11. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

rendering a combined visual entity that includes a visualization for each visual entity of multiple overlapping visual entities;

determining, responsive to receiving an indication of a zoom-in operation, that one of the multiple overlapping visual entities no longer overlaps; and

removing a visualization for the one of the multiple overlapping visual entities from the combined visual entity.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein one or more of the multiple overlapping visual entities represents one or more geographic locations.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the combined visual entity comprises a primary visualization and one or more annotations.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the primary visualization corresponds to one of the multiple overlapping visual entities and the one or more annotations correspond to others of the multiple overlapping visual entities.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the zoom-in operation is responsive to a user interaction with a map view.

16. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein removing the visualization for the one of the multiple overlapping visual entities from the combined visual entity comprises removing an annotation from the combined visual entity.

17. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein removing the visualization for the one of the multiple overlapping visual entities from the combined visual entity comprises replacing a primary visualization of the combined visual entity with a different primary visualization.

18. One or more computer readable storage media embodying one or more modules configured to:

determine that multiple visual entities overlap;

retrieve a primary visualization for a first visual entity of the multiple visual entities and an annotation for a second visual entity of the multiple visual entities; and

render a combined visual entity that includes the primary visualization and the annotation.

19. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the one or more modules are configured to determine that the multiple visual entities overlap based on one or more of a display location for each of the multiple visual entities or geographic coordinates for each of the multiple visual entities.

20. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the first visual entity and the second visual entity are each associated with different data layers.