Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090198767 | Method and system for associating content with map zoom function - Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing the POI content in response. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of detecting a change in the zoom level in a digital map displayed through an application (e.g. a web browser, an application on web-enabled cellular phones, etc., displaying a map generated by a service such as Google Maps®, Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, etc.) on a computing device (e.g. personal computer, workstation, thin client, PDA, cellular phone/smart phone, GPS device, etc.) means of identifying a POI at the pre-determined zoom level, means of obtaining content associated with the POI, and means of displaying the POI content. POI content may be retrieved from a database (e.g. internet-based database); or, in an alternate embodiment, gathered by crawling websites associated with the POI. In one embodiment, POI content may be displayed as an image (e.g. a PNG file, GIF, Flash® component, etc.) superimposed on the digital map (e.g. as an overlay object on the map image.) In alternate embodiments, POI content may replace the digital map and may contain links to other content. | 08-06-2009 |
20090328173 | Method and system for securing online identities - Various methods, systems and apparatus for associating fictitious user identities (e.g. screen names, user names, handles, etc.) used in electronic communications (e.g. over the internet via instant messenger, e-mail, social networks, eCommerce and auction websites, etc.) with real personal information (e.g. the true identity of an individual such as their name, address, credit score, driving record, etc.) are disclosed. One such method may include storing real personal information, associated with fictitious user identities, in a CGI, hosted by a GICS. The CGI may be a unique record for an individual person and may contain real personal information verified with proper authorities (e.g. a name, address and driving record of the individual verified with a department of motor vehicles), as well as fictitious user identities used by the individual, feedback receiving from other users, etc. The method may further include allowing a remote user to submit a query to the GICS requesting information associated with a fictitious user identity, whereby the GICS may search for a CGI associating information with the fictitious user identity; and, transmit some or all of the information to the remote user. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of associating real personal information, submitted by a user, with fictitious user identities, means of verifying the real personal information and the ownership of the real personal information by the submitting user, means of receiving a request for some personal information associated with a fictitious user identity, from a remote user, means for identifying the CGI associated with the fictitious user identity, means of retrieving some of the personal information from the CGI and means of transmitting some of the information to the remote user. The system may further include means of limiting the information transmitted to the remote user. (e.g. the remote user may be transmitted the credit score of the person owning a fictitious screen name, without being transmitted any further information identifying the person.) | 12-31-2009 |
20100146436 | Displaying content associated with electronic mapping systems - Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. A POI may be a specific point of interest; or, an entire geographic region of a map displayed at a high zoom level. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing or repositioning the POI content in response. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of detecting a change in the zoom level in a digital map displayed through an application (e.g. a web browser, an application on web-enabled cellular phones, etc., displaying a map generated by a service such as Google Maps®, Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, etc.) on a computing device (e.g. personal computer, workstation, thin client, PDA, cellular phone/smart phone, GPS device, etc.) means of identifying a POI at the pre-determined zoom level, means of obtaining content associated with the POI, and means of displaying the POI content. POI content may be retrieved from a database (e.g. internet-based database); or, in an alternate embodiment, gathered by crawling websites associated with the POI. In one embodiment, POI content may be displayed as an image (e.g a PNG file, GIF, Flash® component, etc.) superimposed on the digital map (e.g. as an overlay object on the map image.) In alternate embodiments, POI content may replace the digital map and may contain links to other content. | 06-10-2010 |
20100259560 | Enhancing privacy by affecting the screen of a computing device - A method and apparatus for allowing the user of an electronic device to enhance privacy over a display with the use of software, are disclosed. A security window including a translucent graphical effects region may be displayed on the electronic device such that it overlays content the user may choose to protect. The security window allows the protected content to remain discernable for the user of the device yet substantially indiscernible to a person at a further distance and/or greater viewing angle from the screen of the device. The user may control the size, shape, texture, translucency level and any other graphical or behavioral properties of the security window and graphical effects region. The user may invoke or terminate a security window with the single click of a button. Security windows may automatically attach to applications in focus, or be attached in response to a user command, and allow uninterrupted usability of those applications. Security windows may be associated with application types and may automatically be invoked in response to running processes associated with the application types. Security windows may be associated with email (e.g. displayed by a productivity application such as Microsoft Outlook®, or via any browser-based service such as GMail®, etc.) causing security windows to be automatically displayed in response to displaying emails that meet various criteria (e.g. from a specific sender, containing specific words, containing tags associated with security windows, etc.) | 10-14-2010 |
20120233137 | Presentation of document history in a web browsing application - In a collaborative computing environment, a method and system for displaying revisions associated with a hosted electronic document are disclosed. In accordance with the disclosed method and system, select revisions of an electronic document may be displayed to a user, recreating a visual history play-back of the evolution of the electronic document. The electronic document may be displayed in a web-browsing application, utilizing a Document Object Model (“DOM”) retrieving the select revisions via Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (“AJAX”) calls to a remote device/server. | 09-13-2012 |
20140359537 | Online advertising associated with electronic mapping systems - Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying online advertising content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device (e.g. desktop/laptop, smart phone, etc. operation on Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS®, iOS®, Android®, etc.) determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving advertisement content associated with the POI (“POI advertisement content”) and displaying the POI advertisement content. A POI may be a specific point of interest; or, an entire geographic region of a map displayed at a high zoom level. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI advertisement content is displayed, and removing or repositioning the POI advertisement content in response. | 12-04-2014 |
20150038161 | Mashing mapping content displayed on mobile devices - A method and apparatus for mapping addressable information (e.g. locations denoted by name or address, street addresses, landmarks, etc.) off of disparate applications on a mobile device, onto an existing map on the mobile device, are disclosed. An application on a mobile device may display addressable information (e.g. a website displaying a location name and/or address, an email containing an address, etc.) In response to a user's selecting the addressable information and invoking a mapping command, a map-display application (e.g. Google Maps® , Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, iPhone® maps, Waze® etc.) may be automatically presented (e.g. launched, become visible, displayed, etc.) displaying the addressable information in addition to at least one prior mapping content previously displayed by the map-display application. | 02-05-2015 |
20150095162 | Method and systems for online advertising to users using fictitious user idetities - Various methods, systems and apparatus for associating fictitious user identities (e.g. screen names, user names, email addresses, handles, etc.) used in electronic communications (e.g. over the internet or mobile network via instant messenger, e-mail, social networks, ecommerce, auction websites, etc.) with real personal information (e.g. the true identity of an individual such as their name, address, credit score, driving record, mobile number, etc.) are disclosed. One such method may include discovering, verifying and storing real personal information, associated with fictitious user identities and email addresses. The method may further include allowing a remote user or service to submit a fictitious user identity and a query requesting real-user information associated with the submitted fictitious user identity. In one possible embodiment, a targeted-advertising service may utilize real user information, associated with a fictitious user name, to target advertisements at the user of the fictitious user name. | 04-02-2015 |