Patent Document ID: 7990394
Application ID: 11754267
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for viewing panoramic images, comprising: (a) receiving at least a portion of a first panoramic image; (b) presenting a viewport that displays the portion of the first panoramic image, the viewport including a three-dimensional overlay rendered with the first panoramic image, wherein the three-dimensional overlay includes a navigational icon used to navigate between panoramic images; (c) changing the three-dimensional overlay's orientation in three-dimensional space as it is rendered with the first panoramic image so as to match a change in orientation of the first panoramic image within the viewport; (d) retrieving a second panoramic image in response to a user selecting the navigation icon, wherein the second panoramic image is located at a direction relative to a location of the first panoramic image, the direction corresponding to a position of the navigation icon in the three-dimensional overlay; (e) in response to the user's selection of the navigation icon, automatically displaying at least a portion of the second panoramic image determined in (d) in the viewport, in response to the user's selection of the navigation icon and prior to display of the second panoramic image in (e): (f) zooming into the first panoramic image to create a sense of movement; and (g) fading between the first and second panoramic images, wherein the zooming and fading presents a smooth transition between the first and second panoramic images to the user.