KR20030058211A - Virtual Portal System and Method for Building the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A virtual portal system and a method for constructing the same are provided to enable a user to receive a desired Internet service without executing a repetitious task by analyzing and standardizing a series of repetitious tasks for Internet surfing. CONSTITUTION: A keyword input unit obtains a character string from a user(S100). A service setting unit sets an Internet service with respect to the obtained character string(S300). For example, it is checked whether the user wants to search information or the user wants to purchase a commodity with respect to the information. If an Internet service corresponded to the obtained character string is set, a web site which supplies a service set by a service executing unit is connected, and a corresponding service is executed(S400). A service executing result is displayed by a result display unit(S500).

Description

Virtual Portal System and Method for Building the Same}

The present invention relates to a virtual portal system, and more particularly, to a virtual portal system that enables a user to perform information search, e-commerce, mailing, and the like that the user needs without directly visiting the website. It is about how to build.

Recently, due to the development of the Internet, a large number of users access the website through the Internet to surf the Internet such as information search and electronic commerce.

When analyzing the types of services (hereinafter referred to as "Internet services") that can be obtained through surfing the Internet, it can be largely divided into information search, e-commerce, mailing and the like. In detail, the user may search for technical information, product information, and the like for a specific item using the Internet. In addition, the user may use the Internet to perform electronic commerce such as purchase of goods, financial transactions, and the like. In addition, the user can send and receive e-mail (e-mail) using the Internet.

Of course, information retrieval, e-commerce, mailing, etc. may be performed alone, but in general, it is performed in combination. For example, in the case of e-commerce, information retrieval may precede or e-commerce may be used in the e-commerce process.

Referring to the above-described process of surfing the Internet, that is, the Internet service in detail as follows.

First, Internet users can use general-purpose web browsers such as Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Power Browser, etc., dedicated browsers that include web browser controls (dedicated programs provided by carriers such as Chillian, Hitel, and Netsgo), or other web browser controls. Use the utility program (hereafter referred to as "web browser" inclusive ) to connect to the Internet.

A user accesses various servers and various pages (files) within the server using a URL (Uniform Resouce Locator or URI: Uniform Resouce Identifier) that distinguishes a server (or a website).

That is, the user enters the URL of the website to be accessed directly into the input window of the web browser or selects it from the favorites list to access the website. You can also access the website by selecting (clicking) the URL link.

When accessing the web site, the web page is displayed, and the user selects the desired internet service from the displayed web page, and the user then takes the necessary steps according to the type of internet service desired. For example, when searching for information, a search term is entered in a search box to see the result. In addition, in the case of purchasing an item, the desired item is searched for, the actual purchase of the item to be finally purchased and payment is made. In addition, when using e-mail, the e-mail is usually received or sent after the user ID and password are input.

In addition to using e-mail as well as surfing the Internet, such as information retrieval and electronic commerce, the operation of entering a user ID and password is often required to actually access information provided on a website. .

The problems of the conventional Internet surfing described above are as follows.

First, in order to surf the Internet, it is necessary to perform a procedure such as starting a web browser, accessing a web site by inputting a URL of a web site, requesting to perform a desired internet service, and terminating the web browser. However, performing the procedure involves a series of repetitive tasks. In other words, it is inconvenient to surf the Internet because a repetitive task which has little to do with the nature of the Internet service that the user wants to obtain using the internet surfing must be preceded by the user.

For example, in the case of a word processor during information processing to retrieve information about a term as follows. Normally, the web browser is started with the word processor running, the web browser is accessed, the information is retrieved, and the web browser is terminated.

In addition, while surfing the Internet, a lot of URL links and words (sections) existing in the web page are encountered, and even in this case, the user performs an Internet service such as searching for information. In this case, the user may obtain necessary information by using a web browser of the same screen or starting a separate web browser. If you get the result you want by using the same web browser, if you search it, press the back button and the next button of the web browser to return to the original position, and temporarily set a separate web browser for work. If started, the temporary web browser will be terminated.

In this series of processes, the user really wants to get information about the term, and the procedures such as starting the web browser, accessing the website for information retrieval, and closing the web browser are repeated from the user's point of view. Is nothing.

In order to solve the inconvenience described above, it is conceivable to always operate the web browser. In this case, it is not necessary to repeat the procedure of starting or closing the web browser, but it is still inconvenient. This is because, even when the web browser is always running, it is still necessary to activate the web browser or maximize or minimize the window of the web browser.

Secondly, even when accessing a website, in order to actually perform the Internet service desired by the user, there are many disadvantages in that it is inconvenient to surf the Internet. For example, in the case of a web site that provides Internet services such as mailing or e-commerce, inputting a user ID and password must be performed in advance. In addition, if a user ID is registered differently for each website, input errors are likely to occur and surfing the Internet becomes more inconvenient.

Third, in order to obtain a desired Internet service, the user has to memorize the address of a website providing the service.

Fourth, in general, when using the Internet service, you must enter a string. In this case, since a character string is input by using a keyboard or a character string is input by copying and pasting by setting a block by using an indicator of an input device, additional key work is inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to analyze and formulate a series of repetitive tasks used when surfing the Internet so that a user can receive desired Internet services without repetitive tasks. It is to provide a system and a method of building the same.

1 is a network diagram illustrating an environment in which a virtual portal system according to the present invention operates.

2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a screen configuration of a virtual portal system according to the present invention;

3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a screen on which an embodiment of a virtual portal system according to the present invention operates.

4 is a flowchart schematically showing the overall operation of the virtual portal system according to the present invention.

5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a string acquisition step of the virtual portal system according to the present invention.

6 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a service setting step of a virtual portal system according to the present invention.

7 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a service performing step of the virtual portal system according to the present invention.

9 is a flowchart schematically showing the result display step of the virtual portal system according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1: internet 3: server

5: client 7: informational server

50: application 60: indicator of the input device

70: virtual portal system

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a string obtaining step of obtaining a string intended by the user; A service setting step of setting an internet service corresponding to the obtained character string; A service performing step of accessing a website providing a set service and performing a corresponding service; It provides a method of building a virtual portal system comprising a result display step of displaying the results obtained as a result of performing the service.

The string obtaining step includes a string extracting step of automatically extracting a string when an indicator of an input device is located in arbitrary string data in an application program, and a string display step of automatically displaying the extracted string in an input window. It is preferable. In addition, the character string acquiring step may further include a character string property determination step of identifying an attribute of the extracted character string.

The service setting step includes determining whether a default service exists, selecting a service from a user if the default service does not exist, determining whether a default website exists for the determined service, and a default website. If it does not exist, it is preferable to include the step of selecting a website from the user.

The service performing step may include analyzing a final website to be accessed substantially, determining whether a predecessor is required to substantially access the final website, and extracting a predecessor if a predecessor is required. When the extraction of the predecessor is completed, it is preferable to include the step of performing the necessary series of tasks.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method for building a virtual portal system according to the present invention includes determining whether a default browser agent exists before performing the service, and selecting a browser agent from a user if the default browser agent does not exist. The receiving step further includes.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for acquiring a character string; Service setting means for setting an internet service corresponding to the obtained character string; Service performing means for accessing a website providing a set service and performing a corresponding service; Provided is a virtual portal system comprising a result display means for displaying the results obtained as a result of performing the service.

Preferably, the character string acquiring means includes an automatic character string extraction module for automatically extracting the character string when the indicator of the input device is located near the character string displayed by an application program.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a recording medium storing the above-described method for constructing a virtual portal system.

Therefore, according to the present invention described above, it is possible for a user to obtain a desired Internet service without directly accessing a website.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention that can specifically realize the above object.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a virtual portal system building method and an environment in which the system operates according to the present invention will be described.

The Internet 1 is connected to various servers 3, for example, a portal site 3a, a mail site 3b, an FTP site (File Transfer Protocol Server) 3c, a general site 3d, and the like. In 1), various clients 5 using the information of the servers 3 are connected by wire or wirelessly.

In this case, the client 5 is a concept including all devices capable of accessing the Internet. For example, the client 5 may be a portable portable computer 5a, a general computer 5b that is usually fixed and used, a mobile terminal 5c that is wirelessly connected to the Internet, and a home appliance 5d capable of connecting to the Internet. And the like. The general computer 5b includes a desktop, a workstation, a PC server, a Macintosh, and the like. The portable computer 5a includes a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a palmtop computer, and the like, and the mobile terminal 5c includes an Internet phone, a PDA, Including a cellular phone, an IMT 2000 terminal, and the like, the home appliance 5d capable of accessing the Internet includes a set top box, an Internet TV, an internet refrigerator, and the like. In addition, the client 5 may include a supercomputer, a main frame, a console and a terminal connected to a server, and the like.

On the other hand, the virtual portal system 70 according to the present invention is installed in the client 5 and is automatically activated at the time of computer startup or according to the user's selection and operates as if it is a portal site.

That is, the user can immediately obtain the final result of the desired Internet service without going through unnecessary steps such as starting a separate web browser, entering a web site URL, or entering a string.

For example, if you press a shortcut key (for example, a double control key) while an input device indicator such as a mouse pointer is located on the string "nanocomputer" on a page displayed by a word processor, you can immediately enter Yahoo or Lycos. A search is performed using a keyword "nanocomputer" in a meta search site or a search engine site such as (Lycos), and the result is immediately displayed on a display means (for example, a display window) of the virtual portal system.

On the other hand, the Internet 1 is preferably connected to an information providing server 7 for providing information on a website to Internet users. The information providing server 7 collects information on a website (link) that provides a useful service, and delivers the collected information to the virtual portal system 70 in various ways.

First, referring to FIG. 2, a format in which a virtual portal system according to the present invention is displayed on a client is as follows.

The virtual portal system 70 includes an input window 72 for receiving and displaying a character string intended by the user, a browser agent selection window 74 for selecting a browser agent, a service directory window 76 for displaying Internet services, And a result display window 78 for displaying the result of performing the Internet service.

In the service directory window 76, an Internet service and a website that provides the service correspond to each other. For example, a service called "information retrieval" can correspond to websites "Yahoo" and "lycos," and a mailing can correspond to "hotmail" and "Yahoo."

In addition, the Internet service can be classified in detail into the major classification, the middle classification, the small classification, and the like. For example, Internet services can be broadly divided into information retrieval, e-commerce, mailing, and other services. In addition, the information search can be subdivided into word search, product information search for e-commerce, price comparison, encyclopedia, news, language dictionary, travel information, and various code searches. It can be subdivided into advance bookings and financial transactions. Furthermore, the language dictionary can be further subdivided into English-Korean, Korean-English, Japanese-Korean, Chinese-Korean, and Russian, and in the case of e-commerce, it can be further subdivided into a list of items, a shopping cart, and a purchase. Therefore, it is also possible to classify the Internet services into large, medium, and small categories, and to configure the service directory window in a hierarchical structure accordingly.

The Internet service and its corresponding website can be added, changed, and deleted by the user, and when a plurality of websites correspond to one service, it is preferable to set a default website.

In addition, although the service directory can be directly managed by the user, it is of course also possible to manage by using the information providing server 7. That is, the information providing server arranges the services (links) of important sites of the Internet that provide useful services to users, and keeps updated information from time to time, and continuously provides them to users, and the users use them automatically or selectively. It is advisable to update the service directory.

2 to 4, the overall configuration of the virtual portal system and its construction method according to the present invention will be described.

First, the string obtaining means obtains a string intended by the user (S100). The string intended by the user is the most basic information for performing the Internet service. For example, assuming that the user wants to search or purchase technical information about a digital video disk (DVD), the string intended by the user is "DVD".

Next, the service setting means sets the Internet service to be performed on the obtained character string (S300). For example, even if the character string intended by the user is "DVD", the user must decide whether to want to search for information on "DVD" or to purchase an item.

If the Internet service corresponding to the obtained character string is set, the user accesses a website providing a service set by the service performing means and performs the corresponding service (S400). The result obtained as a result of the service is displayed by the result display means (S500).

The service performing step S400 is substantially performed by the browser agent. You can design a browser agent separately, but you can use the browser agent used in Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc. as it is.

It is also possible to use multiple browser agents, in which case it is possible for the user to select the desired browser agent in the browser agent selection window 74. Of course, it is also possible to use a specific browser agent by default.

Referring to Figures 3 and 5, the string acquisition step will be described.

There may be a variety of ways to obtain the string intended by the user. For example, the user may directly input the character string into the input window 74 or may drag the block region character string to the input window 74 to input the text. However, it is desirable to automatically extract the string intended by the user without relying on the user's direct input.

That is, the string obtaining step (S100) is a string extraction step (S110) for automatically extracting the located string when the indicator 60 of the client's input device is located in the arbitrary string data in the application program 50, and the extraction; It is preferably configured to include a character string display step (S130) for automatically displaying the displayed character string in the input window (72). In addition, it is preferable to further include a string attribute determination step (S120) of identifying the attributes of the extracted string.

It will be described in detail as follows.

In general, when an application 50 such as a web browser or word processor is operated in a client, predetermined data is displayed on a screen. That is, the work page is displayed on the screen. For example, when a web browser is launched and a website is accessed, the web page is displayed. When a word processor is executed, the page is displayed. In addition, although the displayed string may exist in various forms, it may be classified into a URL link and a simple string, and the URL link is directly connected to the corresponding website when it is selected (clicked).

Meanwhile, the user moves the indicator 60 of the input device in various directions when the user uses the application program 50 to perform the corresponding operation. At this time, the character string extracting means automatically extracts data in the vicinity of the indicator 60 of the input device. Therefore, the character string is continuously extracted as the indicator 60 of the input device moves.

In the process of extracting the string continuously, when the user presses a predefined hot key, for example, a control key twice, the extracted string is judged as the string that the user wants to use when using the Internet service and the corresponding string is input. Displayed in window 72.

The string in which the input device indicator 60 is located may be extracted by hooking a window message or using a Browser Helper Object, DDE, OLE, COM, Active X, Subclassing, or Scripting.

On the other hand, when the string is extracted, it is desirable to grasp the attributes of the extracted string. The attributes of a string can be classified in many ways, but it is desirable to separate the attributes of a string into simple strings and URL links.

Because, when the extracted string is a simple string, for example, "DVD", it is necessary to figure out what Internet service the user wants for "DVD". Therefore, subsequent work such as the service setting step should proceed. However, when the extracted string is a URL link, it is determined that the user wants to access the corresponding website, so that the user may directly access the corresponding website and display the result. Also, if the string is data related to the website but is not a URL link, even if it is a simple string, for example, if "www.sample.com" is not a URL link, find the URL of "www.sample.com" It is also possible to connect immediately and display the result.

When a user directly inputs a string or automatically extracts a string to obtain a string intended by the user, an Internet service corresponding to the string is set. Referring to Figures 3 and 6 will be described the steps of setting the Internet service.

There may be various ways of selecting an Internet service, but it is preferable to set a default service and a default website in advance. This is because Internet services that are frequently used by users are generally determined. For example, a user who frequently searches for "information" on a specific website, for example, "Yahoo," sets the default service to "information search" and the default website to "Yahoo."

It will be described in detail as follows.

First, it is determined whether a default service exists (S320), and if a default service does not exist, the user selects a service (S322). Next, it is determined whether there is a default website for the determined service (S330), and if the default website does not exist, the user selects a website (S332). Finally, the default website or the website selected by the user is set as a website to be accessed in the service performing step (hereinafter referred to as "final website") (S340).

There may be several ways to determine the default service and / or default website. For example, you can allow a user to set a default service and a default website. Alternatively, the service and the website performed just before may be automatically set as the default service and the default website.

If the service and web site desired by the user do not exist in the service directory, the user inputs it. In this case, it is preferable to automatically add the input service and web site to the service directory.

In addition, the virtual portal system according to the present invention may have one or more browser agents. If there are a plurality of browser agents, it is determined whether a default browser agent exists (S310), and if not, the user selects a browser agent (S312).

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, although the browser agent is set and described before setting the Internet service, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the browser agent needs to be determined only before the service performing step (S400).

The following describes how a user selects one of a plurality of browser agents.

The user can select the browser agent by dragging the automatically extracted URL links, strings, etc. into one of the browser agents displayed on the browser agent selection window 74. In the case of dragging, the drag and drop location can be identified to determine the selected browser agent.

In addition, the browser agent can be selected by selecting (clicking) a desired browser agent as the input device indicator on the browser agent selection window 74.

In addition, the user can complete a text string directly input and select a browser agent by pressing any action button. If you press any action button, set the currently active browser agent as the selected browser agent.

As described above, the method of selecting a browser agent may use a specific shortcut key, a mouse dragging, a specific button in a screen provided by the virtual portal system according to the present invention, and other unspecified methods may be used.

In addition, a method of selecting an Internet service may use a specific shortcut key, a mouse dragging, a specific button, and the like, similar to a method of selecting a browser agent, and these are obvious to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, in the case of having a plurality of browser agents, a default service may be specified for each browser agent. For example, the first browser agent may be dedicated to information retrieval, the second browser agent may be a product search, the third browser agent is a language dictionary, and the fourth browser agent may be assigned a default service.

Alternatively, when a plurality of websites exist in a specific service of the service directory, a browser agent may be assigned to each website. That is, the first browser agent designates the first website of a specific service, the second browser agent designates a second website, and the third browser agent designates a third website. May simultaneously access multiple websites and perform services. In this configuration, for example, if a mailing service has two websites, "Yahoo" and "lycos," "Yahoo" is assigned to the first browser agent and "lycos" is assigned to the second browser agent. When you apply for the mailing service, you will be able to connect to "Lycos" and "Yahoo" at the same time and see the results.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 7, a service performing step of actually performing a service requested by a user will be described as follows.

The final website is analyzed (S410), and it is determined whether the preliminary work is necessary before the final website is actually accessed (S420). For example, the predecessor can be a task such as entering a user ID and password to access the website. Or even if a referrer is specific to a particular link, a predecessor is required. In other words, if "www.abc.com/main/sub1.html" is the ultimate destination to be accessed, some websites may require "www.abc.com/main" to be accessed first. This is also the case when prior work is required.

If the predecessor is required, the predecessor is extracted (S430). Since the extracted predecessors may require the predecessors again, it is determined whether the predecessors are needed again, and all predecessors are extracted.

When the extraction of the predecessor is completed, a series of tasks including the predecessor are performed (S440). If there is a predecessor, a number of tasks must be performed, so the task is performed until there is no remaining task (S450).

Referring to FIG. 8, a step of displaying a service performing result to a user will be described.

The service execution result can be displayed to the user as a single window, a partition window of equal size, and a partition window of non-uniform size. It will be described in detail as follows.

If the user wants to be displayed in a single window (S510), the result is displayed in a maximized single window (S512). If the user wants to be displayed in a split window of equal size (S520), the result is displayed in a plurality of equally sized windows (S522). If the user wants to be displayed in a split window of non-uniform size (S530), the result is displayed in a plurality of non-uniform size windows (S532).

In addition, to maximize the space utilization of the user screen, it is displayed on the screen only when necessary and can be hidden from the screen during other operations, and allows the user to variably adjust the number of job browser agents.

In addition to the above-described method, it is also possible to display the work results in a tab form or a page form.

The present invention has been described above only one embodiment, but as can be seen in the appended claims, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It will be understood that it belongs to the scope of the invention.

The effects of the above-described virtual portal system and its construction method according to the present invention are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, there is an advantage in that it is convenient to surf the Internet because it is not necessary to perform a series of meaningless repetitive tasks when obtaining a desired service using the Internet.

Second, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the user does not need to memorize the address of the website providing the Internet service.

Claims (9)

A string obtaining step of obtaining a string intended by the user; A service setting step of setting an internet service corresponding to the obtained character string; A service performing step of accessing a website providing a set service and performing a corresponding service; And a result display step of displaying the result obtained as a result of performing the service. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the character string comprises extracting a character string automatically when the indicator of the input device is located in an arbitrary character string data in an application program, and displaying a character string automatically displaying the extracted character string in an input window. Method of building a virtual portal system, characterized in that it comprises a step. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the character string further comprises a character string attribute determination step of identifying an attribute of the extracted character string. The method of claim 1, wherein the service setting step includes determining whether a default service exists, selecting a service from a user if the default service does not exist, and determining whether a default website exists for the determined service. And selecting a website from a user if a default website does not exist. The virtual portal system of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether a default browser agent exists before performing the service, and selecting a browser agent from a user if the default browser agent does not exist. Way. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the service comprises: analyzing a final website to be substantially accessed, determining whether a preliminary task is required to substantially access the final website, and if a preliminary task is required, And extracting a job, and performing a series of necessary tasks when the extraction of the predecessor is completed. String obtaining means for obtaining a character string; Service setting means for setting an internet service corresponding to the obtained character string; Service performing means for accessing a website providing a set service and performing a corresponding service; And a result display means for displaying the result obtained as a result of performing the service. The virtual portal system according to claim 7, wherein the character string obtaining means includes a character string automatic extraction module for automatically extracting a character string when an indicator of an input device is located near a character string displayed by an application program. . A recording medium storing a method for constructing a virtual portal system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.