Patents by Inventor Thomas Gregory Nourse

Thomas Gregory Nourse has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9569463
    Abstract: A pre-fetching map data system and method identifies a subset of map data to corresponding to one or more points of interest to be displayed on the map. The map data is stored on a remote map database and in the form of map data tiles. The system identifies those map data tiles that correspond to the subset of map data corresponding to the one or more points of interest, where the identified pre-fetch map data tiles are sent from the remote database to a client device for cache storage. The pre-fetch map data tiles are identified using a variable map tile radius, which when extended from the points of interest defines the map tiles that qualify as pre-fetch map data tiles. The tile radius can be fixed or dynamically adjusted and changes across different map zoom levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Michael Siliski, Hans-Olav CaveLie, Ronghui Zhu
  • Patent number: 9491255
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for pre-fetching remote resource data from a remote mapping system for display on a client computing device is disclosed. Data received at a client device from an online mapping system in response to a query from the client device includes vector and remote resource data. Vector data is rasterized by the client device to depict graphical elements that are easily described by mathematical formulas. Remote resource data includes digital map elements that are not easily described by vectors, but instead, must be relayed to the client device as either bitmaps or references (e.g., URLs) to remote resources that are resolved at the backend or the client device. This remote resource data is prefetched to a client device so that it will be available for subsequent mapping application searches without resolving a corresponding reference to the remote resource data for each search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Hans-Olav CaveLie, Ronghui Zhu, Andrew Miller
  • Patent number: 9307045
    Abstract: A pre-fetching map data system and method identifies a subset of map data to corresponding to one or more points of interest to be displayed on the map. The map data is stored on a remote map database in map data tiles. The pre-fetching map data system identifies those map data tiles that correspond to the one or more points of interest, where the identified pre-fetch map data tiles are sent from the remote database to a client device for cache storage. The number of pre-fetch map data tiles are determined using a tile budget that is dynamically adjusted in response to changing conditions on a client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Ronghui Zhu, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Publication number: 20160080518
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for pre-fetching remote resource data from a remote mapping system for display on a client computing device is disclosed. Data received at a client device from an online mapping system in response to a query from the client device includes vector and remote resource data. Vector data is rasterized by the client device to depict graphical elements that are easily described by mathematical formulas. Remote resource data includes digital map elements that are not easily described by vectors, but instead, must be relayed to the client device as either bitmaps or references (e.g., URLs) to remote resources that are resolved at the backend or the client device. This remote resource data is prefetched to a client device so that it will be available for subsequent mapping application searches without resolving a corresponding reference to the remote resource data for each search.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Hans-Olav CaveLie, Ronghui Zhu, Andrew Miller
  • Patent number: 9245046
    Abstract: Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on an analysis of the historical uses of a mapping module at that device. A user mapping activity module executing on the mobile device may retrieve user mapping activity data. The module may then extract geographic location data from the user mapping activity data and send the extracted data to a mapping system via a network connection. The mapping system may then match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user mapping activity data and send the matched data to the mobile computing device for cache storage at the mobile computing device. The user mapping activity module may also analyze the user mapping activity data to determine whether the extracted geographic location data is relevant enough to warrant pre-fetching the tile data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Hans-Olav CaveLie
  • Patent number: 9197713
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for pre-fetching remote resource data from a remote mapping system for display on a client computing device is disclosed. Data received at a client device from an online mapping system in response to a query from the client device includes vector and remote resource data. Vector data is rasterized by the client device to depict graphical elements that are easily described by mathematical formulas. Remote resource data includes digital map elements that are not easily described by vectors, but instead, must be relayed to the client device as either bitmaps or references (e.g., URLs) to remote resources that are resolved at the backend or the client device. This remote resource data is prefetched to a client device so that it will be available for subsequent mapping application searches without resolving a corresponding reference to the remote resource data for each search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Hans-Olav CaveLie, Ronghui Zhu, Andrew Tesch Miller
  • Publication number: 20150286741
    Abstract: To select map data for storage in a memory of a computing device, geographic locations for which a user of a client device is expected to subsequently request digital maps are determined. Prior to receiving a user request for map data related to the geographic locations, pre-fetch map data for generating digital maps including the plurality of geographic locations is determined. Further, a memory budget for storing map data in a memory of the client device is determined along with a priority for retrieving map data from a remote database to the memory of the client device. At least a portion of the determined pre-fetch map data is retrieved from the remote database to the memory of the client device in accordance with the determined memory budget and the determined priority.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Ronghui Zhu, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Publication number: 20150067040
    Abstract: A pre-fetching map data system and method identifies a subset of map data to corresponding to one or more points of interest to be displayed on the map. The map data is stored on a remote map database in map data tiles. The pre-fetching map data system identifies those map data tiles that correspond to the one or more points of interest, where the identified pre-fetch map data tiles are sent from the remote database to a client device for cache storage. The number of pre-fetch map data tiles are determined using a tile budget that is dynamically adjusted in response to changing conditions on a client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Ronghui Zhu, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Patent number: 8886715
    Abstract: A pre-fetching map data system and method identifies a subset of map data to corresponding to one or more points of interest to be displayed on the map. The map data is stored on a remote map database in map data tiles. The pre-fetching map data system identifies those map data tiles that correspond to the one or more points of interest, where the identified pre-fetch map data tiles are sent from the remote database to a client device for cache storage. The number of pre-fetch map data tiles are determined using a tile budget that is dynamically adjusted in response to changing conditions on a client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ronghui Zhu, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Publication number: 20140310299
    Abstract: Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on an analysis of the historical uses of a mapping module at that device. A user mapping activity module executing on the mobile device may retrieve user mapping activity data. The module may then extract geographic location data from the user mapping activity data and send the extracted data to a mapping system via a network connection. The mapping system may then match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user mapping activity data and send the matched data to the mobile computing device for cache storage at the mobile computing device. The user mapping activity module may also analyze the user mapping activity data to determine whether the extracted geographic location data is relevant enough to warrant pre-fetching the tile data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Hans-Olav CaveLie
  • Patent number: 8812031
    Abstract: Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on an analysis of the historical uses of a mapping module at that mobile device. The mobile device may retrieve user mapping activity data and extract geographic location data from the mapping activity data. This geographic location data may then be used to retrieve map tile data that is related to another request for map tile data. This related map tile data may then be stored in cache storage to be retrieved during periods of reduced communication with a map tile server or other periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Hans-Olav CaveLie, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Patent number: 8805959
    Abstract: Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a smart phone or other mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on device activities. For example, a user activity system may receive user activity data from the mobile device. The user activity system may then extract geographic location data from the user activity data and send the geographic location data to a mapping system via a network connection. The mapping system may then match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data and send the matched map tile data to the mobile computing device for cache storage at the mobile computing device. The user activity system may also analyze the user activity data to determine whether the extracted geographic location data is relevant enough to warrant pre-fetching the tile data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Mendis, Thomas Gregory Nourse
  • Patent number: 8711181
    Abstract: A pre-fetching map data system and method identifies a subset of map data to corresponding to one or more points of interest to be displayed on the map. The map data is stored on a remote map database and in the form of map data tiles. The system identifies those map data tiles that correspond to the subset of map data corresponding to the one or more points of interest, where the identified pre-fetch map data tiles are sent from the remote database to a client device for cache storage. The pre-fetch map data tiles are identified using a variable map tile radius, which when extended from the points of interest defines the map tiles that qualify as pre-fetch map data tiles. The tile radius can be fixed or dynamically adjusted and changes across different map zoom levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Michael Siliski, Hans-Olav CaveLie, Ronghui Zhu
  • Patent number: 8549105
    Abstract: Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a smart phone or other mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on device activities. For example, a user activity system may receive user activity data from the mobile device. The user activity system may then extract geographic location data from the user activity data and send the geographic location data to a mapping system via a network connection. The mapping system may then match map tile data to the geographic location data extracted from the user activity data and send the matched map tile data to the mobile computing device for cache storage at the mobile computing device. The user activity system may also analyze the user activity data to determine whether the extracted geographic location data is relevant enough to warrant pre-fetching the tile data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Gregory Nourse, Charles Mendis