Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7752555?dq=456322
Timestamp: 2014-03-14 14:35:22
Document Index: 577969009

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100']

Patent US7752555 - Controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture is disclosed. In one method approach, data describing a single gesture that was inked on a map application output displayed on a device is received. The data is utilized to control multiple operations of the map a...http://www.google.com/patents/US7752555?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7752555 - Controlling multiple map application operations with a single gestureAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7752555 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/700,416Publication dateJul 6, 2010Filing dateJan 31, 2007Priority dateJan 31, 2007Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS20080184173Publication number11700416, 700416, US 7752555 B2, US 7752555B2, US-B2-7752555, US7752555 B2, US7752555B2InventorsHerry Sutanto, Richard L. Spencer, Todd M. Landstad, Subha Bhattacharyay, Haiyong Wang, F. David JonesOriginal AssigneeMicrosoft CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (11), Non-Patent Citations (3), Classifications (10), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetControlling multiple map application operations with a single gestureUS 7752555 B2Abstract A technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture is disclosed. In one method approach, data describing a single gesture that was inked on a map application output displayed on a device is received. The data is utilized to control multiple operations of the map application.
BACKGROUND People have used paper maps for thousands of years to determine how to travel from one location to another. In more recent times, people have used paper maps to navigate across and within cities, and to find desired residences or businesses.
Map applications can be employed in various endeavors such as navigation, urban planning, reconnaissance, geographic information systems (GIS), and so on. Map applications enable the user to perform various operations such as, but not limited to zooming in or out of the displayed map, generating or requesting navigational directions, and changing which regions of a map are viewed on the display device (also known as �panning�). Various other operations of the map application are also often user-controllable.
SUMMARY This Summary is provided to introduce concepts concerning controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture which are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In one system approach, �a single gesture for multiple map operations data receiver� is configured for receiving data describing the single gesture that was written on a map displayed on a mobile device. The single gesture enables controlling multiple operations that are determined based on the single gesture. �A single gesture for multiple map operations communicator� is configured for communicating the multiple operations to the map application to enable manipulation of the map based on the multiple operations.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture and, together with the description, serve to explain principles discussed below:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture will be described in conjunction with various embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture to these embodiments. On the contrary, the presented technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope the various embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture. However, the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present embodiments.
Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present detailed description, discussions utilizing terms such as �controlling,� �receiving,� �utilizing,� �determining,� �communicating,� �using,� �navigating,� �manipulating,� or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device. The computer system or similar electronic computing device manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices. The present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture is also well suited to the use of other computer systems such as, for example, optical and mechanical computers. Additionally, it should be understood that in embodiments of the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture, one or more of the steps can be performed manually.
Overview Conventional map applications typically require the use a combination of user interface devices and multiple user interactions with the combination of user interfaces in order to control operations associated with the conventional map applications. For example, conventional map applications require users to type a substantial amount of text in order to obtain directions for driving from one location to another. In another example, conventional map applications require users to perform a multitude of clicking and dragging operations to zoom in or out and to pan appropriately in order to selectively display a location of interest. Typing, clicking, dragging, and so on are examples of user initiated operations.
A Method of Controlling Multiple Map Application Operations With A Single Gesture FIG. 1 is a flowchart 100 for a method of controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture, according to various embodiments. Although specific steps are disclosed in flowchart 100, such steps are exemplary. That is, various embodiments of the present technology are well suited to performing various other steps or variations of the steps recited in flowchart 100. It is appreciated that the steps in flowchart 100 may be performed in an order different than presented, and that not all of the steps in flowchart 100 may be performed. The steps of flowchart 100 will be described briefly below. The present detailed description will describe the steps in more detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2A-6.
A single gesture, according to one embodiment, is inked on the map application output without requiring a pointing device, such as a stylus or pen, to be lifted. For example, the gesture 210 can be inked on a map application output without a pointing device being lifted. According to another embodiment, a single gesture may be comprised of more than one stroke where the pointing device is lifted between strokes. For example, a single gesture in the form of an �X� includes two strokes where the pointing device is lifted once between the two strokes. The �X� could be used to indicate a destination. A pen can have a magnetic coil that is used to �ink� a gesture on a displayed map. A gesture that is visible after being inked shall be referred to as an �inked gesture.�
FIG. 2A depicts a single gesture 210 inked on map application output 200A, according to one embodiment. The single gesture 210 is a �zoom gesture� that is used to zoom in, according to one embodiment. For example, the apex of a zoom gesture 210 designates the center of a map that will result from the zoom operation. The height of a zoom gesture 210 designates the degree of the zoom operation. For example, the larger the zoom gesture 210, the larger the map that results from the zoom operation. The zoom gesture 210 is in the shape of what is commonly known as a �chevron.� The pixel coordinates for the apex, the end of the left leg and the end of the right leg is one example of data describing a zoom gesture 210 which is received as described in conjunction with step 120. The orientation of the apex and the height of the zoom gesture 210 are a couple examples of characteristics of the zoom gesture 210 that are determined and utilized as a part of controlling multiple operations of the map application, as will become more evident.
FIG. 2B depicts map application output 200B after data describing the single gesture 210 was utilized to control multiple operations of the map application, according to one embodiment. For example, a �zoom in� operation has been performed on a region of the displayed map 200A (FIG. 2A) that is in proximity to the zoom gesture 210 resulting in the displayed map 200B.
The device that displays the map is a desktop, a laptop, or a mobile device, among other things, according to one embodiment. A mobile device, according to one embodiment, is any device that is portable. Examples of mobile devices include but are not limited to hand held personal device (HDPC), palm-held personal computers (PPC or PDA), tablet PCs, and cell phones. A mobile device may not have all of the functionality of a traditional desktop and therefore may be what is commonly known as a �thin client.�
Gestures FIGS. 2A and 2B depict one example of a single gesture 210. FIGS. 3A and 3B depict other examples of single gestures and a couple of commands, according to various embodiments. The following is a description of just a few examples of single gestures.
Gestures 301-304 are used to pan across a map, according to various embodiments. The arrows indicate the direction the gestures 301-304 were entered. Gestures 301 and 304 enable panning up or down. Gestures 302 and 303 enable panning left or right. Gestures 301-304 shall also be referred to herein as �panning gestures.� The length and direction of a panning gesture are used as a part of determining the amount to pan. For example, the location of the map at the beginning of the panning gesture is moved to the location where the panning gesture ends. Although FIG. 2A depicts pan gestures for up, down, left and right, pan gestures can be entered in other directions. For example, a pan gesture can be used to pan diagonally. According to one embodiment, a panning operation is performed after the panning gesture has been entered.
Gestures 305 and 306 are used to switch map styles, according to one embodiment. Gestures 305 and 306 shall also be referred to as �switch map styles gestures.� A couple examples of map styles include but are not limited to a graphical map and a satellite representation of a map. The styles can be stored in an ordered list. If the switch map styles gesture 305 has one loop the style used for displaying the map may be switched to the first style in the ordered list. If the switch map styles gesture 306 has two loops, the style used for displaying the map may be switched to the second style in the ordered list.
Gesture 309 is used to indicate the start point of a route, according to one embodiment. Gesture 309 shall also be referred to as a �start point gesture� or a �start gesture.� Gesture 310 is used to indicate the end point of a route, according to one embodiment. Gesture 310 shall also be referred to as an �end point gesture� or an �end gesture.� Driving directions between the start and end point can be determined based on a gesture 309 and a gesture 310.
Gesture 311 causes a device to enter a mode that enables a user to associate text with a map (also commonly known as �annotating�), according to one embodiment. Gesture 311 shall also be referred to as a �writing mode gesture.� For example, a gesture 311 can be inked by touching a displayed map with a pointing device. When the writing mode is entered, the user can start writing for example using their pointing device. The writing is recognized and translated into text. The entered text may be stored as annotations for the map. In another example, the entered text represents commands, as will become more evident.
Gesture 312 causes one or more commands to be analyzed and executed, according to one embodiment. Gesture 312 shall also be referred to as an �execute command gesture.� For example, after a user has entered a start point gesture and an end point gesture, the user may enter an execute command gesture. Driving directions between the start point and the end point represented by the start gesture 309 and the end gesture 310 are generated. In another example, the user may write one or more commands while in �writing mode.� The user can enter the execute command gesture resulting in the commands that were previously entered being executed.
Gesture 316 is used to delete previously entered gestures, commands, text and so on, according to various embodiments. Gesture 316 shall also be referred to as a �delete gesture� or a �scratch out gesture.� For example, the delete gesture can be used to delete gestures or commands that have been queued up for execution. More specifically, if a start point gesture 309 and an end point gesture 310 were entered but an execute command gesture 312 has not been entered, the delete gesture can be used to delete the start point gesture 309 and the end point gesture 310. In another example, the delete gesture is used to delete annotations. In yet another example, the delete gesture is used to delete displayed driving directions. The delete gesture can be applied to commands, gestures, or text that the delete gesture is entered on top of. The delete gesture can be applied to commands or gestures, among other things, that are queued up but have not yet been executed. These are just a few examples of how the delete gesture can be used.
Gestures 301-312, 315 and 316 are examples of single gestures. According to another embodiment, a command is comprised of free form writing. Commands 313 and 314 are examples of commands comprised of free form writing. Command 313 can be used for finding a place or an address. For example Seattle's space needle is an example of a place. The text �Find Space Needle� can be used to find the space needle. �123 5th Avenue S., Seattle� is an example of text specifying an address. The command �Find 123 5th Avenue S., Seattle� can be used to find the specified address.
Command 314 is used to find a particular type of establishment near a certain location, according to one embodiment. For example �Find Starbucks in 98007� can be used to find the nearest Starbucks� near or in the zip code 98007. �Find Starbucks here� or just �Find Starbucks� can be used to find the nearest Starbucks� near or within a displayed map. A place, address, and establishment are examples of locations. Other words can be used instead of �find� for commands 313 and 314. For example �show� or �display� can be used instead of �find.� Queries can be performed in order to find the requested location. Commands 313 and 314 can be entered during writing mode, according to one embodiment.
Gesture 315 causes businesses that are near the location where the gesture 315 is entered to be found, according to one embodiment. Gesture 315 shall also be referred to as a �find business gesture�. The find business gesture has the shape of a semi-circle, according to one embodiment. For example, a user can enter a semi-circle on a location of the displayed map. A certain number of businesses that are near the location specified by the find business gesture are found. The names of the found businesses can be displayed on the device. The size of the find business gesture is used to determine the number of businesses to locate, according to one embodiment. For example, more businesses are located for a large �find business gesture� than for a small �find business gesture.�
Data Describing a Single Gesture Data describing a single gesture that was written on a displayed map is communicated from the device's display to a system for controlling multiple map application operations (also referred to herein as �multiple operations�), according to one embodiment. For example, data describing a single gesture may include the pixel coordinates for one or more pixels that the single gesture was inked on. Data describing a pan gesture may include pixel coordinates for the beginning and the end of the pan gesture. Data describing a zoom gesture may include pixel coordinates for the end of the left leg, pixel coordinates for the end of the right leg, and pixel coordinates for the apex of the zoom gesture.
Multiple Map Application Operations Multiple map application operations are determined based on data describing a single gesture, according to one embodiment, thus eliminating the need for multiple user initiated operations. For example, conventional map applications require a user to click and scroll or drag, among other things, in order to pan. In contrast, a single pan gesture 301-304, according to one embodiment, controls the multiple operations of clicking, scrolling or dragging thus eliminating the need for the user to click, scroll, drag and so on.
In order to execute commands, conventional map applications require the user to position the cursor, to select one or more items, to click on an icon such as �GO,� and to confirm they want to execute the command(s). In contrast, the execute command gesture 312 provides for executing one or more commands with a single gesture.
Various input variables for a map application are initialized to control the multiple map operations, according to one embodiment. For example, the map application may have multiple input variables, among other things, for function, location, degree and so on. In the case of a zoom in gesture, the function input variable can be set to zoom in. The location input variable can be set to the location where the apex points. The degree input variable can designate for example a percentage to zoom which was determined based on an approximate height of the zoom gesture. In the case of a pan gesture, the function input variable can be set for example to �pan to left�, the location input variable may indicate the start and stop point of the pan gesture, and the degree may be based on the length of the pan gesture.
A System for Controlling Multiple Map Application Operations with a Single Gesture FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system for controlling multiple map application operations, according to one embodiment. The blocks can represent logic, among other things. The number of pieces of logic represented by the blocks in FIG. 4 may be changed. For example, multiple pieces of logic represented by one block may be separated or pieces of logic represented by two or more blocks may be combined. The blocks may be implemented with hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.
The system 400 includes �a single gesture for multiple map operations data receiver 410� (also referred to as a �data receiver�) and �a single gesture for multiple map operations communicator 420� (also referred to as a �communicator�). The data receiver 410 is configured for receiving data describing the single gesture that is written on a map displayed on a device. The single gesture enables controlling a map application based on multiple operations that are determined based on the single gesture. The communicator 420 is configured for communicating the multiple operations to the map application to enable manipulating the map based on the multiple operations.
An Example of a Computer System Environment With reference now to FIG. 6, portions of the technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture are composed of computer-readable and computer-executable instructions that reside, for example, in computer-usable media of a computer system. That is, FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a type of computer that can be used to implement embodiments, which are discussed herein, of the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 600 used in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture. It is appreciated that system 600 of FIG. 6 is exemplary only and that the present technology for controlling multiple map application operations with a single gesture can operate on or within a number of different computer systems including general purpose networked computer systems, embedded computer systems, routers, switches, server devices, client devices, various intermediate devices/nodes, stand alone computer systems, and the like. As shown in FIG. 6, computer system 600 of FIG. 6 is well adapted to having peripheral computer readable media 602 such as, for example, a floppy disk, a compact disc, and the like coupled thereto.
CONCLUSION Various embodiments provide an intuitive way of interacting with a map application. For example, zoom gestures provide an intuitive way for a user to specify that they want a zoom operation to be performed because, among other things, the shape of a zoom gesture enables the user to specify the location to center a map on. Further, the shape of a zoom gesture is intuitive to a user. Similarly, other single gestures, such as panning gesture, switch map styles gesture, start and end point gestures, delete gesture, and so on are also intuitive, for example, because of their shape among other things. Various single gestures are also intuitive because they do not require the user to know a significant amount of information. For example, a zoom gesture does not require the user to know a city or a zip code.
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