Map-data distribution method, and map-data distribution server and client
AssigneeAlpine Electronic, Ltd.
InventorDaishi Mori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A map-data distribution method distributes map data from a map-data distribution server to a client and causes the client to draw a map image. The map-data distribution method includes steps of causing the map-data distribution server to store a plurality of map components obtained by dividing the map data, causing the server to send the map data to the client in an order according to the map component, and causing the client to store the received data in a temporary memory while causing the client to start to draw the map image using one of the received data and the data stored in the temporary memory.
Claims18
A map-data distribution method for distributing map data from a map-data distribution server to a client and causing said client to draw a map image, said map-data distribution method comprising:
- causing said map-data distribution server to store a plurality of map components obtained by dividing said map data, wherein said map data for drawing a map image is separated by type of data into a plurality of different map components which, when drawn and superimposed, constitute the map image;
- causing the client to specify an order of priority of transmission of said map components and to transmit said order of priority to said server;
- causing the server to serially send said map data, by map component, to said client in said order of priority received from said client;
- and
- causing said client to store the received map data in a temporary memory while causing said client to start to draw the first received map component of the map image using one of the received map data and the map data stored in said temporary memory before all map components of the map data are received by the client;
- wherein said map components of said map data include at least one of a map component of road images appearing in the map image, a map component of polygon images appearing in the map image, a map component of names appearing in the map image, and a map component of landmark images appearing in the map image.
A map-data distribution server comprising:
- retrieving means for retrieving map components from a map database in accordance with a requested order of priority of transmission, transmitted by a client to the server, according to the map component, wherein map data for drawing a map image is separated by type of data into a plurality of different map components which, when drawn and superimposed, constitute the map image;
- and
- sending means for serially sending the retrieved map components in the requested order of priority via a communication line to said client so that said client can start to draw the first received map component of the map image before all map components of the map data are received by the client;
- wherein said map components of said map data include at least one of a map component of road images appearing in the map image, a map component of polygon images appearing in the map image, a map component of names appearing in the map image, and a map component of landmark images appearing in the map image.
A client comprising:
- a user interface for outputting a map-drawing request;
- a main thread for accessing a map-data distribution server in accordance with said map-drawing request output from said user interface and for receiving components of map data in an order according to map component, wherein map data for drawing a map image is separated by type of data into a plurality of different map components which, when drawn and superimposed, constitute the map image, and the server provides the map components to the client serially in an order of priority of transmission specified by the client;
- and
- a drawing thread for drawing a map image using said received map data, starting with the first received map component and before all map components of the map data are received by the client;
- wherein said map components of said map data include at least one of a map component of road images appearing in the map image, a map component of polygon images appearing in the map image, a map component of names appearing in the map image, and a map component of landmark images appearing in the map image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.