Digital mapping system

• US 7,894,984 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Bret Steven, Ma, Stephen, Gordon, Noel Phillip, LaForge, Seth Michael, Kirmse, Andrew Robert, Rasmussen, Lars Eilstrup, Norris, James Christopher, Rasmussen, Jens Eilstrup
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/766,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-213, 3409951-99514
• US Class Current: 701/208
• 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 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/40 Filling a planar surface by adding surface attributes, e.g. colour or texture
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/004 Map manufacture or repair; Tear or ink or water resistant maps; Long-life maps printing processes for maps B41M3/02; by permanently attaching map sections to sheets B42B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Various methods, systems, and apparatus for implementing aspects of a digital mapping system are disclosed. One such method includes sending a location request from a client-side computing device to a map tile server, receiving a set of map tiles in response to the location request, assembling said received map tiles into a tile grid, aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape, and displaying the result as a map image. One apparatus according to aspects of the present invention includes means for sending a location request from a client-side computing device to a map tile server, means for receiving a set of map tiles in response to the location request, means for assembling said received map tiles into a tile grid, means for aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape, and means for displaying the result as a map image. Such an apparatus may further include direction control or zoom control objects as interactive overlays on the displayed map image, and may also include route or location overlays on the map image.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a map, comprising:

receiving a set of map tiles from a map tile server;

assembling the received map tiles into a tile grid;

aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape;

receiving a change to the clipping shape from the user;

responsive to the change to the clipping shape, changing a size of the tile grid; and

displaying the tile grid through the clipping shape.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the tile grid is at least twice a size of the clipping shape.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the clipping shape is a change in a shape of the clipping shape.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the clipping shape is a change in a size of the clipping shape.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the change in the size of the clipping shape is responsive to a change in a size of a window displaying the map.

6. A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to display a map, the instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a set of map tiles from a map tile server;

assembling the received map tiles into a tile grid;

aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape;

receiving a change to the clipping shape from the user;

responsive to the change to the clipping shape, changing a size of the tile grid; and

displaying the tile grid through the clipping shape.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the size of the tile grid is at least twice a size of the clipping shape.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the change to the clipping shape is a change in a shape of the clipping shape.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the change to the clipping shape is a change in a size of the clipping shape.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the change in the size of the clipping shape is responsive to a change in a size of a window displaying the map.