# US 10,871,376 B2 · Managing conflicts using conflict islands > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,376 B2 - Document ID: US10871376B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/055,233 - Filed: 2018-08-06 - Published: 2019-04-04 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-29 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Andrew T. Belk; Ralph E. Lemke; April C. Cutter; Paul S. McCarthy; Gunjan Gupta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871376B2 ## CPC - G01C 21/3859: {Differential updating map data} - G01C 21/3423: {Multimodal routing} - G01C 21/367: {Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker} - G01C 21/3691: {Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions (arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09)} - G01C 21/3856: {Data obtained from user input} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract In some implementations, a computing device can manage conflicts using conflict islands. For example, when a computing device receives bulk map data updates, the computing device can determine conflicts between point updates (e.g., small, ad hoc feature edits) in the current map data and the bulk map data updates. When the bulk map data updates are merged with the current map data, a point update for a map feature may conflict with the bulk update for the feature. The computing device can determine a perimeter of stable map features around the conflicted feature. The map features within the perimeter can correspond to a conflict island. The bulk updates for features within a conflict island (e.g., within the perimeter) can be deferred until resolved while bulk updates for features outside of a conflict island can be applied to the current map data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of managing map data update conflicts, the method comprising: obtaining, by a computing device, current map data for a plurality of map features, the current map data including a point update to a particular map feature of the plurality of map features; obtaining, by the computing device, bulk map data updates for the plurality of map features; determining, by the computing device, that a map data update for the particular map feature in the bulk map data updates conflicts with the point update for the particular map feature in the current map data; determining a subset of the plurality of map features for which no conflict exists between the bulk map data updates and the point update; generating, by the computing device, a conflict island that includes the particular map feature and the subset of the plurality of map features, wherein the subset of the plurality of map features defines a perimeter of the conflict island; and updating, by the computing device, the plurality of map features with the bulk map data updates while excluding the conflict island from the updating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each map feature of the subset of the plurality of map features is directly or indirectly linked to the particular map feature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: selecting the subset of the plurality of map features from the plurality of map features based on one or more criteria indicating that the each of the subset of the plurality of map features is a stable map feature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not directly linked to any feature that is involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more criteria include that the geometry of the subset of the plurality of map features has not changed between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features corresponds to a street map feature. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the point update to the particular map feature originates from a report by a user of the current map data, the report indicating a defect in the current map data with respect to the particular map feature. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the map data updates originate from a map data vendor providing bulk map data updates to the current map data, the bulk map data update indicating periodic changes to the current map data. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions for managing map data update conflicts that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: obtaining, by a computing device, current map data including current map data for a plurality of map features; obtaining, by the computing device, map data updates including updated map data for the plurality of map features; determining, by the computing device, that the updated map data for a particular map feature in the plurality of map features conflicts with a point update for the particular map feature in the current map data; determining a subset of the plurality of map features for which no conflict exists between the updated map data and the point update; generating, by the computing device, a conflict island that includes the particular map feature and the subset of the plurality of map features, wherein the subset of the plurality of map features defines a perimeter of the conflict island; and updating, by the computing device, the current map data with the map data updates while excluding from the update the map features in the current map data that are identified by the conflict island. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein: each map feature of the subset of the plurality of map features is directly or indirectly linked to the particular map feature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause: selecting the subset of the plurality of map features from the plurality of map features based on one or more criteria indicating that the each of the subset of the plurality of map features is a stable map feature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not directly linked to any feature that is involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include that the geometry of the subset of the plurality of map features has not changed between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features corresponds to a street map feature. ### Claim 17 A system comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions for managing map data update conflicts that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: obtaining, by a computing device, current map data including current map data for a plurality of map features; obtaining, by the computing device, map data updates including updated map data for the plurality of map features; determining, by the computing device, that the updated map data for a particular map feature in the plurality of map features conflicts with a point update for the particular map feature in the current map data; determining a subset of the plurality of map features for which no conflict exists between the updated map data and the point update; generating, by the computing device, a conflict island that includes the particular map feature and the subset of the plurality of map features, wherein the subset of the plurality of map features defines a perimeter of the conflict island; and updating, by the computing device, the current map data with the map data updates while excluding from the update the map features in the current map data that are identified by the conflict island. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein each map feature of the subset of the plurality of map features is directly or indirectly linked to the particular map feature. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause: selecting the subset of the plurality of map features from the plurality of map features based on one or more criteria indicating that the each of the subset of the plurality of map features is a stable map feature. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features is not directly linked to any feature that is involved in a conflict between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more criteria include that the geometry of the subset of the plurality of map features has not changed between the current map data and the bulk map data updates. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more criteria include that the subset of the plurality of map features corresponds to a street map feature.