KR102477841B1 - Controlling method for retrieval device, server and retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

A product search device, a server, and a control method of a search system are disclosed. The present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring a product information image, identifying text included in the obtained product information image, highlighting and displaying an area related to the identified text, when at least some of the highlighted areas are selected, Displaying the text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in a field, transmitting the text displayed in the field to an external server, receiving related information of the searched product and price information of the product based on the transmitted text from the server It provides a control method of a product search device comprising the step of displaying information related to and price information of a received product.

Description

Controlling method for retrieval device, server and retrieval system}

The present disclosure relates to a product search device, a server, and a control method of a search system, and more particularly, to a product search device, a server, and a control method of a search system for searching a price of a product.

With the development of technology, many products and distribution methods are being developed. Many products are sold in offline shops and also sold in online shops. In addition, even the same product is sold at various prices according to distribution channels. Consumers want to purchase products at a lower price. Therefore, in the past, consumers visited several offline shops to check product prices, then revisited the shop selling the product at the lowest price to purchase the product.

Recently, with the development of electronic and communication technologies, online shops are increasing in number. In addition, the consumer can check the price by accessing the online shop through the Internet or the like anytime, anywhere using an electronic device. However, in general, official product names often include various characters or various modifiers to be distinguished from other products. Therefore, when a consumer finds a product he wants to purchase, he must check the official product name, input the confirmed official product name into the electronic device, and then go through a search process. If an error occurs in the process of entering the official product name, the consumer must correct the error or enter it again to perform a search. The process for consumers to search by inputting the official product name takes a lot of time and is inconvenient.

The present disclosure is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a product search device that conveniently recognizes a product name and searches for the lowest price using an electronic device and a server, and a method for controlling a server and a search system.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above object, acquiring a product information image, identifying text included in the acquired product information image, highlighting an area related to the identified text, and displaying, when at least a part of the highlighted area is selected, displaying text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in a field, transmitting the text displayed in the field to an external server; A control method of a product search device comprising the steps of receiving related information of a product searched for based on the transmitted text and price information of the product from the server, and displaying the received related information and price information of the product. to provide.

And, in the step of displaying the text corresponding to the selected region in a field, when there are a plurality of highlighted regions, at least some regions are sequentially selected from among the plurality of highlighted regions, and the text corresponding to the selected regions is sequentially displayed. A plurality of corresponding texts may be displayed together in the field according to the selected order.

Also, in the step of highlighting and displaying, the identified text area may be visually distinguished from other areas, or an identifier may be displayed at each of the start and end points of the identified text area.

On the other hand, the control method of the product search device further includes receiving the corrected text from the server when the server determines that the transmitted text contains an error, and displaying the corrected text, The modified text may be at least one of a product name, brand name, or model name of the product.

In the step of displaying the received product related information and price information, a screen displaying the product related information and price information as a list may be converted and displayed.

Also, in the step of displaying the information related to the received product and the price information, the price information may be displayed on the product information image screen.

In addition, in the displaying of the information related to the received product and the price information, the product information image screen may be deactivated and the price information may be displayed in a separate window.

Also, the related information of the product includes sales site information and may include at least one of a product name, a brand name, a model name, or a product image.

Meanwhile, the control method of the product search device may further include connecting and displaying a corresponding sales site when the price information is selected.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above object, identifying text included in the obtained product information image, highlighting and displaying a region related to the identified text, and displaying the highlighted text If at least some of the regions are selected, displaying text corresponding to the selected region among the identified texts in a field, transmitting the text displayed in the field to an external server, and searching based on the transmitted text. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium containing instructions for performing the steps of receiving product-related information and price information of the product from the server and displaying the received product-related information and price information provides

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above object, the step of receiving text from a product search device, the step of determining whether or not the received text has an error, the step of determining whether the received text contains an error If it is determined to be correct, obtaining the modified text, searching for related information and price information of the corresponding product based on the received text or the modified text, and retrieving the related information and price information of the retrieved product. A method for controlling a server including transmitting the product to the product search device is provided.

And, the related information of the product may include at least one of a product name, a brand name, a model name, or a product image.

Also, in the step of determining whether or not there is an error, when there is no information associated with the product that matches the received text, the received text may be determined as an error.

In addition, in the acquiring of the corrected text, at least one of text stored in a database, previously input text, or previously searched text having characters matching a predetermined ratio or more may be obtained as the modified text.

On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above object, determining whether or not the received text has an error, and obtaining the corrected text when it is determined that the received text contains an error Searching for related information and price information of a corresponding product based on the received text or the corrected text and transmitting the searched related information and price information to the product search device. It provides a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium containing instructions to do.

As described above, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the product search device, the server, and the control method of the search system can conveniently search for the lowest price and perform purchase.

In addition, the product search device, server, and control method of the search system can conveniently search product review information.

In addition, the product search device, the server, and the control method of the search system can quickly receive product information associated with frequently purchased products.

1 is a diagram illustrating a product information search system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is a block diagram of a product search device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
3 is a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a diagram illustrating a process of searching for the lowest price according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating screens displaying searched price information.
6A to 6B are diagrams illustrating a process of modifying a product name.
7 is a diagram illustrating a product purchase process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
8 is a diagram explaining a process of retrieving product review information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
9 is a diagram illustrating a process of receiving additional information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
10 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a product search device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
11 is a flowchart of a server control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
12 is a timing diagram of a product information search system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described in this specification may be modified in various ways. Particular embodiments may be depicted in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, specific embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings are only intended to facilitate understanding of various embodiments. Therefore, the technical idea is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood to include all equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the invention.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by the above terms. The terminology described above is only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "having" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded. It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Meanwhile, a “module” or “unit” for a component used in this specification performs at least one function or operation. Also, a “module” or “unit” may perform a function or operation by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, a plurality of “modules” or “units” other than “modules” or “units” to be executed in specific hardware or to be executed in at least one processor may be integrated into at least one module. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be abbreviated or omitted.

1 is a diagram illustrating a product information search system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the product information search system includes a product search device 100 and a server 200 . The product search device 100 photographs product information. A product name or unique identification code is written on the product. Alternatively, a tag with product information written thereon may be positioned adjacent to the product. The product search apparatus 100 may photograph a product and an adjacent object together. The product information image captured by the product search device 100 may include a product name, a unique identification code, or other information.

The product information image refers to a photographed image including information for identifying a product or information for distinguishing a specific product from other products. For example, the product information image may include product information. Product information may include a product name, brand name, model name, unique identification code, or product image. That is, the product information image may be an image of a product with product information written on its surface, an image of a tag with product information written thereon, or an image of a packaging material with product information written thereon.

The product search device 100 identifies text in a photographed image. For example, the product search apparatus 100 may identify text by reading the entire image area. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may provide a guide area for displaying product information within a certain area to the user, and may identify text by reading only the guide area in the product information image. As an embodiment, the product search apparatus 100 may detect text in an image using an optical character recognition method or the like.

The product search device 100 may transmit the identified text to the server 200 . The identified text transmitted from the product search device 100 to the server 200 may be used as a search keyword. That is, the server 200 may search a product or product information by using the text received from the product search device 100 as a search keyword. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may receive a user selection for the identified text. For example, the product search apparatus 100 may receive a gesture from the user of touching a point and moving to another point while maintaining the touch. For example, a gesture of touching a certain point and moving to another point while maintaining the touch may be referred to as a swipe, drag, or flick gesture. The product search apparatus 100 may transmit text corresponding to the region selected by the user to the server 200 .

The server 200 receives text from the product search device 100 . The server 200 determines whether or not there is an error in the received text. The server 200 may determine whether the received texts match based on data including product names stored in a database. In addition, the server 200 may determine the received text as an error text when it does not match the product name stored in the database. Meanwhile, the server 200 may not find a stored product name matching the received text. However, the server 200 may search for a product name that differs by one or two characters from the received text among the stored product names. The server 200 may provide a text in which a matching degree between the received text and the text stored in the database is greater than or equal to a predetermined ratio as the corrected text to the user. For example, the preset ratio may be set as an absolute value such as 90% or 95%. Alternatively, the server 200 determines the length of the received text, such as text matching 4 characters within 5 characters, text matching 9 characters within 10 characters, and text matching 13 characters within 15 characters. A predetermined ratio may be set as a different ratio. A database in which text to be compared with the received text is stored may be included in the server 200 . As another embodiment, the product search device 100 may determine whether or not the text is erroneous. A database used by the product search device 100 to determine an error may be included in the product search device 100 or may be included in the server 200 . The product search device 100 may determine text errors using at least one of a database within the product search device 100 and a database within the server 200 .

The server 200 may search product information for a corresponding product based on the received text or corrected text. For example, product information may include product name, brand name, model name, product image, sales site information, price information, and the like.

Meanwhile, as another embodiment, the server 200 may search for product information from an external server through the Internet network in addition to the database of the server. The server 200 may search product information based on both the received text and the corrected text. The server 200 may sort the searched price information according to a predetermined criterion. For example, the predetermined criterion may be an ascending order or a descending order. That is, the server 200 may sort corresponding product information in the lowest price order or the highest price order based on the searched price information.

The server 200 transmits the searched product information and sorted price information to the product search device 100 . The product search device 100 may display sorted price information in a list format. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may display price information of a top priority among the sorted price information.

Meanwhile, the server 200 may transmit to the product search device 100 together with price information and sales site information. The product search device 100 may display sales site information together with price information. The product search device 100 may link and display price information and sales site information. The user may select one price information or sales site information from among displayed information.

The product search device 100 connects to a linked sales site based on the selected price information or sales site information. The product search device 100 may perform a process of purchasing a product according to a user's selection.

That is, the product search apparatus 100 can rapidly perform product search and lowest price search by photographing a product information image, recognizing text, and searching for and displaying the lowest price. In addition, the product search device 100 has an advantage of being able to purchase a product at the lowest price by linking sales site information.

A block diagram of the product search device 100 will be described below.

2 is a block diagram of a product search device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2 , the product search device 100 includes a camera 110, an input unit 120, a processor 130, a communication unit 140, and a display 150.

The camera 110 photographs product information. When photographing product information, the camera 110 may also photograph text including the product name written on the product and a tag adjacent to the product to be photographed. That is, the image captured by the camera 110 may include objects such as a product, text including a product name, and a product tag adjacent to the product.

The input unit 120 receives a selection command for a part of the captured product information image screen. For example, the input unit 120 may be implemented in the form of a touch screen on the display 150 . The input unit 120 may receive a gesture of touching a certain point and moving to another point while maintaining the touch. For example, a gesture of touching a certain point and moving to another point while maintaining the touch may be referred to as a swipe, drag, or flick gesture.

Meanwhile, the input unit 120 may include an audio input unit (eg, a microphone, etc.) for inputting an audio signal, and a user input unit (eg, a touch key, a push key, etc.) for receiving information from a user.

The processor 130 identifies text in the captured product information image. The processor 130 identifies text located within a preset area of the product information image. Alternatively, the processor 130 may read the entire image and identify the entire text included in the product information image. For example, the processor 130 may identify text in an image using an optical character recognition method. The processor 130 may receive a selection command for the identified text area through the input unit 120 . The processor 130 may control the communication unit 140 to transmit text included in the selected area to the server.

The communication unit 140 may transmit the selected text to the server. The server may search product information based on text information received from the product search device 100 . The server may retrieve product information from the included database. Alternatively, the server may search products for each sales site and obtain product information, price information, and sales site information. Alternatively, the server may receive product information from an external separate server. The server may sort the acquired price information in ascending or descending order. That is, the server may sort the acquired price information in order of lowest price or highest price. The server may transmit the sorted price information and the acquired sales site information to the product search device 100 . The communication unit 140 may receive price information and sales site information from the server.

The display 150 displays sorted price information. The display 150 may display link information of a corresponding sales site together with price information. Meanwhile, as described above, the display 150 may implement a touch screen by forming a mutual layer structure or integrally with the touch sensor. The touch screen may function as the input unit 120 of the product search device 100 and simultaneously function as the display 150 .

Meanwhile, as another embodiment, the server may transmit the acquired price information and sales site information to the product search device 100, and the product search device 100 may sort and display the received price information according to a predetermined standard. there is.

For example, the product search apparatus 100 may include a smart phone, a notebook computer, a terminal device for digital broadcasting, personal digital assistants (PDAs), a navigation device, a tablet PC, a wearable device, and the like. It may also include a digital TV, desktop computer, kiosk, etc., which can be operated.

3 is a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the server 200 may include a communication unit 210 , a processor 220 and a storage unit 230 . The communication unit 210 receives text from the product search device.

The storage unit 230 stores a database including product information.

The processor 220 determines whether the received text has an error. The processor 220 may search the database for product information matching the received text. The database may include text input and transmitted from the product search device or text transmitted and searched from the product search device.

The processor 220 may determine that the received text contains an error when there is no product information matching the received text. When determining that the received text contains an error, the processor 220 may determine corrected text. For example, the corrected text may include text stored in a database, previously input text, or previously searched text, in which characters match at a predetermined ratio or more.

The processor 220 may search product information based on the received text or corrected text. For example, product information may include product name, brand name, model name, product image, sales site, price information, and the like. The processor 220 may sort the searched price information according to a predetermined criterion. And, the processor 220 may transmit the sorted price information and the searched product information to the product search device.

Below, a specific embodiment in which the product search device 100 searches for a price will be described.

4 is a diagram illustrating a process of searching for the lowest price according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4( a ), a product search device 100 for photographing product information is shown. As described above, the product search apparatus 100 may include a smart phone, a notebook computer, a terminal device for digital broadcasting, personal digital assistants (PDAs), a navigation device, a tablet PC, a wearable device, and the like, and a camera It may also include a digital TV, desktop computer, kiosk, etc., which can be operated separately. The product search device 100 may install and execute application software including a product information search function. When the installed application software is executed, the product search device 100 may drive the camera. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may perform a product information search function through a selection menu after a camera is driven and an image is captured.

The product search device 100 may display a guide message to photograph product information. The product search apparatus 100 may drive a camera and display an image input through the camera as a preview. As shown in FIG. 4( a ), the product search device 100 may display a product, product name, and tag 10 image displayed with a price as a preview. A user may capture a product information image by using a photographing button.

Meanwhile, the product search device 100 may display a guide message to photograph product information. The product search apparatus 100 may drive a camera and display an image input through the camera as a preview. The product search apparatus 100 may display a guide indicating an area where product information is located on the preview screen. A user may capture a product information image by using a photographing button.

Referring to FIG. 4(b) , a product search apparatus 100 for identifying text in a photographed product information image is shown. The product search device 100 obtains a product information image by photographing. The product search apparatus 100 may identify text by reading the entire area of the captured product information image. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may display a guide area when capturing a product information image and identify only text within the guide area in the captured product information search image. The product search device 100 may identify a plurality of texts. When text is identified, the product search apparatus 100 may display an indicator indicating the identified text. That is, the product search apparatus 100 may highlight and display an area for the identified text. For example, the highlight may be a closed curve such as a rectangle enclosing the identified text. That is, the product search apparatus 100 may display the identified text area visually distinguished from other areas. Alternatively, the product search apparatus 100 may display an identifier at each of the start and end points of the area for the identified text.

Referring to FIG. 4(c) , the product search apparatus 100 that receives a selection command for a specific area is shown. The user may select a specific region from the photographed product information image. As an example, a specific region may be selected using a gesture of touching one point and moving it to another point while maintaining the touch. For example, a gesture of touching one point and moving it to another point while maintaining the touch may be referred to as a swipe, drag, or flick gesture. Referring to FIG. 4(c), the product search device 100 receives selection of a product name AAA CREAM area on the tag 10 object in the product information image.

The product search apparatus 100 displays the identified text corresponding to the selected area in the field. The field may be a predetermined area on the screen. For example, the field may be a certain area at the top of the screen of the product search device 100 . Meanwhile, the product search apparatus 100 may display a plurality of regions for the identified text. That is, the product search apparatus 100 may display a plurality of highlighted areas. The product search apparatus 100 may sequentially select at least a portion of each of the plurality of highlighted areas. In addition, the product search apparatus 100 may display a plurality of identified texts corresponding to sequentially selected partial areas together in a field according to the selected order.

The product search apparatus 100 may transmit text corresponding to the selected area to the server as a search keyword. The product search apparatus 100 may transmit the identified plurality of texts to the server. That is, the server may search for a product or product information by using the text received from the product search device 100 as a search keyword.

The server may search for product information based on the received text, sort the price information, and transmit the sorted price information and the searched product information to the product search device 100 . The product search device 100 may display the received price information and product information in various ways.

5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating screens displaying searched price information.

Referring to FIG. 5A , an embodiment of a product search device displaying searched price information is shown. When product information and price information are received from the server, the product search device may display only one piece of price information. The product search device may deactivate the captured product information image and display a separate window 21 including the received price information and corresponding product information on the deactivated product information image. Price information displayed by the product search device may be either lowest price information or highest price information. 5A shows a screen displaying one piece of price information and product information, but the product search device may display a plurality of pieces of price information and product information corresponding to the price information arranged according to predetermined criteria, such as three or five items. can

Referring to FIG. 5B , another embodiment of a product search device displaying searched price information is shown. Referring to FIG. 5B , a product search apparatus is shown in which searched products are sorted and displayed in order of lowest price. The product search device may convert and display a screen displaying sorted price information and corresponding product information in a list. As another embodiment, the product search device may display price information and corresponding product information arranged in ascending order of prices.

Referring to FIG. 5C , another embodiment of a product search device displaying searched price information is shown. The product search device may identify text by reading the photographed image. Also, the product search device may identify text corresponding to product information among texts identified through the server. That is, the product search device may transmit all identified texts to the server, and the server may determine text related to product information from among the received texts. For example, the product search device may identify general information text 26 and product information text 25 included in the tag object. The product search device may display the identified product information in the search product name display area 28 .

The server may search for product information and price information based on the received text and transmit them to the product search device. The product search device may determine the lowest price information among a plurality of pieces of received price information and display the lowest price information 27 near the product information text 25 in the image. Alternatively, the product search device may display the lowest price information 27 received from the server near the product information text 25 in the image.

Meanwhile, the server may search product information based on the received text. In addition, product information related to the received text may be searched. For example, the related product may include a product of the same type as the product corresponding to the received text, a product of the same brand, a family product, the latest product, a similar product, or an alternative product. The server may transmit product information related to the received text to the product search device. The product search device may receive and display related product information. The product search device may separately or additionally display price information of a related product and product information of a related product from the above-described product information.

Meanwhile, the server 200 or the product search apparatus 100 may determine an error in the received text and suggest a corrected text.

6A to 6B are diagrams illustrating a process of modifying a product name.

Referring to FIG. 6A , a database 230 of a server is shown. The server may receive text selected from the product search device. As shown in FIG. 6A, the server may receive the text RO170206CKET14 (31). The server may search the database 230 for product information matching the received text. Product information may include a product name, a brand name, a model name, and the like. The server may determine an error when there is no product information in the database that matches the received text 31 . In addition, the server may determine product information in the database that matches the received text 31 with a predetermined ratio or more as the modified text.

For example, the predetermined ratio may be a case where the number of non-matching characters is 2 characters or less. The database 230 of the server stores three texts, and the text in which the characters that do not match the identified text is 2 characters or less is RO172016CKET14 (32). Accordingly, the server may determine RO170206CLET14 (32) as the modified text. The server can retrieve product information based on the modified text RO170206CLET14 (32).

As another embodiment, the product search device 100 may modify text.

Referring to FIG. 6B , a database 160 of a product search device, a database 230 of a server, and a product search device 100 are illustrated. As described above, the product search device 100 identifies text within an image. As shown in FIG. 6B , the product search device 100 may identify the text RO170206CKET14 (36). The product search device 100 and the server may include a database, and the database may include various product information. For example, product information may include a product name, model name, or brand name.

The product search device 100 may search a database based on the identified text. The database searched by the product search device 100 may include the database 160 of the product search device or the database 230 of the server. The product search apparatus 100 may determine the identified text as an error when there is no product information in the database that matches the identified text.

Also, the product search device 100 may recommend the modified text. For example, the product search apparatus 100 may search for text, previously input text, or previously searched text, in which the identified text matches a character at a predetermined ratio or more. Also, the product search apparatus 100 may determine the searched text as the modified text. The product search device 100 may display the modified text.

As a specific example, referring to FIG. 6B , the product search device 100 identified RO170206CKET14 (36). Also, the product search device 100 may search the database 160 of the product search device and the database 230 of the server. In FIG. 6B, the preset ratio may be a case where the number of non-matching characters is 2 characters or less. The database 160 of the product search device stores three texts, and a text in which characters that do not match the identified text is 2 characters or less is RO170206CLET14 (37). Then, the database 230 of the server stores three texts, and the text in which the number of characters that do not match the identified text is 2 characters or less is RO172016CKET14 (38). Accordingly, the product search apparatus 100 may display one of the modified text (or recommended text) RO170206CLET14 (37) or RO172016CKET14 (38) or display both texts together.

The product search apparatus 100 transmits the modified text to the server, and the server may search product information such as product, price, and sales site information based on the received text. The server may sort the searched price information according to a predetermined criterion and transmit the sorted price information and the searched product information to the product search device 100 . The product search device 100 may display received product information and price information.

When the product search device 100 receives a selection command for lowest price information, the product search device 100 may be connected to a linked sales site.

7 is a diagram illustrating a product purchase process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7 (a), the product search apparatus 100 that receives a selection command for displayed lowest price information is shown. The product search apparatus 100 may change the screen to display a screen displaying price and sales site information in the form of a list. Alternatively, the product search device 100 may display the lowest price in the photographed image. The product search apparatus 100 may link to price information and include corresponding sales site information. The product search device 100 may receive a selection command on displayed product information.

7( b ) shows the product search device 100 connected to the linked sales site. The product search device 100 may be connected to a sales site linked to selected product information. A user may view additional product information or purchase a product on the connected sales site.

According to the above method, the product search device 100 can quickly display the lowest price information and assist the user to easily purchase the product.

Meanwhile, the product search device 100 may display product review information in addition to the lowest price.

8 is a diagram explaining a process of retrieving product review information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8 (a), an image in which product information is photographed is shown. When product information is captured, the product search device 100 may display a menu for selecting a price and a review.

A user may want to purchase a specific product at the lowest price after viewing a specific product in an offline shop, or may want to know a usage evaluation of a specific product. However, since usage evaluation generally exists for each sales site, it is difficult to easily search for usage evaluation. The product search device 100 may display a menu for selecting prices and reviews. When a price is selected, the product search device 100 may search for and display the lowest price information described above. Alternatively, when reviews are selected, the product search device 100 may search for and display use evaluation information.

Referring to FIG. 8( b ) , the product search device 100 with usage evaluation displayed is shown. When a review is selected, the product search device 100 may transmit product information and a review search request to the server. Alternatively, if the server knows product information, the product search device 100 may transmit a review search request to the server. The server may search use evaluation information (or review information) related to product information. For example, the server may retrieve use evaluation by searching sales sites, blogs, cafes, homepages of product sellers, and the like. The server may transmit the searched usage evaluation to the product search device 100 . The product search device 100 may display the transmitted usage evaluation. For example, the product search device 100 may sort in the order of the most recent date or in the order of sites including product evaluation. Alternatively, the product search device 100 may divide and display pages into a usage evaluation page retrieved from a sales site, a usage evaluation page retrieved from a blog, a usage evaluation page retrieved from a cafe, and a usage evaluation page retrieved from a homepage of a product seller.

According to the above-described embodiment, the product search device 100 may conveniently provide evaluation information on a specific product to the user. Meanwhile, the product search apparatus 100 may provide useful information to the user based on big data.

9 is a diagram illustrating a process of receiving additional information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a database 230 of a server and a product search device 100 are shown. The server may receive a unique identification number together whenever a user searches for a product. The database 230 of the server may store a unique identification number and a product search history together. The server may recognize a specific product when a specific product is searched for more than a predetermined number of times. For example, the server may recognize user A and AAA products when user A searches for AAA products 10 or more times. The server may recognize AAA products by setting a flag to 1 in AAA product information, and may recognize AAA products by displaying a tag in AAA product information. On the other hand, the server may recognize the product group in the above-described manner by viewing not only exactly the same product but also related products set according to a certain criterion as one group.

The server may receive release information of an AAA' product associated with an AAA product. For example, the related product may include a product of the same type, a product of the same brand, a family product, a similar product, or an alternative product to a product searched for a predetermined number of times or more.

The server may transmit release information of AAA' product to the product search device 100 of user A. Meanwhile, release information of products searched for a predetermined number of times or more and related products is an example, and the server may transmit various additional information to the product search device 100 . For example, various pieces of additional information may include event information or latest article information related to AAA products.

According to the above-described embodiment, the product search device 100 can quickly and conveniently provide product information related to a product of interest to a user.

Various embodiments of the product search device 100 have been described so far. Below, a flowchart of a search method of the product search device 100 will be described.

10 is a flowchart of a control method of a product search device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The product search device obtains a product information image including product information (S1010). The product search device identifies text included in the acquired product information image (S1020). For example, the identified text may include a product name, model name, or brand name. The product search device may detect text in an image using an optical character reading method or the like. As another embodiment, when an image including product information is captured, the product search apparatus 100 may identify text by reading the entire image or a partial region of the image.

The product search device highlights and displays an area related to the identified text (S1030). For example, the product search device may display the identified text area visually distinguished from other areas. Alternatively, the product search device may display an identifier at each of the start and end points of the area for the identified text.

When at least a part of the highlighted area is selected, the product search apparatus displays text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in the field (S1040). The product search device may recognize an area selected by a user's touch gesture. The field may be a predetermined area on the screen. As an embodiment, the field may be a certain area at the top of the screen of the product search device.

The product search device transmits the text displayed in the field as a search keyword to an external server (S1050). The product search device receives related information of the product searched for based on the transmitted text and price information of the product from the server (S1060). As an embodiment, product related information may include sales site information. Also, the related information of the product may include at least one of a product name, a brand name, a model name, or a product image.

The product search device displays related information and price information of the received product (S1060). The product search device may receive a plurality of sorted pieces of price information from the server. Also, the product search device may convert and display a screen displaying product related information and sorted price information in a list. Alternatively, some of the price information among the price information arranged on the photographed product information image screen may be displayed.

11 is a flowchart of a server control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the server receives text as a search keyword from the product search device (S1110). The server may receive text of one word or text including a plurality of words. The server may use the received text as a search keyword to search for a product or information related to the product.

The server determines whether the received text has an error (S1120). The server searches the database for a match to the received text. Further, the server determines the received text as an error when there is no product name or the like that matches the received text.

When the server determines that the received text contains an error, the server acquires the corrected text (S1130). For example, the server may determine text in which characters match at a predetermined ratio or more, previously input text, or previously searched text, as modified text.

The server searches for related information and price information of a corresponding product based on the received text or modified text (S1140). The server may sort the searched price information according to a predetermined criterion. The server transmits product related information and price information to the product search device (S1150).

12 is a timing diagram of a product information search system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the product search device 100 photographs a product information image including product information (S1210). The product search device 100 identifies text in the captured product information image (S1220).

The product search apparatus 100 may receive a selection command from the user for the identified text. The product search apparatus 100 may determine an area where a selection command is input among the identified text as a selection area. The product search apparatus 100 transmits the text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts to the server 200 (S1230).

The server 200 determines whether the received text has an error (S1240). When the server 200 determines that the received text includes an error, it determines the corrected text (S1250). The server 200 may determine data that matches the received text at a predetermined ratio or more among product-related information data in the database as the modified text.

The server 200 searches for related information and price information of a corresponding product based on the received text or corrected text (S1260). The server 200 sorts the searched price information according to preset criteria (S1270). The server 200 transmits product related information and sorted price information to the product search device 100 (S1280).

The product search device 100 displays related information and sorted price information of the received product (S1290). Since various embodiments of the search system including the product search device and the server have been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The search method of the product search apparatus according to various embodiments described above may be implemented as a program and a non-transitory computer readable medium in which the program is stored may be provided.

A non-transitory readable medium is not a medium that stores data for a short moment, such as a register, cache, or memory, but a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be read by a device. Specifically, the various applications or programs described above may be stored and provided in non-transitory readable media such as CD, DVD, hard disk, Blu-ray disk, USB, memory card, ROM, and the like.

In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the technical field to which the present invention belongs without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications are possible by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

100: product search device 200: server
110: camera 120: input unit
130: processor 140: communication unit
150: display

Claims (15)

A control method of a product search device,
obtaining, by the product search device, a product information image;
identifying text included in the obtained product information image by the product search device;
highlighting and displaying, by the product search device, a region related to the identified text;
displaying, by the product search device, text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in a field when at least some of the highlighted areas is selected;
transmitting, by the product search device, the text displayed in the field to an external server;
receiving, by the product search device, related information of a product retrieved based on the transmitted text and price information of the product from the server; and
Including; displaying, by the product search device, related information and the price information of the received product;
The step of displaying text corresponding to the selected area in a field,
When there are a plurality of highlighted regions, at least some regions are sequentially selected from among the plurality of highlighted regions, and a plurality of texts corresponding to the sequentially selected partial regions are displayed together in the field according to the selected order. A control method for a product search device.
delete A control method of a product search device,
obtaining, by the product search device, a product information image;
identifying text included in the obtained product information image by the product search device;
highlighting and displaying, by the product search device, a region related to the identified text;
displaying, by the product search device, text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in a field when at least some of the highlighted areas is selected;
transmitting, by the product search device, the text displayed in the field to an external server;
receiving, by the product search device, related information of a product retrieved based on the transmitted text and price information of the product from the server; and
Including; displaying, by the product search device, information related to the received product and the price information;
In the step of highlighting and displaying,
A control method of a product search apparatus of displaying an area for the identified text visually distinguished from other areas or displaying an identifier at each of a start point and an end point of the area for the identified text. A control method of a product search device,
obtaining, by the product search device, a product information image;
identifying text included in the obtained product information image by the product search device;
highlighting and displaying, by the product search device, a region related to the identified text;
displaying, by the product search device, text corresponding to the selected area among the identified texts in a field when at least some of the highlighted areas is selected;
transmitting, by the product search device, the text displayed in the field to an external server;
receiving, by the product search device, related information of a product retrieved based on the transmitted text and price information of the product from the server;
displaying, by the product search device, information related to the received product and the price information;
receiving, by the product search device, the corrected text from the server when the server determines that the text transmitted to the server contains an error; and
Including; displaying the modified text by the product search device,
The modified text is at least one of a product name, a brand name, or a model name of the product. The method of any one of claims 1, 3 and 4,
The step of displaying the related information and the price information of the received product,
A control method of a product search device for switching to and displaying a screen displaying the product-related information and the price information in a list. The method of any one of claims 1, 3 and 4,
The step of displaying the related information and the price information of the received product,
A control method of a product search device displaying the price information on the product information image screen. According to claim 6,
The step of displaying the related information and the price information of the received product,
A control method of a product search device for inactivating the product information image screen and displaying the price information in a separate window. The method of any one of claims 1, 3 and 4,
The related information of the product,
Include sales site information;
A method of controlling a product search device including at least one of a product name, brand name, model name, or product image. According to claim 8,
The control method of the product search device further comprising: when the price information is selected, the product search device connecting a sales site linked to the price information. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium containing instructions for executing the control method of the product search apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3 and 4. In the server control method,
receiving, by the server, text from a product search device;
determining, by the server, whether or not the received text has an error;
obtaining a corrected text when the server determines that the received text contains an error;
Retrieving, by the server, related information and price information of a corresponding product based on the received text or the corrected text; and
and transmitting, by the server, information related to the searched product and the price information to the product search device. According to claim 11,
The related information of the product,
A control method of a server including at least one of a product name, brand name, model name, or product image. According to claim 12,
The step of determining whether or not the error is,
A control method of a server determining that the received text is an error when there is no related information of the product that matches the received text. According to claim 11,
Obtaining the modified text,
A control method of a server for obtaining at least one of text stored in a database, previously input text, or previously searched text, as the modified text, in which characters match more than a predetermined ratio. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium containing instructions for executing the method of controlling the server according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

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