U.S. patent application number 13/907908 was filed with the patent office on 2013-12-05 for logo-enabled interactive map integrating social networking applications.
The applicant listed for this patent is CityMaps. Invention is credited to Anthony J. Campagna, Elliot Cohen, Adam J. Eskreis, Benjamin O. Gundersen, Mohammed R. Hamid, Megan M. Isaak, Robert M. Matsuoka, Aaron Rudenstine.
Application Number | 20130325337 13/907908 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49671263 |
Filed Date | 2013-12-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130325337 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rudenstine; Aaron ; et
al. |
December 5, 2013 |
LOGO-ENABLED INTERACTIVE MAP INTEGRATING SOCIAL NETWORKING
APPLICATIONS
Abstract
A logo-enabled interactive map integrating social networking
applications is provided. The interactive map may be configured to
help end users discover and share information (e.g., events, deals,
news occurrences, etc.) associated with a plurality of venues.
Inventors: |
Rudenstine; Aaron; (New
York, NY) ; Cohen; Elliot; (New York, NY) ;
Matsuoka; Robert M.; (New York, NY) ; Eskreis; Adam
J.; (Astoria, NY) ; Campagna; Anthony J.;
(Astoria, NY) ; Gundersen; Benjamin O.; (New York,
NY) ; Isaak; Megan M.; (Plainsboro, NJ) ;
Hamid; Mohammed R.; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CityMaps |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49671263 |
Appl. No.: |
13/907908 |
Filed: |
June 1, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61654195 |
Jun 1, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/527 ;
701/533 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/3484 20130101;
G01C 21/3682 20130101; G06F 16/90 20190101; G06F 3/0484 20130101;
G01C 21/3423 20130101; G06Q 90/20 20130101; G01C 21/343 20130101;
G06F 16/2455 20190101; G06F 16/29 20190101; G06F 2203/04806
20130101; G01C 21/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/527 ;
701/533 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/34 20060101
G01C021/34 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method of suggesting a path of travel on
a map, said method comprising: receiving, at a programmed computer,
an indication to provide directions to one or more venues selected
by an end user; identifying, using said programmed computer,
pre-defined travel preferences for said end user; identifying,
using said programmed computer, one or more optimization criteria;
optimizing, using said programmed computer, said path of travel
based on said pre-defined travel preferences and said optimization
criteria; and providing, using said programmed computer, directions
along said optimized path of travel to said end user.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said optimization criteria
comprises determining the distance to said one or more selected
venues.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said optimization criteria
comprises determining hours of operation for said one or more
selected venues.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said optimization criteria
comprises determining one or more modes of transportation selected
by said user.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said optimization criteria
comprises determining costs associated with said one or more
selected modes of transportation.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein said optimization criteria
comprises determining an expected time to get to a destination
associated with said one or more selected modes of
transportation.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a
recommendation or deal associated with a venue of interest along
said optimized path of travel to said end user.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said venue of interest presented
to said end user is not a venue from said one or more venues
originally selected by said end user.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein said recommendation or deal is
presented based on pre-defined non-geographical preferences or
historical data associated with said end user.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising optimizing said path
of travel based on a recommendation or deal associated with a venue
of interest to said end user.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein directions along said optimized
path of travel are provided using venue representations displayed
on said map.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein a venue representation
displayed on said map is a logo-based identifier associated with a
venue.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said venue representation is a
text-based identifier when said logo-based identifier is not
available for said venue.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein a venue representation
displayed on said map is a category icon associated with a
venue.
15. A computer system for suggesting a path of travel on a map,
said computer system comprising: a memory; and a processing device
communicatively coupled to said memory, said processing device
configured to: receive an indication to provide directions to one
or more venues selected by an end user; identify pre-defined travel
preferences for said end user; identify one or more optimization
criteria; optimize said path of travel based on said pre-defined
travel preferences and said optimization criteria; and provide
directions along said optimized path of travel to said end
user.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium programmed to
include instructions that, when executed by a processing device,
cause said processing device to perform a method of suggesting a
path of travel on a map, said method comprising: receiving an
indication to provide directions to one or more venues selected by
an end user; identifying pre-defined travel preferences for said
end user; identifying one or more optimization criteria; optimizing
said path of travel based on said pre-defined travel preferences
and said optimization criteria; and providing directions along said
optimized path of travel to said end user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/654,195, filed Jun. 1, 2012, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the invention relate generally to
geographical mapping applications and, more specifically, to a
logo-enabled interactive map integrating social networking
applications.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Mapping applications are used for navigational purposes to
aid end users in getting from one geographic point of interest to
another. Unfortunately, traditional mapping applications present
cluttered views of building outlines and often integrate elements
that are not particularly useful to end users. Additionally,
traditional mapping applications are typically limited to only
providing information in response to specific geographic requests
received from an end user.
[0004] There is a desire to improve traditional mapping
applications so that they provide information not only about
geographical points of interest desired by an end user, but also to
integrate non-geographical information based on various activity
and interests associated with the end user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and
not by way of limitation, and will become 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:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer
network in which embodiments of the present invention may
operate.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of a map management platform illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3A is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
method for conducting a search for venues, wherein FIGS. 3B-3D are
screen shots illustrating various options, visual elements and
search options integrated in the interactive map.
[0009] FIGS. 4A and 4B are flow diagrams illustrating embodiments
of methods, respectively, for handling receipt of data and
verifying the data received to be published on the interactive
map.
[0010] FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow diagrams illustrating embodiments
of methods, respectively, for enabling a trip planning tool and
providing an optimized path of travel associated with the use of
the trip planning tool, wherein FIG. 5C is a screen shot
illustrating various visual elements associated with the
aforementioned methods.
[0011] FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow diagrams illustrating embodiments
of methods, respectively, for determining venue representations and
determining their corresponding display on the interactive map,
wherein FIGS. 6C and 6D are screen shots illustrating zoom levels
incorporating venue priorities associated with the aforementioned
methods.
[0012] FIG. 7A is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
method for enabling a friend tracking tool, wherein FIG. 7B is a
screen shot illustrating various visual elements associated with
the aforementioned method.
[0013] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
method for correlating non-geographic communications on the
interactive map.
[0014] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a
machine in the exemplary form of a computer system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] In the following description, numerous details are set
forth. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art,
that the present invention may be practiced without these specific
details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are
shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to
avoid obscuring the present invention.
[0016] Some portions of the detailed descriptions are presented in
terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on
data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions
and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data
processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their
work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and
generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps
leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical
manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not
necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or
magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,
compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at
times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these
signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,
numbers, or the like.
[0017] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and
similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical
quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these
quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from
the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the
description, discussions utilizing terms such as "receiving",
"determining", "identifying", "verifying", "generating",
"transmitting", "processing", "selecting", "populating",
"displaying", or the like, refer to the action and processes of a
computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that
manipulates and transforms data represented as physical
(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and
memories into other data similarly represented as physical
quantities within the computer system memories or registers or
other such information storage, transmission or display
devices.
[0018] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for
performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially
constructed for the required purposes or it may comprise a general
purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a
computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program
may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but
not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical
disks, CD-ROMs and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories
(ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or
optical cards, flash memory devices including universal serial bus
(USB) storage devices (e.g., USB key devices) or any type of media
suitable for storing electronic instructions, each of which may be
coupled to a computer system bus.
[0019] The algorithms and displays presented herein are not
inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus.
Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in
accordance with the teachings herein or it may prove convenient to
construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method
steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will
be apparent from the description above. In addition, the present
invention is not described with reference to any particular
programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of
programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the
invention as described herein.
[0020] The present invention may be provided as a computer program
product, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium
having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program a
computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process
according to the present invention. A machine-readable medium
includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a
form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a
machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium includes a
machine (e.g., a computer) readable storage medium (e.g., read only
memory ("ROM"), random access memory ("RAM"), magnetic disk storage
media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, etc.), a
machine (e.g., computer) readable transmission medium
(non-propagating electrical, optical, or acoustical signals),
etc.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer
network 100 in which embodiments of the present invention may
operate. Referring to FIG. 1, computer network 100 may be comprised
of at least one map management platform 110, a plurality of
computing devices 122A-122N associated with external data sources
120 and a plurality of computing devices 132A-132N associated with
end users 130. Computing devices associated with external data
sources 120 and end users 130 may be communicatively coupled, via a
network 140, to one or more computer processing and storage
accessible components of map management platform 110. Network 140
may be a private network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), wide
area network (WAN), intranet, etc.) or a public network (e.g., the
Internet).
[0022] Map management platform 110 may be comprised of one or more
computing components configured to handle various processes of the
present invention, as described herein. For example, map management
platform 110 may be comprised of an end user module 112, a data
collection module 114 and a mapping logistics module 116.
[0023] In one embodiment, end user module 112 may be configured to
manage all aspects of an end user's interaction with the
interactive map of the present invention. End user module 112 may
be comprised of a plurality of components for processing
instructions to execute methods associated with various features
available to an end user on the interactive map. Referring to FIG.
2, end user module 112 may comprise, for example, an account
manager 222, a personalization component 224, a trip routing
component 226 and a friend tracking component 228.
[0024] In one embodiment, data collection module 114 may be
configured to manage all aspects of data collected to be integrated
in the interactive map of the present invention. Data collection
module 114 may be comprised of a plurality of components for
processing instructions to execute methods associated with
collecting and integrating data into the interactive map. Referring
to FIG. 2, data collection module 114 may comprise, for example, a
data control manager 242, a data source component 244, an ingestion
component 246 and a data verification component 248.
[0025] In one embodiment, mapping logistics module 116 may be
configured to manage all aspects of geographic and non-geographic
elements integrated in the interactive map of the present
invention. Mapping logistics module 116 may be comprised of a
plurality of components for processing instructions to execute
methods associated with integrating geographic and non-geographic
elements into the interactive map. Referring to FIG. 2, mapping
logistics module 116 may comprise, for example, a map control
manager 262, a venue display component 264, a non-geographic
communication component 266 and a tile rendering component 268.
[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that map management
platform 110 may be configured with more or less modules and
components to conduct the methods described herein with reference
to FIGS. 3A, 4A-5B, 6A, 6B, 7A and 8. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A,
4A-5B, 6A, 6B, 7A and 8, each of corresponding methods 300, 400,
450, 500, 520, 600, 620, 700 and 800 may be performed by processing
logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic,
programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as
instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof.
In one embodiment, methods 300, 400, 450, 500, 520, 600, 620, 700
and 800 may be performed by one or more processing components
associated with modules 112, 114 and 116 of map management platform
110.
[0027] FIG. 3A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 300 of
conducting a search for venues using the interactive map, according
to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, method 300
may be initiated upon receiving, at block 302, an indication to
conduct a search on the interactive map. The interactive map may
provide an end user with a plurality of search options including,
but not limited to, a search field for receiving a search query,
category filters for identifying certain venue types (e.g., bars,
shopping, entertainment, etc.) of interest, a search based on
stored venues previously identified by an end user (e.g., a venue
stored as a "favorite" or any other similar personalization
attribute), and system suggested venues using a recommendation
search engine. Which of the foregoing search options employed may
be determined, at blocks 304, 310, 314 and 318, and corresponding
actions may be taken, at blocks 306, 308, 312, 316, 320 and 322, to
display relevant venues on the interactive map.
[0028] A notable search feature of the interactive map is an
embodiment enabling a visual active search. Upon receiving, at
block 304, entry of a search query in a search field of the
interactive map, venue representations (i.e., business logos,
names, categorical icons, etc.) populated on the interactive map
for a particular geographic location may be removed, at block 306,
in real-time as characters of the search query are entered in the
search field to yield, at block 308, matching venues. For example,
an end user searching for a Starbucks venue in a defined geographic
location will begin to enter the corresponding characters in the
name "Starbucks", resulting in non-matching venue representations
being removed from the interactive map as additional characters are
entered in the search field.
[0029] In one embodiment, venues not matching characters of a
search query entered in the search field may still be displayed on
the interactive map. For example, an end user searching for "Joe's
Coffee Shop" may see venue representations associated with the
specific venue searched, as well as non-matching venue
representations (e.g., associated with Starbucks) if a predefined
association is made between a term in the search query (e.g.,
Coffee), or the specific venue searched, and the non-matching
venue. In other words, a predefined association may be provided
allowing for venue representations associated with Starbucks to be
displayed, in addition to the desired venue being searched,
whenever a search query for "Joe's Coffee Shop" or any search
containing the term "coffee" is made. The predefined associations
may be provided as means for making relevant recommendations to an
end user, while still removing other non-matching venue
representations (not having a predefined association) from the
interactive map.
[0030] Another notable search feature of the interactive map is an
embodiment enabling a recommendation search engine to be engaged,
at block 320, to make venue recommendations. The end user may
submit an inquiry (e.g., identify the best Chinese restaurants in
Soho) and receive a recommendation of venues, identified as venue
representations on the interactive map displaying the Soho area.
The recommendation engine may provide visual representations of
both a favorability rating of a venue and a "hotness" value
associated with the venue. The favorability rating may be based on
a score determined by applying an algorithm on aggregate ratings of
a number of external and internal sources. A "hotness" value may be
generated by using trending values (e.g., frequency of recent
mentions, ratings and "likes" received) culled from external
sources combined with information from users of the interactive
map. The favorability rating and "hotness" value may be combined
using a unique visual representation, allowing users to immediately
identify desirable venues.
[0031] FIGS. 3B-3D are screen shots illustrating various options,
visual elements and some of the search options, as described in
conjunction with FIG. 3A, integrated in the interactive map. FIG.
3B is a screen shot 330 illustrating a basic layout of the
interactive map, which may provide a city location identification
field 332, a venue type search filter menu 334, and listing tabs
336 and 338 comprising, respectively, deals and tweets
corresponding to the area of the interactive map being viewed.
Icons 336b and 338b illustrated next to venue representations on a
main window 340 of the interactive map correspond, respectively, to
deals and tweets listed under listing tabs 336 and 338. For
example, a deal 336a identified under listing tab 336 may be
represented by a deal icon 336b (e.g., a dollar sign symbol)
adjacent to the corresponding venue logo displayed on main window
340 of the interactive map. Similarly, a tweet identified under
listing tab 338 may be represented by a tweet icon 338b (e.g., the
Twitter bird logo) adjacent to the corresponding venue name
displayed on main window 340 of the interactive map.
[0032] FIG. 3C is a screen shot 350 illustrating a pop-up window
352a associated with a venue representation 352, as illustrated in
FIG. 3B, selected by an end user. Window 352a may overlay main
window 340 of the interactive map. Window 352a may contain various
information about the selected venue including, but not limited to,
identifying to the end user what the venue is, where it is, how to
contact it, what has happened at the venue recently, what is
happening at the venue in the near future, what deals or specials
are available, what people are saying about the venue, and what the
venue looks like. Depending on the type of venue selected,
additional information may be displayed, such as menus, movie
showings and showtimes, movie previews, and parking rates.
[0033] FIG. 3D is a screen shot 360 illustrating the visual active
search feature of the interactive map, as previously described in
method 300. When an end user begins to type a search query in
search field 362, venue representations matching characters entered
in search field 362 are displayed on main window 340 of the
interactive map, while venue representations that don't have the
corresponding matching characters entered may be removed from the
display of main window 340.
[0034] FIG. 4A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 for
handling data received to be published on or associated with a
venue displayed on the interactive map, according to an embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4A, method 400 may be initiated
upon receiving, at block 402, an indication to update or correct
data associated with venues identified on the interactive map.
Method 400 may make a determination, at block 404, whether the
source of data is being received from a verified data provider
(e.g., Yellow Pages, Foursquare, Facebook, etc.) or from an end
user. In method 400, data received from a data provider may undergo
an ingestion process, at blocks 406 and 408, and data received from
an end user may undergo an identification and verification process,
at blocks 407 and 409, prior to being published, at block 412, on
the interactive map.
[0035] The ingestion process may pull external geo-tagged data
based on business rules and schedules, aggregate the data in such a
fashion as to make this data relevant to map users, and correlate
the data with business venues maintained in a database associated
with the interactive map. Once the geo-tagged data has been
correlated, it may be provided on the interactive map using any one
of a plurality of map presentation data formats. The geo-tagged
data may additionally be pulled into an indexing tool for fast
retrieval based on location and keywords.
[0036] FIG. 4B is a flow diagram illustrating a method 450 for
verifying data received to be published on the interactive map or
associated with a venue displayed on the interactive map, according
to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4B, method 450
may be initiated upon receiving, at block 452, an indication to
verify data for use in the interactive map. Method 450 may make a
determination, at block 454, whether to implement the verification
process based on relevant input received from a user community,
relevant input received from a data provider, credibility of the
end user originating the data or a combination thereof. In method
450, data to be verified based on input received from a user
community may undergo a process, at blocks 456, 458 and 460, and
data to be verified based on input received from a data provider or
credibility of the end user originating the data may undergo a
process, at blocks 457, 459 and 460, before the data is authorized,
at block 462, for use in the interactive map.
[0037] When the user community is employed for the verification
process, method 450 may receive, at block 456, relevant data from
one or more end users in the user community confirming validity of
the data received from the originating end user. To advance and
ensure a reliable verification process, credibility scores
associated with end users in the user community may be identified,
at block 458. Similarly, when credibility of the end user
originating the data is employed for the verification process,
method 450 may identify, at block 457, a credibility score
associated with the end user originating the data.
[0038] When a data provider is employed for the verification
process, method 450 may receive, at block 459, relevant data from
one or more data providers to confirm validity of the data received
from the originating end user. Relevant data received from the data
provider may be comprised of, but is certainly not limited to,
business information (e.g., address records, phone records, hours
of operation, etc.), posted social activity (e.g., a recent
check-in, a Facebook "like", recent reviews, etc.), posted
financial activity or any combination thereof.
[0039] Regardless of the review type selected for the verification
process of method 450, a determination may be made, at block 460,
whether verification threshold values have been met. When
verification threshold values are met (e.g., a minimum number of
end users confirming validity of data, acceptable credibility
scores, etc.), then the data received from the originating user may
be validated and authorized, at block 462, for use in the
interactive map.
[0040] FIG. 5A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 500 for
enabling a trip planning tool on the interactive map, according to
an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5A, method 500
may be initiated upon receiving, at block 502, an indication to
identify a path of travel to multiple venues, which may be
specified by an end user or based on a system recommendation. In
determining the path of travel to multiple venues, pre-defined user
preferences may be taken into consideration, at block 504, prior to
determining, at block 506, the optimum path of travel and
displaying, at block 508, the optimum travel path to the end
user.
[0041] Method 500 may make a determination, at block 510, whether
there are any recommended points of interest or deals available on
the suggested optimum path of travel and, if so, they may be
incorporated, at block 512, into the suggested optimum path of
travel displayed to the end user. Recommendations incorporated into
the optimum path of travel may be based on user preferences
explicitly and implicitly gathered. Explicit preferences may be
identified using an option panel that allows users to select
favorite categories, tags, events, specials, and deals. Implicit
preferences may be identified using information gathered from past
searches, businesses clicked on, the favorability rating and the
hotness value of venues, and data gathered from social media
connections.
[0042] FIG. 5B is a flow diagram illustrating a method 520 for
determining an optimum path of travel, according to an embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5B, method 520 may be initiated
upon receiving, at block 522, an indication to execute a travel
optimization process. In determining an optimum path of travel to
multiple venues, one or more possible routes may be retrieved
(e.g., by external sources providing direction routing services),
at block 524, to identify the route presenting the best path of
travel to the selected venues.
[0043] In determining the optimum path of travel, additional
information may be taken into consideration pertaining to the
multiple venues selected. For example, the hours of operation for a
venue may be identified, at block 526, the time to reach a venue
based on modes of transportation selected and nearby parking or
transit stops may be identified, at block 528, the costs associated
with parking and transit may be identified, at block 530, other
applicable information associated with travel to a venue or a
combination thereof. Upon consideration of the various inputs, an
optimal path of travel may be generated, at block 532, for
presentation to an end user.
[0044] FIG. 5C is a screen shot 540 illustrating directions for a
suggested optimum path of travel 542, which may incorporate logos
542a and 542b associated with venues, respectively, for landmark
purposes and to suggest points of interest along the travel path.
In one embodiment, venues that an end user's friends have
highlighted (e.g., via Facebook) may be suggested along the path of
travel, along with venues that are similar to the venues that the
end user has previously highlighted. Additionally, a listing of
deals, specials and events 544 may be provided along the suggested
optimum path of travel.
[0045] FIG. 6A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 600 for
determining venue representations and determining their
corresponding display on the interactive map, according to an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6A, method 600 may
be initiated upon receiving, at block 602, an indication to
populate the interactive map with venue representations.
Representation types (i.e., text, logos, category icons, etc.)
associated with venues may be identified, at block 604, to be
displayed on the interactive map. Method 600 may then identify, at
block 606, the placement position and orientation of venue
representations on the interactive map, taking into consideration
the number of venue representations to be displayed, equidistant
locations between adjacent venue representations and rotational
aspects for placement of the venue representations corresponding to
their location on a street where their storefronts reside,
respectively, at blocks 606a, 606b and 606c. Thereafter, the
interactive map may be populated, at block 608, with the venue
representations.
[0046] FIG. 6B is a flow diagram illustrating a method 620 for
determining venue representations based on a zoom level of the
interactive map, according to an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 6B, method 620 may be initiated upon detecting,
at block 622, a zoom level associated with the interactive map
displayed. Method 620 may make a determination, at block 624,
whether the number of venue representations (e.g., venue logos) to
be displayed exceeds a predefined display threshold value for the
detected zoom level. If an affirmative determination is made, then
method 620 may be configured to identify, at block 626, priority
levels associated with the venue representations and display, at
block 628, venue representations with the highest priority level
within limitations of the display threshold value. A subsequent
determination may be made, at block 630, to determine whether any
identified or prevailing venue representations selected for display
are subject to collision (e.g., overlap on the interactive map). If
an affirmative determination is made, then method 620 may be
configured to further identify, at block 632, priority levels of
conflicting venue representations and display, at block 634, venue
representations with higher priority levels.
[0047] To determine priority levels associated with venues, stored
venues previously identified by an end user, the recommendation
search engine or a combination thereof (previously described in
conjunction with method 300 of FIG. 3A) may be employed by method
620. For example, the recommendation search engine may retrieve
rating information associated with venues to assign priority
levels. Rating information may be based on popularity of a venue,
as determined by independent venue rating sources, ratings provided
by an end user community or a combination thereof. Alternatively,
priority levels associated with venues may be determined based on
sponsorships relating to the venues. Additionally, priority may be
given to venues that have a high "hotness" value, as previously
described in conjunction with method 300 of FIG. 3A.
[0048] FIG. 6C is a screen shot 640 illustrating a zoomed-in view
of an area of the interactive map having a plurality of venue
representations 642 comprising a first venue logo 642a, a second
venue logo 642b, a third venue logo 642c and a fourth venue logo
642d displayed on a city block. FIG. 6D is a screen shot 660
illustrating a zoomed-out view of the same area of the interactive
map illustrated in screen shot 640 of FIG. 6C. As can be seen,
focusing on the same city block in screen shot 660, only first
venue logo 642a and second venue logo 642b are permitted to be
displayed. The determination to display first venue logo 642a and
second venue logo 642b and to remove from display third venue logo
642c and fourth venue logo 642d may be based on the priority levels
associated with each of their corresponding venues. Which of the
plurality of venue representations 642 are displayed at a
particular zoom level of the interactive map may be determined, for
example, by method 620 of FIG. 6B.
[0049] FIG. 7A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 700 for
enabling a friend tracking tool on the interactive map, according
to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7A, method 700
may be initiated upon receiving, at block 702, an indication to
identify venues associated with an end user's travel, which may
include current or past points of travel. Method 700 may make a
determination, at block 704, whether the travel data sought is
enabled to be publicly broadcast. If the end user's travel data is
not publicly available, a notification may be generated, at block
706, informing a requesting end user that the travel data for the
desired end user is unavailable. Otherwise, method 700 may proceed
to identify and retrieve, at blocks 708, 710, 712 and 714, various
information (e.g., locations visited, communications posted
relating to locations visited, etc.), while taking into
consideration limitations set by a broadcasting end user, to be
displayed, at block 716, on the interactive map of the requesting
end user. FIG. 7B is a screen shot 720 illustrating elements of the
friend tracking tool as it may be displayed to the requesting end
user.
[0050] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 800 for
correlating non-geographic communications on the interactive map,
according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8,
method 800 may be initiated upon receiving, at block 802, an
indication to correlate and display non-geographic communications
on the interactive map. Geographic points where non-geographic
communications are to be displayed, for example in association with
a venue, may be identified, at block 804, and logged, at block 806,
into metadata associated with a corresponding map tile comprising
the venue of interest. When the corresponding map tile is loaded,
at block 808, for display on the interactive map, the geographic
points may be extracted, at block 810, from the map tile in order
to display, at block 812, an icon representative of the
non-geographic communication on the loaded map tile. Method 800 may
make a determination, at block 814, whether the non-geographic
communication remains relevant and, if not, it may purge, at block
816, that communication from metadata correlating the same to a
venue on the interactive map.
[0051] The interactive map may be comprised of a base layer map
configured to receive elements representing geographic features and
landmarks. A set of geographically placed venues, each associated
with one or more categories, may be layered on the base layer map.
A rendering tool may be made available to generate venue
representations on the interactive map, which may be broken up into
one or more pre-defined quadrants known as "map tiles". A map tile
is built comprising all venues in all categories. Additional map
tiles may also be constructed for each zoom level, for each
category and any other applicable display criteria. Map tiles may
be organized by city and location, wherein each map tile may be
given a unique ID so that one or more map tiles in a map tile set
may be easily retrieved when constructing the interactive map. Tile
sets may be stored locally (e.g. in one or more servers determined
to be closest in location to an end user engaging the interactive
map) or, if a particular map tile is not available locally, it may
be pulled from a repository and saved locally ("edge caching") for
future use.
[0052] It should be noted that the sequence of operations described
in conjunction with methods 300, 400, 450, 500, 520, 600, 620, 700
and 800 may be different from that illustrated, respectively, in
corresponding FIGS. 3A, 4A-5B, 6A, 6B, 7A and 8. For example, the
operations at block 318 illustrated in method 300 of FIG. 3A may be
executed before the operations at blocks 304, 310 and 314.
[0053] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a
machine in the exemplary form of a computer system 900 within which
a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one
or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In
alternative embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g.,
networked) to other machines in a local area network (LAN), an
intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The machine may operate in
the capacity of a server or a client machine in a client-server
network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or
distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal
computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a server, a
network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of
executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that
specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a
single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be
taken to include any collection of machines that individually or
jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform
any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
[0054] The exemplary computer system 900 may be comprised of a
processing device 902, a main memory 904 (e.g., read-only memory
(ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (such as
synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static
memory 906 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM),
etc.), and a data storage device 918, which communicate with each
other via a bus 930.
[0055] Processing device 902 represents one or more general-purpose
processing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing
unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing device may be
complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced
instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor, very long
instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or processor implementing
other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of
instruction sets. Processing device 902 may also be one or more
special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA),
a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or the like.
Processing device 902 is configured to execute processing logic 826
for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.
[0056] Computer system 900 may further include a network interface
device 908. Computer system 900 also may include a video display
unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray
tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a
cursor control device 914 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation
device 916 (e.g., a speaker).
[0057] Data storage device 918 may include a machine-readable
storage medium (or more specifically a computer-readable storage
medium) 928 having one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software
922) embodying any one or more of the methodologies of functions
described herein. For example, software 922 may store instructions
to manage a logo-enabled interactive map. Software 922 may also
reside, completely or at least partially, within main memory 904
and/or within processing device 902 during execution thereof by
computer system 900; main memory 904 and processing device 902 also
constituting machine-readable storage media. Software 922 may
further be transmitted or received over a network 920 via network
interface device 908.
[0058] Machine-readable storage medium 928 may also be used to
store instructions for managing a logo-enabled interactive map.
While machine-readable storage medium 928 is shown in an exemplary
embodiment to be a single medium, the term "machine-readable
storage medium" should be taken to include a single medium or
multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or
associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of
instructions. The term "machine-readable storage medium" shall also
be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing or
encoding a set of instruction for execution by the machine and that
causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies
of the present invention. The term "machine-readable storage
medium" shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited
to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media.
[0059] Whereas many alterations and modifications of the present
invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary
skill in the art after having read the foregoing description, it is
to be understood that any particular embodiment shown and described
by way of illustration is in no way intended to be considered
limiting. Therefore, references to details of various embodiments
are not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which in
themselves recite only those features regarded as the
invention.
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