Method, device, and terminal for simultaneously displaying multiple users' locations on a map

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976862-B2
Application number	US-201615160806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure directs to method, device, and terminal for displaying multiple users' locations on a map. The method includes: acquiring the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations; determining a starting location on a map, creating a starting region centered on the starting location, and gradually expanding the starting region in accordance with the most current location or each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until a target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired; and determining and displaying a viewable region on the map in accordance with the target region. The target region starting region expands to display a viewable region on the map as determined, such that the most current locations of users participating in sharing location may be efficiently acquired.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for simultaneously displaying multiple users' locations on a map, comprising:
acquiring the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations;
determining a starting location on a map, creating a starting region centered on the starting location, and gradually expanding the starting region in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until a target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired; and
determining and displaying a viewable region on the map in accordance with the target region,
determining and displaying on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen paths between each of the users according to the most current locations of each of the users;
determining and displaying on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen path distances between users who are along the determined respective chosen paths, and
determining and displaying on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen paths and chosen path distances between a preset target location and at least one of the users who is most proximal to the preset target location according the most current locations of each of the users.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the gradual expanding of the starting region in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until the target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired, further comprising:
expanding the target region according to a preset multiple; and
wherein the determining and the displaying of the viewable region on the map in accordance with the target region, comprises:
determining and displaying the viewable region on the map in accordance with the target region after being expanded.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the acquiring of the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations, comprises:
acquiring an adjusting instruction of the viewable region on the map, and acquiring the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations according to the adjusting instruction.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the acquiring of the adjusting instruction of the viewable region on the map, comprises:
acquiring the adjusting instruction of the viewable region on the map according to whether the number of users who participate in sharing their locations and the locations of users who participate in sharing their locations has changed, and whether at least one triggering situation set in the adjusting instruction of the viewable region on the map is received.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining of the starting location on the map, comprises:
determining a location which corresponds to a point of interest on the map as the starting location, with the point of interest being predetermined by all the users who participate in sharing their locations.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining of the starting location on the map comprises:
determining a location on the map which corresponds to the most current location of the user who is one of the users who participate in sharing their locations as the starting location.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gradual expanding of the starting region in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until the target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired, comprises:
gradually expanding the starting region centered on the center of the starting region before expanding in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until the target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gradual expanding of the starting region in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until a target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired, comprises:
gradually expanding the starting region in accordance with the location relationship between the starting region and the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until a target region which includes most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprises:
determining and displaying on the viewable region on the map, a respective time spent traveling from the most current locations of each of the users to the preset target location, according to the respective chosen path distances between the preset target location and the most current locations of each of the users.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprises:
sending respective chosen path distance prompts to the terminals used by the users who arrive the preset target location.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprises:
determining users who deviate from the respective paths according to the most current locations of each of the users, and sending path deviation prompts to the terminals used by the users who deviate from the respective paths.

12. A device for simultaneously displaying multiple users' locations on a map, which includes at least a processor with circuitry operating in conjunction with at least a memory storing codes to be executed to perform functions as a plurality of modules and units, wherein the plurality of modules and units comprise:
an acquiring module, configured to acquire the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations;
a determining module, configured to determine a starting location on the map;
a creating module, configured to create a starting region centered on the starting location;
an expanding module, configured to gradually expand the starting region in accordance with the most current location of each of the users who participate in sharing their locations, until a target region including the most current locations of all the users who participate in sharing their locations is acquired; and
a displaying module, configured to determine and display a viewable region on the map in accordance with the target region,
wherein the device is further configured to:
determine and display on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen paths between each of the users according to the most current locations of each of the users;
determine and display on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen path distances between users who are along the determined respective chosen paths, and
determine and display on the viewable region on the map, respective chosen paths and chosen path distances between a preset target location and at least one of the users who is most proximal to the preset target location according the most current locations of each of the users.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the expanding module is further configured to expand the target region according to a preset multiple; and
the displaying module is further configured to determine and display the viewable region on the map in accordance

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd
• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Pinlin
• Shan Yi
• Wang Jun
• Wu Liang
• Huang Runjia

Classifications

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q50/00

  Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism (healthcare informatics G16H) · CPC title

• G06F16/9537

  Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries · CPC title

• G01C21/3664

  Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures · CPC title

• G01C21/3673

  Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names · CPC title