KR100766591B1 - Apparatus for transmitting/receivng an image code and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for transmitting/receiving an image code and a method for transmitting the image code are provided to transmit texts corresponding to image codes instead of image files when image code is transmitted and generate image codes corresponding to texts or store texts received from a receiving side and display the generated image codes in a screen, thereby cheaply tranceiving image codes in a high speed. An apparatus for transmitting/receiving an image code comprises the followings: a service requesting unit(400) for requesting a predetermined service; a code text receiving unit(410) for receiving a text including a code value and kinds of an image code corresponded to the predetermined service; a storing unit(420) for storing the text by classifying the text according to services after checking service items indicating the text on the basis of the code values of the received text; a code image generating unit(430) for generating an associated code image on the basis of kinds of image code and code values; and a displaying unit(440) for displaying the code image.

Description

Apparatus for transmitting / receivng an image code and method therefor}

1A to 1E illustrate an example of an image code;

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of using an image code received through a mobile phone;

3 is a view showing an example of an image code transmission method according to the present invention;

4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention;

5 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an image code transmission device according to the present invention;

6 is a view showing a flow of an image code transmission method according to the present invention;

7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which code text is stored in an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention;

8 is a diagram illustrating a field to which an image transmission service according to the present invention is applicable.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for transmitting and receiving an image code, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for transmitting an image code corresponding to various services to a personal portable terminal.

BACKGROUND With the rise of mobile computing environments, mobile computer devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), MP3 players, and digital cameras are widely used. Such mobile computer devices do not provide a single function, but fuse and combine various functions. In particular, mobile phones, PDAs, and PMPs are becoming more versatile and high-performance to provide various functions such as cameras, mass storage, and multimedia content inquiry.

Due to the development of the mobile computer device, the interest in the interface technology for accessing a server on an external computer or a network and receiving a predetermined service through information extracted by recognizing an image through the mobile computer device is increasing.

In addition, a technology for displaying an image on a screen of a mobile computer device and performing authentication and e-commerce using a method of recognizing the displayed image with a camera or a scanner of another device has emerged.

The image displayed on the screen of the mobile computer device is mainly a code image, and the code image includes a barcode, a 2D barcode, a color code, and the like. Services using images displayed on the screen of a mobile computer device such as a cellular phone or a PDA are various, such as coupon authentication service, discount service, user authentication, security.

However, when the mobile computer device downloads the image code, since the data image file type corresponds to the image code, the mobile computer device has a relatively large data capacity and a relatively high cost under packet-based charging.

In addition, since it is difficult to know the environment of the user's mobile computer device (the possibility of distortion due to display resolution, the number of possible colors, etc.) when downloading, there is a possibility that the image is distorted and displayed. In addition, since the downloaded image code file is simply stored in the same storage location as other image files and difficult to manage systematically, it is difficult to recycle and takes a lot of storage space when storing a large number of image codes.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is an image code receiving apparatus for receiving an image code for providing a predetermined service in the form of a text rather than an image file, and classifying and storing and managing the received image code according to a service type. To provide a way.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is an image code transmission device for updating an authentication and image code conversion program of a receiving device when converting and transmitting an image code for providing a predetermined service into a text form rather than an image file form, and its To provide a way.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention, the service request unit for requesting a predetermined service; A code text receiver for receiving text including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to the service; And a storage unit for identifying a service field represented by the text based on a code value of the received text, and storing the text by dividing the service field.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the image code receiving method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: requesting a predetermined service; Receiving a text including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to the service; And identifying a service field represented by the text based on a code value of the received text, and storing the text by dividing the service field by each service field.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the image code transmission apparatus according to the present invention, the code information including the type and code value of the image code corresponding to the service requested from the terminal according to a predetermined expression style Code text generation unit for generating the expressed text; And a program updater configured to compare the version of the conversion program installed in the terminal to convert text into an image code and the version of the conversion program stored in the terminal, and to transmit the latest version of the conversion program to the terminal.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the image code transmission method according to the present invention, the code information including the type and code value of the image code corresponding to the service requested from the terminal according to a predetermined expression style Generating the represented text; And comparing a version of a conversion program installed in the terminal to convert text into an image code and a version of the conversion program stored in the terminal, and transmitting the latest version of the conversion program to the terminal.

Thus, the image code is transmitted in the form of text having a small packet amount, and the received image code is classified and stored for each service type so that the user can easily retrieve the stored image code.

Hereinafter, an image code device and a method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A to 1E are diagrams illustrating an example of an image code.

Specifically, FIG. 1A is a data matrix, FIG. 1B is a QR code, FIG. 1C is a PDF-417, FIG. 1D is a color code and gray code, and FIG. 1E is a mixed code generated by superimposing a color code and a QR code. 1A to 1E illustrate an example of an image code that can be used in the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the image code of FIGS. 1A to 1E, but may be a conventional image code, that is, a barcode, Intercode, cybercode, etc. can be used. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the image code, but any image that can be expressed by predetermined text, that is, a logo or various pictures can be used. Hereinafter, an embodiment of transmitting an image code will be described for convenience of description.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of using an image code received through a mobile phone.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a user wants to mobile payment for an amusement park ticket, the user accesses the service page 200 of the server using a mobile phone and presses [confirmation] of the service page to make a payment and a mobile ticket composed of an image code at the same time. Download it to the phone (210). The downloaded image code is immediately displayed on the phone screen or stored on the phone for later use.

Since the mobile ticket is stored in a mobile phone storage place such as a picture storage box along with other general images, there is an inconvenience of having to search all the images stored in the picture storage box when the user wants to find and use a mobile ticket later. In addition, when receiving an image code (or mobile ticket itself) corresponding to the mobile ticket directly from the server, there may be a problem in that the communication usage in units of packets increases due to the size of the image file. An embodiment for solving this is described in FIG. 3.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image code transmission method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when a user wants to use a service such as mobile payment of an amusement park ticket, the user selects a service by accessing the corresponding server as described with reference to FIG. 2 (300). Then, the server transmits the service page including the authentication number of the corresponding service (for example, the purchase number of the amusement park ticket) to the user's mobile phone through a short message service (SMS) or a multimedia message service (MMS) (310). .

After checking the service information displayed through the service page, the user presses [OK] to request an image code corresponding to the service. The server does not transmit the image code corresponding to the service requested by the user as it is, but expresses the image code as text and transmits it to the user's mobile phone.

There may be a separate content server that generates and stores information about the service and text corresponding to the image code of the service. In this case, the service page includes the address of the content server. The mobile phone accesses the content server based on the address included in the service page and requests text for the image code.

The mobile phone has a program for converting text into image code. If the mobile phone does not have the above program, the program is downloaded in real time from the server, and even if the version is different, the program is downloaded from the server.

The mobile phone displays the text received from the server through the program on the screen, or creates a separate storage space in the mobile phone to store the received text and displays it on the screen if necessary.

4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a service requesting unit 400, a code text receiving unit 410, a storage unit 420, a code image generating unit 430, and a display unit 440. . The image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as various types of personal terminals such as a mobile phone, a computer, a PDA, and a PMP.

The service request unit 400 accesses a predetermined server and requests a specific service (for example, mobile ticket generation such as an amusement park or a movie theater). Specifically, the service request unit 400 receives and displays a service page corresponding to the service from the server when a specific service is requested, and when the user requests the text of the image code corresponding to the service through the service page, the service request unit 400 sends a code text request to the server. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, text of an image code corresponding to a service may be directly received from a server without receiving a service page.

The service page may include an address of a content server that provides text corresponding to an image code. In this case, the service requesting unit 400 requests text by accessing the corresponding content server based on the address included in the service page.

The service request unit 400 updates the conversion program for converting the unique information (telephone number, MAC address, serial number, user information, password input, etc.) and text of the image code receiving device for authentication upon service request into an image code. Information (ID, program name, version, manufacturer, etc.) can be sent to the server together.

In addition, the service request unit 400 may receive the image code according to the user's preference by transmitting the image code characteristic information including the type and color information of the image code to be provided with the service request.

The code text receiver 410 receives an image code corresponding to the service requested to the server in text form, not in the image itself. That is, the code text receiving unit 410 receives the code text expressing the type, the version of the image code, the code value indicated by the image code, the color of the image code, the background screen information, etc. according to a predetermined expression style. A method of converting an image code into text and receiving the same is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2006-36358 (Image Code Transmission System Using Text).

The storage unit 420 stores the code text received by the code text receiver 410 according to the name, time, and user designation method. The storage unit 420 analyzes the received code text, grasps a service field, a service expiration date, and the like, and classifies and stores the received code text according to a classification method desired by the user. When the server adds additional service information to the code text and transmits the service information, the storage unit 420 may grasp the additional information and perform the necessary classification. Here, the service information refers to general information about the service, and information such as online product information, authentication information, gift certificates, tickets, discount coupons, membership rights, event information, product usage, expiration date, and usage rights.

For example, the storage unit 420 analyzes the code value of the received code text or receives service information transmitted from the server along with the code text, so that the service name, service due date, date, and frequently used service code corresponding to the code text are used. Find out how often and what kind of service information, and sort and store the code text based on the information. The sorting method can be rearranged by the user and the search function can be used to easily use the service.

The storage unit 420 preferably stores the code text in a text form in consideration of the storage space. However, the storage unit 420 may convert the image code into an image code corresponding to the code text. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of code text classified and stored in a mobile phone by service fields.

The code image generator 430 converts the code text received by the code text receiver 410 into an image code or converts the code text selected by the user among the code texts stored in the storage 420 into an image code. In this case, the code image generator 430 generates an optimal image code by referring to the environment information (resolution, color representation capability, image representation region, etc.) of the image code receiver.

The display unit 440 displays the image code generated by the code image generator 430 on the screen. The display unit 440 not only expresses the image code on its own screen of the image code receiver, but also connects the image code to an external device through wired or wireless connection with a display of another external device such as a TV, a monitor, a display board, a beam projector, and the like. It can be displayed or connected to various printing devices to print image codes on physical media such as paper, metal, and plastic.

The storage unit 420 and the code image generator 430 may be implemented by a predetermined conversion program. If there is no conversion program in the image code receiving device, the image code receiving device downloads the conversion program from the server, and even if there is a conversion program, the latest version of the conversion program can be downloaded from the server by transmitting the version information of the conversion program to the server. have.

When the image code receiver receives the service page, the image code receiver may store the service page or transmit the service page to another image code receiver through SMS / MMS. The new image code receiving apparatus which has received the service page may receive text corresponding to the image code through the service page according to the method described above.

5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an image code transmission apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the apparatus for transmitting image code according to the present invention includes a service information generator 500, an address information generator 510, a service page generator 520, a code text generator 530, and an authentication unit ( 540, a program update unit 550, and a content storage unit 560.

When the service information generation unit 500 receives a specific service request from the image code receiver (see FIG. 4), the service information generation unit 500 generates service information including an authentication number of the corresponding service. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the service information is general information about a service and indicates information such as online product information, authentication information, and gift certificate. The authentication number is generated according to the authentication result of the image code receiving apparatus by the authentication unit 540, and the authentication unit 540 will be described below.

When the content storage unit 560 for storing and managing the information of the image code corresponding to various services, the conversion program used in the image code receiving apparatus, the customer management information, etc. is implemented as at least one or more separate devices, the address information generation unit The 510 generates address information of the content storage unit 560 that stores information corresponding to the requested service. When the content storage unit 560 is included in the image code transmitting apparatus, the address information generator 510 may be omitted.

The service page generator 520 synthesizes the service information generated by the service information generator 500 and the address information of the content storage unit 560 generated by the address information generator 510 to the image code receiver. A service page (310 of FIG. 3) to be transmitted is generated.

The transmitter / receiver 570 transmits the generated service page to the image code receiving apparatus using SMS / MMS. When the image code receiver is a personal computer, the transceiver 570 may transmit a service page to the computer through an MSN messenger, an online message such as Nate On, or an e-mail.

The image code receiving apparatus checks whether the service is requested by the user through the service page, and then accesses the corresponding content server 560 through the address information included in the service page to receive the image code.

In the service request of the image code receiving apparatus, a configuration for transmitting a service page including corresponding service information (that is, the service information generating unit 500, the address information generating unit 510, and the service page generating unit 520) is provided. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it may be omitted, and if omitted, the image code transmission apparatus immediately transmits the corresponding image code when receiving the service request.

The code text generation unit 530 generates an image code corresponding to the requested service in the form of text. That is, the code text generation unit 530 generates code information including the type and code value of the image code corresponding to the service as text according to a predetermined expression style. The transceiver 570 transmits the generated text to the image code receiving apparatus using SMS / MMS.

The authentication unit 540 authenticates the image code receiving apparatus based on the unique information (for example, telephone number, MAC, serial number, user information, password input, etc.) of the image code receiving apparatus. That is, the authenticator 540 determines whether the image code receiver is subscribed to the image code transmission service according to the present invention based on the unique information of the image code receiver.

When the program update unit 550 receives the information (ID, program name, version, manufacturer, etc.) of the image code conversion program installed in the image code receiving apparatus, the program update unit 550 receives the converted program information and the conversion program stored in the content storage unit 560. In this case, the conversion program stored in the content storage unit 560 is transmitted to the image code receiving apparatus.

Alternatively, the program update unit 550 transmits the information of the conversion program stored in the content storage unit 560 to the image code receiving device, and the image code receiving device receives the information of the conversion program stored therein from the image code transmitting device. If the program information is different from each other or the conversion program does not exist, the transmission of the conversion program is requested to the image code transmission apparatus.

6 is a diagram illustrating a flow of an image code transmission method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a user applies for a specific service to a server through a user terminal in which an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention is implemented (S600). The server generates in real time the code page corresponding to the service page and the image code corresponding to the specific service, or the service page and code text for the specific service in advance and stores it.

The user terminal receives the service page from the server via SMS / MMS (S610). The user can request the image code of the service in text form through the service page displayed on the terminal. In this case, the user can select the type of the image code or specify a specific condition (for example, the color of the code image and the background screen). Can be selected (S620).

If there is a request for an image code (including a specific condition such as the type of image code) corresponding to the corresponding service from the user terminal, the server generates the image code in text form and transmits it to the terminal (S630).

If the conversion program is not installed or the version of the installed conversion program is an old version, the terminal requests the latest conversion program from the server (S640). The server transmits a conversion program at the request of the terminal (S645). If the program has not been installed, the terminal installs the received conversion program (S650).

The conversion program is automatically driven when the code text is received from the server or when the user selects the code text stored in the terminal (S660), and then generates a corresponding image code based on the code text (S670) and displays it (S680). ). The terminal stores and manages the received code text in a separate storage space for each service area (S690).

7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which code text is stored in an image code receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the image code receiving apparatus stores the received code text according to a service field and a service type. For example, service areas are divided into amusement parks, memberships, discount coupons, OK cashbacks, and movies, and the received code text is stored in the corresponding fields. Thus, code text representing a service about Everland is stored in Everland in the Amusement Parks category.

8 is a diagram illustrating a field to which an image transmission service according to the present invention is applicable.

Referring to FIG. 8, an image transmission service according to the present invention is largely classified into a B2C (Business to Customer) and a B2B (Business to Business) model.

In the B2C field, it can be applied to performances, facility admission tickets, gift certificates, movie tickets, etc.In the B2B field, mobile membership (TTL, Ting, UTO, rust prevention tickets, etc.), credits (OK cashback, purchase by company), discount coupons (dining out) Discount ticket, department store discount ticket, etc.), and banquet ticket (amusement park, sports center, etc.).

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

According to the present invention, rather than transmitting the image code itself consisting of complex colors and patterns to an image file, the text corresponding to the image code is transmitted, and the receiving side receives and stores the text or generates an image code corresponding to the text. By displaying on the screen, image code can be sent and received quickly and inexpensively.

In addition, since it is a small text rather than a large image file, it is possible to perform communication for a short time, so that a relatively reliable image code can be transmitted even in an environment where wireless communication is not smooth. In consideration of the user's terminal environment, an image code can be appropriately displayed or stored, and various types of image codes can be easily applied to a service.

In the conventional mobile terminal, the transmission and reception of an image is a file download format, so the service fee and the download packet fee of an image file are generated separately. However, in the present invention, since the text is transmitted, the packet fee is relatively low.

In addition, the present invention can easily transmit image codes to blogs, web, e-mail, e-chat, SMS, e-mailbox, etc. in a wired and wireless communication environment has a wide range of usability, has the advantage of increasing the data stability through encryption, etc. have.

Claims (16)

A service request unit requesting a predetermined service; A code text receiver configured to receive text including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to the service; And And a storage unit for identifying the service field indicated by the text based on the code value of the received text, and storing the text by dividing the service field by the service field. The method of claim 1, A code image generation unit generating a corresponding code image based on a type and a code value of an image code included in the text; And And a display unit for displaying the code image. The method of claim 2, And the code image generator optimizes the image code based on environment information including resolution of a screen and color information that can be expressed. The method of claim 1, The service request unit transmits the characteristic information of the image code including the type of the image code selected according to the user's preference together with the service request, And an image code corresponding to the service is generated by reflecting characteristic information of the image code. The method of claim 1, The service requesting unit receives a service page including service information after requesting a predetermined service, and requests an image corresponding to the service through the service page. Requesting a predetermined service; Receiving a text including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to the service; And And identifying a service field represented by the text based on the code value of the received text, and storing the text by dividing the service field by each service field. The method of claim 6, Generating a corresponding code image based on a type and a code value of an image code included in the text; And Displaying the code image; Image code receiving method further comprising. The method of claim 7, wherein The image code generating method includes the step of optimizing the image code based on the environment information including the resolution of the screen and the color information that can be expressed. The method of claim 6, The service request step transmits the characteristic information of the image code including the type of the image code selected according to the user's preference together with the service request, The image code corresponding to the service is generated by reflecting the characteristic information of the image code. The method of claim 6, The service request step includes receiving a service page including service information after requesting a predetermined service, and requesting text corresponding to the service through the service page. A code text generation unit for generating text in which code information including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to a service requested from a terminal is expressed according to a predetermined expression form; And And a program updater installed in the terminal to compare a version of a conversion program for converting text into an image code and a version of the conversion program stored in the terminal, and to transmit the latest version of the conversion program to the terminal. Image code transmitter. The method of claim 11, A service information generation unit for generating service information including an authentication number for the service when receiving a service request from the terminal; An address information generator for generating an address of a content server including an image code corresponding to the service; And And a service page generator for generating a service page obtained by combining the service information and the address information and transmitting the generated service page to the terminal. The method of claim 11, And an authenticator configured to receive the unique information of the terminal and to perform authentication of the terminal. Generating text in which code information including a type and a code value of an image code corresponding to a service requested by the terminal is expressed according to a predetermined expression style; And Comparing a version of a conversion program installed in the terminal to convert text into an image code and a version of the conversion program stored in the terminal, and transmitting the latest version of the conversion program to the terminal. How to send code. The method of claim 14, Generating service information including an authentication number for the service when receiving a service request from the terminal; Generating an address of a content server including an image code corresponding to the service; And And generating a service page combining the service information and the address information and transmitting the generated service page to the terminal. The method of claim 14, And receiving the unique information of the terminal and performing authentication of the terminal.

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