KR20030012547A - A Digital book providing system on internet and A Method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A system for supplying electronic books based on the Internet and a method thereof are provided to lend, restore, reserve, and extend an electronic book being requested from Internet users, and read and download a corresponding book in real time through a wireless terminal(PDA, IMT-2000, etc.) or a personal computer. CONSTITUTION: A web server(130) performs a member authentication of many users connected to an Internet network(120), stores/manages member related information related thereto, and supplies an electronic books web page for the users. An electronic books managing server(140) lends, restores, reserves, and extends an electronic book being requested from a member, and supplies the electronic book and information related thereto to a member terminal in real time. A database managing server(150) includes a plurality of databases for storing the electronic books or member related information based on a control of the electronic books managing server(140).

Description

A digital book providing system on internet and a method of the same

The present invention relates to a system and method for providing information through the Internet, and more particularly, to an electronic book providing system and method based on the Internet.

In general, using / operating an existing physical library not only entails complicated procedures and limitations in loan / return / reservation / extension of the book due to physical space or time limitation, but also in library management and operation. Financial and spatial limitations and accessibility of library users (e.g., in case of Seoul National University, if the non-SNU students are not able to use the operating library in Seoul National University).

In addition, the library, which is called an existing electronic library, is a level of mere search of books and inquiry of loan / return in the strict sense, and performs only additional functions such as computerization of information and materials of the real library. There was virtually no set of processes, and there was virtually no function of an electronic library using e-books and no method or device to provide the services.

Related arts related to the patent include a patent of a patent holder [patent name: automatic book loan / return method and system thereof, Korean Patent Publication No. 2000-0054804], which is a book loan and return without a book loan officer. As a system that allows work to be performed in a single device, not only is the simplification and simplification of the book lending / returning work possible, but also the cost is reduced.

However, the user who wants to be provided with the service through the system having the above-mentioned features not only has to visit the place where the system is located, but also has to visit or wait for the next time when all the books to be borrowed are visited. You feel uncomfortable. In addition, a user using the system as described above also has a problem of access restriction of the user as before.

In addition, the manager in charge of operating such a system also needs to manage and record the new books and books being booked / loaned by book, member, period, etc., and when the books to be returned are not returned, It must go through the inconvenience of having to remind the lender through contact means such as a telephone.

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to loan electronic books requested from users (members) connected to the Internet through a wireless terminal (PDA, IMT-2000, etc.) or a personal computer. It is to provide an Internet-based e-book providing system and method for providing a process of / return / reservation / extension and reading and downloading of the e-book in real time.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an Internet-based electronic book providing system and method for providing electronic library services such as loan / reservation of electronic books using a user terminal anytime and anywhere.

In addition, the present invention provides an Internet-based e-book providing system and method capable of providing the electronic library service to any user or terminal whose membership has been authenticated without restriction of identity, age, gender, etc. of the user.

In addition, the Internet-based e-book providing system that can ensure the security and copyright management (DRM) by automatically deleting the e-book when the loan period expired or the reader program is terminated for the loaned e-book and It is to provide a method.

In addition, the Internet-based system provides simplified and automated library operations, additional facilities for libraries, efficient book management, convenient e-book loan / return / extend / reservation related tasks, convenience of member management and various statistical data services. An electronic book providing system and a method thereof are provided.

1 is a block diagram of an Internet-based e-book providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating an operation process of the Internet-based e-book providing system according to FIG. 1;

3 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating an operation process in terms of a system when providing an electronic library service;

4 and 5 illustrate functional web pages provided by the Internet-based electronic library system of FIG. 1.

※ Explanation of code about main part of drawing ※

100: e-book providing system

110: user terminal

120: the Internet

130: web server

131: Web page management unit

132 member management

140: e-book management server

141: interface management unit

142: statistical data book

143: E-mail section

144: e-book management department

145: library management department

146: Leader Management Department

150: database management server

151: Member Information DB

152: eBook Information DB

153: Statistical Information DB

154: interface DB

155: Library Management DB

156: Leader Management DB

The Internet-based e-book providing system for achieving the above object,

A web server that stores and manages member authentication and related member information of a plurality of users connected through an Internet network, and provides an e-book web page to the member;

An e-book management server which performs a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / return / extension of the e-book requested from the member and provides the e-book and related information to the terminal of the member in real time;

And a database management server having a plurality of databases in which the e-book or the member related information is stored under the control of the e-book management server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing an internet-based electronic book,

A member authentication step of confirming whether the user accessing the Internet through the terminal is a member;

Providing to the member's terminal a reader program for performing a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book and the e-book web page to the member authenticated member;

Retrieving the e-book related information for confirming whether a loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book requested from the member is possible;

And providing the electronic book and the related information according to the search result to the member's terminal in real time.

Hereinafter, in the present invention, all services including an e-book loan / return / reservation / extension and the downloading (downing) of the e-book on the Internet provided to a member authenticated user will be referred to as an electronic library service.

Hereinafter, an electronic book providing system and method thereof based on the Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an Internet-based e-book providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the Internet-based e-book providing system 100 includes a web server 130, an e-book management server 140 and a database management server 150 installed on the Internet, the web server ( 130 includes a web page manager 131 and a member manager 132, the e-book management server 140, the interface manager 141, statistical data 142, e-mail 143, e-book And a manager 144, a library manager 145, and a program manager 146. The database manager server 150 includes a member information DB 151, an e-book information DB 152, a statistical information DB 153, The interface DB 154, the library management DB 155, and the program management DB 156 are included.

In addition, the Internet-based e-book providing system 100 having the above structure is connected to a plurality of user terminals 110 through the Internet network 120, the user terminal 110 is a personal PC in the Various Internet connection devices include a server to which a large number of personal PCs are connected, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and an international mobile telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000).

The web server 130 determines whether members or nonmembers of users connected through the Internet network 120 are stored and manages member-related information, and the electronic book main web for providing the electronic library service to the authenticated user. Provide or manage pages and sub web pages accordingly.

The member manager 132 performs an overall function for member management such as storing member related information to be changed / added, adding / deleting an existing / new member, and determining a member / nonmember by searching for information. In this case, not only the authorized ID and the corresponding password (PASSWORD) is used in the member authentication, but also the member authentication is performed through the authorized IP (Internet Protocol) authentication.

The webpage manager 131 provides or manages the main webpage and sub webpages for providing the electronic library service according to member authentication of users connected through the internet network 120.

The e-book management server 140 performs a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / return / extension of the e-book requested from the member to provide the e-book and its related information in real time to the terminal of the member.

The interface manager 132 may provide various data necessary for providing an electronic library service, for example, a list of loanable e-books and related information (some contents of the e-book, an introduction of the author, an introduction, etc.), an e-book selected by the member. E-Library such as loan / reservation / reservation / expansion of e-books by providing information on the availability of loans / reservations, the maximum number of books according to them, and the loan / reservation period specified by the list to relevant members through related web pages. Allow services to be provided to the member.

At this time, if the terminal used by the user is a terminal such as a PDA or IMT-2000, the electronic library service is not directly provided to the terminal, but through the personal PC through the connection program with the personal PC of the user. (Such as PDA or IMT-2000).

The statistical data unit 133 calculates various statistical data according to the provision of the electronic library service, and provides related statistical data when the statistical data is requested from the member. In this case, the statistical data refers to detailed calculation data such as the most loaned e-books and the most reserved e-books by member, gender, and period.

The e-mail unit 143 provides the member with an e-mail related to loan / return / reservation / extension of the e-book for each member.

The e-book manager 144 classifies and manages new / segment e-books by genre, year, loan / reservation-ready e-books, and predetermined loan / reservation periods.

The library management unit 145 stores and manages e-books borrowed / reserved / extended / returned by members, by list, and by period, and provides information on the e-books to members connected through the Internet network 120. (E.g. details of loaned e-books and loan period)

The program manager 146 connects the reader program to help the electronic library service provided to the member to be normally provided through the member's terminal and the member's terminal if the terminal is an IMT-2000 or a PDA. It provides a connection program that allows the electronic library service is provided to the terminal through the personal PC.

When the reader program is downloaded and executed in the member's terminal, the overall function for the electronic library service is automatically performed in the member's terminal. Accordingly, convenient services such as loan / return / reservation / extension of the e-book and the download of the e-book and reading of the downloaded e-book are provided.

At this time, the loan e-book downloaded to the terminal of the member through the above process, if the terminal of the member, such as PDA or IMT-2000 is automatically deleted after the predetermined loan period expires, but the terminal of the member personal PC, etc. If the loan period is expired or the loan e-book is automatically deleted by the end of the reader program running in the personal PC. However, when the reader program is re-executed, the loan e-book is downloaded back into the personal PC by automatically connecting with the domain web page due to a link linker in the reader program. However, it must be before the loan period expired in the loan e-book.

In addition, when the e-book being booked expires (ie, the e-book that can be borrowed due to the return of another member due to the return of another member, etc.), the e-book being booked is automatically converted into a loanable e-book to the member. Ensure that services are provided accordingly.

In this way, the electronic book, which can only be viewed on the web page, is downloaded and provided in the member's terminal, thereby ensuring security or copyright management (DRM) for the electronic book.

In addition, support for playing MP3 and video files in the dictionary function such as Korean-English / Korean-Korean dictionary, expanded annotation providing function, expanded font function, reading of a book of multimedia / XML / PDF type, bookmark / highlighter / underlining / memo function It offers a wide range of services, including support for various forms of search, support for its own font rendering technology, and Gamma Correction.

The database management server 150 manages databases in which various kinds of information at the time of change and addition according to the provision of the electronic library service are stored.

The member information DB 151 stores personal information (member ID, password, IP, company name / name, e-mail address, etc.) of the authenticated member and member related information according to the change / addition of the member information.

The e-book information DB 152 classifies information related to e-books including a list of new / division e-books, their contents, sectors, periods, loan / reservable e-books, and predetermined loan / reservation periods for each book. And stored. In addition, if it is a children's electronic book or an educational electronic book about English conversation, etc., multimedia elements (effect sounds or various videos, etc.) according to it are stored simultaneously.

The statistical information DB 153 stores various statistical data related to electronic books, such as the most loaned e-books and the most reserved e-books according to members, gender, period, and the like.

The interface DB 154 classifies and stores information for each member, period, and list according to the loan / return / reservation / extension of the corresponding e-book according to the provision of the electronic library service.

The library management DB 155 stores the e-books that are loaned / reserved / returned / extended by the member in contact with the related information through the web pages for each member. At this time, the e-book is classified and stored according to the loan / reservation of the member, the e-book in the loan and the e-book in the reservation.

The program management DB 156 stores a reader program and a connection program, which are one of components necessary for providing an electronic library service.

An operation process of an internet-based e-book providing system having the above configuration will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating an operation process of an Internet-based e-book providing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, an interaction process between a user terminal and a web server, an e-book management server, and a database management server is illustrated.

First, when the user who wants to provide the electronic library service accesses the Internet through the web browser of the terminal (S1), the web server according to the present invention searches for the member information DB 151, and the ID entered by the user. And check whether the PASSWORD or IP is registered member ID and PASSWORD or IP (S2). As a result of the check, if the user is an authenticated member (ID, PASSWORD, IP), the corresponding e-book main web page and related sub web pages are provided (S3), whereas as a result of the check, the user is not an authenticated member (ID, PASSWORD, IP). , IP), the user receives a separate document from the institution or organization that provides the electronic library service to register (register) (S3). Through this, the web server is accessed by using the authenticated ID and password or IP.

Thereafter, the web server provides the main e-book web page and sub-web pages of the e-book to the members who have gone through the login process as described above (S4), and the members who have provided the e-book web pages are the electronic library service A program (connection / reader program) that helps to be made in the member's terminal is provided (downloaded) from the web server and executed in the member's terminal (S5).

Subsequently, when a service request such as adding, changing, or deleting member information is received from the member who has undergone the above process (S6), the e-book management server performs the service accordingly, and the change information is also the member information DB 15. Storage management in the inside (S7).

Subsequently, if there is an electronic library service request (S8) from a member who has contacted various e-book related information, in order to check whether the electronic library service can be provided to the member, the relevant e-book related information is searched (S9), and the retrieved information Provide the electronic library service according to the member (S10).

For example, the member borrows or reserves the novel after receiving the relevant information of the e-book such as the contents of the novel 'Mysterious She' and the author's introduction (introduction) through the web page. If desired, the e-book management server searches for information regarding whether the novel book is available for loan / reservation, loan / reservation period, maximum number of loans, etc., and then provides the related electronic library service according to the retrieved information.

Thereafter, the member is provided with an electronic library service through an Internet access device such as a personal PC or a wireless terminal (PDA, IMT-2000, etc.) and a connection / reader program stored therein (S11). That is, the member can read the e-book loaned and downloaded to the member's terminal anytime, anywhere, and also receive related services (video, sound effect, dictionary function, etc.) at the same time.

For this reason, when a child reads the loaned e-book, the children are simultaneously provided with various videos and the corresponding sound effects, thereby inducing a greater curiosity for the child.

Thereafter, the e-book management server checks whether there is an electronic library service additionally requested from the member (S12), and if there is an additional electronic library service as a result of the check, the related electronic library service is provided through the above process. .

Here, in the provision of the electronic library service characterized by the above process, the operation process in terms of the electronic book providing system in sequence as follows.

3 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating an operation process in terms of a system (web server, e-book management server, database management server) when providing an electronic library service.

Referring to FIG. 3, first, the Internet-based e-book providing system determines whether a user who accesses the Internet is a member (S41). As a result of the determination, if the member provides the relevant web page and the corresponding programs (S42), if the determination result, the non-member does not provide the related web page and the corresponding program to the user.

At this time, the user (non-member) who is not logged in is not registered as a member through the general membership registration process through the input of information on the Internet, but the ID, PASSWORD through the pre-registration to the institution or organization that provides the electronic library service. Alternatively, the member may be registered through IP authentication.

Subsequently, when a request for changing or deleting member information from a member who has undergone a login process is requested (S43), the received member information is changed or deleted, and the corresponding information is stored and managed (S44). Then, when a loan request of the e-book (for example, 'Peter Pan', etc.) is received from the member who has contacted the e-book related information through the provided web page (S45), the e-book management server according to the present invention receives the related information. The search (S46) to search whether the e-book is available for loan and information related to the loan (S47). As a result of the search, if Peter Pan is a loanable electronic book, the loan of the e-book and various multimedia elements (video, sound effects, etc.) are simultaneously provided (S48). According to the member's decision, the e-book is set as a reservation e-book (S49), and according to whether the reservation period of the set reservation e-book is completed (S50), the electronic library service is converted to the loaned e-book accordingly. Provided to the member (S48). Thereafter, the electronic book management server checks whether the predetermined loan / reservation period for each e-book expires for the e-book loaned or reserved to the corresponding member through the above process (S51). During confirmation, if the predetermined loan period of the loan e-book expires, the loan e-book is deleted (returned) in the member's terminal (S52).

At this time, when the reader program running in the member's terminal is terminated, the loaned e-book is also automatically deleted in the member's terminal with the end of the reader program.

Subsequently, if there is a request for extending the loan period from the member, it is checked whether the loan period extension is possible (S53) and the electronic library service is provided accordingly (S48). Upon expiration or termination of the reader program, the electronic book is immediately deleted (returned) in the member's terminal (S52).

At this time, the automatic deletion (return) of the loaned e-book by the end of the reader program is performed by the link connector in the reader program after the redo of the reader program, thereby automatically connecting with the e-book web page. As a result, the loan e-book is downloaded back to the member's terminal for a predetermined loan period, so that the member reads the loan e-book.

4 and 5 illustrate functional web pages provided by an electronic book providing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a web page for performing a member login process. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a member ID input field and a corresponding PASSWORD input field required for member login, and according to the member ID and PASSWORD input in the input field, member authentication is made or rejected.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a main web page including general electronic book related information required for providing an electronic library service. Referring to FIG. 5, genre-based e-books (literatures, essays, entertainment novels, etc.) and new e-books ('fashionable number games', 'Babo Ivan 4', etc., e-book writers (Cho Moon-hyun, etc.) and publishers (Samsung Publishing Co., Doosan Dong-A, etc.), the book status (such as loanable state, non-lending state, etc.), e-book related information is characterized in that it is provided in detail. Accordingly, members who have received various e-book related information from the main web page and the related web page are provided with the corresponding e-library service according to various e-library service requests.

Although the above has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be able to variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. It will be appreciated.

According to the present invention as described above, not only can provide a series of processes related to the loan / return / reservation / extension of the e-book and the download of the e-book in real time, convenient electronics anytime and anywhere desired through the user terminal There is an effect that can provide library services to a large number of users (members).

In addition, the present invention has the effect of providing the electronic library service to any user or terminal authenticated without limitation of the identity, age, gender, etc. of the user.

In addition, the present invention provides a secured and copyrighted management (DRM) of the e-book by automatically deleting (returning) the e-book from the user terminal when a predetermined loan period expires or the reader program ends. There is an effect that can be assured.

In addition, it has the effect of simplifying and automating library operations, providing facilities for libraries, efficient book management, convenient e-book loan / return / extension / reservation related tasks, convenience of member management, and various statistical data services. .

Claims (10)

A web server that stores and manages member authentication and related member information of a plurality of users connected through an Internet network, and provides an e-book web page to the member; An e-book management server which performs a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / return / extension of the e-book requested from the member and provides the e-book and related information to the terminal of the member in real time; And a database management server having a plurality of databases in which the e-book or the member related information is stored under the control of the e-book management server. The method of claim 1, The e-book management server, An interface manager for providing the electronic book related information through the electronic book webpage to the member so that the electronic book can be loaned / returned / reserved / extended from the member accordingly; A statistical data unit for calculating statistical data including the most loaned e-book and the most reserved e-book for each member, gender, and period according to the provision of the e-book and providing the same to the member; An e-mail unit for transmitting an e-mail including information related to loan / return / reservation / extension of the e-book for each member to the member; An e-book manager for classifying and managing new / division e-books by genre, year, loan / reservation-ready ebook, and a predetermined loan / reservation period accordingly; A library management unit for storing and managing the electronic books according to the member's loan / reservation / extension / return for each member; And a program management unit for providing the member with a reader program that allows a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book to be performed in the member's terminal and the connection program between the terminals. EBook based system. The method of claim 2, The reader program, When a predetermined loan period expires for the e-book loaned by the member or the reader program ends, the e-book is automatically deleted (returned) in the member's terminal, When the predetermined reservation period for the e-book booked by the member expires, the e-book is converted into a loan e-book, and then the e-book is provided to the member's terminal. system. The method of claim 1, The database management server, A member information database storing member identification information including member IDs, passwords, names, and e-mail addresses of the users, and information related to change / addition of members; An electronic book information database storing electronic book related information including the entire contents of the electronic books and multimedia elements related thereto; A statistical information database storing statistical data including the most loaned e-books and the most reserved e-books by member, list, and period; An interface database for storing information for each member, period, and list according to the loan / return / reservation / extension of the e-book; A library management database in which the electronic book loaned / reserved / returned / extended by the member is stored for each member; And a program management database storing a reader program for performing a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book and a connection program between the internet access devices. A member authentication step of confirming whether the user accessing the Internet through the terminal is a member; Providing to the member's terminal a reader program for performing a series of processes according to the loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book and the e-book web page to the member authenticated member; Retrieving the e-book related information for confirming whether a loan / reservation / extension / return of the e-book requested from the member is possible; And providing the electronic book according to the search result and related information in real time to the member's terminal in real time. The method of claim 5, And deleting (returning) the e-book in the terminal of the member when a predetermined loan period expires for the e-book loaned to the member. The method of claim 6, And if the terminal of the member is a personal computer, deleting (returning) the loaned e-book from the personal computer according to the termination of the reader program. The method of claim 5, The member authentication step, Using the user ID entered by the user and the corresponding password, Internet-based electronic book providing method characterized in that the step of using the Internet Protocol (IP) of the user terminal. The method of claim 5, The step of providing the electronic book and related information, If the e-book is not loanable and can be booked, After the predetermined reservation period for the e-book booked by the member, converting the e-book to a loan e-book to provide the e-book to the member terminal of the Internet-based e-book providing method. . The method of claim 5, The e-book and related information, Internet-based e-book providing method characterized in that the information including the detailed content by the e-book and related multimedia elements, and various statistical data for each member, period, and book according to the loan / reservation / return / extension of the e-book .