Interface for navigating imagery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10921969-B2
Application number	US-202016902684-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2020
Priority date	Oct 3, 2011
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A user interface for rotating imagery among a plurality of canonical views of a geographic area of interest is disclosed. The interface includes at least one rotation control icon for rotating the imagery among a plurality of canonical views of the geographic area, and a direction indicating portion that indicates a compass direction associated with the canonical view presented on the display device. In particular implementations, the interface can be configured to come into view over the imagery whenever a user navigates to a particular view of the imagery where a plurality of canonical views is available. The motion of the navigation control interface appearing into the imagery is intended to draw attention to the control interface to inform the user that additional canonical views are available.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
presenting, by one or more computing devices, a user interface on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;
presenting, by the one or more computing devices, a navigation control interface overlying the imagery, the navigation control interface comprising a direction indicating portion that indicates a direction associated with a current view presented on the display device and a static rotation control icon, the navigation control interface configured to rotate the imagery from a first predefined canonical view to a second predefined canonical view upon user interaction with a static rotation control icon, wherein the static rotation control icon comprises a first control icon pointed in a first icon direction and a second control icon pointed in a second icon direction, and wherein the direction indicating portion is located between the first control icon and the second control icon;
receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a user input directed to the static rotation control icon; and
rotating, by the one or more computing devices and in response to the user input directed to the static rotation control icon, the direction indicating portion from a first direction associated with the first predefined canonical view to a second direction associated with the second predefined canonical view synchronously with rotation of the imagery from the first predefined canonical view to the second predefined canonical view;
wherein the static rotation control icon does not change as the imagery rotates in response to the user input.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direction indicating portion comprises a single rotating direction indicator.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direction indicating portion is depicted as a compass.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises restoring, by the one or more computing devices, the imagery to a predetermined orientation in the display area upon user interaction with the direction indicating portion.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the navigation control interface comprises:
determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether a plurality of predefined canonical views associated with the imagery are available; and
presenting, by the one or more computing devices, the navigation control interface overlying the imagery if the plurality of predefined canonical views associated with the imagery are available.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting when a user-manipulable cursor is located proximate to or hovered over the static rotation control icon;
in response to the user-manipulable cursor being located proximate to or hovered over the static rotation control icon, providing a textual description of a rotation function associated with the static rotation control icon for display within the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises hiding, by the one or more computing devices, the navigation control interface when a plurality of canonical views associated with the imagery are not available.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises presenting, by the one or more computing devices, a primary control interface overlying the imagery, the primary control interface configured to zoom the imagery.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting when a user-manipulable cursor is located proximate to or hovered over the direction indicating portion;
in response to the user-manipulable cursor being located proximate to or hovered over the direction indicating portion, providing a textual description of a reset function associated with the direction indicating portion for display within the user interface.

10. A system for navigating images; comprising:
a display device;
one or more processors; and
at least one memory coupled to the one or more processors, the at least one memory comprising computer-readable instructions for execution by the one or more processors to cause said one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
presenting, by one or more computing devices, a user interface on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;
presenting, by the one or more computing devices, a navigation control interface overlying the imagery, the navigation control interface comprising a direction indicating portion that indicates a direction associated with a current view presented on the display device and a static rotation control icon, the navigation control interface configured to rotate the imagery from a first predefined canonical view to a second predefined canonical view upon user interaction with a static rotation control icon, wherein the static rotation control icon comprises a first control icon pointed in a first icon direction and a second control icon pointed in a second icon direction, and wherein the direction indicating portion is located between the first control icon and the second control icon;
receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a user input directed to the static rotation control icon; and
rotating, by the one or more computing devices and in response to the user input directed to the static rotation control icon, the direction indicating portion from a first direction associated with the first predefined canonical view to a second direction associated with the second predefined canonical view synchronously with rotation of the imagery from the first predefined canonical view to the second predefined canonical view;
wherein the static rotation control icon does not change as the imagery rotates in response to the user input.

11. The system of claim 10 , the direction indicating portion comprises a single rotating direction indicator.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:
presenting a primary control interface overlying the imagery, the primary control interface configured to zoom the imagery.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the direction indicating portion is depicted as a compass.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:
detecting when a user-manipulable cursor is located proximate to or hovered over the static rotation control icon;
in response to the user-manipulable cursor being located proximate to or hovered over the static rotation control icon, providing a textual description of a rotation function associated with the static rotation control icon for display within the user interface.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
presenting, by one or more computing devices, a user interface on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;
presenting, by the one or more computing devices, a navigation control interface overlying the imagery, the navigation control interface comprising a direction indicating portion that indicates a direction associated with a current view presented on the display device and a static rotation control icon, the navigation control interface configured to rotate the imagery from a first predefined canonical view to a second predefined canonical view upon user interaction with a static rotation control icon, wherein the static rotation control icon comprises a first control icon pointed in a first icon direction and a second control icon pointed in a second

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Van Lancker Willem
• Harrelson Christopher R
• Simpson Matthew Robert
• Leicht Moore Amanda Marie

Classifications

• G06T15/20 Primary

  Perspective computation · CPC title

• G06T17/05

  Geographic models · CPC title

• G09B29/005

  Map projections or methods associated specifically therewith · CPC title

• G06T19/00

  Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics · CPC title

• G09G2340/12

  Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels · CPC title