POI icon display method and navigation system

• US 6,983,203 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wako, Hikaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/626,197
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 701/211, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/204, 701/210, 340/988, 340/995, 340/990, 342/357, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/008 Touring maps or guides to public transport networks
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A Point of Interest (POI) icon display method in a navigation system is described for displaying a POI icon at a POI point on a map. For every POI in a POI category, the location point and type of POI are stored. Each POI is identified on the displayed map by the same POI icon, and when a POI icon of a POI is selected, the type of POI is displayed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of POI icons, recognize the type of POI, such as the type of food of a restaurant (classified by country, such as Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food, and French food), and provide a guide route to a desired POI quickly.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a POI icon at the location point of a POI on a map displayed by a navigation system, comprising:

defining a plurality of different POI categories, wherein at least some POI categories are further differentiated by type of goods or service within the category;

storing a location point and a type of POI for every POI in each category having different types of POI;

displaying the map image including POIs located on the map, wherein POIs from two or more categories can be displayed on the map at the same time, POIs within each category are displayed on the map by a common POI icon for that category, and the POI icons displayed on the map for different POI categories are different;

moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point;

selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list; and

for POIs having a stored type, displaying the type of POI within a category when a POI is selected.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein one POI category is restaurants and said type of POI is type of food classified by country.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the map is scrolled by an operation for moving a cursor and the POI icon corresponding to a POI is selected by said cursor.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

storing a POI name for each POI;

displaying POI names of a plurality of POI icons which are overlapped by the cursor; and

selecting the POI icon corresponding to a desired POI by selecting the POI name of said POI among said plurality of POI names.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a destination is set after selecting the POI icon, thereby searching a route to the POI corresponding to said POI icon.

6. A method of displaying a POI icon at the location point of a POI on a map displayed by a navigation system, comprising:

defining a plurality of different POI categories, wherein POIs in at least some POI categories are further differentiated by type of goods or service within the category;

storing a location point and a type of POI for every POI in each category having different types of POI;

presetting the type of POI in a selected POI category;

displaying the map image including POIs located on the map, wherein only POIs of said preset type of POI are displayed on the map by a common POI icon for the selected category, and POI icons are displayable on the map at the same time for different POI categories and are different;

moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point;

selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list; and

for POIs having a stored type, displaying the type of POI within a category when a POI is selected.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein one POI category is restaurants and said type of POI is type of food classified by country.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the map is scrolled by an operation for moving a cursor and the POI icon corresponding to a POI is selected by said cursor.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

storing a POI name for each POI;

displaying POI names of a plurality of POI icons which are overlapped by the cursor; and

selecting the POI icon corresponding to a desired POI by selecting the POI name of said POI among said plurality of POI names.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein a destination is set after selecting the POI icon, thereby searching a route to the POI corresponding to said POI icon.

11. A method of displaying a POI icon at the location point of a POI on a map displayed by a navigation system, comprising:

moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point; and

selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

storing a type of food for every restaurant; and

displaying the type of food in a restaurant, when selecting the POI name corresponding to said restaurant.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said type of food is classified by country.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the location corresponding to the cursor point is selected and, thereafter, said location is set as a destination, thereby searching a route to said location.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein a POI name is selected and, thereafter, a destination is set, thereby searching a route to the facility corresponding to said POI.

16. A method of displaying a POI icon at the location point of a POI on a map displayed by a navigation system, comprising:

displaying a POI icon of each POI at a location point on the map;

moving a cursor relative to the map, the cursor indicating a predetermined area; and

displaying only one POI icon and deleting the other POI icons, when a plurality of the same POI icons are included within said predetermined area indicated by the cursor.

17. A navigation system for displaying a Point of Interest (POI) icon at the location point of a POI on a map, comprising:

means for storing a location point and a type of POI for every POI in each of a plurality of different POI categories, wherein POIs in at least some POI categories are further differentiated by type of goods or service within the category;

means for displaying the map image including POIs located on the map, wherein POIs from two or more categories can be displayed on the map at the same time, POIs within each category are displayed on the map by a common POI icon for that category, and the POI icons displayed on the map for different POI categories are different;

means for moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

means for displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point;

means for selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list; and

means for displaying the type of POI within a category when a POI is selected, for POIs having a stored type.

18. A navigation system for displaying a Point of Interest (POI) icon at a displayed location point of a POI on a map, comprising:

means for storing a location point and a type of POI for every POI in each of a plurality of different POI categories, wherein POIs in at least some POI categories are further differentiated by type of goods or service within the category;

means for presetting the type of POI in a selected POI category;

means for displaying the map image including POIs located on the map, wherein only POIs of said preset type of POI are displayed on the map by a common POI icon for the selected category, and POI icons are displayable on the map at the same time for different POI categories and are different;

means for moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining a both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

means for displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point;

means for selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list; and

means for displaying the type of POI within a category when a POI is selected, for POIs having a stored type.

19. A navigation system for displaying a Point of Interest (POI) icon at a displayed location point of a POI on a map, comprising:

means for moving a cursor relative to the displayed map, the cursor defining both a predetermined area on the map and a cursor point on the map within the predetermined area;

means for displaying a list including a POI name of at least one POI located in the predetermined area defined by the cursor and a location on the map corresponding to the cursor point; and

means for selecting a POI name or the location corresponding to the cursor point from the list.