Systems and methods for printing maps and directions

• US 8,700,331 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Bradford, Blumenberg, Christopher, Van Os, Marcel, Dul, Albert, Jon, Tiffany
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US13/487,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 701/533
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1843 Changing size or raster resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

This is directed to systems, methods, and computer-readable media for printing maps and directions. In response to receiving an instruction to print directions, a device can define a layout optimized to show the route to travel, along with distinct steps that correspond to the route. The layout can include a map overview showing the entire route, with callouts identifying each step on the route. The layout can also include listings of individual steps, where each listing includes a reference number referring back to a callout and a description of the step. Each listings can also include a map tile showing a detailed view of the step corresponding to the listing. The map overview and the listings can be disposed, for example, in different columns of a landscape view.

Claims

1. A method for printing directions from a starting location to a final location, the method comprising:

at an electronic device, retrieving a route from the starting location to the final location;

defining a printing layout comprising;

a first region comprising a map showing an overview of the route and a plurality of identifiers each identifier corresponding to a particular maneuver in a plurality of maneuvers for navigating from the starting location to the final location along the route, each identifier displayed at a different location along the route and separate from the route; and

a second region adjacent to the first region, the second region comprising instructions for a set of maneuvers from the plurality of maneuvers for navigating from the starting location to the final location, wherein at least one instruction in the second region makes reference to at least one identifier in the first region; and

initiating an instruction from the electronic device to print the printing layout.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a scale for the map in the first region; and

displaying a graphical indication of the scale on the map.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

defining a length associated with the determined scale for the map; and

providing a border around the map, wherein the border comprises a sequence of discontinuous segments of the defined length.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein segments of the sequence of discontinuous segments are spaced apart by the defined length.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each instruction in the second region comprises at least one of:

an instruction number;

a graphical representation depicting the instruction; and

a textual description of the instruction.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising displaying the graphical representation of the instruction at a different scale than the map of the first region.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein graphical representations for at least two instructions are displayed at different scales.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining an expected decision time associated with each instruction of the route; and

defining a scale based on the determined expected decision time at which to display the graphical representation associated with each instruction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the expected decision time further comprises determining the expected decision time from at least one of:

a maneuver of the instruction;

an expected speed at which the maneuver of the instruction is performed;

a previous instruction; and

a next instruction.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a set of processing units for executing sets of instructions; and

a non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one of the processing units generates a layout for printing directions the program comprising sets of instructions for;

receiving an instruction to print directions from a first location to a second location;

retrieving a map showing an overview of a route from the first location to the second location;

retrieving a sequence of instructions for navigating along the route from the first location to the second location, each instruction comprising a graphical representation of the instruction and a textual description of the instruction; and

defining a layout with the retrieved map in a first column of the layout and a listing comprising the retrieved sequence of instructions in a second column of the layout.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for initiating printing of the layout.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

displaying, for each instruction of the sequence of instructions, an identifier identifying the instruction on the route in the retrieved map.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the program further comprises a set of instruction for retrieving the graphical representation for each displayed identifier to include in the listing.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for selecting a scale for each graphical representation that differs from the scale of the retrieved map in the first column of the layout.

15. A method for printing directions from a starting location to a destination, the method comprising:

at an electronic device, identifying a sequence of instructions for navigating from the starting location to the destination;

dividing the sequence of instructions between at least two pages such that different sets of instructions are assigned to different pages and the difference in number of instructions printed on each page is at most two;

defining a layout for printing the instructions, wherein the layout for each of the at least two pages comprises;

a map showing an overview of a route from the starting location to the destination in a first region of the page; and

a listing of the set of instructions assigned to the page in a second region of the page, wherein each entry of the listing of the set of instructions comprises a number, a graphical representation of the instruction, and a textual description of the instruction; and

receiving an instruction at the electronic device to initiate printing of the layout.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the layout is defined for a landscape orientation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein defining the layout further comprises:

disposing the map on a left side of the layout; and

disposing the listing of the set of instructions on a right side of the layout, wherein the layout can be folded on a centerline of the layout to place the map over the listing of the set of instructions.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein defining the layout further comprises:

providing a discontinuous border around the map, wherein a dimension of a discontinuous segment of the discontinuous border is associated with a scale of the map.

19. An electronic device comprising:

a set of processing units for executing sets of instructions; and

a non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one of the processing units initiates a printing system to print directions, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

receiving an instruction to print directions from a starting location to a destination, wherein the directions comprise a sequence of instructions, each instruction displaying a graphical representation and a textual description of the instruction;

defining, for each instruction, a scale for the graphical representation of the instruction based on characteristics of a maneuver associated with the instruction, the graphical representation depicting the maneuver associated with the instruction, wherein the scale used for the graphical representation associated with a first instruction is different from the scale used for the graphical representation associated with a second instruction; and

defining a layout for printing the directions, wherein the layout comprises a plurality of instructions in the sequence of instructions, wherein each instruction displays the graphical representation of the instruction at the defined scale for the graphical representation.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

determining, for each instruction, characteristics of the maneuver associated with the instruction; and

defining the scale for each graphical representation of each instruction based on the determined characteristics.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

retrieving, for each instruction, characteristics of the maneuver associated with at least one of a previous instruction and a next instruction; and

defining the scale for each graphical representation based on the retrieved characteristics.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the characteristics comprise at least one of:

a speed of the maneuver associated with the instruction;

a type of the maneuver associated with the instruction; and

a mode of transportation for a sequence of maneuvers associated with the sequence of instructions.

23. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for printing instructions from a starting location to a destination, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

identifying a sequence of instructions for navigating from the starting location to the destination;

dividing the sequence of instructions between at least two pages such that different sets of instructions are assigned to different pages and the difference in number of instructions printed on each page is at most two;

defining a layout for printing the instructions, wherein the layout for each of the at least two pages comprises;

a map showing an overview of a route from the starting location to the destination in a first region of the page; and

a listing of the set of instructions assigned to the page in a second region of the page, wherein each entry of the listing of the set of instructions comprises a number, a graphical representation of the instruction, and a textual description of the instruction; and

providing the layout to a printing system for printing.

24. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of instructions for defining the layout comprises a set of instructions for providing a discontinuous border around the map, wherein a dimension of a segment of the discontinuous border is associated with a scale of the map.

25. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

retrieving, for each instruction, characteristics of a maneuver associated the instruction; and

defining a scale for each graphical representation based on the retrieved characteristics.