April 25th, Beijing Time - According to foreign media reports, the United States Patent and Trademark Office today revealed a patent application from Apple. From this, we can see that Apple might be considering adding a print function to its map services, and this function will not only support iOS.Apple's patent displays systems and methods for printing maps and directions from Apple, showing the process of printing navigation and maps stored in computers or portable devices onto paper. Although similar technology has been around for some time, the Apple Maps app does not yet support this feature.This invention requires the device to input print information to print out a summary of the map and clear directions along the way, making navigation easier. For instance, it prints a summary of the terrain map and driving route in an aligned format.Mobile devices like Apple's iPhone boast GPS systems and software that can create routes and interactive maps, but Apple points out that these services are not always available. In some cases, printing a map does not require a mobile device or GPS connection, but existing methods are not as such. The printed output shown in the documents includes a series of turns, a map summary, and some precautions that users wish to include. While the materials for printing are provided by existing devices, they are often messy and may cause confusion. Furthermore, the pages of the printed material can be scattered due to a series of turns on the route.In use, this invention suggests that printing a route from a map application would be an optimized directional layout, where the entire route and corresponding driving instructions are readable. Such a layout might display a geographical overview and highlight the suggested route in the first column of a landscape-oriented map. The second column would then show detailed map conditions. The route numbers would be sequentially arranged and correspond to the detailed driving steps in the second column.If the route is very long with too many directions to fit on one page, it can be printed across multiple pages. However, the application points out that the first column of each page will still contain a map summary, and the route numbers will remain in the second column.An interesting aspect of this invention lies in the illustration number list. Information about each Point of Interest (POI) can be displayed in the second column, while the illustration numbers can annotate the route summary.The application also mentions appropriate zooming techniques, slides, and other details to enhance user experience.However, the statement does not include the much-anticipated part of the map service. For example, it specifically points out that the application language supports web-drawing software. Currently, the Apple Maps app does not support online use but instead accesses a dedicated iOS app, including Apple's mobile devices.It remains unclear whether Apple will bring Apple Maps services to a broader audience, but it is likely that they will consider expanding their user base after resolving existing issues. (Qiuming)