Patent ID: 6940530

Claim:
A method for determining point label placement in a network system wherein a terminal unit requests a point label placement determining device to provide a map display service in a specific display scale via a communication link, and the point label placement determining device sends map information on the specific display scale to the terminal unit for displaying a map, the method comprising: determining and saving at least one set of static point label placement results in at least one predetermined scale; responding to an application by the terminal unit for the display service displaying points and labels on the map, and comparing the specific display scale with at least one predetermined scale; if the display scale of the terminal unit is identical to a predetermined scale, sending the at least one static point label placement at this predetermined scale to the terminal unit; if the specific display scale of the terminal unit is different from the at least one predetermined scales of the saved static point label placement, the point label placement determining a device determining new point label placement in the specific display scale of the terminal unit by an incremental point label placement method according to the saved static point label placement results, and sending the determined new point label placement to the terminal unit, wherein: if the display scale of the terminal unit is different from any predetermined scales of the static point label placements saved in the point label placement determining device, further comprising selecting a maximal predetermined scale in the scales that is smaller than the display scale of the terminal unit, and determining the label placement based on the results of the predetermined point label placement corresponding to the selected predetermined scale by the incremental label placement method; if the display scale of the terminal unit is smaller than all the predetermined scales saved in the point label placement determining device, further comprising determining the label placement displayed on the terminal unit based on the results of predetermined point label placement corresponding to a smallest predetermined scale.