Patent ID: 8612873

Claim:
An apparatus for operating a displayed area of an electronic map, comprising: an input unit, for receiving an input signal; a storage unit, for storing an electronic map; a display unit, for displaying a displayed area of the electronic map; and a processing unit, coupled to the input unit, the storage unit, and the display unit, and is configured for displaying a first map area of an electronic map on a touch screen; displaying a first point of interest (POI) within the first map area; displaying on a first edge of the first map area a first indicating object pointing at a first to a second POI which is located outside the first map area and also on a second edge of the first map area a second indicating object pointing to a third POI which is located outside the first map area, wherein the first edge could be the same edge as the second edge; in direct response to receiving a first touch signal on the first indicating object, directly shifting the displayed area of the electronic map to display the second POI in the center of a second map area in the same scale as the first map area and displaying a third indicating object pointing to the first POI on an edge which is opposite to the first edge of the first map area; after receiving the first touch signal and the displayed area is shifted to the second map area, in direct response to receiving a second touch signal on the third indicating object, directly shifting the displayed area of the electronic map to display the first POI in the center of a third map area in the same scale as the first map area, displaying a fourth indicating object pointing to the second POI which is located outside the third map area and displaying a fifth indicating object pointing to the third POI which is located outside the third map area; in direct response to receiving a third touch signal on the fifth indicating object, directly shifting the displayed area of the electronic map to display the third POI in the center of a fourth map area in the same scale as the first map area and displaying a six indicating object pointing to the first POI on an edge which is opposite to the first edge of the first map area; and after receiving the third touch signal and the displayed area is shifted to the fourth map area, in direct response to receiving a fourth touch signal on the six indicating object, directly shifting the displayed area of the electronic map to display the first POI in the center of the third map area in the same scale as the first map area.