Customized wall map printing system

Abstract

An electronic wall map design and printing system enables a user to select or specify the size, coverage area and detail level of a wall map and to customize the wall map based on the user's needs via a fully automated electronic interface. For ease of viewing during the creation of the wall map, the design and printing system displays the wall map being designed on the electronic user interface at a first detail level or resolution that is less than the level of detail or resolution used to print the wall map. However, the user may use the electronic interface to view portions of the wall map on the user interface at the same level of detail to be actually printed on the wall map to thereby enable the user to assure that the level of detail to be printed on the wall map is adequate for the user's purposes without making the wall map, as printed, hard to read. Once the user has designed the wall map by selecting the size, coverage area, and other customizable features such as titles, specialized icons, etc., the user may have the wall map printed at a printing facility owned by the map provider or may have the wall map sent to and printed by a third party printer such as a copying service located near the user.

1 - 60 . (canceled)  
     
     
         61 . A system for viewing a map, the system comprising: 
 a selection routine that enables a user at a user interface to specify a selected map area to be displayed;    a first routine that enables the user to obtain map data that pertains to the selected map area, the map data comprising both general geographic details and specific geographic details about the selected map area;    a second routine that displays the selected map area on the user interface showing the general geographic details about the selected map area but not the specific geographic details about the selected map area; and    a third routine that, without changing the selected map area, displays a portion of the selected map area on the user interface showing the specific geographic details pertaining to that portion of the selected map area.    
     
     
         62 . The system of  claim 61 , in which the routines enable the user to move one or more boundaries associated with the selected map area to redefine the selected map area.  
     
     
         63 . The system of  claim 61 , in which the routines enable the user to move the displayed portion of the selected map to different positions on the user interface.  
     
     
         64 . The system of  claim 61 , in which the routines enable the user to select a portion of the selected map area to be displayed as an enlarged portion.  
     
     
         65 . The system of  claim 61 , in which the first routine obtains the map data via the internet.  
     
     
         66 . A system for ordering a printed map, the system comprising: 
 a selection routine that enables a user at a user interface to specify a selected map area to be displayed on a printed map;    a first routine that enables the user to obtain map data that pertains to the selected map area, the map data including both general geographic details and specific geographic details about the selected map area;    a second routine that displays the selected map area on the user interface showing the general geographic details about the selected map area but not the specific geographic details; and    a third routine that displays an enlarged portion of the selected map area on the user interface while another, unenlarged portion of the selected map area continues to be displayed, revealing the specific geographic details about the enlarged portion of the selected map area.    
     
     
         67 . The system of  claim 66 , in which the routine also enable the user to select a portion of the selected map area to be displayed as the enlarged portion.  
     
     
         68 . The system of  claim 66 , in which the map is printed with indications of boundaries of two or more publicly available maps.  
     
     
         69 . The system of  claim 66 , in which the routines enable the user to command that the map be printed at a commercial printing facility remote from the location of the user interface.  
     
     
         70 . The system of  claim 66 , in which the map is printed with a level of detail that reveals specific geographic details about all portions of the selected map area.  
     
     
         71 . A method of displaying a map, the method comprising: 
 enabling a user to specify a selected map area to be displayed;    displaying general geographic details of the selected map area on a user interface; and    without changing the selected map area, displaying a portion of the selected map area on a larger scale, revealing specific geographic details about that portion of the selected map area.    
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71 , in which data on the geographic details of the selected map area are obtained via a public communications network.  
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 71 , in which the user is enabled to move the larger-scale portion of the selected map area to different positions on the user interface.  
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 71 , in which the user is enabled to select the portion of the selected map area to be displayed on the larger scale.  
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 71 , in which the larger-scale portion of the selected map area is displayed on the user interface at a relatively high level of map detail, while a smaller-scale portion of the selected map area is displayed on the user interface at a relatively low level of geographic detail.  
     
     
         76 . A method of creating a printed map, the method comprising: 
 storing map data in a map database at a first location;    enabling a user at a second location to specify a selected map area to be printed on the wall map, and to access and to obtain map data that pertains to the selected map area via a publicly-accessible communication network;    displaying two different portions of the selected map area on a user interface at the second location at two different levels of geographic map detail; and    enabling the user to command the map to be printed at a third location with data sent from the first location to the third location, without the data being sent through the second location.    
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 76 , in which: 
 a list of possible print facilities is displayed; and    the user is enabled to send an electronic command that selects one of the possible print facilities to print the printed map.    
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 76 , in which: 
 one of the two portions of the selected map area is displayed on the user interface at a relatively high level of map detail and the other of the two portions is displayed on the user interface at a relatively low level of geographic detail; and    the entirety of the selected map area is printed on the map using the relatively high level of map detail, revealing geographic details not displayed on the user interface.    
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 76 , in which the map is printed with indications of boundaries associated with one or more commercially published printed maps.  
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 76 , in which: 
 a version of the printed map is displayed on the user interface; and    the printed map is printed with higher resolution than provided in the displayed version of the printed map.