Point-of-interest icon and point-of-interest mark display method

• US 7,076,741 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyaki, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Application Number:
  US09/809,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20020130906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 345/712, 345/837, 345/968, 701/208
• US Class Current: 715/837
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

In a point-of-interest (POI) icon display method for displaying a POI icon at a position of a point of interest on a map, when a large number of POI icons are densely displayed, one representative icon is displayed instead of these POI icons. When the representative icon is selected, the original individual POI icons or detailed information of the POIs corresponding to the original individual POI icons are displayed. In a case in which a POI is displayed by a polygon on the map and the POI icon is present within the POI polygon, the POI icon is displayed in the central portion of the polygon.

Claims

1. A point-of-interest icon display method in a navigation apparatus for displaying on a screen two-dimensional point-of-interest icons at positions of points of interest on a displayed map, said method comprising:

displaying multiple point-of-interest icons using one representative icon when the areas of multiple point-of-interest icons are densely distributed on the displayed map;

wherein the act of displaying comprises calculating the total area of the icons displayed on the screen in order to determine an icon density, and when the density is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, grouping the icons into multiple-icon icons until the density falls below the predetermined value, where the area of a multiple-icon icon is less than the combined areas of the individual point-of-interest icons it replaces.

3. A point-of-interest icon display method according to claim 1, comprising:

displaying the original individual point-of-interest icons instead of a representative multiple-icon icon when said representative icon is selected.

4. A point-of-interest icon display method according to claim 1, comprising:

displaying information relating to the points of interest corresponding to the original individual point-of-interest icons when said representative icon is selected.

5. A point-of-interest icon display method according to one of claims 3 and 4, comprising:

displaying the multiple-icon icon instead of the original individual point-of-interest icons when a return instruction is provided.

2. A point-of-interest icon display method in a navigation apparatus for displaying two-dimensional point-of-interest icons at positions of points of interest on a map, said method comprising:

displaying multiple point-of-interest icons using one representative icon when the areas of multiple point-of-interest icons are densely distributed on the map;

wherein the act of displaying comprises determining the number of icons present within a predetermined distance along a street or between intersections along a street and displaying multiple icons along the street by a representative multiple-icon icon when the determined number of icons is a set number or more.

6. A navigation apparatus, for mounting in a vehicle, for displaying on a screen two-dimensional point-of-interest icons at positions of points of interest on a displayed map, said navigation apparatus comprising:

a control section for displaying multiple point-of-interest icons using one representative icon when the areas of multiple point-of-interest icons are densely distributed on the displayed map;

wherein said control section calculates the total area of the icons displayed on the screen in order to determine an icon density, and when the density is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, groups the icons into multiple-icon icons until the density falls below the predetermined value, where the area of a multiple-icon icon is less than the combined areas of the individual point-of-interest icons it replaces.

8. A navigation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when said representative icon is selected, said control section displays the original individual point-of-interest icons instead of the representative multiple-icon icon.

9. A navigation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when said representative icon is selected, said control section displays information relating to the points of interest corresponding to the original individual point-of-interest icons instead of the multiple-icon icon.

10. A navigation apparatus according to one of claims 8 and 9, wherein, when a return instruction is provided, said control section displays the multiple-icon icon instead of the original individual point-of-interest icons.

7. A navigation apparatus for mounting in a vehicle, for displaying two-dimensional point-of-interest icons at positions of points of interest on a map, said navigation apparatus comprising:

a control section for displaying multiple point-of-interest icons using one representative icon when the areas of multiple point-of-interest icons are densely distributed on the map;

wherein said control section determines the number of icons present within a predetermined distance along a street or between intersections along a street and displays multiple icons along the street using a representative multiple-icon icon when the determined number of icons is a set number or more.