Research in Motion Corporation

Blackberry Corporation

Reaearch in Motion Limited

Dicke, Ronald Anthony

Johnson, Eric

Eric Johnson

Gordon Gregory Bowman

Gerhard Dietrich Klassen

Ronald Anthony Dicke

Redsky Mobile Inc.

Jesse Boudreau

Jesse Joseph Boudreau

Harry Richmond Major

Peter John Devenyi

Tatiana Kalougina

Christopher R Wormald

Allan David Lewis

Xiaming Xi

Shaul S Wisebourt

Shual S Wisebourt

Christoper R Wormald

A cellular telephony device operatives to receive map data via a cellular network map data, and causes a region of a map having one or more selectable map elements to be displayed in a display in accordance with the map data. The cellular telephony device then causes selectable map element information to be displayed in the display in response to detecting a selection of one of the selectable map elements. In response to detecting a selection of the selectable map element information, the cellular telephony device sends, to a private network file server via the cellular network, a request for an electronic file document associated with the selectable map element information. The cellular telephony device then receives, via the cellular network, the file contents information corresponding to the request for the electronic file document, and causes at least a portion of the electronic file document to be displayed in the display.

Methods and apparatus for retrieving and displaying map-related data for visually displayed maps of mobile communication devices

A method and system that permits a user to navigate or browse a long list on a handheld device with a restricted user interface, such as a limited display and a limited user input device. The user first uses a coarse search to find a generally desired area in the list. The user then uses finer and finer search intervals in the vicinity of the desired area, until the desired entry is located.

Restricted user interface navigation

A method of distributing map data from a map server to a wireless communications device entails generating a bitmap array representative of the vector map data for a given zoom level, computing attributes of the bitmap array to determine which map features to retain and which map features to suppress, and then transmitting to the wireless device only the map data for the map features to be retained. By counting the number of bitmap cells representing a polygonal map feature such as a park, lake, or island, the approximate area is quickly estimated. If the area falls below a threshold, the map data for the small polygon is discarded. Similarly, if a polyline map feature overlaps (or is too proximate to) another polyline map feature, one of the polyline map features is discarded. The map data actually transmitted is thus reduced, thereby economizing bandwidth without unduly sacrificing map detail.

Bitmap array for optimally distributing map data content to wireless communications devices

A method in a mobile device for use in receiving updates of network-maintained map data sets is described. The mobile device receives, through a wireless network, map data for rendering a map. The map data has a plurality of layers, where each of the plurality of layers includes a version number and a plurality of data entries associated therewith. Each of the plurality of data entries indicates a plurality of data points for rendering one or more artifacts or labels within an area of interest of the map. The mobile device stores the map data, and displays the area of interest from the plurality of layers of the stored map data. The mobile device then receives, through the wireless network, an indication of an alternative version of one of the layers of the stored map data. When the version number of the alternative version is greater than the version number of the stored version, the mobile device causes one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent through the wireless network. The mobile device also receives the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest through the wireless network in response to the one or more requests. The mobile device also then causes the map of the area of interest to be rendered in the display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data, but with use of the alternative version of said layer.

Map version control methods and apparatus for updating the use of network-maintained map data sets for mobile communication devices

A method of tracking a first wireless communications device using another computing device, such as a second wireless communications device, includes obtaining current position data for the first wireless communications device and obtaining one or more of speed data, time data, and path data for the first wireless communications device. The first wireless device then transmits the current position data and at least one of the speed data, time data and path data to the second wireless communications device or other computing device. In addition to current position data, the speed, path and time data facilitate tracking of the first wireless communications device. When a first mobile user wants a second mobile user to follow him, the first mobile user can put his device in 'follow me' (tracking) mode. This is particularly useful when the first and second mobile users are traveling in respective cars or other vehicles.

Mobile Tracking

A viewable map region of a map is visually displayed in a display, and a plurality of point of interest (POI) indicators are presented in the viewable region. One or more off-map indicators are also presented in the viewable region, where each off-map indicator indicates a POI indicator outside of the viewable region but within a predetermined range. In response to detecting a forward signal when a cursor is on a current POI or off-map indicator, the viewable region is panned in the display in the upwards direction when the cursor is on a topmost POI or off-map indicator. Otherwise, the cursor is repositioned in an upwards direction onto a next POI or off-map indicator in the viewable region. The reverse occurs with respect to detecting of a reverse positioning signal.

User interface methods and apparatus for controlling the visual display of maps having selectable map elements in mobile communication devices

A system and method are set forth for distributing map content from a server to a communication device by transmitting a request from the communication device to the map server for a maplet index of map data covering a specified area and identified by coordinates for defining the map data, receiving the request at the map server and in response transmitting the maplet index to the communication device, wherein the maplet index defines content available the maplet without including all of the data points therein.

Method and system for distribution of map content to mobile communication devices

Mobile tracking

Labels can be rendered on a map displayed on a wireless communications device by using pre-rendered characters. The pre-rendered characters can be pre-rotated to one of a number of angular orientations and stored as a variable transparency bitmap for rapid overlaying on the map. The bitmap can include an array or grid of characters wherein each row has a unique orientation, for example, ranging from zero to ninety degrees. Rotations of 90 to 360 degrees can then be achieved by reflecting the characters about vertical or horizontal axes. Overlaying pre-rotated characters is more computationally efficient than computing rotations for each character when rendering the label.

Method of displaying labels on maps of wireless communications devices using pre-rendered characters

A method for use in controlling user interface operation of a communication device when visually displaying a map involves the steps of causing a viewable map region of the map to be visually displayed in a display, the viewable map region having a plurality of selectable map elements; maintaining a list of element identifiers which includes element identifiers corresponding to the selectable map elements in the viewable map region, each element identifier being associated with a pair of x, y coordinates for visual display; controlling end user selection of the selectable map elements via a positioning mechanism in left and right directions in accordance with a numeric order of the x-coordinates; and controlling end user selection of the selectable map elements via the positioning mechanism in up and down directions in accordance with a numeric order of the y-coordinates.

A method of displaying a map on a wireless communications device includes obtaining map data for rendering the map to be displayed on the wireless communications device, the map data including label data for rendering labels on the map. The device generates a collision-avoidance array representative of the map to be rendered for testing potential label positions prior to actually rendering the labels on the map. The collision-avoidance array is populated by provisionally designating, for each successive label to be rendered, a label space in the collision-avoidance array that corresponds to a map space that is to be occupied by the label on the map. The device then determines whether each successive label to be rendered collides in the collision-avoidance array with any previously designated label spaces. If no collision exists for a given label, the label can be rendered on the map.

Real-time collision avoidance for map labels and symbols

A method of stitching converging path segments to aesthetically label Y-intersections, path bifurcations or splits in roads or the like entails determining which pair of adjacent path segments subtend the largest angle. The path segments subtending the largest angle are reconstructed (stitched together) and a single instance of the label is then rendered along the reconstructed path. Although this stitching can be performed on the client device, pre-stitching server-side is even more efficient in terms of economizing over-the-air bandwidth and onboard processing resources.

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Eric Johnson