Apple has been granted a patent (number 11536585) for a “Venus Map Application and System.” It involves the Maps app being able to help users easily navigate a variety of venues.
About the patent
Mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablet computers, smart watches, and other computing devices, often include applications that provide interfaces that allow users to utilize services from network service providers. An example of such applications and/or services is Apple’s Maps.
For example, while a user is the device on an iPhone or Apple Watch, the app can use a network connection (e.g., Internet connection) to obtain map data (e.g., map images, points of interest, etc.) for the mobile device’s current location from a map service over the network connection. The map application can then provide various map related services to the user using the map data received from the map service.
These applications allow a user to view a map of an area in the proximity of the user. The map may identify venues such as stores, malls, office buildings and/or airports, to name a few. The user may select a venue and retrieve driving directions thereto. Typical map applications also allow a user to search for a place or address and obtain driving directions to one or more search results.
However, Apple says these application, don’t provide an inside view of a venue or the type of and/or layout of points of interest within the venue. An inside view of the venue could aid the user in determining if the venue is really where the user wants to go or if another venue is available to meet the user’s needs. Apple wants Maps to be able to provide an inside view of a venue located and/or identified by app.
What’s more, Apple says there’s a need and desire for a map application that presents the inside view of venue in a manner that is easy for the user to search for and identify and navigate to points of interest within the venue. The tech giant wants the inside view of Maps to be accessible by other applications and programs on the user’s device “to enhance the user’s experience with those applications and programs.”
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “In some implementations, a computing device can provide a map application providing a representation of a physical structure of venues (e.g., shopping centers, airports) identified by the application. In addition, the application can provide an inside view that includes the physical layout and geometry of the venue’s structure as well as the location, structure and layout of points of interest (e.g., stores, security check points, restrooms) within the venue. The views become more detailed as the user zooms into the venue to reveal points of interest and to give the user a feel for traversing the venue.”
