# US 8,543,269 B1 · Digital mapping display functions for a GPS/sonar unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,269 B1 - Document ID: US8543269B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/110,587 - Filed: 2011-05-18 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2010-08-20 - Assignees: Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc. - Applicants: Michael Wesley Wood; Jeffrey Earl Smith - Inventors: Michael Wesley Wood; Jeffrey Earl Smith - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543269B1 ## CPC - G01C 21/203: {specially adapted for water-borne vessels} - G05D 1/0206: {specially adapted to water vehicles} - B60L 2200/32: Waterborne vessels - B60L 2240/622: by satellite navigation - B63B 2213/02: using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System GPS - Y02A 40/80: in fisheries management - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A digital mapping display and related system for fishing, and other applications are provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for selecting at least one contour line of a body of water from a map of lake bottom contours displayed on a display device and converting the contour line into a machine readable code to instruct a vessel control device (Auto Pilot) to navigate a vessel along the selected contour(s), the method comprising: providing at least one chart out of a plurality of charts of one or more regions of a body of water, the chart comprising a depiction of a plurality of bottom contour lines each of which is a constant depth below the surface, the chart being configured to allow selection of a contour; selecting at least one contour or portion of a contour to be highlighted simultaneously with the chart on the display, the selecting being free from determining an end point of the contour and the contour being free from the end point; processing contour information associated with the selected contour with chart information from the chart to convert the contour information into a machine readable code; outputting one or more indications associated with the selected contour or portion of the contour on the display; outputting the machine readable code to a vessel control device; and instructing the vessel control device using the machine readable code to move the vessel along a path representative of the selected contour. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more indications are associated with one or more broken contour lines, one or more flashing contour lines, or one or more series of symbols. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more indications are associated with one or more contour lines differentiated from the remaining contour lines or wherein the one or more indications are associated with one or more shaded regions differentiated from the remaining regions, or wherein the one or more indications are associated with one or more colored regions differentiated from the remaining regions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the chart comprises information associated with the plurality of bottom depths; wherein the chart is from a plurality of charts provided in a library, the library is provided on a media card, the plurality of charts being in respective raster forms. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the chart comprises information associated with the plurality of bottom depths; wherein the chart is from one of a plurality of charts provided in a library, the library is provided on a media card, the plurality of charts being in respective vector forms. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the chart comprises a structure indication, the structure indication is a change in composition of a bottom region of the body of water. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the chart comprises a structure indication, the structure indication is an edge of a weed bed on a bottom region of the body of water. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the contour line comprises at least inputting depth information through a user interface provided on the display device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising moving a slide bar on a user interface provided on the display device, wherein the inputting depth information is selected from a process including at least using a key pad or toggle on the display device, selecting and highlighting a depth contour on the display device, using one or more voice commands to input the depth information, or using a user graphical interface provided through a key pad or toggle that is separate from display device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein at least one contour is a bottom composition contour, and wherein the selecting comprises at least inputting a description of the bottom composition through a preset user menu interface provided on the display device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein at least one contour is a weed bed edge contour, and wherein the selecting comprises at least inputting a description through a preset user menu interface provided on the display device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the body of water is selected from one of a lake, an ocean, a bay, a river, a reservoir, an impoundment, a pond, or a stream. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the chart comprises at least information selected from a hardness of the bottom of the water body, a content of the bottom of the water body, a weed content of the water body, or a current present in the water body. ### Claim 14 A system for selecting at least one contour of a body of water from a map of lake bottom contours displayed on a display device and converting the contour into a machine readable code to instruct a vessel control device (Auto Pilot) to navigate a vessel along the selected contour(s), the system comprising: at least one chart capable of being displayed on a display device, the chart being from a plurality of charts of one or more regions of a body of water, the chart comprising a depiction of a plurality of bottom contour lines each of which is of constant depth below the surface or of other defined contiguous regions of the one or more regions of the body of water, the chart being configured to allow selection of a contour or a portion of a contour; one or more codes directed to receiving a selection of at least the one contour or portion of the contour; one or more codes directed to highlighting the one contour or portion of the contour simultaneously with the chart on the display, the contour being free from an end point; one or more codes directed to processing contour information associated with the selected contour with chart information from the chart to convert the contour information associated with the contour to a machine readable code; and one or more codes directed to outputting the machine readable code to a vessel control device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the system comprises a computer readable medium for the one or more codes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein machine readable code comprises a plurality of instructions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the contour information is change in depth; and wherein the chart information is a geographic region of a body of water. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one contour or portion of a contour to be highlighted simultaneously with the chart on the display comprises either touching the contour to be selected, or by using a mouse to position a cursor on the contour to be selected and clicking a button on the mouse. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more codes, directed to receiving a selection of at least the one contour or portion of the contour, are configured to select the at least one contour or portion of the contour by either touching the contour to be selected, or by using a mouse to position a cursor on the contour to be selected and clicking a button on the mouse.