Map tile data pre-fetching based on user activity analysis

• US 8,204,966 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mendis, Charles, Nourse, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/244,764
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/203, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a smart phone or other mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on device activities. For example, a user activity system may receive user activity data from the mobile device. The user activity system may then extract geographic location data from the user activity data and send the geographic location data to a mapping system via a network connection. The mapping system may then match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data and send the matched map tile data to the mobile computing device for cache storage at the mobile computing device. The user activity system may also analyze the user activity data to determine whether the extracted geographic location data is relevant enough to warrant pre-fetching the tile data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for pre-fetching map tile data to a mobile computing device based on user activity with the mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving user activity data at a user activity system from the mobile computing device via a network connection, the user activity data generated or received by an application executing on the mobile computing device and indicating a geographic location;

extracting geographic location data from the user activity data;

sending the geographic location data to a mapping system via a network connection;

matching map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data, the map tile data including portions of a map image having a uniform size;

sending the matched map tile data in a vector format from the mapping system to the mobile computing device;

storing the matched map tile data in a cache storage of the mobile computing device; and

subsequently retrieving the matched map tile data from the cache storage for display at the mobile computing device in a raster format without further communication between the mapping system and the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device executes applications including one or more of a web browser, a mapping application, a trip planning application, an e-mail application, and a social networking application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the applications generate the user activity data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the user activity data includes one or more of a history file corresponding to a log of web page requests, locations, flight information, e-mail discussions, and social networking profile information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the geographic location data includes one or more of a city name, an address, an airport code, or global positioning system coordinates.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein extracting geographic location data from the user activity data includes parsing the user activity data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the extracted user activity to determine if the extracted geographic location data is relevant, wherein relevant geographic location data includes a number of geographic location indications above a threshold.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein sending the geographic location data to the mapping system includes sending relevant geographic location data to the mapping system.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein matching map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data includes matching map tile data to the relevant geographic location data extracted from the user activity data.

10. A computer system for pre-fetching map tile data to a mobile computing device based on user activity with the mobile device, the system comprising:

a user activity system including a memory and a processor, the user activity system in communication with a mobile computing device, the user activity system memory including instructions for execution on the user activity system processor to receive user activity data from an application executing on a processor of the mobile computing device via a network connection and to extract geographic location data from the user activity data;

a mapping system including a memory storing instructions for execution on a mapping system processor to receive the geographic location data from the user activity system via the network connection, to match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data, and to send the matched map tile data to the mobile computing device, the map tile data including portions of a map image having a uniform size; and

a mapping module stored in a memory of the mobile computing device including instructions for execution on the mobile computing device processor to store the matched map tile data in cache storage at the mobile computing device and to retrieve the matched map tile data from the cache storage for display at the mobile computing device without receiving further communication from the mapping system.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the mobile computing device processor executes applications including one or more of a web browser, a mapping application, a trip planning application, an e-mail application, and a social networking application, and the applications generate the user activity data, the user activity data including one or more of a history file corresponding to a log of web page requests, locations, flight information, e-mail discussions, and social networking profile information.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the geographic location data includes one or more of a city name, an address, an airport code, or global positioning system coordinates.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the user activity system memory includes further instructions for execution on the user activity system processor to analyze the extracted user activity data to determine if the extracted geographic location data is relevant, the relevant geographic location data including a number of geographic location indications above a threshold.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the user activity system memory includes further instructions for execution on the user activity system processor to send relevant geographic location data to the mapping system.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the mapping system memory includes further instructions for execution on the mapping system processor to match map tile data to the relevant geographic location data extracted from the user activity data.

16. A computer-implemented method for pre-fetching map tile data to a mobile computing device based on user activity with the mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving user activity data at a user activity system, the user activity data generated or received by an application executing on the mobile computing device and indicating a geographic location;

extracting geographic location data from the user activity data;

sending the geographic location data to a mapping system via a network connection;

matching map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data, the map tile data including portions of a map image having a uniform size;

sending the matched map tile data to the mobile computing device;

storing the matched map tile data in a cache storage of the mobile computing device; and

subsequently retrieving the matched map tile data from the cache storage for display at the mobile computing device without receiving further communication from the mapping system.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the application includes one or more of a web browser, a mapping application, a trip planning application, an e-mail application, and a social networking application and the application generates the user activity data.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the user activity data includes one or more of a history file corresponding to a log of web page requests, locations, flight information, e-mail discussions, and social networking profile information and the geographic location data includes one or more of a city name, an address, an airport code, or global positioning system coordinates.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing the extracted user activity data to determine if the extracted geographic location data is relevant, the relevant geographic location data including a number of geographic location indications above a threshold, wherein sending the geographic location data to the mapping system includes sending relevant geographic location data to the mapping system and matching map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data includes matching map tile data to the relevant geographic location data extracted from the user activity data.

20. A computer system for pre-fetching map tile data to a mobile computing device based on user activity with applications executing on the mobile computing device, the system comprising:

a user activity system including a memory storing instructions for execution on a user activity system processor to receive user activity data from an application executing on the mobile computing device, to extract geographic location data from the user activity data, and to send the geographic location data to a memory of a mapping system, the mapping system memory including instructions for execution on a mapping system processor to match map tile data to the geographic location data, the map tile data including portions of a map image having a uniform size; and

a mapping module including a memory storing instructions for execution on a mapping module processor to receive the matched map tile data, to store the matched map tile data in cache storage at the mobile computing device, and to retrieve the matched map tile data from the cache storage for display at the mobile computing device without receiving further data that originates externally from the mobile computing device.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the application executing on the mobile computing device includes one or more of a web browser, a mapping application, a trip planning application, an e-mail application, and a social networking application, the application generates the user activity data, the user activity data includes one or more of a history file corresponding to a log of web page requests, locations, flight information, e-mail discussions, and social networking profile information, and the geographic location data includes one or more of a city name, an address, an airport code, or global positioning system coordinates.