TWI825053B - Methods, systems and non-transitory computer-readable recording media for collecting unanswered messages - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and system for collecting unanswered messages and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. body. The method of collecting unanswered messages may include: a selection step to select one or more of the received messages as messages requiring reply based on the user's possibility of replying; a collection step to select the above-mentioned judgments among the messages requiring reply Collecting messages for which no corresponding reply is sent as non-reply messages; and processing steps to process the above-mentioned non-reply messages in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages.

Description

Methods, systems and non-transitory computer-readable records for collecting unanswered messages media

The present invention relates to a technology for processing messages, and more specifically, to a technology for collecting unanswered messages among messages requiring a reply.

As a common communication tool, instant messenger is software for sending and receiving messages or data instantly. Users can register conversation partners on the instant messaging software and send and receive messages instantly with the other parties in the conversation partner directory.

This instant messaging software function is not only implemented on personal computers (PCs), but also makes the use of instant messaging software universal in the mobile environment of mobile communication terminals. For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2002-0074304 discloses a mobile instant messaging software service system for portable terminals using a wireless communication network that can provide instant messaging software services between mobile instant messaging software installed on portable terminals. method.

Usually, for user convenience, instant messaging software provides a list of objects registered in the instant messaging software in order of name, and provides a list of conversation windows for sending and receiving messages arranged according to the time of receiving/sending messages.

Moreover, a notification of received messages is provided in the instant messaging software so that the user can easily know the receipt of the message.

The present invention can select and collect unanswered messages among the messages that need to be replied.

The present invention can handle unanswered messages in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages, so that unanswered messages can be accessed more easily.

The present invention provides a method for collecting unanswered messages, which is executed in a computer system. The computer system includes at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory. The method for collecting unanswered messages includes: selecting The step of selecting, through the above-mentioned at least one processor, one or more of the received messages as messages requiring reply based on the reply possibility of the user of the above-mentioned computer system; the collection step, through the above-mentioned at least one processor Collect the messages that are judged to have not sent a corresponding reply (reply) among the above-mentioned messages requiring a reply as non-reply messages; and the processing step is to process the above-mentioned non-reply messages in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages through at least one of the above processors. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned selection step may select at least one of the following messages as the above-mentioned message requiring a reply: through article sentence analysis using natural language processing, it is determined that it is an article in the form of a question or contains a specific symbol or words; at least one message among more than a specified number of messages continuously received from the same object; a message containing a specific label or a term used to represent the user of the above-mentioned computer system; and thus based on the usage level of each dialogue window More than one conversation window receives more than one message based on priority.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the usage level of each of the above-mentioned dialogue windows can be calculated by calculating the number of user entries, stay time, and dialogues of the above-mentioned computer system by pressing each of the above-mentioned dialogue windows. To master at least one of the following factors: ratio, number of conversation starts, number of mentions, and average reply speed.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the selecting step may include extracting a topic from a conversation record contained in a conversation window related to the received message and extracting a topic from a conversation record transmitted by a user of the computer system. At least one of the topics is used as a basis to select the message related to the extracted topic among the above-mentioned received messages as the above-mentioned message requiring a reply.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the above collection step may include: if the user of the above computer system does not send any message within a prescribed time period after receiving the above message requiring a reply, then judging the above message requiring a reply The above unanswered message.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the collecting step may include: collecting messages directly selected by the user of the computer system among the received messages as the unreply messages.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned processing steps may include: providing a directory of un-reply messages related to the above-mentioned un-reply messages through a separate interface different from the conversation interface used for sending and receiving messages.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above processing steps may include: if a specific message is selected in the above unanswered message directory, moving to a dialogue window containing the above specific message, and distinguishing the above specific message from the above dialogue window. Display other messages.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above processing steps may include: providing reminder notifications to the above unanswered messages on a prescribed cycle or every time a new message is added.

The present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium records a program for executing the above-mentioned method for collecting unanswered messages on a computer.

The present invention provides a computer system, including: a memory; and at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in the memory. The at least one processor includes: a message selection unit to Based on the possibility of reply by users of the system, more than one message among the received messages is selected as a message requiring a reply; the message collection unit collects the messages that are judged to have not sent a corresponding reply among the above messages requiring a reply as unsent messages. Reply to the message; and the message processing unit processes the above-mentioned unanswered message in a manner that distinguishes it from other messages.

110: Electronic equipment

120: Electronic equipment

130: Electronic equipment

140: Electronic equipment

150:Server

160:Server

170:Internet

211:Memory

212: Processor

213:Communication module

214: Input and output interface

215: Input and output device

221:Memory

222: Processor

223: Communication module

224: Input and output interface

310:Message selection department

320:Information Collection Department

330:Message processing department

S410~S440: steps

S501~S504: steps

701: Message identification number

702: Need to reply message

703:Identification number

800: Instant messaging software interface screen

801: No reply menu

901: Dialog window name

902: At least part of the message

903: Delete menu

910:Message directory

1000:Dialogue window A

1001:Message x

1100:Menu directory

1101:Message x

1202:Reply message

Msg.No: message identification number

(a): Factors

(b): Factors

(c): Factors

(d): Factors

(e): factors

(f): factors

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of an electronic device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of structural elements that may be provided in a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method executable by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the process of selecting messages to be replied to in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of factors that can be utilized in order to grasp the usage level of the dialog window in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a message management table in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an instant messaging software interface screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a message directory for collecting unanswered messages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a conversation window screen that differentiates between unanswered messages and other messages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a menu list for unanswered messages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a dialog window screen for displaying a reply message to an unanswered message according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to techniques for processing messages, and more specifically, to techniques for collecting unanswered messages among messages requiring a reply.

Embodiments that include the content specifically disclosed in this specification can select and collect unanswered messages among the information that needs to be responded to, thereby achieving great advantages in terms of convenience, efficiency, resource saving, cost saving, etc.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network environment in FIG. 1 shows an example including a plurality of electronic devices 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 and a plurality of servers 150 , 160 and a network 170 . FIG. 1 is an example for explaining the present invention, and the number of electronic devices or servers is not limited by FIG. 1 .

The plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 may be fixed terminals or mobile terminals implemented by a computer system. For example, the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 may be a smart phone, a mobile phone, a navigator, a computer, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, or a personal digital assistant (PDA). ,Personal Digital Assistants), Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), Personal Tablet Computer (PC), Game Simulator (game console), Wearable Device, Internet of Things (IoT) equipment, virtual reality Real (VR, virtual reality) equipment, augmented reality (AR, augmented reality) equipment, etc. As an example, the electronic device 110 is shown in the shape of a smartphone in FIG. 1 . However, in embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device 110 may actually use wireless communication or wired communication to communicate with other devices through the network 170 . One of various physical computer systems through which the electronic device 120, the electronic device 130, the electronic device 140 and/or the server 150 and the server 160 communicate.

The communication method is not limited and includes not only communication methods using communication networks that may be included in the network 170 (as an example, mobile communication network, wired network, wireless network, broadcast network, satellite network, etc.), but also includes equipment short-range wireless communication. For example, the network 170 may include a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), or a metropolitan area network (MAN). Any network including one or more networks such as WAN (wide area network), broadband network (BBN), or the Internet. Furthermore, the network 170 may include, but is not limited to, any one or more network topologies. The network topology includes a bus network, a star network, a ring network, and a mesh network. , star bus network, tree or hierarchical network, etc.

The server 150 and the server 160 may respectively be computer devices that communicate with multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 through the network 170 to provide instructions, codes, files, content, services, etc. or multiple computer devices. For example, the server 150 may be a system that provides a first service to a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected through the network 170. The server 160 may also be a system that provides a first service to a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected through the network 170. A system in which a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 provide a second service. More specifically, the server 150 can be configured as a server on multiple electronic devices 110, The electronic device 120 , the electronic device 130 , and the electronic device 140 use the driven computer program application to provide the plurality of electronic devices 110 , the electronic device 120 , the electronic device 130 , and the electronic device 140 with the corresponding application program as the first service. Services (as an example, messaging services, etc.). As another example, the server 160 may provide a second service by sending files for setting and driving the above-mentioned application programs to a plurality of electronic devices 110 , 120 , 130 , and 140 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of an electronic device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2 , an electronic device 110 and a server 150 are described as examples of electronic devices. Furthermore, other electronic devices 120 , 130 , 140 or servers 160 may also have the same or similar internal structure as the above-mentioned electronic device 110 or server 150 .

The electronic device 110 and the server 150 may include a memory 211, a memory 221, a processor 212, a processor 222, a communication module 213, a communication module 223, an input-output interface 214, and an input-output interface 224. Memory 211 and memory 221 are non-transitory computer-readable recording media, which can include random access memory (RAM, random access memory), read only memory (ROM, read only memory), disk drive, solid state Permanent mass storage devices such as hard disk (SSD) and flash memory (flash memory). Among them, a permanent large-capacity storage device such as ROM, SSD, flash memory, hard disk, etc., as a separate permanent storage device different from the memory 211 and the memory 221, can also be provided in the electronic device 110 or the server 150 . Furthermore, the operating system and at least one program code (as an example, a browser provided on the electronic device 110 to be driven or an application program provided on the electronic device 110 to provide specific services) may be stored in the memory 211 and the memory 221. code required). Such software structural elements can be loaded from a separate computer-readable recording medium that is different from the memory 211 and the memory 221. enter. Such independent computer-readable recording media may include computer-readable recording media such as floppy disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes, DVD/CD-ROM drives, memory cards, etc. In another embodiment, the software structural elements can also be loaded into the memory 211 and the memory 221 through the communication module 213 and the communication module 223 instead of the computer-readable recording medium. For example, at least one program can be configured as a computer program (as an example, the above-mentioned Application) is loaded into the memory 211 and the memory 221 based on the application.

The processors 212 and 222 perform basic calculations, logic, and input and output operations, and are configured to process computer program instructions. The instructions can be provided to the processors 212 and 222 through the memory 211 and the memory 221 or the communication module 213 and the communication module 223. For example, the processors 212 and 222 are configured to execute instructions received based on program codes stored in recording devices such as the memory 211 and the memory 221 .

The communication module 213 and the communication module 223 can provide functions for the electronic device 110 and the server 150 to communicate with each other through the network 170, and can provide functions for the electronic device 110 and/or the server 150 to communicate with other electronic devices (as an example, electronic device 120) or other server (as an example, server 160) to perform communication functions. As an example, the request generated by the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 according to the program code stored in the recording device such as the memory 211 may be forwarded to the server 150 through the network 170 according to the control of the communication module 213 . On the contrary, control signals or instructions, content, files, etc. provided according to the control of the processor 222 of the server 150 can be sent to the electronic device 110 through the communication module 213 of the electronic device 110 through the communication module 223 and the network 170 . For example, the control signals or instructions, content, files, etc. of the server 150 received through the communication module 213 can be forwarded to the processor. 212 or memory 211, content or files, etc. may be stored in a storage medium (the above-mentioned permanent storage device) that may also be provided in the electronic device 110.

The input-output interface 214 may be a unit that interfaces with the input-output device 215 . For example, the input device may include a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, and the like, and the output device may include a display, a speaker, a haptic feedback device, and the like. As another example, the input-output interface 214 may also be a unit that forms an interface with a device that integrates input and output functions such as a touch screen. The input/output device 215 may be formed into one device with the electronic device 110 . Furthermore, the input/output interface 224 of the server 150 may be a unit connected to the server 150 or forming an interface with a device (not shown) for input or output that may be provided on the server 150 . As a more specific example, during the process of the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 processing the instructions of the computer program loaded in the memory 211, a service screen or content composed of data provided by the server 150 or the electronic device 120 can be displayed through The input and output interface 214 is displayed on the monitor.

Moreover, in other embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the server 150 may also include more structural elements than those in FIG. 2 . However, most of the structural elements of the prior art need not be explicitly shown. For example, the electronic device 110 may include at least part of the above-mentioned input and output devices 215 or may also include a transceiver, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, and other structural elements. More specifically, in the case where the electronic device 110 is a smartphone, the electronic device 110 may also include an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, a camera module, various physical buttons, and touch sensors that are commonly provided by smartphones. Various structural elements such as the board's buttons, input and output ports, and vibrators for vibration.

Below, specific embodiments of methods and systems for collecting unanswered messages are described.

In this specification, an unanswered message may mean a message that has not been responded to (reply) among the received messages.

Moreover, the conversation window may mean an interface screen used to provide messages sent and received between users. For example, representative examples of the conversation window are used to be displayed in instant messaging software or social network services (SNS, social network services). Interface screen for messages received through communication sessions set up between multiple user accounts or used to display in text functions such as SMS (short message service) or multimedia message service (MMS). The interface screen for sending and receiving messages with the corresponding phone number based on the phone number.

In the following, the conversation window of instant messaging software is used as a specific embodiment for explanation. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. As long as it is a conversation-based interface generated based on the user's account or phone number, etc., any interface can be used. applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of structural elements that can be provided in a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method executable by the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

The electronic device 110 of this embodiment may be provided with an unreply message collection system implemented by a computer. As an example, the unanswered message collection system can be implemented in the form of a stand-alone program or in the form of an in-app of a specific application, and can be run in the above-mentioned specific application. Depending on the situation, it can be configured with The server 150 is connected to provide messaging services.

Based on the instructions provided by the application program set up on the electronic device 110, the unanswered message collection system in the electronic device 110 can execute the unanswered message collection method shown in FIG. 4.

In order to execute the unanswered message collection method in FIG. 4 , as shown in FIG. 3 , the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 may include as structural elements a message selection part 310 , a message collection part 320 and Message processing unit 330. According to the embodiment, structural elements of the processor 212 may be selectively provided in or excluded from the processor 212 . Moreover, according to the embodiment, in order to realize the functions of the processor 212, the structural elements of the processor 212 may also be separated or combined.

The processor 212 and the structural elements of the processor 212 can control the electronic device 110 by executing steps S410, S420, S430, and S440 of the unanswered message collection method in FIG. 4 . For example, the processor 212 and the structural elements of the processor 212 can be implemented in a manner that can execute instructions based on the code of the operating system and the code of at least one program.

The plurality of structural elements of the processor 212 may be executed by the processor 212 according to instructions provided by program codes stored in the electronic device 110 (as an example, instructions provided by an application program driven by the electronic device 110 ). The performance of different functions of the processor 212. For example, as a functional expression of the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 that controls the electronic device 110 in such a manner that the electronic device 110 selects a message, the message selection unit 310 may be utilized.

In step S410, the processor 212 may read the required instructions from the memory 211 loaded with instructions related to the control of the electronic device 110. In this case, the above-mentioned instructions read may include instructions for controlling the processor 212 to execute steps S420, S430, and S440 to be described below.

The instant messaging software displays information related to unread messages through flags used to indicate the number of unread messages by the user. If the user enters the conversation window, the unread messages included in the conversation window are unified. Treated as read.

If all the messages in the conversation window are processed as read, the information related to the unread messages will not be displayed, so the user will not be reminded of the messages. In particular, once a message requiring a reply is processed as read, the user will no longer be able to recall the message.

Therefore, the present invention provides a function of selecting messages that are highly likely to be replied to by the user among received messages, that is, selecting messages that require a reply to remind the user.

In step S420, the message selection unit 310 selects a specific message (hereinafter referred to as a "reply-requiring message") based on the reply possibility of the user of the electronic device 110 among the messages received through the conversation window. The message selection unit 310 may specify, among the messages received through the one-to-one conversation window or the group chat conversation window, the messages that are expected to be responded to by the user of the electronic device 110 and which need to be responded to.

Figure 5 shows an example of a process of selecting messages to be replied to.

As an example, in step S501, the message selection unit 310 may select a message in the form of a question as a message requiring a reply by performing sentence analysis on the received message. In other words, the message selection unit 310 may utilize natural language processing and sentence analysis to select a message in the form of a question. For example, by extracting articles with a question structure from received messages, articles with specific symbols such as question marks (?) in the suffix of the articles, or articles containing specific words indicating requests or confirmation of facts (for example, please (please), I (may I), etc.) articles, etc., so that you can choose to reply to the message.

As yet another example, in step S502, the message selection unit 310 may select messages continuously received from the same conversation partner as messages requiring a reply. When the same conversation partner continuously sends more than a predetermined number of messages, it is determined that the message needs to be replied by the user, and at least one message (for example, the first or last received message) among the consecutive received messages can be selected as the message. A message needs to be replied to.

As another example, in step S503, the message selection unit 310 may select a message containing a specific tag among the received messages as a message requiring a reply. For example, the message selection unit 310 may use the tag @ to select messages in which mentions from the user of the specified electronic device 110 appear as messages requiring a reply. In addition to mentions using tags, messages may also be selected that include epithets (eg, names, nicknames, etc.) used to represent the user of electronic device 110 . As yet another example, you can also select a message containing a word or sentence set by the user in the settings related to the message requiring a reply. For example, when the user sets "online shopping" that he is responsible for in the settings related to messages that require a reply, messages containing the word "online shopping" can be selected as messages that require a reply.

As another example, in step S504, the message selection unit 310 uses the priority of each dialogue window of the user of the electronic device 110 to select the received message of the dialogue window with the highest priority or reaching a set level or above as a message requiring a reply. . The priority of each dialogue window can be determined based on the usage level based on the user's dialogue participation. The usage level of the dialogue window can be grasped through the dialogue records included in the dialogue window. Based on the conversation records contained in the conversation window, a score is calculated based on how many times or how frequently the user uses the conversation window or how quickly the user responds, etc. The scores calculated in this way for each conversation window can be used to determine the purpose of determining each conversation. The priority of the window depends on the desired usage level.

FIG. 6 shows an example of factors that can be used in calculating the score of each dialog window used in order to grasp the usage level of the dialog window. As an example of usage level, (a) how frequently a user enters a dialogue window can be calculated by the average number of times a user enters a dialogue window in a specified period or the total number of times a user enters a dialogue window in the most recent specified period. As another example of the usage level, (b) how long the user stays in the dialog window can be calculated by the dwell time from the time of entering the dialog window to the time of exiting the dialog window, or an average thereof. as a degree of use Another example, (c) regarding how many times or how frequently the user has conducted conversations in the conversation window, the conversation sent by the user in the corresponding conversation window can be used to calculate all the conversations sent by the user through all conversation windows of the instant messaging software. The calculation is based on the proportion of the conversation or the proportion of the conversations sent by the user among all the conversations in the corresponding conversation window. As another example of usage level, (d) regarding how many times a user starts a conversation, this can be measured by the number of times a user starts a conversation first after a fixed period of time has elapsed after the last conversation or the proportion of users starting a conversation first, etc. to calculate. As another example of usage level, (e) how frequently the user is mentioned in the conversation window, it can be determined by the tags appearing in the conversation window that represent the user's title (e.g., name, nickname, etc.) Calculate the number of times. As another example of usage level, (f) how quickly the user replies in the conversation window can be calculated by the average speed of the conversation message in which the user replies to the received message, etc. In addition, factors such as how balanced the conversation between the user and the other party is, the number of times the user uses multimedia content such as emoticons, photos, and videos, and the extent to which the conversation continues without interruption can be used as factors to grasp the degree of usage of the conversation window. . Among the above factors, the usage level of the dialog window can be grasped by using at least one factor or combining two or more factors. For example, in the conversation window 1 and conversation window 2 that the user participated in, the total number of times the user entered the user's conversation window 1 and conversation window 2 in the past week was 10 times and 25 times respectively, and the conversation window 1 If the average stay time in dialog window 2 and dialog window 2 are 10.2 minutes and 1.6 minutes respectively, calculate the total number of dialog window entries in the last week and the average stay time multiplied by the number ((102(10×10.2) and 40( 25×1.6)), thus the usage degree of the dialog window 1 and the dialog window 2 can be grasped. As mentioned above, the message selection unit 310 can use the above factors to calculate for each dialog window the degree of usage of each dialog window by the user ( probability), from which the priority of each dialog window can be determined.

The message selection unit 310 can select the received message of the dialogue window with a high priority as a message requiring a reply based on the priority based on the user's usage level of each dialogue window.

Furthermore, the message selection unit 310 can extract the main conversation topics in the corresponding conversation window based on the previous conversation records included in the conversation window, and select the received messages in the corresponding conversation window as messages requiring reply according to whether the user pays attention to the corresponding conversation subject. In this case, whether the user pays attention to the conversation topic of the conversation window can be determined based on the proportion of the conversations sent by the user in the total conversations of the corresponding conversation window or the average speed of the user sending conversations in response to received messages. For group chat conversation windows, messages to be replied to can be selected based on whether other conversation partners other than the user reply or the proportion of replies. For example, more than a certain proportion of the conversation partners in the conversation window can reply. The message is selected as a message requiring reply.

Furthermore, the message selection unit 310 can extract at least one conversation topic of concern to the user based on all conversation records transmitted by the user in all conversation windows of the instant messaging software, and can also select the received messages in the conversation window to be related to the user. Messages with content related to the conversation topic of concern are selected as messages requiring a reply.

The main conversation topic of the conversation window or the conversation topic of concern to the user can be extracted by utilizing a conventional topic analysis method such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) methodology for extracting subjects in articles.

The message selecting unit 310 may determine whether a reply is required each time a new message is received, or may periodically select a message requiring a reply based on a message received in a corresponding period in each prescribed period.

Moreover, the message selection unit 310 can combine two or more messages in the above methods (S501~504) to select messages that need to be replied. According to the embodiment, it can also distinguish one-to-one conversation windows and group chat pairs. The message to be replied is selected by one or more of the above methods (S501~504) in a conversation window manner that conforms to the characteristics of the conversation window.

Returning to FIG. 4 , in step S430 , the message collection unit 320 may determine whether the user of the electronic device 110 has not processed within a prescribed time period after the time point of receiving the corresponding message in the message that has been selected in step S420 and needs to be replied. Replied messages are collected as unanswered messages. That is, after receiving the message x, if the user of the electronic device 110 inputs the message y within n time periods, the message y is determined to be a reply message to the message If message y is input, message y can be judged as a new conversation message that is not related to message x. In other words, when the user does not reply within n time periods after receiving a message requiring a reply, the message collection unit 320 may collect the corresponding message requiring a reply as an unanswered message.

The conversation database (DB) on the instant messaging software can store and maintain messages sent or received through the instant messaging software, and the conversation database (DB) can include information related to the message requiring reply identified in step S420. FIG. 7 shows a message management table. Referring to FIG. 7 , each message can be stored together with the message identification number (Msg.No) 701 assigned to each message by judging whether (Y/N) belongs to a message requiring a reply 702 . In this case, as shown in Figure 7, the message management table can manage all messages sent and received by the user including sent messages (for example, Msg. No 12346). Although not shown in the figure, it can also only Manage messages received by users of Msg.No 12345, 12347, 12348, etc. Referring back to FIG. 7 , the message management table can be managed by adding the identification number 703 of the message inputted by the user reply within the n time period together with whether (Y/N) belongs to the message requiring a reply 702 . If multiple messages are sent within n time after receiving a message requiring a reply, the identification number of one message (for example, the initial message or the last message) in the multiple messages or all the identification numbers of the multiple messages can be stored as Reply message identification number 703. Although not shown, as other examples, It can be stored whether (Y/N) exists a message sent by the user within the n time period, instead of the identification number 703 of the message entered through the user's reply within the n time period. The message management table shown in FIG. 7 is shown in a manner that it also stores information related to the reply message, but it can only manage the received message identification number and whether (Y/N) the reply-required message 702 belongs to each message. , without considering whether it is a reply message and/or the identification number of the reply message as separate table factors. The message collection unit 320 may classify the messages that are (Y) messages requiring a reply but are judged not to have corresponding reply messages among the received messages stored in the conversation database on the instant messaging software as unanswered messages. Collect. For example, the message collection unit 320 may classify and collect message identification numbers (Msg. No 12347) that are (Y) messages requiring a reply but do not record the identification number of the corresponding reply message as unanswered messages.

In the above content, the method of automatically selecting messages that require a reply and collecting unanswered messages among the messages that require a reply is explained. In addition, the user of the electronic device 110 can also directly select the message in the conversation window to send the message to the user. The user-selected message collection is a manual method of unanswered messages. When the user cannot reply directly at the time when the user receives the message, a reminder can be used to directly set the message to be replied to later as an unanswered message.

In step S440, the message processing unit 330 can process the messages collected as unanswered messages in the instant messaging software in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages. As an example, the message processing unit 330 may provide a message directory collected as unanswered messages through a separate interface different from the interface for sending and receiving messages on the instant messaging software. For example, referring to FIG. 8 , the interface screen (for example, friend list screen, conversation window list screen, environment setting screen, etc.) 800 of the instant messaging software may include an unreply menu 801 for confirming unanswered messages.

When the user selects the non-reply menu 801 in the instant messaging software interface screen 800, as shown in Figure 9, the collection of non-reply items can be provided through a separate page different from the conversation window. Message directory 910 for overwriting messages. The message processing unit 330 may provide a message directory 910 that arranges messages based on message reception time. In addition, the message directory 910 may be used to support search functions such as conversation window search and keyword search. Furthermore, a message list of unanswered messages collected in each conversation window can be provided for each conversation window.

Referring to Figure 9, the message catalog 910 is not only a catalog for cataloging messages collected as unanswered messages through automatic collection, but also a catalog for cataloging messages collected as unanswered messages through manual collection. The message catalog 910 Each item of may have a dialog window name 901 containing the message, at least part of the content of the message 902, a delete menu 903 for deleting the message from the message directory 910, and so on.

When the user selects a specific message in the message directory 910, the message processing unit 330 may move to the conversation window containing the selected message. For example, if the message x "Have you confirmed the above content?" is selected in the message list 910, as shown in FIG. 10, the dialog window A (symbol 1000) containing the message x (symbol 1001) can be moved. In this case, when moving to a specific conversation window through the message list 910, the message processing unit 330 can display the unanswered message in a manner to distinguish it from other messages in the corresponding conversation window. For example, when the dialog window A (symbol 1000) is displayed, it is scrolled in such a manner that the message x (symbol 1001) corresponding to the unanswered message selected from the message list 910 is displayed in the center area of the screen, and can be highlighted. Message x (element symbol 1001). As another example, in order to distinguish the message x (component symbol 1001) from other messages, among the messages displayed in the dialog window A (component symbol 1000), the message 1001) The visibility of the message x (component symbol 1001) can be improved by using a translucent effect such as alpha blending for the message before and after 1001).

Furthermore, the message processing unit 330 may provide the menu list 1100 including the following menus when the user selects the message x in the message list 910, namely, a copy menu for copying the message x, and a menu for deleting the message from the message list 910. The delete menu of x, the reply menu for user reply to the counterparty who sent the message

The user can confirm the unanswered messages through a separate interface on the instant messaging software. The user can reply to the message Use the reply menu on Directory 1100 to reply. While message x is selected from the message directory 910, if a reply message is input through the dialog window A (component symbol 1000) containing the message x or the reply menu on the menu directory 1100, as shown in FIG. 12, the message processing unit 330 The reply message 1202 can be displayed on the dialog window A (component symbol 1000) containing the message x (component symbol 1101). In this case, the reply message 1202 and the message x (component symbol 1101) are bundled in one message unit. Processing, so that it can be shown that the reply message 1202 belongs to the reply to the message x (element symbol 1101).

The unanswered messages contained in the message catalog 910 can be selectively deleted by the user by using the delete menu 903, and the unanswered messages to which the user replies can be automatically deleted from the message catalog 910. Moreover, if the non-reply status passes a preset time (for example, 1 week, etc.) based on the time point at which the non-reply message is collected, it can be automatically deleted from the message directory 910 .

Furthermore, the message processing unit 330 may provide reminder notifications to the message directory 910 collected as unanswered messages on a predetermined cycle or each time a new unanswered message is additionally collected, thereby inducing users who have not responded to the messages to reply.

The above description has been made on the case where the method of collecting unanswered messages is executed in the electronic device 110 based on instructions provided by the application program provided in the electronic device 110 . However, the present invention does not It is not limited thereto. According to embodiments, the server 150 can be linked with an application program provided on the electronic device 110 to directly execute the above method of collecting unanswered messages on the server 150 side.

Specifically, in order to execute all or part of the unanswered message collection method shown in FIG. 4 , in the server 150 , the processor 222 of the server 150 may include a message selection part, a message collection part and a message processing part. According to the embodiment, the message selection part, the message collection part and the message processing part may be selectively provided in the processor 222 or excluded. Furthermore, the structural elements of the processor 222 may be split or combined according to the embodiment in order to express the functions of the processor 222.

The processor 222 and the structural elements of the processor 222 control the server 150 to execute steps S420, S430, and S440 in FIG. 4 . For example, the processor 222 and the structural elements of the processor 222 can be implemented in the form of instructions based on operating system code and at least one program code included in the execution memory 221 .

The message selection unit, message collection unit and message processing unit provided in the processor 222 of the server 150 are the same as the message selection unit 310, the message collection unit 320 and the message processing unit 330 explained through Fig. 3 or execute Fig. 4 accordingly. Therefore, the detailed description of the structural elements of the processor 222 will be omitted.

In this way, according to the present invention, unanswered messages that have not been replied to can be selected and collected among messages that need to be replied, and unanswered messages can be processed in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages, and reminder notifications for unanswered messages can be provided, so that it is possible to Easier access to unanswered messages.

The device described above can be implemented in hardware structural elements, software structural elements and/or a combination of hardware structural elements and software structural elements, such as a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), Digital signal processor, microcomputer, field programmable gate array (FPGA, field programmable gate array), programmable logic unit (PLU, programmable logic unit), microprocessor, or any other device that can execute instructions and respond. The devices and structural elements described in the embodiments can be achieved by using more than one general-purpose computer Or special purpose computer to achieve. The processing device may run an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. Moreover, in response to the operation of the software, the processing device can also access, store, operate, process and generate data. For ease of understanding, there is a case where one processing device is used, but those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs will understand that the processing device may include multiple processing elements and/or various types of processing elements. For example, a processing device may include multiple processors or a processor and a controller. In addition, other processing configurations such as parallel processors can be implemented.

Software may include computer programs, codes, instructions, or a combination of more than one of them, and can constitute a processing device in a manner that can work as required, or can independently or collectively provide The processing device sends instructions. Software and/or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, computer storage medium or device for the purpose of interpretation by or to provide instructions or information to a processing device. Software is distributed on computer systems connected to a network and can be stored or run through distributed methods. Software and data may be stored on more than one computer-readable recording medium.

The method in the embodiment is implemented in the form of program instructions executed by various computer units and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. In this case, the media may be media that continues to store programs that can be run by the computer or that is temporarily stored for the purpose of running or downloading. Moreover, the medium can be a single or various recording units or storage units in the form of multiple hardware combinations. It is not limited to a medium directly connected to the computer system, and can also be dispersed on the network. Examples of media include hard disks, soft disks Magnetic media such as disks and tapes, photolithographic recording media such as CD-ROM and DVD, magneto-optical media such as floppy disks ), a medium that can store program instructions such as read-only memory, random access memory, flash memory, etc. Examples of other media include an application store that provides applications, a website that provides various other software, a recording medium that is processed on a server, and even a storage medium.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with limited embodiments and drawings. However, a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can implement various modifications and variations based on the above description. For example, the described techniques can be performed in a different order than the described methods, and/or the structural elements of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. can be combined or assembled in a different form than the described methods, even if Suitable results may also be achieved by replacing or replacing other structural elements or equivalent technical solutions.

Therefore, other implementation modes, other examples and technical solutions equivalent to the scope of protection of the invention also belong to the scope of protection of the invention.

S410~S440: steps

Claims (13)

A method for collecting unanswered messages, which is executed in a computer system. The method includes: the above-mentioned computer system includes at least one processor configured in a manner capable of executing computer-readable instructions contained in a memory. The above-mentioned method for collecting unanswered messages includes: : The selection step, through at least one of the above processors, selects more than one message in the received messages as messages requiring reply based on the reply possibility of the user of the above computer system; the collection step, through at least one of the above The processor collects the messages that are judged to have not sent corresponding replies among the above-mentioned messages requiring a reply as un-reply messages; and the processing step is to process the above-mentioned un-reply messages in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages through at least one of the above-mentioned processors, The processing steps include the following steps: providing an unanswered menu for confirming unanswered messages in the interface screen of the instant messaging software; in response to the unanswered menu being selected, on the instant messaging software through a dialogue with the user for sending and receiving messages A separate interface with different interfaces provides a directory of unanswered messages related to the above-mentioned unanswered messages; if a specific message is selected in the above-mentioned unanswered message directory, the display moves to the conversation window containing the above-mentioned specific message so that the instant messaging software The interface screen only displays the dialogue window containing the above-mentioned specific message, and displays the above-mentioned specific message in chronological order in the above-mentioned dialogue window in a manner that distinguishes the above-mentioned specific message from other messages. The specific message and other messages, wherein the unanswered message corresponding to the specific message is displayed in the center area of the screen of the dialogue window. The method for collecting unanswered messages as described in request item 1, wherein the above-mentioned selection step selects at least one of the following messages as the above-mentioned messages requiring reply: those that are judged to be in the form of intersentences through article sentence analysis using natural language processing Articles or messages containing specific symbols or words; at least one message among more than a specified number of messages continuously received from the same object; messages containing specific tags or terms of address used to represent users of the above-mentioned computer systems; and from More than one message received by more than one conversation window is determined based on the priority of usage of each conversation window. The method of collecting unanswered messages as described in request item 2, wherein the usage level of each of the above-mentioned dialogue windows is calculated by calculating the number of user entries, stay time, dialogue ratio, number of dialogue starts, and number of mentions of the above-mentioned computer system based on each of the above-mentioned dialogue windows. , average reply speed to grasp at least one factor. The method for collecting unanswered messages as described in any one of requests 1 to 3, wherein the above-mentioned selection step includes the following steps: using topics extracted from the conversation records contained in the conversation window related to the above-mentioned received messages and from the above-mentioned computer At least one of the topics extracted from the conversation record transmitted by the user of the system is used as a basis to select the message related to the extracted topic among the received messages as the message requiring reply. The method for collecting unanswered messages as described in request item 1, wherein the above-mentioned collection steps include the following steps: if the above-mentioned computer system receives the above-mentioned message requiring a reply after the time point If the user does not send any message within the specified time period, the above-mentioned message requiring a reply will be judged as the above-mentioned unanswered message. The method for collecting unanswered messages as described in claim 1, wherein the collecting step includes the following steps: collecting messages directly selected by the user of the computer system among the received messages as the unanswered messages. The method for collecting unanswered messages as described in request item 1, wherein the above processing steps include the following steps: providing reminder notifications to the above unanswered messages on a prescribed cycle or every time a new message is added. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method for collecting unanswered messages as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is recorded on a computer. A computer system, which includes at least one processor configured in a manner capable of executing computer readable instructions contained in a memory, the at least one processor including: a message selection unit to respond based on the possibility of a user of the computer system Based on this, more than one message among the received messages is selected as a message requiring a reply; the message collection unit collects the messages that are judged as not sending a corresponding reply among the above messages requiring a reply as non-reply messages; and the message processing unit, Process the above unanswered messages in a manner that distinguishes them from other messages, wherein the message processing unit provides an unanswered menu for confirming unanswered messages in the interface screen of the instant messaging software; In response to the unanswered menu being selected, the message processing unit provides a list of unanswered messages related to the unanswered messages on the instant messaging software through a separate interface that is different from the dialogue interface used to send and receive messages; When a specific message in the reply message directory is selected, the message processing unit moves the display to the dialogue window containing the above-mentioned specific message so that the interface screen of the instant messaging software only displays the dialogue window containing the above-mentioned specific message, and in the above-mentioned dialogue window with The method of distinguishing the above-mentioned specific message and other messages is to display the above-mentioned specific message and other messages in chronological order, wherein the unanswered messages corresponding to the above-mentioned specific message are displayed in the central area of the screen of the above-mentioned dialogue window. The computer system as described in claim 9, wherein the message selection unit selects at least one of the following messages as the message requiring a reply: an article judged to be in the form of a question through analysis of article sentences using natural language processing or Messages containing specific symbols or words; at least one message among more than a specified number of messages continuously received from the same object; messages containing specific tags or terms of address used to represent users of the above computer system; and thus based on each conversation More than one conversation window receives more than one message based on window usage priority. The computer system as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the message selecting unit extracts a topic from a conversation record contained in a conversation window related to the received message and a conversation record transmitted by a user of the computer system. At least one of the topics is used as a basis to select the message related to the extracted topic among the above-mentioned received messages as the above-mentioned message requiring a reply. The computer system as described in claim 9, wherein if the user of the computer system does not send any message within a prescribed time period after receiving the message requiring a reply, the message collection unit determines that the message requiring a reply is The above message was not replied to. The computer system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the message processing unit provides reminder notifications to the unanswered messages.