Systems and Methods for Displaying Patterns of Recurring Graphics on Digital Maps

Abstract

To smoothly transition between zoom levels for patterns displayed along paths (such as roads and other paths) depicted on interactive digital maps, instances of a graphic element (such as a dash, a dot, a two-way arrow, etc.) may be arranged along a path. The displayed instances may appear to increase or decrease in density as zoom levels change. For example, a plurality of instances of the graphic element may be displayed when displaying a digital map at a first zoom level. A first subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element may be displayed when displaying the digital map at a second zoom level. The transition from displaying the plurality of instances to displaying the first subset of the plurality of instances may be gradual. In some embodiments, the size and/or transparency of the displayed instances may change in accordance with changed zoom levels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for displaying patterns of recurring graphics on interactive digital maps, the method comprising:
 arranging, by one or more computing devices, a plurality of instances of a graphic element sequentially at respective positions along a path;   displaying a first digital map including a first representation of the path, at a first zoom level, including displaying each of the plurality of instances of the graphic element;   displaying a second digital map including a second representation of the path, at a second zoom level corresponding to lower magnification than the first zoom level, including:   displaying a first subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element at their original positions along the path, and   not displaying a second subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element, wherein the second subset includes instances disposed between instances in the first subset along the path.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 gradually fading out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein gradually fading out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level comprises:
 changing a level of transparency of the instances of the graphic element at a rate selected based on a speed at which a user is changing zoom levels.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 gradually resizing the instances of the graphic element in the first subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein gradually resizing the instances of the graphic element in the first subset comprises:
 storing the graphic element as a texture indexed in texture coordinate space; and   in a vertex shader, transforming the texture coordinate space in accordance with the second zoom level to resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 each of the plurality of instances displayed in the first digital map are effectively affixed to certain locations along the path, such that at least some of the plurality of instances appear to travel closer together during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second subset of the plurality of instances includes every other instance from the plurality of instances, such that the every other instance appears to be omitted as a result of a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         8 . A system for displaying patterns of recurring graphics on interactive digital maps, the system comprising:
 one or more processors;   a display communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and   a non-transitory memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors storing thereon instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to:
 (A) arrange a plurality of instances of a graphic element sequentially at respective positions along a path; 
 (B) display by way of the display a first digital map including a first representation of the path, at a first zoom level, the first digital map including each of the plurality of instances of the graphic element; and 
 (C) display by way of the display a second digital map including a second representation of the path, at a second zoom level corresponding to lower magnification than the first zoom level, wherein:
 (i) the second digital map includes a first subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element at their original positions along the path, and 
 (ii) the second digital map does not include a second subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element, wherein the second subset includes instances disposed between instances in the first subset along the path. 
 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 gradually fade out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions to gradually fade out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level includes instructions to:
 change a level of transparency of the instances of the graphic element at a rate selected based on a speed at which a user is changing zoom levels.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 gradually resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors include a graphics processor. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the instructions to gradually resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset include instructions to:
 store the graphic element as a texture indexed in texture coordinate space; and   in a vertex shader implemented by the graphics processor, transform the texture coordinate space in accordance with the second zoom level to resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of instances included in the first map are effectively affixed to certain locations along the path, such that at least some of the plurality of instances appear to travel closer together during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
 (A) arrange a plurality of instances of a graphic element sequentially at respective positions along a path;   (B) display at a display a first digital map including a first representation of the path, at a first zoom level, the first digital map including each of the plurality of instances of the graphic element; and   (C) display at the display a second digital map including a second representation of the path, at a second zoom level corresponding to lower magnification than the first zoom level, wherein:
 (i) the second digital map includes a first subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element at their original positions along the path, and 
 (ii) the second digital map does not include a second subset of the plurality of instances of the graphic element, wherein the second subset includes instances disposed between instances in the first subset along the path. 
   
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 gradually fade out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions to gradually fade out the instances of the graphic element in the second subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level includes instructions to:
 change a level of transparency of the instances of the graphic element at a rate selected based on a speed at which a user is changing zoom levels.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 gradually resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset during a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the instructions to gradually resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset include instructions to:
 store the graphic element as a texture indexed in texture coordinate space; and   in a vertex shader, transform the texture coordinate space in accordance with the second zoom level to resize the instances of the graphic element in the first subset.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first subset includes a fourth of the plurality of instances and the second subset includes the remaining instances from the plurality of instances not included in the first subset, such that the remaining instances included in the second subset appear to be omitted as a result of a transition from the first zoom level to the second zoom level.