US 6,208,935 B1 · Map application system

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a map application system that employs an automatic stroll method of strolling through a virtual space into the route and distribution information change according to the interests of a user and the time of day (ie. daytime vs. nighttime, etc.). In the present invention, an article contributed to a contribution server from a contribution terminal is stored temporarily in a contribution DB. Each article is converted to information related to a spatial position by a spatial information structure process and is stored in a spatial information DB. The contribution server returns an article with the relation to the position of the neighborhood according to the input of a region name on a stroll terminal. The stroll terminal starts a stroll on the basis of a region name inputted as an initial value, and automatically sets a route on the basis of the interest information of a user. Information about the route is provided from contribution server and is appropriately displayed.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A map application system having a display device, a storage device and a processing unit for displaying a map of a neighborhood of a present position and information related with the present position on the display device, comprising:

first means for calculating a destination that is a next position displayed after displaying the present position on the basis of the map stored in said storage device and present position information that has been input and calculating a spatial route from the present position to the destination;
second means for arranging in order contents of distribution information associated with a spatial position along said spatial route;
third means for displaying sequentially on said display device said distribution information in order along said spatial route;
fourth means for updating said present position information after having displayed all of said distribution information;
and
means for calculating said destination corresponding to the present position on the basis of said distribution information by doing weighting for distribution information of the neighborhood at the present position by reference to a distance from the present position and interest information of a user in which a degree of an interest for a plurality of kinds of distribution information is included and stored in said storage device.

3 more elements

A map display control method, using a processing unit with a display device and a storage device, for strolling along a virtual space composed of information of things that exist on a screen of said display device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) registering user interest information including degree of interest for a plurality of kinds of distribution information into said storage device;
(b) inputting a present position;
(c) receiving contents of distribution information associated with a spatial position, and doing weighting for distribution information of a neighborhood of said inputted present position on the basis of a distance from the present position and interest information of a user;
(d) calculating a destination included in said-.distribution information on the basis of said weighting;
(e) calculating, for at least one route between the present position and said destination, nodes suitably dividing said route;
(f) selecting distribution information corresponding to a neighborhood at said calculated node on the basis of interest information of a user including a degree of interest for a plurality of kinds of distribution information;
(g) displaying on said display device said selected distribution information serially with said nodes along the route in order;
and
(h) updating information of said present position after having displayed all of said distribution information, and repeating said steps (a) to (g).

6 more elements

first means for calculating a destination that is a next position displayed after displaying the present position on the basis of the map stored in said storage device and present position information that has been input and calculating a spatial route from the present position to the destination;
second means for arranging in order contents of distribution information associated with a spatial position along said spatial route;
third means for displaying sequentially on said display device said distribution information in order along said spatial route;
fourth means for updating said present position information after having displayed all of said distribution information;
means for calculating said destination corresponding to the present position on the basis of said distribution information by doing weighting for distribution information of the neighborhood at the present position by reference to a distance from the present position and interest information of a user in which a degree of an interest for a plurality of kinds of distribution information is included and stored in said storage device;
means for calculating, for at least one route between the present position and said destination, nodes dividing said route, selecting distribution information corresponding to the position neighborhood at said node on the basis of interest information of a user including a degree of interest for a plurality of kinds of distribution information, and displaying on said display device said selected distribution information serially with said nodes along the route in order;
means for storing the position information corresponding to said displayed distribution information into said storage device when said distribution information is displayed on said display device;
means for decreasing a value of weighting of said distribution information already displayed when weighting said distribution information;
and
means for decreasing a value of weighting of said route that has already been passed by referring to position information stored in said storage device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Map application system

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Map application system

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Abstract

Claims14