Patent ID: 8428873

Claim:
A method for displaying panoramic images within driving directions, comprising: (a) displaying a plurality of driving direction steps that form a driving directions path between a start address and a destination address; (b) receiving user input selecting a driving direction step of the plurality of driving direction steps; (c) displaying a panoramic image of a geographic area where a driving action associated with the selected driving direction step would be performed by a driver; (d) displaying a first navigation control on the panoramic image, wherein the first navigation control illustrates the driving action associated with the driving direction step; (e) simulating the driving action when the first navigation control is selected; (f) determining that the panoramic image is sufficiently proximate to the driving directions path based on a polyline representative of the driving directions path, the polyline including one or more segments and one or more vertices; and (g) determining whether the sufficient proximity of the panoramic image to the driving directions path is based on a nearest vertex of the one or more vertices of the polyline, or on a nearest segment of the one or more segments of the polyline; (h) in a case where the sufficient proximity is based on the nearest vertex, rendering a first segment and a second segment of the polyline, adjacent to the nearest vertex, on the panoramic image; and (i) in a case where the sufficient proximity corresponds to the nearest segment, rendering a third segment and a fourth segment of the polyline, both parallel to the nearest segment, on the panoramic image.