“…move up or down a virtual street or other navigation actions”

Apr 4, 2013 18:21 GMT  ·  By

A new patent application signed Apple Inc. has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office today. Titled “3D Position Tracking for Panoramic Imagery Navigation,” the invention seems to be Apple’s own take at Street View, a well-known feature in Google Maps.

The patent abstract mentions “Position tracking subsystems and onboard sensors” which enable a device such as the iPhone or the iPad “to navigate virtually a location in panoramic imagery.”

The invention documentation specifically states street views in patently jargon.

“Physically moving the device through space provides translation data that can be used to move up or down a virtual street or other navigation actions,” reads the patent filing.

Various embodiments are then offered, including one where “forward and backward translation enables the user to enter a structure (e.g., a commercial venue) or enter an intersection and navigate a turn onto another street at the intersection.”

Distance data would be gathered from actual motion sensors, as well as imaging sensors (like the camera) on a given device, and “the distance data can be scaled to a virtual distance in the panoramic scene,” according to the documentation.

Visit the USPTO to see the patent filing in full.