PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9983765-B2
Application Number: US-201314052515-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Adaptive mapping of search results

Abstract:
Systems and method are provided for updating the presentation of a map based on search request information. The method may display, at a computing device, an interface that includes a search mode view of a map and a search box. Additionally, the method may receive input into the search box. The input may cause a display of a menu that includes a list of geographic locations according to the received input. Furthermore, the method may display visual indicators on the search mode view of the map according to the list of geographic locations. Moreover, the method may receive selection input corresponding to a selected geographic location from the list of geographic locations. Subsequently, the method may update the interface by replacing the search mode view with a confirmed mode view. The confirmed mode view may include a selection highlight indicator that corresponds to the selected geographic location.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 at an electronic device with a display:
 concurrently displaying, at the display of the electronic device:
 a search box that contains a first text input; 
 a menu that includes a list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input; and 
 a map that includes a first set of visual indicators that corresponds to a first plurality of geographic locations within the list of geographic locations; 
 
 receiving a second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input; 
 in response to receiving the second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input and before receiving a selection input at the menu:
 updating the menu to display an updated list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the updated list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input and the second text input; and 
 updating the map to display a second set of visual indicators that corresponds to a second plurality of geographic locations from the updated list of geographic locations, wherein:
 the second plurality of geographic locations is a subset of the first plurality of geographic locations; 
 updating the map and updating the menu occur substantially simultaneously; and 
 the first set of visual indicators is different than the second set of visual indicators; 
 
 
 receiving a selection input at the updated menu that corresponds to a selected geographic location from the second plurality of geographic locations; and 
 in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, updating the map to display on the map a selection highlight indicator at a position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, wherein the selection highlight indicator is visually distinct from each visual indicator within the first and second sets of visual indicators. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selection highlight indicator includes a highlighted vertical portion of the map, and further wherein the highlighted vertical portion of the map includes the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , including:
 receiving a selection of a geographic location displayed within the menu; and 
 in response to receiving the selection of the geographic location, altering a respective visual indicator on the map corresponding to the geographic location to distinguish the respective visual indicator from all other visual indicators on the map. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , including:
 sorting the list and the updated list of geographic locations displayed within the menu based on one or more characteristics of each geographic location. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: population, physical size, previous usage data, and popularity. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , including: before updating the map to display the selection highlight indicator at the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, identifying the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location by retrieving geographic coordinates associated with the selected geographic location and synthesizing the geographic coordinates with coordinate data associated with the map to locate a specific position on the map that represents the retrieved geographic coordinates. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , including: in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, retrieving metadata associated with the selected geographic location and displaying a visual representation of the retrieved metadata on the display of the electronic device. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first text input corresponds to a first alphanumeric character and the second text input corresponds to a second alphanumeric character that is distinct from the first alphanumeric character. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of geographic locations and the first plurality of geographic locations are from a same geographic area. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the map includes a representation of a geographic area on which the first and second sets of visual indicators are displayed, and 
 the representation of the geographic area is maintained on the display while the map is updated to display the second set of visual indicators. 
 
     
     
       11. An electronic device, comprising:
 a display; 
 one or more processors; 
 memory; and 
 one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 concurrently displaying, at the display of the electronic device:
 a search box that contains a first text input; 
 a menu that includes a list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input; and 
 a map that includes a first set of visual indicators that corresponds to a first plurality of geographic locations within the list of geographic locations; 
 
 receiving a second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input; 
 in response to receiving the second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input and before receiving a selection input at the menu:
 updating the menu to display an updated list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the updated list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input and the second text input; and 
 updating the map to display a second set of visual indicators that corresponds to a second plurality of geographic locations from the updated list of geographic locations, wherein:
 the second plurality of geographic locations is a subset of the first plurality of geographic locations; 
 updating the map and updating the menu occur substantially simultaneously; and 
 the first set of visual indicators is different than the second set of visual indicators; 
 
 
 receiving a selection input at the updated menu that corresponds to a selected geographic location from the second plurality of geographic locations; and 
 in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, updating the map to display on the map a selection highlight indicator at a position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, wherein the selection highlight indicator is visually distinct from each visual indicator within the first and second sets of visual indicators. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the selection highlight indicator includes a highlighted vertical portion of the map, and further wherein the highlighted vertical portion includes the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 11 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
 receiving a selection of a geographic location displayed within the menu; and 
 in response to receiving the selection of the geographic location, altering a respective visual indicator on the map corresponding to the geographic location to distinguish the respective visual indicator from all other visual indicators on the map. 
 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 11 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
 sorting the list and the updated list of geographic locations displayed within the menu based on one or more characteristics of each geographic location. 
 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: population, physical size, previous usage data, and popularity. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 11 , including instructions for: before updating the map to display the selection highlight indicator at the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, identifying the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location by retrieving geographic coordinates associated with the selected geographic location and synthesizing the geographic coordinates with coordinate data associated with the map to locate a specific position on the map that represents the retrieved geographic coordinates. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 11 , including instructions for: in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, retrieving metadata associated with the selected geographic location and displaying a visual representation of the retrieved metadata on the display of the electronic device. 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 11 , wherein the first text input corresponds to a first alphanumeric character and the second text input corresponds to a second alphanumeric character that is distinct from the first alphanumeric character. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the second plurality of geographic locations and the first plurality of geographic locations are from a same geographic area. 
     
     
       20. The electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the map includes a representation of a geographic area on which the first and second sets of visual indicators are displayed, and 
 the representation of the geographic area is maintained on the display while the map is updated to display the second set of visual indicators. 
 
     
     
       21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display, cause the electronic device to:
 concurrently display, at the display of the electronic device:
 a search box that contains a first text input; 
 a menu that includes a list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input; and 
 a map that includes a first set of visual indicators that corresponds to a first plurality of geographic locations within the list of geographic locations; 
 
 receive a second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input; 
 in response to receiving the second text input in the search box that adds to the first text input and before receiving a selection input at the menu:
 update the menu to display an updated list of geographic locations, wherein each geographic location within the updated list of geographic locations is in accordance with the first text input and the second text input; and 
 update the map to display a second set of visual indicators that corresponds to a second plurality of geographic locations from the updated list of geographic locations, wherein:
 the second plurality of geographic locations is a subset of the first plurality of geographic locations; 
 updating the map and updating the menu occur substantially simultaneously; and 
 the first set of visual indicators is different than the second set of visual indicators; 
 
 receive a selection input at the updated menu that corresponds to a selected geographic location from the second plurality of geographic locations; and 
 in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, update the map to display on the map a selection highlight indicator at a position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, wherein the selection highlight indicator is visually distinct from each visual indicator within the first and second sets of visual indicators. 
 
 
     
     
       22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the selection highlight indicator includes a highlighted vertical portion of the map, and further wherein the highlighted vertical portion includes the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location. 
     
     
       23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , the one or more programs including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device with the display, cause the electronic device to:
 receive a selection of a geographic location displayed within the menu; and 
 in response to receiving the selection of the geographic location, alter a respective visual indicator on the map corresponding to the geographic location to distinguish the respective visual indicator from all other visual indicators on the map. 
 
     
     
       24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , the one or more programs including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device with the display, cause the electronic device to:
 sort the list and the updated list of geographic locations displayed within the menu based on one or more characteristics of each geographic location. 
 
     
     
       25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 24 , wherein the one or more characteristics are selected from the group consisting of: population, physical size, previous usage data, and popularity. 
     
     
       26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device with the display, cause the electronic device to: before updating the map to display the selection highlight indicator at the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location, identify the position on the map that corresponds to the selected geographic location by retrieving geographic coordinates associated with the selected geographic location and synthesizing the geographic coordinates with coordinate data associated with the map to locate a specific position on the map that represents the retrieved geographic coordinates. 
     
     
       27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device with the display, cause the electronic device to: in response to receiving the selection input at the updated menu, retrieve metadata associated with the selected geographic location and display a visual representation of the retrieved metadata on the display of the electronic device. 
     
     
       28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the first text input corresponds to a first alphanumeric character and the second text input corresponds to a second alphanumeric character that is distinct from the first alphanumeric character. 
     
     
       29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein the second plurality of geographic locations and the first plurality of geographic locations are from a same geographic area. 
     
     
       30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the map includes a representation of a geographic area on which the first and second sets of visual indicators are displayed, and 
 the representation of the geographic area is maintained on the display while the map is updated to display the second set of visual indicators.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of, and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/549,276, filed Aug. 27, 2009, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This can relate to systems and methods for processing user search request information and, more particularly, to systems and methods for updating the presentation of a map based on the processed search request information. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Using an electronic device (e.g., a laptop computer or portable media device), a user can search for and select a specific location, such as a location on a map. For example, an electronic device may generally attempt to match user input search information (e.g., the name of a specific location) with information in a database accessible by the device that may include a list of various locations. When multiple matches are detected between user search information and database locations, the user is often prompted to select from a list of the detected matches, and usually shown in a linear table. This approach of showing search results in a list, however, may not be very visually appealing to a user and may not easily convey the dimension of the result set, or the geographic distribution of the result set. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for updating the presentation of a map based on processed search request information are provided. 
     For example, in some embodiments, there is provided a method for mapping search results. The method may include displaying a first version of a map having a many positions. Responsive to a new user search input, the method may automatically highlight at least one of the many positions on the map. Each highlighted position may be associated with a location entity that at least partially matches the new user search input. The map may be representative of the world globe, and each position of the map may be associated with a city of the world globe. In order to highlight at least one of the positions on the map, the method may include accessing a table that defines a first metadata portion and a second metadata portion for many location entities. The method may then compare the new user search input to the first metadata portion of each location entity in at least a subset of the many location entities, detect at least one matching location entity based on the comparing, and provide a visual indicator on the map at each one of the positions that is associated with the second metadata portion from one of the at least one matching location entity. 
     In some other embodiments, there is provided a system for mapping search results. The system may include an input component for receiving user search information, a display, and a processor coupled to the display and the user input component. The processor may be operative to provide a map on the display, match the user search information with at least one location entity, and dynamically update the map with at least one visual indicator in at least one position on the map associated with the at least one location entity. In some embodiments, the processor may be further operative to present a list of at least one listed item concurrently with the dynamic update, and each listed item may be associated with a respective one of the at least one location entity. Each listed item may be textual information associated with the location name of its respective one location entity. 
     Moreover, in some other embodiments, there is provided computer readable media for controlling an electronic device that includes computer readable code recorded thereon for displaying on a display of the electronic device a map showing many locations, receiving updated user search information indicative of at least one location of the many locations, and automatically presenting at least one visual indicator on the map at each one of the at least one location in response to the receiving. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects of the invention, its nature, and various features will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are schematic views of an application run by the electronic device of  FIG. 1  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIGS. 4A-4F  show various representations of a user interface of the application of  FIGS. 2 and 3  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for updating the presentation of a map based on processed search request information are provided and described with reference to  FIGS. 1-4F . 
     An electronic device may be operative to display an image and to receive user input representing at least a portion of a user search term related to at least one element of the image. For example, the image may be a map, and the user search term may be related to a specific location on the map. The device may also be operative to display a list of search results related to the user search terms. Each search result may be displayed at a specific position on the image related to the search result. The search results may also be displayed as a linear list. This may provide a way to show both the distribution (e.g., the location) as well as the dimension (e.g., the number) of the search results. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device  100  for providing adaptive mapping of search results in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Electronic device  100  may perform a single function (e.g., search result mapping) and, in other embodiments, electronic device  100  may perform multiple functions (e.g., a device that maps search results, plays music, and receives and transmits telephone calls). Moreover, in some embodiments, electronic device  100  may be any portable, mobile, or hand-held electronic device configured to map search results wherever the user travels. Electronic device  100  may include any suitable type of electronic device operative to map search results. For example, electronic device  100  may include a media player (e.g., an iPod™ available by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a cellular telephone (e.g., an iPhone™ available by Apple Inc.), a personal e-mail or messaging device (e.g., a Blackberry™ available by Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario), any other wireless communication device, a pocket-sized personal computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a laptop computer (e.g., an MacBook™ available by Apple Inc.), a music recorder, a still camera, a movie or video camera or recorder, a radio, medical equipment, any other suitable type of electronic device, and any combinations thereof. Alternatively, electronic device  100  may not be portable at all, but may instead be generally stationary, such as a desktop computer (e.g., an iMac™ available by Apple Inc.). 
     Electronic device  100  may include a processor or control circuitry  102 , memory  104 , communications circuitry  106 , power supply  108 , an input component  110 , and an output component  112 . Electronic device  100  may also include a bus  103  that may provide a transfer path for transferring data and/or power, to, from, or between various other components of device  100 . In some embodiments, one or more components of electronic device  100  may be combined or omitted. Moreover, electronic device  100  may include other components not combined or included in  FIG. 1 . For example, electronic device  100  may also include various other types of components, including, but not limited to, light sensing circuitry, camera lens components, or global positioning circuitry, as well as several instances of one or more of the components shown in  FIG. 1 . For the sake of simplicity, only one of each of the components is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Electronic device  100  may also be provided with a housing  101  that may at least partially enclose one or more of the components of device  100  for protecting them from debris and other degrading forces external to device  100 . In some embodiments, all of the components of electronic device  100  may be provided within the same housing  101 . In other embodiments, one or more of the components may be provided within its own housing (e.g., an input component  110  may be provided within its own housing and may communicate wirelessly or through a wire with a processor  102 , which may be provided within its own housing). 
     Memory  104  may include one or more storage mediums, including, for example, a hard-drive, solid-state drive, flash memory, permanent memory such as read-only memory (“ROM”), semi-permanent memory such as random access memory (“RAM”), any other suitable type of storage component, or any combination thereof. Memory  104  may include cache memory, which may be one or more different types of memory used for temporarily storing data for electronic device applications. Memory  104  may store media data (e.g., music, image, and video files), software (e.g., for implementing functions on device  100 ), firmware, preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), lifestyle information (e.g., food preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment), transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), wireless connection information (e.g., information that may enable device  100  to establish a wireless connection), subscription information (e.g., information that keeps track of podcasts or television shows or other media a user subscribes to), contact information (e.g., telephone numbers and e-mail addresses), calendar information, any other suitable data, or any combination thereof. 
     Communications circuitry  106  may be provided to allow device  100  to communicate with one or more other electronic devices or servers (not shown) using any suitable communications protocol. For example, communications circuitry  106  may support Wi-Fi (e.g., an 802.11 protocol), Ethernet, Bluetooth™, high frequency systems (e.g., 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.6 GHz communication systems), cellular networks (e.g., GSM, AMPS, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, 3GSM, DECT, IS-136/TDMA, iDen, LTE, or any other suitable cellular network or protocol), infrared, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (“TCP/IP”) (e.g., any of the protocols used in each of the TCP/IP layers), hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”), BitTorrent™, file transfer protocol (“FTP”), real-time transport protocol (“RTP”), real-time streaming protocol (“RTSP”), secure shell protocol (“SSH”), voice over internet protocol (“VoIP”), any other communications protocol, or any combination thereof. Communications circuitry  106  may also include circuitry that can enable device  100  to be electrically coupled to another device (e.g., a computer or an accessory device) and communicate with that other device, either wirelessly or via a wired connection. 
     Power supply  108  can include any suitable circuitry for receiving and/or generating power, and for providing such power to one or more components of electronic device  100 . In some embodiments, power supply  108  can be coupled to a power grid (e.g., when device  100  is not acting as a portable device or when a battery of the device is being charged at an electrical outlet with power generated by an electrical power plant). As another example, power supply  108  can be configured to generate power from a natural source (e.g., solar power using solar cells). In some embodiments, power supply  108  can include one or more batteries for providing power (e.g., when device  100  is acting as a portable device). For example, power supply  108  can include one or more of a battery (e.g., a gel, nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, nickel hydrogen, lead acid, or lithium-ion battery), an uninterruptible or continuous power supply (“UPS” or “CPS”), and circuitry for processing power received from a power generation source (e.g., power generated by an electrical power plant and delivered to the user via an electrical socket or otherwise). 
     Input component  110  may be any component suitable to permit a user to interact or interface with device  100 . For example, input component  110  can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, an electronic device pad, dial, click wheel, scroll wheel, touch screen, one or more buttons (e.g., a keyboard), mouse, joy stick, microphone, track ball, and combinations thereof. Input component  110  may be operative to convert, and encode/decode, if necessary, analog signals and other signals into digital data. In some embodiments, input component  110  may convert digital data into any other type of signal, and vice-versa. For example, input component  110  may receive and convert physical contact inputs (e.g., using a multi-touch screen), physical movements (e.g., using a mouse or sensor), analog audio signals (e.g., using a microphone), or any other input. The digital data can be provided to and received from processor  102 , memory  104 , or any other component of electronic device  100 . Although input component  110  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  as a single component of electronic device  100 , several instances of input component  110  can be included in electronic device  100 . Each input component  110  can be configured to provide one or more dedicated control functions for making selections or issuing commands associated with operating electronic device  100 . 
     Output component  112  may also include any suitable output mechanism or component for presenting information (e.g., textual, graphical, audible, and/or tactile information) to a user of electronic device  100 . For example, output component  112  may include any suitable output component or mechanism and can take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, audio speakers, headphones, audio line-outs, visual displays, antennas, infrared ports, rumblers, vibrators, or combinations thereof. 
     In some embodiments, output component  112  may include image display circuitry (e.g., a screen or projection system) as an output component for providing a display visible to the user. For example, the display circuitry may include a screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), a light emitting diode (“LED”) display, an organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) display, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (“SED”), a carbon nanotube display, a nanocrystal display, any other suitable type of display, or combination thereof) that is incorporated in electronic device  100 . As another example, the display circuitry may include a movable display or a projecting system for providing a display of content on a surface remote from electronic device  100  (e.g., a video projector, a head-up display, or a three-dimensional (e.g., holographic) display). 
     In some embodiments, display circuitry of output component  112  can include a coder/decoder (“CODEC”) to convert digital media data into analog signals. For example, the display circuitry, or other appropriate circuitry within electronic device  100 , may include video CODECS, audio CODECS, or any other suitable type of CODEC. Display circuitry also can include display driver circuitry, circuitry for driving display drivers, or both. The display circuitry may be operative to display content (e.g., media playback information, application screens for applications implemented on the electronic device, information regarding ongoing communications operations, information regarding incoming communications requests, or device operation screens) under the direction of processor  102 . 
     It should be noted that one or more input components  110  and one or more output components  112  may sometimes be referred to collectively herein as an I/O interface  114 . It should also be noted that an input component  110  and an output component  112  of I/O interface  114  may sometimes be a single I/O component, such as a touch screen that may receive input information through a user&#39;s touch of a display screen and that may also provide visual information to a user via that same display screen. 
     Processor  102  may include any processing circuitry operative to control the operations and performance of electronic device  100 . For example, processor  102  may be used to run operating system applications, firmware applications, media playback applications, media editing applications, or any other application. In some embodiments, processor  102  may receive input signals from input component  110  (e.g., a keyboard) and/or drive output signals through an output component  112  (e.g., a display). Processor  102  may load a user interface program (e.g., a program stored in memory  104  or a program provided by another remote device or server via communications circuitry  106 ) to determine how instructions or data received via input component  110  may manipulate the way in which information is provided to the user via output component  112 . 
     To enhance a user&#39;s experience interacting with electronic device  100 , the electronic device can provide a user interface application that may continuously update the presentation of a map or any other suitable type of image with one or more visual indicators as a user updates search information related to the map. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a search application  200  may be loaded by processor  102  (e.g., from memory  104  or from a remote entity via communications circuitry  106 ). Application  200  may include a user interface (“UI”)  210  having a user interface input portion  220  for receiving user search information  221  from a user and a user interface output portion  230  for providing application presentation information  231  to the user. Application  200  may also include a controller  240  for processing user search information  221  and for generating application presentation information  231  based on the processed user search information. Controller  240  may include a search engine  250  and a database  260 , an illustrative embodiment of which is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     UI output portion  230  may generate a map  202  as a portion of presentation information  231  provided to a user on output component  112  (e.g., a video display). The user may provide a search field  228  of UI input portion  220  with at least a portion of a user search term related to map  202  using user search information  221  via input component  110  (e.g., a keyboard). Controller  240  may process this user search term information and may update the presentation of map  202  on display  112  with one or more visual indicators based on the processed user search term information. 
     In some embodiments, UI output portion  230  may also generate a menu list  208  as a portion of presentation information  231 . Menu list  208  may include one or more menu items associated with at least some of the visual indicators provided by map  202 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the user may also use a portion of user search information  221  to choose a selection  222  of UI input portion  220 . Selection  222  may be associated with at least one of the one or more menu items provided by menu list  208 . In response to selection  222 , UI output portion  230  may update the presentation of map  202  and/or menu list  208  based on selection  222 . 
     Controller  240  of search application  200  may include search engine  250  and database  260 . Engine  250  may receive user search term information from search field  228  of UI input portion  220 . This user search term information may include at least a portion of a user search term related to a specific location. depicted by map  202 . Engine  250  may compare this user search term information to information of one or more location entities defined by database  260 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , for example, database  260  may include a search table  300 . Search table  300  may include one or more location entities  302  related to one or more specific locations  220  depicted by map  202 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , for example, database  260  may include search table  300 . Search table  300  may include one or more location entities  302  (e.g., entities  302   a - 302   z ). Each location entity  302  may include a specific location  320  (e.g., a location that may be depicted by map  202 ) as well as various types of metadata  340  associated with each location  320  (e.g., textual information and/or graphical information related to that specific location). As shown, each location entity  302  of table  300  may include the name of a specific location  320 . For example, location data  320  may be textual information, such as a string of one or more alphanumeric characters. Location  320  for each location entity  302  may be the formal name of a specific location depicted by map  202 . Although table  300  may be visually ordered in any suitable way, in some embodiment, table  300  may be visually ordered alphabetically with respect to location data  320  of each entity  302 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , location entity  302   a  may include an associated piece of location data  320   a  that is the location name “Aachen, Germany”, location entity  302   w  may include an associated piece of location data  320   w  that is the location name “San Diego, Calif., U.S.A.”, and location entity  302   z  may include an associated piece of location data  320   z  that is the location name “Zywiec, Poland”. 
     All metadata  340  for each location entity  302  may be information associated with the specific location described by location data  320  of that entity  302 . For example, a particular piece of metadata  340  that may be associated with a particular location  320  of a particular location entity  302  is textual information metadata. Such textual information may also be a string of one or more alphanumeric characters representative or descriptive of the location  320 . For example, valid term metadata  342  of an entity  302  may include one or more strings of one or more alphanumeric characters representing various descriptive terms that may be associated with the location  320  of that entity. 
     In some embodiments, valid term metadata  342  may include one or more descriptive terms that should be associated with the respective location  320 , including not only each of the specific terms of location  320 , but also any variations on the spelling of that location and/or any nicknames or other terms commonly attributed to that location. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , location entity  302   d  may include an associated piece of location data  320   d  that is the location name “Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.”, and associated valid term metadata  342   d  that may include one or more terms to be considered a valid match for the specific location of location data  320   d . For example, not only may valid term metadata  342   d  include one or more of the alphanumeric string terms included in location data  320   d  (e.g., “Los” and “Angeles” and “California” and “U.S.A.”), but valid term metadata  342   d  may also include one or more additional alphanumeric string terms that may also be associated with the specific location data  320   d  (e.g., common misspellings such as “Las”, common abbreviations such as “L.A.”, and common nicknames such as “LAX”). 
     As an example, search engine  250  may receive user search term information from search field  228  of UI input portion  220 . This user search term information may include at least a portion of a user search term related to a specific location depicted by map  202 . Engine  250  may compare this user search term information to data provided by table  300  of database  260  to determine whether or not any of the location entities  302  are related to the user search. Therefore, if a user provides “L.A.” as at least a portion of user search term information, query engine  250  may identify at least one match based on valid term metadata  342   d  associated with location  320   d  of location entity  302   d . In other embodiments, table  300  may not include valid term metadata  342 , and if a user provides “L.A.” as at least a portion of user search term information, query engine  250  may be unable to identify at least one match, for example, because location data  320   d  does not include “L.A.”. 
     Another particular type of metadata  340  that may be associated with particular location data  320  of a particular location entity  302  in table  300  of database  260  is graphical information. Such graphical information may be an image or other data indicative of how the location entity  302  may be depicted, highlighted, distinguished, or otherwise identified. by user interface  210  on map  202  (e.g., using one or more visual indicators). 
     For example, indicator value metadata  344  may include a numeric value associated with the total human population of the respective location  320  of its respective location entity  302 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , location entity  302   g  may include an associated piece of location data  320   g  that is the location name “Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.”, and associated indicator value metadata  344   g  that may include one or more values to be considered when highlighting or otherwise representing location  320   g  on map  202  using one or more visual indicators (e.g., numeric value “1,447,395” indicative of the human population of Philadelphia). Similarly, location entity  302   k  may include an associated piece of location data  320   k  that is the location name “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”, and associated indicator value metadata  344   k  that may include one or more similar values to be considered when highlighting or otherwise representing location  320   k  on map  202  using one or more visual indicators (e.g., numeric value “7,787,098” indicative of the human population of Rio de Janeiro). 
     “Highlighting,” “distinguishing,” “indicating,” and/or “identifying”, as may be used herein, is not limited to the specific effects described and illustrated. Rather, these terms may refer to any form of effect by which some locations may be distinguished from others on map  202  or elsewhere on UI  210 . Examples of such effects may include, but are not limited to, changing the size, shape, color, contrast, and/or any other visual feature of an associated name, icon, or other item or identifier representative of the location on map  202 . In other embodiments, highlighting, distinguishing, and/or identifying may refer to displaying one or more identifiers or indicators representative of one or more locations on map  202  in a specific area of display  112 , such as by zooming in on or out from a portion of map  202  that may include one or more of the identifiers. In yet other embodiments, highlighting, distinguishing, and/or identifying may be accomplished using non-visual means, for example, such that highlighted items or identifiers can produce a distinctive sound when pointed at by a cursor or other type of input component  110 , or they can have a distinctive tactile characteristic. 
     Another particular type of metadata  340  that may be associated with particular location data  320  of a particular location entity  302  in table  300  of database  260  is grouping information. Such grouping information may be any data indicative of how two or more location entities may be defined as a single group. For example, time zone metadata  346  of an entity  302  may include an alphanumeric string or any other type of data representing a characteristic that may be associated with multiple locations  320  (e.g., the time zone region in which multiple locations  320  may reside). In some embodiments, time zone metadata  346  may include an alphanumeric value associated with a specific time zone of one or more location entities  302 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , location entity  302   m  may include an associated piece of location data  320   m  that is the location name “Riyadh, Saudi Arabia”, and associated time zone metadata  346   m  that may include a time zone descriptor to be considered when adjusting the time zone associated with device  100  (e.g., descriptor “BST” that may be representative of the “British Summer Time Zone” associated with Riyadh). This value “BST” of metadata  346  may be unique to only location entity  302   m  of table  300 . However, as another example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , location entities  302   o  and  302   q  may include a respective piece of time zone metadata  346  having the same value (e.g., time zone metadata  346   o  associated with “Rome, Georgia, U.S.A.” location data  320   o  and time zone metadata  346   q  associated with “Rome, New York, U.S.A.” may each have a value “EST” that may be representative of the “Eastern Standard Time Zone”). 
     Another particular type of metadata  340  that may be associated with particular location data  320  of a particular location entity  302  in table  300  of database  260  is positional information. Such positional information may be coordinates or other information indicative of where the location entity  302  may be depicted, highlighted, distinguished, or otherwise identified by user interface  210  on map  202  (e.g., using one or more visual indicators). For example, position metadata  348  of an entity  302  may include one or more strings of one or more alphanumeric characters representing a characteristic associated with the position of the specific location  320  of that entity on map  202 . 
     In some embodiments, position metadata  348  may include geographic coordinates associated with the actual physical location of location  320  on the globe. This information may be synthesized with coordinate data of map  202  to identify the specific position of location  320  on map  202 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , location entity  302   r  may include an associated piece of location data  320   r  that is the location name “Rome City, Indiana, U.S.A.”, and associated position metadata  348   r  that may include one or more values to be considered when highlighting or otherwise representing location  320   r  on map  202  (e.g., coordinate value “41° 49N/85° 36W” indicative of the position of Rome City on the globe). Similarly, location entity  302   t  may include an associated piece of location data  320   t  that is the location name “Rotterdam, Netherlands”, and associated position metadata  348   t  that may include one or more values to be considered when highlighting or otherwise representing location  320   t  on map  202  (e.g., coordinate value “51° 55N/4° 28E” indicative of the position of Rotterdam on the globe). 
     There are many other various types of metadata  340  that can be associated with a particular location  320  of a particular entity  302  of library  300 . For example, such a particular piece of metadata may include preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment), transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), subscription information (e.g., information that keeps track of podcasts or television shows or other media a user subscribes to), contact information (e.g., telephone numbers and email addresses), calendar information, or any other suitable type of information that a user or other entity may wish to associate with a particular location  320  that may be identified and/or selected by a user of device  100 . 
     At least portions of each table of any database associated with any application (e.g., table  300  of database  260  of application  200 ) may be stored in any memory component of device  100  (e.g., memory  104  of  FIG. 1 ) or may be made accessible to device  100  by any remote device or server (e.g., via-communications circuitry  106  of  FIG. 1 ), for example. In some embodiments, most of table  300  may be stored locally on device  100  (e.g., in memory  104 ), but indicator value metadata  344  for one or more entities  302  may be data stored on a separate server or device (e.g., data that may be provided via a remote server that continually updates indicator value metadata  344 , such as when the population of a city changes). When some portion of table  300  is stored locally and other portions are stored on a separate server, the portion on the device may store pointers (e.g., URLs) to the corresponding portions of the table stored on remote servers, for example. 
       FIGS. 4A-4F  show illustrative views of a visual representation  400  of user interface  210  of search application  200  in various stages of use for updating the current time zone to be associated with device  100  (e.g., for updating a clock of the device or for loading certain user preferences associated with the current time zone). For example, as shown in  FIGS. 4A-4F , visual representations  400  may show user generated information interacting with user interface  210  of search application  200  for updating the current time zone of device  100  from Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) related to a user&#39;s previous location in San Diego, Calif., U.S.A. to Central European Time (“CET”) related to the user&#39;s current location in Rome, Italy. 
     While visual representations  400  of  FIGS. 4A-4F  are described with reference to the various components and contents of electronic device  100 , search application  200 , and search table  300  of  FIGS. 1-3 , any other suitable electronic device, any other suitable type of search application, and any other suitable type of search table may also be used. Moreover, search application  200  is often described with specific reference to a map of the globe and the locations of various cities depicted by the globe, for the specific use of updating the current time zone associated with the device. However, application  200  may utilize any other suitable type of map or image depicting any other suitable type or types of locations or entities for any other suitable purpose. For example, in another embodiment, a photograph of various people may be searched to highlight the faces of only those people with a specific name or other characteristic. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 A related to previous location information of device  100  on display output component  112 . UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   a  that may, for example, illustrate a map of the world. Map  202   a  may at least depict at least one specific location associated with the time zone to be updated. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4A , map  202   a  may at least depict the location of San Diego, Calif., U.S.A. associated with the Pacific Standard Time Zone (“PST”) to be updated with the Central European Time Zone (“CET”) associated with the user&#39;s current location in Rome, Italy. 
     Therefore, in some embodiments, UI output portion  230  may also present a visual indicator  203   a  at a certain position on map  202   a  indicative of San Diego. For example, with reference to table  300  of database  260  of  FIG. 3 , application  200  may recall the previously selected location entity  302  used to define the time zone of device  100  (e.g., location entity  302   w ), and may update the presentation of map  202   a  with visual indicator  203   a  at a position on map  202   a  based at least partially on metadata associated with that entity (e.g., position metadata  348   w ). Application  200  may also update search field  228  of UI  210  with the name of the location of that entity (e.g., location data  320   w ). Similarly, application  200  may also update a time zone field  229  of UI  210  with the name of the time zone associated with that entity (e.g., time zone metadata  346   w ). UI output portion  230  may also present a visual zone region  205   a  along a certain portion of map  202   a  indicative of the Pacific Standard Time Zone (e.g., using a certain shading or other highlighting technique). Thus, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 A on display  112  that is indicative of the previously stored location information (e.g., time zone information) of device  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4B , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 B on display  112  such that a user may begin to use application  200  to search for a location to define the current time zone of device  100 . UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   b  that may, for example, illustrate a map of the world. Map  202   b  may be substantially similar to map  202   a  used in  FIG. 4A  to depict the previous time zone of the device. However, in some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , map  202   a  may be a “photorealistic” representation or view of the globe (e.g., a map that may distinguish between various environmental conditions, such as green verdant portions of the globe and tan dry portions of the globe), while map  202   b  may be an “artistic” representation or view of the globe (e.g., a map that may simply provide an outline of the shape of the land masses without any or many distinctive features between various portions). Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , map  202   a  may be displayed as if the sun were shining on all portions of the globe (e.g., a “day view” of the globe), while map  202   b  may be displayed as if the sun were not shining on any portion of the globe (e.g., a “night view” of the globe). 
     For example, a photorealistic and/or day view of the globe (e.g., map  202   a ) may be used to show a well defined selected location (e.g., San Diego, Calif.), while an artistic and/or night view of the globe (e.g., map  202   b ) may be used to indicate to a user that a search operation may be in progress and to display visual indicators related to one or more search results. Therefore, application  200  can indicate different modes by transitioning from a first representation of an entity being presented by map  202  to a second representation of that same entity. For example, a transition from a day view of the globe (e.g., map  202   a  of  FIG. 4A ) to a night view of the globe (e.g., map  202   b  of  FIG. 4B ) can indicate a transition from a “confirmed mode” to a “search mode” of application  200 . Various other changes may be made between two representations of a mapped entity to indicate various modes of application  200 . For example, a transition from a “zoomed-in” view of a portion of the globe showing a well defined selected location to a “zoomed-out” view of a larger portion or all portions of the globe can indicate the transition from the confirmed mode to the search mode of the application. 
     Database  260  may also include one or more graphical representations of maps or other entities that may be displayed to the user by UI  210  of application  200 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , database  260  may also include map repository  350  that may include one or more graphical representations of map  202  (e.g., map  202   a  and map  202   b ). Moreover, each map may include associated metadata that may be updated in order to alter the presentation of the map. For example, a photorealistic view of a map  202  may include detail regarding current snowfall along different geographical portions of the map. This snowfall information may be obtained by a remote server or any other suitable mechanism and may be used to update one or more of the maps provided by repository  350 . Alternatively, “generic” snowfall conditions may be determined based on the current month of the year (e.g., based on the current calendar settings of the device). Moreover, repository  350  may include one or more graphical representations of visual indicators or other graphics used by application  200 . 
     The search mode can be considered a transient mode in which it may be possible for the user to search for locations according to user search information until a certain location is selected and confirmed by the user. When the selection of a location is confirmed, application  200  may transition map  202  from a “search mode view” (e.g., an artistic view and/or a night view and/or a zoomed-out view of the globe) to a “confirmed mode view” (e.g., a photorealistic view and/or a day view and/or a zoomed-in view of the globe). In a search mode represented by a night view, for example, search results may be represented on map  202  by twinkling dots positioned at map locations associated with some or all of the search results. The number of dots can vary depending on the number of search results. This may provide an elegant way of showing both the distribution (i.e., the location) and the dimension (i.e., the number) of the results of the user query. The size, shape, and/or color of the dots or visual indicators may be varied to further distinguish certain locations for which the user might have a higher interest. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 4B , when application  200  enters a search mode (e.g., in response to a user request to update device time zone data, such as a request generated by input component  110  or any other suitable mechanism), UI output portion  230  may generate and present map  202   b  as well as multiple visual indicators  203   b  at multiple positions on map  202   b  indicative of some or all of the potential locations that may be searched through by the user. For example, with reference to table  300  of database  260  of  FIG. 3 , application  200  may detect all of the location entities  302  available in table  300  (e.g., location entities  302   a - 302   z ), and may update the presentation of map  202   b  with multiple visual indicators  203   b  at multiple positions on map  202   b  based at least partially on metadata associated with each respective detected entity (e.g., position metadata  348   a - 348   z ). As shown in  FIG. 4B , each visual indicator  203   b  may be a bright dot that may contrast well with the otherwise dark representation of the night view of the globe of map  202   b . Each visual indicator  203   b  of  FIG. 4B  may have a different appearance than visual indicator  203   a  of  FIG. 4A , which may have a larger, “bulls-eye” type design. This style of visual indicator may be used when application  200  is presenting the confirmed mode view of map  202  and a particular location has been selected and confirmed by the user. 
     Application  200  may also update search field  228  of UI  210  with a prompt for the user to enter user search information  221  into field  228  (e.g., an “&lt;Enter Location&gt;” prompt, as shown in  FIG. 4B ). Similarly, application  200  may also update time zone field  229  of UI  210  to indicate that a particular time zone has not yet been determined. Thus, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 B on display  112  that is indicative of an initial search condition awaiting user search information to narrow down the number of potential locations of device  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4C , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 C on display  112  in response to a user entering user search information  221   c  into search field  228 . As mentioned, a user may provide search field  228  of UI input portion  220  with user search information  221  via input component  110  (e.g., a keyboard). For example, user search information  221  entered into search field  228  may be representative of at least a portion of a user search term related to a location of map  202 . Controller  240  may automatically process user search term information  221  of search field  228  and may automatically update the presentation of map  202  and/or visual indicators  203  on map  202  based on the processed user search term information. This processing and updating may occur immediately and automatically in response to receiving new user search term information  221 , such that the mapping of search results may appear as quickly as a user may amend its search terms. This dynamic or adaptive mapping of search results may significantly enhance the user experience. 
     With respect to representation  400   c  of  FIG. 4C , a user may begin the search by providing search field  228  of UI input portion  220  with user search information  221   c  defined by the alphanumeric character “R”. In response to receiving this user search term information  221   c , search engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   c  to at least certain information defined by one or more location entities  302  of table  300  in database  260 . For example, engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   c  to alphanumeric strings of valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302  of database  260 . For every detected match between user search term information  221   c  and valid term metadata  342  of one or more location, entities  302 , engine  250  may extract the position metadata  348  of each of those matched entities  302 . Then, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at one or more positions on map  202  based at least partially on this extracted position metadata  348  associated with each respective matched entity. 
     Following the example of user search term information  221   c  defined by the alphanumeric character “R”, controller  240  may process information  221   c  by using engine  250  to compare information  221   c  with table  300  to detect matches with valid term metadata  342 —of at least location entities  302   k ,  302   m ,  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t . Therefore, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at positions on map  202  based at least partially on position metadata  348  of at least location entities  302   k ,  302   m ,  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t . As shown in  FIG. 4C , UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   c  that may, for example, be substantially similar to map  202   b  of  FIG. 4B  (e.g., an artistic night view of the globe). Based on the processing of user search term information  221   c  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present visual indicators  203   c  at positions on map  202   c  indicative of some or all of the potential location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   c  (i.e., position metadata  348   k ,  348   m ,  348   o ,  348   p ,  348   q ,  348   r , and  348   t  of matched location entities  302   k ,  302   m ,  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t ). Like indicators  203   b  of  FIG. 4B , each visual indicator  203   c  may be a bright dot that may contrast well with the otherwise dark representation of the night view of the globe of map  202   c . However, the number of indicators  203   c  of  FIG. 4C  may be less than the number of indicators  203   b  of  FIG. 4B  due to the search results being limited by the matches detected between user search term information  221   c  and information of table  300 . 
     In some embodiments, UI output portion  230  may also generate a menu list  208  as a portion of presentation information  231 . Menu list  208  may include one or more menu items  209  associated with at least some of the visual indicators  203  provided by map  202 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the user may also use a portion of user search information  221  (e.g., by scrolling up or down using a scroll wheel input component  110 , such as with respect to scroll  207  of UI  210 ) to choose a particular menu item  209  as a selection  222  of UI input portion  220 . In response to selection  222  of a particular menu item  209 , UI output portion  230  may update the presentation of map  202  and/or the presentation of at least one visual indicator  203  based on selection  222 . 
     For example, for every detected match between user search term information  221   c  and valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302 , engine  250  may also extract the location data  320  of each of those matched entities  302 . Then, application  200  may generate menu list  208  with one or more menu items  209  based on the extracted location data  320  of each matched entity. 
     Following the example of user search term information  221   c  defined by the alphanumeric character “R”, controller  240  may process information  221   c  by using engine  250  to compare information  221   c  with table  300  to detect matches with valid term metadata  342  of at least location entities  302   k ,  302   m ,  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t . Based on the processing of user search term. information  221   c  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present menu list  208   c  with one or more menu items  209   c  descriptive of some or all of the location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   c  (e.g., location data  320   k ,  320   m ,  320   o ,  320   p ,  320   q ,  320   r , and  320   t  of matched location entities  302   k ,  302   m ,  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t ). Therefore, each item  209   c  in list  208   c  may have an associated indicator  203   c  on map  202   c.    
     Selection  222   c  may also be provided for highlighting a particular item  209   c  in list  208   c . As shown in  FIG. 4C , selection  222   c  may highlight item  209   c ′ associated with location  320   k  (e.g., “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”). When a particular item  209  is highlighted by selection  222 , the indicator  203  associated with that item  209  may be altered. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4C , when item  209   c ′ associated with location  320   k  (e.g., “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”) is highlighted by selection  222   c , the visual indicator  203  associated with location  320   k  (e.g., the visual indicator  203  positioned on map  202   c  based on position metadata  348   k ) may be altered to distinguish that indicator from all other indicators of map  202   c  (e.g., see visual indicator  203   c ′, which may include a dot and an outer ring at a position on map  202   c  associated with Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). When the user scrolls selection  222   c  to highlight another menu item  209  in list  208 , the visual indicator  203  associated with that selected item  209  may be altered, and the visual indicator  203   c ′ associated with previously selected item  209   c ′ may return to its normal appearance (e.g., as it appeared on map  202   b  of  FIG. 4B ). This may provide the user with an easy way to correlate each listed item  209  in list  208  with its respective visual indicator  203  on map  202 . This may help the user determine which search result is desired. 
     Application  200  may also supplement user search information  221  in search field  228  of UI  210  with at least a portion of selected item  209 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 4C , the portion of location data  320   k  not provided by user search information  221   c  (e.g., “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” portion  320   k ′) may be automatically filled into search field  228  to help guide the user. 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, UI output portion  230  may also generate a match counter  307  as a portion of presentation information  231 . Match counter  307  may provide the user with the number of indicators  203  provided on a map  202 , the number of menu items  209  provided in a list  208 , or any other number associated with the number of location entities  302  currently represented by user interface  210 . This may provide the user with another easy way to determine the dimension (i.e., the number) of generated search results of a user query. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4D , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 D on display  112  in response to a user entering user search information  221   d  into search field  228 . Continuing with a search based on the results presented in  FIG. 4C , the user may proceed by providing search field  228  of UI input portion  220  with user search information  221   d  defined by the alphanumeric character string “RO”. For example, this may be done by simply adding “O” to previous user search information  221   c  of  FIG. 4C . In response to receiving this new user search term information  221   d , search engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   d  to at least certain information defined by one or more location entities  302  of table  300  in database  260 . For example, engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   d  to alphanumeric strings of valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302  of database  260 . In some embodiments, engine  250  may compare information  221   d  with information from only those entities  302  that provided a match during the processing of information  221   c . This may reduce the processing requirements of application  200 . For every detected match between user search term information  221   d  and valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302 , query engine  250  may extract the position metadata  348  of each of those matched entities  302 . Then, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at one or more positions on map  202  based at least partially on this extracted position metadata  348  associated with each respective matched entity. 
     Following the example of user search term information  221   d  defined by the alphanumeric characters “RO”, controller  240  may process information  221   d  by using engine  250  to compare information  221   d  with table  300  to detect matches with valid term metadata  342  of at least location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t . Therefore, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at positions on map  202  based at least partially on position metadata  348  of at least location entities  3020 ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t . As shown in  FIG. 4D , UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   d  that may, for example, be substantially similar to map  202   b  of  FIG. 4B  and map  202   c  of  FIG. 4C  (e.g., an artistic night view of the globe). Based on the processing of user search term information  221   d  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present multiple visual indicators  203   d  at multiple positions on map  202   d  indicative of some or all of the potential location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   d  (i.e., position metadata  348   o ,  348   p ,  348   q ,  348   r , and  348   t  of matched location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t ). Like indicators  203   c  of  FIG. 4C , each visual indicator  203   d  may be a bright dot that may contrast well with the otherwise dark representation of the night view of the globe of map  202   d . However, the number of indicators  203   d  of  FIG. 4D  may be less than the number of indicators  203   c  of  FIG. 4C  due to the search results being limited by the more specific user search term information  221   d  as compared to user search term information  221   c . Therefore, UI output portion  230  may simply remove certain indicators  203  from map  202  when updating map  202  in response to new user search term information  221   d.    
     Furthermore, based on the processing of user search term information  221   d  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present menu list  208   d  with one or more menu items  209   d  descriptive of some or all of the location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   d  (e.g., location data  320   o ,  320   p ,  320   q ,  320   r , and  320   t  of matched location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q ,  302   r , and  302   t ). Therefore, each item  209   d  in list  208   d  may have an associated indicator  203   d  on map  202   d.    
     Selection  222   d  may also be provided for highlighting a particular item  209   d  in list  208   d . As shown in  FIG. 4D , selection  222   d  may highlight item  209   d ′ associated with location  320   p  (e.g., “Rome, Italy”). When a particular item  209  is highlighted by selection  222 , the indicator  203  associated with that item  209  may be altered. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4D , when item  209   d ′ associated with location  320   p  (e.g., “Rome, Italy”) is highlighted by selection  222   d , the visual indicator  203  associated with location  320   p  (e.g., the visual indicator  203  positioned on map  202   d  based on position metadata  348   p ) may be altered to distinguish that indicator from all other indicators of map  202   d  (e.g., see visual indicator  203   d ′, which may include a dot and an outer ring at a position on map  202   d  associated with Rome, Italy). When the user scrolls selection  222   d  to highlight another menu item  209  in list  208 , the visual indicator  203  associated with that selected item  209  may be altered, and the visual indicator  203   d ′ associated with previously selected item  209   d ′ may return to its normal appearance (e.g., as it appeared on map  202   c  of  FIG. 4C ). This may provide the user with an easy way to correlate each listed item  209  in list  208  with its respective visual indicator  203  on map  202 . This may help the user determine which search result is desired. 
     Application  200  may also supplement user search information  221  in search field  228  of UI  210  with at least a portion of selected item  209 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 4D , the portion of location data  320   p  not provided by user search information  221   d  (e.g., “me, Italy” portion  320   p ′) may be automatically filled into search field  228  to help guide the user. 
     In some embodiments, items  209  may be ordered in list  208  alphabetically. Alternatively, items  209  may be ordered in list  208  based on any other criteria. For example, items  209  may be ordered based on indicator value metadata  344  of each entity  302  represented by an item in the list, such that the location with the highest population may be listed before locations with lower populations. It is to be understood that while only some of the menu items  209  may be displayed at a particular time on display  112 , any menu item  209  of list  208  may be displayed and highlighted by selection  222  when the user scrolls selection  222  up or down the list (e.g., as indicated by scroll cursor  207   d  of  FIG. 4D ). 
     In some embodiments, the menu item  209  to be provided at the top of the portion of list  208  that is initially displayed on display  112  (e.g., item  209   d ′ associated with location  320   p  in  FIG. 4D ) may not necessarily be the item  209  at the top of list  208  (e.g., list  208   d  may be initially presented with scroll cursor  207   d  not at the top of the list). For example, item  209   d ′ positioned at the top of the portion of list  208   d  initially displayed on display  112  may be based on any suitable criteria, such as indicator value metadata  344  associated with the items  209   d  (e.g., based on the population of each location identified in list  208   d ). That is, even if there were other entities  302  in table  300  that matched user search information  221   d  and that were alphabetically ahead of location data  320   p  for “Rome, Italy” (e.g., location data  320   o  for “Rome, Georgia, U.S.A.”), the menu item  209   d  associated with location data  320   p  may still be the item positioned at the top of the portion of list  208   d  initially displayed, based on Rome, Italy having the highest population out of all the locations included in list  208   d  (e.g., indicator value metadata  346   p  is greater than indicator value metadata  346   o ). It is to be understood that various other characteristics or data related to locations  320  of entities  302  may be used for sorting or initially displaying items  209  in list  208  besides population information. For example, previous usage data or popularity (e.g., how often the user selects a particular location), physical size (e.g., the square mileage of the location), or any other suitable information may be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4E , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 E on display  112  in response to a user entering user search information  221   e  into search field  228 . Continuing with a search based on the results presented in  FIG. 4D , the user may proceed by providing search field  228  of UI input portion  220  with user search information  221   e  defined by the alphanumeric character string “ROME”. For example, this may be done by simply adding “ME” to previous user search information  221   d  of  FIG. 4D . In response to receiving this new user search term information  221   e , search engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   e  to at least certain information defined by one or more location entities  302  of table  300  in database  260 . For example, engine  250  may compare user search term information  221   e  to alphanumeric strings of valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302  of database  260 . In some embodiments, engine  250  may compare information  221   e  with information from only those entities  302  that provided a match during the processing of information  221   d  (i.e., as “RO” search information  221   d  may be inclusive of “ROME” search information  221   e ). This may reduce the processing requirements of application  200 . For every detected match between user search term information  221   e  and valid term metadata  342  of one or more location entities  302 , engine  250  may extract the position metadata  348  of each of those matched entities  302 . Then, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at one or more positions on map  202  based at least partially on this extracted position metadata  348  associated with each respective matched entity. 
     Following the example of user search term information  221   e  defined by the alphanumeric characters “ROME”, controller  240  may process information  221   e  by using engine  250  to compare information  221   e  with table  300  to detect matches with valid term metadata  342  of at least location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q , and  302   r . Therefore, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  with one or more visual indicators  203  at positions on map  202  based at least partially on position metadata  348  of at least location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q , and  302   r . As shown in  FIG. 4E , UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   e  that may, for example, be substantially similar to map  202   d  of  FIG. 4D  (e.g., an artistic night view of the globe). 
     Based on the processing of user search term information  221   e  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present visual indicators  203   e  at positions on map  202   e  indicative of some or all of the potential location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   e  (i.e., position metadata  348   o ,  348   p ,  348   q , and  348   r  of matched location entities  3020 ,  302   p ,  302   q , and  302   r ). Like indicators  203   d  of  FIG. 4D , each visual indicator  203   e  may be a bright dot that may contrast well with the otherwise dark representation of the night view of the globe of map  202   e . However, the number of indicators  203   e  of  FIG. 4E  may be less than the number of indicators  203   d  of  FIG. 4D  due to the search results being limited by the more specific user search term information  221   e  as compared to user search term information  221   d . In some embodiments, map  202  may be altered based on the relative positioning of its indicators  203 . For example, map  202   e  may be a more zoomed-in view of a portion of the globe including indicators  203   e  (e.g., a view of just North America and Europe) as compared to the full view of the globe of map  202   d . This may allow map  202  to display only those portions necessary for indicating the locations associated with the current search results. 
     Furthermore, based on the processing of user search term information  221   e  by controller  240 , UI output portion  230  may also generate and present menu list  208   e  with one or more menu items  209   e  descriptive of some or all of the location entities  302  that match the user&#39;s entered search term information  221   e  (e.g., location data  320   o ,  320   p ,  320   q , and  320   r  of matched location entities  302   o ,  302   p ,  302   q , and  302   r ). Therefore, each item  209   e  in list  208   e  may have an associated indicator  203   e  on map  202   e.    
     Selection  222   e  may also be provided for highlighting a particular item  209   e  in list  208   e . As shown in  FIG. 4E , selection  222   e  may highlight item  209   e ′ associated with location  320   p  (e.g., “Rome, Italy”). When a particular item  209  is highlighted by selection  222 , the indicator  203  associated with that item  209  may be altered. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4E , when item  209   e ′ associated with location  320   p  (e.g., “Rome, Italy”) is highlighted by selection  222   e , the visual indicator  203  associated with location  320   p  (e.g., the visual indicator  203  positioned on map  202   e  based on position metadata  348   p ) may be altered to distinguish that indicator from all other indicators of map  202   e  (e.g., see visual indicator  203   e ′, which may include a dot and an outer ring at a position on map  202   e  associated with Rome, Italy). When the user scrolls selection  222   e  to highlight another menu item  209  in list  208 , the visual indicator  203  associated with that selected item  209  may be altered, and the visual indicator  203   e ′ associated with previously selected item  209   e ′ may return to its normal appearance (e.g., as it appeared on map  202   c  of  FIG. 4C ). This may provide the user with an easy way to correlate each listed item  209  in list  208  with its respective visual indicator  203  on map  202 . This may help the user determine which search result is desired. 
     Application  200  may also supplement user search information  221  in search field  228  of UI  210  with at least a portion of selected item  209 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 4E , the portion of location data  320   p  not provided by user search information  221   e  (e.g., “, Italy” portion  320   p ′) may be automatically filled into search field  228  to help guide the user. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4B-4E , each visual indicator  203  may be a bright dot that may contrast well with the otherwise dark representation of a night view of a globe of map  202 . As may not be shown by  FIGS. 4B-4E , however, is that search results represented on map  202  by indicators  203  may be “twinkling” (e.g., in order to look like stars in a sky) or may be otherwise constantly changing their appearance to add some activity to map  202  for engaging the user. For example, indicators  203  that are represented as twinkling dots may potentially resemble the appearance of actual city lights being turned on and off as if being viewed from space. This may be pleasing to a user and may enhance the experience. 
     In some embodiments, at least some of the visual indicators  203  on a map  202  may have a visual characteristic at least partially dependent on the indicator value metadata  344  of the location entity  302  represented by the indicator  203 . For example, the brightness of each indicator  203  may be determined based on the value of its associated indicator value metadata  344 . This may allow an indicator  203  associated with a location having a relatively high human population to be brighter than an indicator  203  associated with a location having a relatively small human population. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4E , indicator  203   e ″, which may be associated with entity  302   q  for “Rome, New York”, may be brighter than indicator  203   e ′″, which may be associated with entity  302   r  for “Rome City, Indiana”, due to indicator value metadata  344   q  being larger than indicator value metadata  344   r . The effect that indicator value metadata  344  may have on the appearance of indicators  203  may vary based on the number of indicators  203  presented on a map  202 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4F , for example, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 F on display  112  in response to a user selecting and confirming a particular search result. Continuing with a search based on the results presented in  FIG. 4E , the user may proceed by confirming selection  222   e  as the desired search result. As shown in  FIG. 4E , selection  222   e  may highlight item  209   e ′ associated with location  320   p  (e.g., “Rome, Italy”) of location entity  302   p . The user may confirm this selection using any suitable mechanism (e.g., by pressing a particular input mechanism of input component  110 , such as a mouse-click on a selected menu item  209  or indicator  203 ). When a particular selection of a search result (e.g., a menu item  209  associated with a location  320  of an entity  302 ) is confirmed, application  200  may transition from a “search mode” to a “confirmed mode”. For example, when the selection of a location is confirmed, application  200  may transition map  202  from a “search mode view” (e.g., an artistic view and/or a night view and/or a zoomed-out view of the globe) to a “confirmed mode view” (e.g., a photorealistic view and/or a day view and/or a zoomed-in view of the globe). Therefore, application  200  may update the presentation of map  202  to signify the confirmation. 
     Additionally, application  200  may remove menu list  208  and all indicators  203  not associated with the confirmed search result. As shown in  FIG. 4F , UI output portion  230  may generate and present a map  202   f  that may, for example, be substantially similar to map  202   a  of  FIG. 4A  (e.g., a photorealistic day view of the globe). Based on the user confirmation of a particular search result, UI output portion  230  may also generate and present a visual indicator  203   f  at the position on map  202   f  indicative of the location entity  302  associated with the confirmed result (i.e., position metadata  348   p  of confirmed location entity  302   p ). Like visual indicator  203   a  of  FIG. 4A , indicator  203   f  may be a “bulls-eye” type indicator that may clearly distinguish the particular location on the day view of the globe of map  202   f.    
     Application  200  may also update search field  228  of UI  210  with the name of the location of the confirmed entity (e.g., location data  320   p ). Similarly, application  200  may also update time zone field  229  of UI  210  with the name of the time zone associated with that entity (e.g., time zone metadata  346   p ). UI output portion  230  may also present a visual zone region  205   f  along a certain portion of map  202   f  indicative of the Central European Time Zone (e.g., using a certain shading or other highlighting technique). Thus, user interface  210  may present visual representation  400 F on display  112  that is indicative of the user confirmed location information (e.g., time zone information) of device  100 . 
     Although application  200  has been described with respect to  FIGS. 4A-4F  as receiving user search term information  221  defined by the alphanumeric characters processed by controller  240  for comparison with table  300  to detect matches with valid term metadata  342  of location entities  302 , search term information  221  may be related to any other characteristic or metadata portion of each entity  302 . For example, a user may input numeric values using search term information  221  and controller  240  may compare numeric information  221  with population data of table  300  (e.g., indicator value metadata  344 ), such that a user&#39;s search may provide results based on entities  302  whose population numbers at least partially match the user search information  221 . 
     The processes described herein, as well as any other aspects of the invention, may each be implemented by software, but can also be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. They each may also be embodied as computer readable code recorded on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may be any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, flash memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. 
     Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. 
     The above-described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20131011
Publication Date: 20180529
Grant Date: 20180529
Priority Date: 20090827
Inventors: DONELLI, GIOVANNI
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0482", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F17/3087", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/14", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/9537", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/9537", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0482", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 43626396