Method, system, and computer program product for visual disambiguation for directions queries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239246-B2
Application number	US-201113276787-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2011
Priority date	Oct 19, 2011
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems, methods, computer programs, and user interfaces are provided to send a map search request including a start location and a search term to a map server, receive a number of routes, each of the routes describing a route from the start location to one of a number of potential destinations, receive a road style for rendering roads in a map extent encompassing the routes, and simultaneously display the routes based on a multiple route style.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method of visual disambiguation for directions queries, the method comprising:
obtaining user parameters comprising a start location and a search term;
sending by a one or more processors a map search request comprising the start location and the search term to a map server, the start location and the search term being used by the map server to:
identify a plurality of potential destinations that are each within a threshold distance of the start location and associated with the search term; and
generate a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes describing a route from the start location to one of a plurality of potential destinations associated with the search term;

receiving by the one or more processors the plurality of routes in response to the map search request;
receiving by the one or more processors a road style for rendering roads in a map extent encompassing the plurality of routes; and
simultaneously displaying by the one or more processors the plurality of routes on a single route map from the start location to each of the plurality of potential destinations associated with the search term based on a multiple route style that comprises the road style such that the user can select one of the plurality of routes from the simultaneous display;
simultaneously displaying by the one or more processors a plurality of end location labels on the single route map with the plurality of routes, each end location label comprising a description of the corresponding potential destination and one or more of a travel time or travel distance for the corresponding route from the start location to that potential destination; and
receiving by the one or more processors user selection of one of the plurality of routes based on the simultaneous display of the plurality of routes and the plurality of end location labels, wherein the user selection of one of the plurality of routes is selected from the single route map without having to navigate through multiple screens.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simultaneous display of the plurality of routes comprises a start location label for the start location and an end location label for each of the plurality of potential destinations.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the end location label for each of the plurality of potential destinations is rendered such that the end location label does not intersect road labels rendered based on the road style.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the end location label is favored over the road labels such that intersecting road labels that cannot be repositioned to satisfy the multiple route style are not rendered.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of routes intersect one or more route roads, wherein the one or more route roads are rendered with an emphasized font based on the multiple route style, and wherein other roads are rendered with an understated font based on the road style.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple route style is generated based on the plurality of routes and the road style.

7. A method of visual disambiguation for directions queries, the method comprising:
receiving a map search request comprising a start location and a search term;
performing by one or more processors a spatial search to identify a plurality of potential destinations that are each within a threshold distance of the start location and associated with the search term;
generating by the one or more processors a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes describing a route from the start location to one of the plurality of potential destinations;
obtaining a road style for rendering roads in a map extent that encompasses the plurality of routes;
sending the plurality of routes and the road style to a user device, the user device simultaneously displaying on a single route map the plurality of routes from the start location to each of the plurality of potential destinations associated with the search term based on a multiple route style that comprises the road style such that the user can select one of the plurality of potential routes from the simultaneous display;
generating by the one or more processors a plurality of end location labels, each end location label comprising a description of the corresponding potential destination and one or more of a travel time or travel distance for the corresponding route from the start location to that potential destination;
sending the plurality of end location labels to a user device, the user device simultaneously displaying the plurality of end location labels on the single route map with the plurality of routes; and
receiving at the user device a user selection of one of the plurality of routes based on the simultaneous display of the plurality of routes and the plurality of end location labels, wherein the user selection of one of the plurality of routes is selected from the single route map without having to navigate through multiple screens.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of routes comprises a travel time for the route from the start location to one of the plurality of potential destinations, wherein the travel time for each of the plurality of routes is rendered as a travel time label based on the multiple route style.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the start location has a start description that is rendered as a start location label and each of the plurality of potential destination has an end description that is rendered as an end location label based on the multiple route style.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising rendering road labels based on the road style, wherein the multiple route style specifies that the end location label for each of the plurality of potential destinations cannot intersect the road labels.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the end location label is favored over the road labels such that intersecting road labels that cannot be repositioned to satisfy the multiple route style are not rendered.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of routes intersect one or more route roads, wherein the one or more route roads are rendered with an emphasized font based on the multiple route style, and wherein other roads are rendered with an understated font based on the road style.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving a user selection of a selected route of the plurality of routes; and
generating a route map for the selected route, the route map being displayed in a navigation display of the user device.

14. A system, comprising:
a plurality of memories;
a plurality of processors, each operatively connected to at least one of the plurality of memories;
a user device interface stored on the plurality of memories, the user device interface being executed by the plurality of processors to:
receive a map search request comprising a start location and a search term from a user device;
send a plurality of routes and a road style to the user device, the user device simultaneously displaying on a single route map the plurality of routes from the start location to each of the plurality of potential destinations associated with the search term based on a multiple route style that comprises the road style such that the user can select one of the plurality of potential routes from the simultaneous display;
send a plurality of end location labels to the user device, the user device simultaneously displaying the plurality of end location labels on the single route map with the plurality of routes; and
receive at the user device a user selection of one of the plurality o

Assignees

• Jones Jonah
• Google Inc

Inventors

• Jones Jonah

Classifications

• G01C21/3682 Primary

  output of POI information on a road map (G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01C21/3676

  Overview of the route on the road map · CPC title

• G01C21/26

  specially adapted for navigation in a road network · CPC title

• G01C21/3874

  Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval · CPC title

• G01C21/00

  Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 (measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title