WO1997050068A1

WO1997050068A1 - 'map street finder' device

Info

Publication number: WO1997050068A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/010770
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benjamin Barbier
Original assignee: Benjamin Barbier
Priority date: 1996-06-24
Filing date: 1997-06-20
Publication date: 1997-12-31
Also published as: AU3497197A

Abstract

A street finding device (1) for map users that can aid in locating a specific street on a specially made map. The size of the street finding device (1) is the size of a credit card or as big as the biggest rectangle of the accompanying map. The device (1) may be made of plastic or other cheap material. The device (1) is divided into symmetrical rectangles that contain indicia. The map has an index, which contains information regarding indicia on the map finder. When the street finding device (1) is placed over the map, the information from the index will allow a user to quickly locate a position on the map and mark the position using a marking device accordingly.

Description

A"MAP STREET FINDER"DEVICE. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a street finding device for maps that easily pinpoints the exact location of any given street a user is trying to find in a particular map in accordance with the device. This is a much needed tool for users o£conventional street maps,since conventional street maps do not give readers enough information in the index as to pinpoint the exact location of the streets in the map area.The information given in the index of conventional maps certainly reduces the area of search to one or several inches depen¬ ding on a particular map versus the complete map area but that reduc¬ tion still represents a problem,specially for middle aged people with poor vision.

In conglomerate downtown areas of big cities like:New York,Hong Kong, London etc. finding a small hidden street is even more difficult and time consuming.lt is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate these difficulties and to provide a tool that can zero on the location of any given street fast,easily; such a device will be greatly appreciated evenmore by people whose work depends on fast mobility;like: taxi drivers,plumbers,repairmen on house calls,salesmen etc..Another plus is that the device is so simple that adds insigni¬ ficantly to the cost of the map.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The object of the present invention has been met by the map street finder whose best contemplated mode of operation is:

A flat rectangular devicermade of plastic or any other cheap material, transparent,non transparent or screen like, the size of a credit card in most instances but a rule of thumb would be to make it as big as the biggest rectangle in the map used on.The device's flat area is divided in several small rectangles or any other symetrical forms, approximately 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch.Such small rectangles containing a small hole or hatch and a distintive symbol(s) ,letter(s) ,numeral(s) , shown for each particular street or monument etc.in the street index of our specially made maps. Street maps able to be read with the street finder device are a modified version of conventional steet maps in the market, by simply adding a new set of coordinates to the information already contained in the street index for each street and re¬ presenting this new set of coordinates by a symbol(s),letter(s) , numeral(s) ,combination etc.we accomplish to pinpoint the exact position of any given street .

The street finder device works perfectly because the measurements previously taken of the map area to obtain the new set of coordi¬ nates for each particular street were made in accordance with the device.So,the user of the device simply reverses the process automatically while superposing it to to the area of search..

DRAWINGS:

Figure 1 is a map street finding device: Transparent or non transparent,

Each small rectangle contains a letter,numeral or symbol within.

The user uses these small holes as numeral 1 to mark the street or else. Figure 2 can be either a transparent or screenlike device.The numeral(s) ,letter(s) ,symbol(s) are on the outside-The small rectangles are the vertices where the two coordinates meet from second upper row to bottom row.

Notice the difference.This type of device has holes or hatches just where the numerals and letters are posted.The screen like model, obviously does not need any holes because it is a screen and in the transparent form of this type it is optional because the user can see through out the transparency. DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

The"map street finder"device is a device that easily and accurately can pinpoint the exact location of any given street or monument or else a map reader is trying to locate in any particular street map made in accordance with it.

Since conventional street maps just give readers an approximate area to search for the street or else,never the exact location,the street finder device is very much needed by any map readers but specially by elderly travelers, taxi drivers.deliverers of goods to homes that constantly have to rely on maps for their work and do not have a 20/20 vision.

The area of search that conventional maps give to its readers varies from approx.a square inch to several inches and in conglomerate downtown areas of big cities likerNew York,Hong Kong,London etc. the task to find some streets is nearly impossible or at least time consuming and annoying.

So the obvious purpose of the street finding device is to save time and aggravation to its users.

The street finder device is a simple device that works by superposing, approximately the size of a credit card for easy maneuvering.The flat area of such device is divided in small rectangles perhaps 1/8 to 1/4 of a square inch as in Figs.l and 2 of drawings. The model of Fig.l with small holes or hatches big enough to intro¬ duce the tip end of apencil or pen.Each of these rectangles has a specific and distinctive symbol(s) ,letter(s) ,numeral(s) ,etc.replica of a similar counterpart shown in each street in the index. Accordingly to previous measurements of the map to be read by the device each street was assigned a set of coordinates, (represented in the index by symboKs) ,letter(s),numeral(s) ,etc.consistent with its unique location in the map area.

A simple explanation of the street finder device can be easily understood by anybody that has used conventional street maps in the past.The index of such conventional maps give the reader the meeting of two coordinates:horyzontal and vertical,as the area of search. Such coordinates usually meet in a rectangular area of one to several inches wide.The reduction of the area of search certainly makes sense because the reader does not have to be looking at the complete map _{t0 find the str}eet or else. Nevertheless the reader of such conventional maps still has to scan the rectangle of search up and down and sideways until the street popsout.The street finding device working with specially made maps takes care of that problem reducing the area of search to zero since in our maps,as previously stated,each street con¬ tained in the index has an extra set of coordinates represented by distinctive symbol(s) ,letter(s) ,numeral(s) ,combination etc.

The following example will clarify the way the device works with. complementary maps.

Say:conventional map shows intersection of L-22. Our map will show intersection of L-22 (C4). (C4) represents the extra set of coordinates.

In order to get this new set of coordinates that pinpoints to the exact location of any particular street or else each BIG rectangle of the map was previously divided in several small rectangles.see (Figs.l & 2 of drawings) .using the street finder device as a measure. This could be accomplished in several ways,one way could be: Aligning the left perimeter of the device to the left line of the big rectangle of search and upper perimeter to upper line;by doing this,now each street (or portion of the street) is contained inside of a particular small rectangle.So,our maps are then printed with this extra piece of information for each street in the index. The user of the street finder device while using it just reverses the process automatically.First looks at the street index,finds the area of the big rectangle and the new set of coordinates, superposes the device to the rectangle the right way and then marks the little hole with a pencil or pen.The street or other he is trying to find will be right there.

This simple technique reduced the area of search as to pinpoint the exact location of any given street.

The above being said,I claim that my invention consists of: l.-A street finding device for street maps that works by superposing, 2.-Such device of claim 1 transfers to the map's area of search a distinctive symbol(s) ,letter(s) ,numeral(s) .combination,etc. contained for each particular street or else in the map index.

Claims

3.-Device of claim 1 is divided in small rectangles or any other type of symetrical forms,containing distinctive symbol(s) ,numeral(s) etc.similar to the characteristic symbol(s) ,numeral(s) etc.contained in the street index for each particular street,monument or else. 4.-The device of claim 1 may have the symbol(s) ,letter(s) ,numeral(s) etc.inside of each small rectangle or in the outside perimeter of the device being the small rectangles the recipients, (vertices) of the two coordinates:horyzontal and vertical.

5.-Device of claim 1 can be manufactured in different shapes but preferably:a flat form approximately the size of a credit card for easy maneuvering and carrying;but for optimum results to work with a particular map should be as big as the biggest rectangle in the map. 6.-Device of claim 1 can be transparent,non transparent or screen like. The first two with little holes or hatches in each small rectangle to be able to mark the found street with a pen or pencil. 7.-The superposing of device of claim 1 to the area of search, (the big rectangle) ,must use as a guideline any of the four corners of such rectangle accordingly to the way the original information stated in the index with the location of the streets was obtained.As if the guideline was upper perimeter of device to upper line and left side to left side of the rectangle that should be the way to superpose. 8.-The device of claim 1 to work presupposes extra information in the map index that conventional maps do not provide like symbol(s), letter(s),numeral(s) ,etc.Such information is provided in our specially made maps' indexes.

9.-The symbol(s) ,letter(s ),numeral(s) etc.in the device of claim 1 are an exact replica of the symbol(s) ,numeral(s) etc.in the map index, for each and all the streets,monuments,or points of interest etc. normally shown in conventional maps.

10.-The device of claim 1 to work accurately must be custom made for each particular map that is going to work with.The meaning of each particular map should be understood -all identical maps of the same town(s) or cities printed with the same measuremts. 11.-Device of claim 1 can be adapted to work no just with city or town street maps but almost with any type of maps that show conglo^¬ merations.