KR20040082023A - Storage Medium storing Messenger Program having Community Linking Function and Method for Providing Messenger-Linked Community Service using the Messenger Program - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A storing medium recording a messenger program equipped with a community link function, and a method for offering a messenger linked community service using the same are provided to conveniently access a web page of the community selected from a user by registering/storing an Internet community address and using a linked web browser program. CONSTITUTION: The messenger program receives an online community registration request signal from the user(S312). The messenger program stores the online community information inputted from the user or received from an online community providing server in a storage of a user terminal(S314). An ID is assigned to the registered community and is displayed on a part of a messenger program screen(S315). The messenger program outputs more than one stored online community data to the user terminal.

Description

Storage medium recording a messenger program having a community interworking function and a method of providing a messenger interworking community service using the same {Storage Medium storing Messenger Program having Community Linking Function and Method for Providing Messenger-Linked Community Service using the Messenger Program}

The present invention provides a method for providing an online community service linked with a messenger program in a wired / wireless internet communication environment, a storage medium for storing a messenger program, more specifically, a community registration function provided by a messenger program, and a community registration provided to a corresponding community web page. By linking one or more online community location information to a messenger program installed in a user terminal system by using one or more of the functions, a method of making it possible to access a plurality of online community entities with a simple operation.

In the development stage of the conventional services on the wired / wireless Internet, first of all, there are individual-oriented services using telephones and mails, and content-oriented services through data retrieval for each individual. However, these first stage Internet services are user-oriented services, and have a disadvantage in that they cannot form a bond between a plurality of users.

As a next step, the use of various messenger programs has evolved into a messenger service in which a large number of related users chat or exchange data in real time. In such a messenger service, a user associated with himself / herself is registered as a friend, and the above-mentioned messenger service can be received while the corresponding user is logged in.

This messenger service has quickness and convenience in that it is possible to send and receive data among multiple users in real time, but it is cumbersome because the other party and himself have to install a messenger at the same time and register each other as a friend. Not only is it relatively weak, it also has the disadvantage that the available services are limited to sending messages, chatting, and sending files.

On the other hand, a number of communities are created and used on the following sites (www.daum.net) and freechal (www.freechal.com). This community service is initiated by the first community operator (so-called shop) requesting the establishment of a community on the website, and giving a community-specific website (webpage) that can perform services such as bulletin boards and archives. After that, a plurality of related users join the community, receive a member authentication, and then perform the aforementioned various services.

These online community services play a role of community in that many related users can gather in any one space on the web to exchange various information or activities, but any one person should open the community. In addition to the inconvenience, there was a disadvantage that initially there was a large number of communities where the interests were matched to some extent, but little activity occurred over time. In addition, since the registration process is relatively difficult because the real name confirmation and the consent of the operator are required in order to join as a community member, even interested users do not join the community, and there is a limit to activation. In order to join, it was necessary to search and find a community in a field of interest.

In addition, as the online community is activated, a single user joins and operates various online communities. Therefore, the user may not know well what the community he subscribes to, and remembers that there is a community that subscribes, but many cases do not know the exact URL of the community and cannot use it.

In addition, even if you know the URL of the community, it is very cumbersome to use a large number of communities because you have to visit the various community websites using a web browser and log in by entering ID and password.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is intended to make it easier to use various communities on the Internet.

An object of the present invention is to provide an online community service method associated with a messenger program.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium in which a messenger program is stored which registers / stores one or more Internet community object addresses and makes it easy to access a web page of a community selected by a user using a linked web browser program. .

Another object of the present invention is to register the specific community address information and the login information of the subscriber in the messenger program installed in the community subscriber terminal system by using the messenger registration means provided on the online community webpage to which the user has subscribed. It is to provide a messenger program that can easily access the corresponding community afterwards and the online community service providing method associated with it.

1 is a configuration diagram of an entire system for implementing a method for providing a messenger linked online community according to the present invention;

2 is a functional diagram of a messenger program having an online community interworking function according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a method for providing a messenger linked community service according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention;

4 is an exemplary diagram of a user interface screen in a process of providing a messenger linked community service according to the present invention;

5 is a detailed configuration diagram for each function of the instant community providing server among the community providing server according to the present invention; and

6 is an exemplary view of a user interface screen in the process of providing an instant community service used in the present invention.

The community service providing method linked to the messenger program according to the present invention for achieving the above object consists of the following steps.

A method using at least one user terminal system having an online community-provided web server and a messenger program connected through a wired or wireless Internet network, comprising: a first step in which a messenger program receives an online community registration request signal from a user; A second step of storing the online community information input by the user or transmitted from the online community providing server in a storage means of the user terminal system, assigning a unique identification means to a registered community, and identifying the community identification means. A third step of displaying on a part of the messenger program screen, and the messenger program includes a fourth step of outputting community data on at least one of the stored online communities on a corresponding user terminal system.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the first step and the second step described above are steps 2-1 in which the messenger program detects an event in which an item for community registration is selected from a menu of the messenger program; Step 2-2 of providing a community information input screen for inputting community information of the step; and step 2-3 of storing online community information input through the community information input screen in a storage means of the user terminal system; Is made of.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the first and second steps may be performed by the online community providing server detecting an event of selecting a community registration means provided on a corresponding community screen from a user terminal system logged into the corresponding community. Step 2-1, the online community providing server transmitting the community information of the corresponding community to the user's terminal system; and the messenger program transmitting the community information transmitted from the community providing server of the user terminal system. The second step is to store in the storage means.

In addition, the fourth step is a request output method for outputting a community screen on the user terminal system by accessing the online community when a user access request is made for one of the registered communities, and registering at least one when executing the messenger program. In a state in which a connection with a community providing server of a community is automatically set, a push output method of outputting some or all of the community data included in the corresponding community screen on the user terminal system may be implemented.

The aforementioned community information may include the name of the corresponding community, address information of the corresponding community, member login information of the corresponding user, and the address information of the community may be a URL, domain, IP, address, etc. of the corresponding community, The login information may be an ID and password of the corresponding user.

In addition, in the above-described fourth step, it is preferable that the messenger program simultaneously perform the connection and login to the online community to be connected, so that the community data is output on the user terminal system in the logged-in state.

The online community according to the present invention may be a permanent community that persists as long as there is no action, but may be an instant (temporary) community that has a predetermined lifetime and is inactivated upon completion of the lifetime. In addition, it may be a permanent community or instant community generated in conjunction with predetermined Internet content.

The messenger program used in the above-described method according to the present invention has a function of storing / managing online community information inputted from a user or provided from a community service providing server in a storage space, and a text for identifying a registered community stored / managed or And a function of displaying the graphic identification means on a part of the messenger program screen, and outputting the community data included in the registered online community screen on the screen of the user's terminal system.

The community information includes location (address) information of a community, title (identification name) information of a community, and login information such as an ID and a password of a corresponding user.

The storing of the online community information includes: 1) providing a community information input screen when one of the menus on the messenger program (for example, community registration) is selected, and storing community information input through the community information input screen; One embodiment and 2) one of the second embodiments of receiving and storing community information transmitted from a community-provided web server may be used. In the second embodiment, a user who logs in to a specific online community by the community provision server may be used. In case of request, the information on the online community and the user login information may be transmitted to the corresponding user terminal system.

The output of the community data is a request output function of receiving a community screen by accessing the corresponding community providing server and outputting it on a web browser screen or a separate application screen only when the user requests access by selecting a specific community identification means. When the messenger program is executed, a push output function for automatically outputting a part or all of the community data of the connected community to a part of the messenger program screen while automatically setting up a connection with a community providing server of at least one registered community. Can be.

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

First of all, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram of an entire system for implementing a messenger linked online community providing method according to the present invention.

The entire system includes a plurality of users having at least one community providing server 20 for providing an online community service, a messenger program 11 and a web browser program 12 (and a separate application program if necessary) according to the present invention. The terminal system 10, the wired and wireless Internet network 30 as a communication network connecting the server and the user terminal system.

The community providing server 20 according to the present invention is a general community providing server providing a normal permanent online community such as www.daum.net and www.freechal.com , or an instant (temporary) community having a predetermined lifetime. It may be an instant community providing server.

Since a general community providing server is widely used at present, a detailed description thereof will be omitted, and an instant community providing server will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The instant community providing server receives an instant community generation signal (related to specific content on the wired / wireless internet) from the user terminal system 10, generates an instant community having a predetermined lifetime accordingly, and stores and manages data provided by the community. The ability to store and manage the user as a community subscriber when receiving a subscription signal to the created instant community, and to mediate the transfer of data between subscribers if necessary, and to change the status of the community to specific or all It is a kind of web server which further has a function which transmits and notifies to a subscriber terminal system.

This instant community service can easily create and use a temporary (instant) community related to a specific content on the Internet in real time, give a predetermined duration to the instant community and automatically remove it when the period ends, exponentially To have the advantage of being able to prevent the occurrence of an inactive community to increase, is a concept first introduced in the present invention. Detailed configuration of the instant community providing server will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The user terminal system 10 is generally a personal computer (PC; 10 "'), but any communication means can be used as long as it can transmit and receive data and use a wired or wireless Internet service. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant; 10 "), cellular phone (10 '), PCS (Personal Communication System), hand-held PC (Hand-Held PC) and the like. These user terminal systems include general modems, public switched telephone network (PSTN) networks, cable modems and wired broadcasting networks, LAN cards and LAN networks, LAN cards and intranets within the enterprise, communication modules (chips), and mobile communication networks interworking with wireless Internet gateways. It can be connected to an external internet network through the Internet.

The user terminal system 10 may be connected to a community providing server through the wired / wireless internet network or may be connected to another user terminal system in a peer-to-peer manner. A web browser program capable of transmitting and receiving data with the user terminal system should be installed. In addition, if necessary, a separate community management application for performing an automatic notification function and a data sharing function by P2P may be installed.

Such a web browser program may be Microsoft Internet Explorer in the case of a general PC, and may be a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) browser or a ME (Mobile Explorer) browser in the case of a wireless communication device such as a PDA. It is not limited to.

In addition, the user terminal system 10 according to the present invention should be provided with a messenger program according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described web browser program, and the messenger program may include a dynamic link library file (Dynamic Link Library); DLL) or the like is preferably linked to a web browser program (or community management application).

The configuration of the messenger program will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The wired / wireless communication network 30 connecting the community providing server 20 and the subscriber terminal system 10 is a computer network capable of transmitting and receiving data, and is a wired internet network such as an open Internet or a closed intranet, or a mobile communication network. An interworking wireless internet communication network may be used. However, any communication means can be used as long as data transmission and reception are possible.

The wired / wireless Internet network of the present invention has various services existing in the TCP / IP protocol and its upper layers, namely, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), Telnet, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), DNS (Domain Name System), and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer). It refers to a global open computer network architecture that provides Protocol (SNMP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Network File Service (NFS), and Network Information Service (NIS).

The mobile communication network constituting the wireless Internet network is a conventional network for voice communication between terminals, that is, a base station (BS), a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), a home location register (HLR), In addition to the Network Management System (NMS), it further includes components such as WAP gateway, PDSN, etc., which enable the transmission and reception of wireless packet data, and in the form of HTML, SMTP, XML, HDML, or general file. Community-related information can be transmitted and received between the server and the subscriber station system or between the subscriber station systems.

Since the subscriber station system and the wired / wireless internet network can be implemented using the conventional methods as they are or are not difficult, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

2 shows a functional configuration of a messenger program 200 having an online community interworking function according to the present invention.

The messenger program 200 according to the present invention is a community information management module 210 which receives and stores / manages one or more online community information input by a user or provided by an online community providing server in addition to a function of a general messenger program. And a registration management module 220 for registering a specific online community in a messenger program, a registration community identification means providing module 230 for displaying identification means of a registered online community on a part of a message program screen; When an event in which the registered community identification means is selected occurs, a community screen output module 240 for calling out a community screen from the corresponding community providing server and outputting the community screen on the user terminal system screen.

The community information management module 210 and the registration management module 220 store the community information input from a predetermined community information input screen or received from an online community providing server in a storage means of the user terminal system in association with each other, and the screen output module. If requested by the 240, the program module functions to deliver the requested community information to the screen output module.

In the present invention, community information refers to community location information (address information) on the Internet, such as URL, IP address, domain name, in addition to community name (title), and a member ID and password of the corresponding user when the community needs to log in. The concept includes login information such as

The community identification means providing module 230 is a program module for giving a community identification means composed of an icon, a character string, or the like to each registered community, and outputting them to a part of a messenger program screen.

The community screen output module 240 detects whether an event in which a specific means of identifying a specific community is selected by a mouse, a keyboard, and the like occurs, and receives corresponding community information from the community information management module when an event occurs. Next, using the address information, such as URL, IP, domain name, etc. of the received community information, requests that the community screen is transmitted to the corresponding community providing server. The community screen is generally composed of HTML and XML documents, and outputs the community screen received from the community providing server on the monitor of the corresponding user terminal system. At this time, it is common to output a web screen in conjunction with a web browser program, but may be output as a separate screen using a separate application program.

Of course, the above-described function of the community screen output module 240 is a request output function for outputting a corresponding community screen only when a user request is requested, and the community screen output module 240 is a so-called push. According to the method, at the same time as the execution of the messenger program, a connection is established to one or more registered communities, and community data included in the community screen is continuously or regularly received from the community providing server, and is displayed on the messenger program screen or a separate screen. It can also function as a push method that prints out.

Each module of the above-described messenger program may be integrated or separated as necessary and may be implemented using any programming language such as JAVA, C, C ++, Visual C, Visual Basic, and ASP.

3A is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a first embodiment in which a user inputs community information in a method for providing a messenger linked community service according to the present invention.

For the sake of simplicity, all of the following descriptions are limited to the request output method of outputting the corresponding community screen to a web browser screen or a separate screen (window) only when a user request is made.

First, the messenger program detects that the community registration item is selected from the menu of the messenger program screen as shown in FIG. 4A by the user (S311). When a community registration item is selected (S312), the messenger program provides a community information input screen as shown in FIG. 4B (S313), and information of a desired community to be registered by the user (community URL, title, community member ID and password, etc.). Receive and store (S314).

Then, the messenger program gives a community identification means for identifying the registered community as shown in FIG. 4C and displays it on a part of the messenger program screen (S315). The community identification means may be text such as the title of the community (gatherer Dica F401) as shown in FIG. 4C, but may further include other icons, images, and the like. The community identification means functions as a shortcut icon that allows the user to easily access the corresponding community.

Next, when an event in which a specific community identification means displayed on the messenger program screen of 4c is selected by the user (S316) occurs, the messenger program extracts the selected community information and then drives a web browser program or a separate application program. Request to transmit the screen (web page) of the community to the community providing server (S317). Next, the community screen (refer to FIG. 6D) received from the community provision server is output on the monitor of the user terminal system (S318).

In this case, in the case where the selected community needs to log in, it is desirable to provide the user with the immediately logged-in community screen by transmitting login information such as a member ID and a password of the user when the community screen is transmitted.

3B is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a second embodiment of receiving community information from a community providing server in a method for providing a messenger linked community service according to the present invention.

After the user accesses the community providing server and joins the community by a normal procedure, as shown in FIG. 4D, the user selects a registration means for a messenger provided on a specific community screen (S352). Then, the community providing server transmits the information (community URL, title, member ID and password) of the corresponding community to the messenger program installed in the user's terminal system (S353).

The means for registering to the messenger is preferably a button provided on the community screen. At this time, if the messenger program is not installed in the user terminal system, the messenger program is first downloaded and installed.

The messenger program stores the corresponding community information received from the community providing server (S354), assigns the identification means of the corresponding community as shown in FIG. 4C, and displays it on the messenger program screen (S355). The following procedure (selection of identification means and output of community screen; S356 to S358) is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus redundant description is omitted.

In order to interwork messenger-community according to the second embodiment, the corresponding function should be provided in advance in the community providing server. That is, a function for recognizing a messenger program according to the present invention to a community providing server, a function for providing a button for registering a messenger on a community screen, and a corresponding messenger registration button when a messenger registration button is clicked. It should be equipped with a function for automatically transmitting the login information to the messenger program of the user terminal system.

4 illustrates an example of a user interface screen in a process of providing a messenger linked community service according to the present invention.

Since it has already been described with reference to the service providing flow of FIG. 3, the configuration of the screen will be described.

4A is a messenger program screen according to the first embodiment, in addition to the function (add friend) of registering a user who wants to be connected among several members as a friend, a community registration item 420 is added to a menu of the messenger program. have.

When the user selects the community registration menu 420, as shown in FIG. 4B, a community information input screen for inputting information about a community to be registered is provided.

The community information registration screen as shown in FIG. 4B is provided with a text box for entering login information into a corresponding community such as a community title (name), a community URL or domain, and a member ID and password.

4C is an example of a messenger program screen displaying a community identification means according to the present invention. In addition to an item indicating a member registered as a friend as in a normal messenger program, a display capable of identifying a community linked by the present invention is shown. Additionally exists. In the drawing, an instant community identification means 430, which is temporarily generated as described below, is identified with an icon and text.

In this case, the instant community used in the present invention may be displayed by an icon called 'inker', and in the case of a normal permanent community, it may be displayed by a commu or the like.

In the drawing, an example in which a community identification means linked to a registered friend list is displayed together is shown, but only the registered community may be displayed in a separate window or frame.

In the messenger program screen as shown in FIG. 4C, when the identification information of a specific community is selected, the messenger program drives a web browser program to request a community screen transmission to the corresponding community providing server, and then, from the community providing server, as shown in FIG. 4D or 6D. Output the same community screen to the monitor.

Of course, according to the above-described push output method, information about each registered community may be provided in real time on a part or a separate screen of the messenger program screen as shown in FIG. 4C. For example, a text window is added next to the registered community identification means of FIG. 4C, and new data or interest data of the corresponding community are continuously displayed through the text window. The push output method is not limited in its implementation as long as it automatically connects to one or more registered communities at the same time as the execution of the messenger program and periodically or continuously outputs data related to the community on the user terminal system. .

In addition, although not shown, similar to the friend delete function of the general messenger program, the user may further include a function of deleting each registered community. In the case of a community deleted by the user, the corresponding identification means is also removed from the messenger program screen. To be.

4D illustrates an example of a community screen to which a community linkage (or registration) method according to the second embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

A typical community screen, with the name of the community, IS Seon Yeon, and the right frame shows various items needed for community activities, such as bulletin boards, announcements, archives, chats, guest books, calendars, file sharing, and surveys. Menus are displayed. The user can select various menus to perform various community activities.

For the messenger-community interworking according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a button 440 for registering as a game messenger is provided as a means for registering a community in a specific messenger program at the lower right frame. When this button is clicked, the community providing server checks the IP address of the user terminal system and then transmits the corresponding community information (community title, community URL, member ID and password) to the user's terminal system.

According to the present invention, a community that can be linked with a messenger program is not limited in form and type as long as predetermined subscribers can upload or share data in a peer-to-peer manner on the wired / wireless Internet. Although the messenger interworking function according to the present invention is not necessarily a community, it may generally be extended to information (web pages, etc.) on the Internet. For example, it may be applied to registering a website that is frequently visited by a messenger and allowing a messenger to easily load the website.

Hereinafter, a temporary community or an instant community that can be linked to a messenger program according to the present invention will be described in detail. The instant community service method is described in detail in the applicant's patent application No. 2003-013151 (the instant community service providing server and the service providing method in a wired and wireless Internet environment), and therefore, only important matters will be briefly described. .

5 is a detailed configuration for each function of the instant community providing server 500 among the community providing server according to the present invention.

The instant community providing server used in the present invention includes a user database 510 for storing user information, and a community database 520 for storing generated instant community information (subscriber information, duration, community configuration information, etc.). And an instant community entity in response to a request from a specific user terminal system, and generates a community screen corresponding thereto and outputs the generated community screen to the terminal system of the requesting user (community creator) and the user (community subscriber) who has joined the instant community. Instant community generation module 530, subscriber management module 540 for managing instant community subscribers, data processing module for storing / updating / management of information associated with instant community activities and data transmission and reception between community subscriber terminals ( 550), each instant commu Instant community life management module 560 that grants, extends, and manages a tee life, deletes or deactivates a community that has passed a predetermined life, monitors a state change of a specific community, and, if a state change occurs, to a terminal system of a specific user. It may further include an automatic change notification module 570 to notify the status change.

The following describes the detailed configuration and function of each module.

The instant community generation module 530 receives a signal for requesting creation of a community having a specific title or linked to specific Internet content from a terminal system of a specific subscriber, and generates a community object having a title or a content title provided by the requester. Store in the community database 520.

For example, the community generation signal may be generated by providing an instant community generation button in the middle of the corresponding content, and logging in or separately identifying the user by clicking the button.

Thereafter, in addition to the instant community creation button of the corresponding content, the community XX subscription button having the title set above may be provided, and a user who wants to subscribe may subscribe to the corresponding community by clicking the community XX subscription button. At this time, it is desirable that the community's first creator or subscriber enter simple identification information (ID, e-mail address, etc.) to identify the user's PIA. If necessary, user identification methods such as cookie technology may be used.

At this time, one or more instant communities may be generated in one content. When there are many communities associated with one content, it may be unreasonable to provide a community XX join button for all instant communities. In such a case, it is desirable to improve the subscription button only for communities that meet predetermined criteria, for example, the number of subscribers, the number of posts, data transmission / reception traffic, community creation date and time (recent), and the like.

Such criteria may be, for example, 20 or more subscribers, 10 or more posts per hour, communities created within the last 5 days, or the like, and may be determined by weighting two or more criteria.

Creating a corresponding community object means that the original creator information for each community, additional subscriber information (ID, location information, etc.), information on the linked content, and the lifespan information given to the community are databased. This means that a separate address or domain is assigned and a community screen of the form shown in FIG. 6D is generated and displayed on the screen of the terminal system of all subscribers. In this case, the community screen may be formed in an HTML format and may be one of a web method that is directly output on a web browser and an application method that is output on a user interface screen (GUI) by a separate community management program.

For reference, FIG. 6D illustrates an example of a community screen displayed on a web browser, but may be displayed on a GUI by a separate application program.

The subscriber management module 540 stores / manages information of users who subscribe for each instant community. Specifically, it functions to update / store the personal information including the ID of the user who requested the subscription, the location information such as the IP address of the subscriber station system, the current subscriber status, and the like for each instant community. Since the subscriber management module 540 may be implemented similarly to the member management means of the general online community server, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The data processing module 550 functions to store / update / manage various types of information associated with community activities and to process data transmission and reception between community subscriber terminals. Community activities include, for example, posting and viewing posts (bulk board function), sending and receiving chat messages (chat function), providing subscriber or visitor status information (subscriber information provision function), and providing information of interests selected by subscribers (interest) Information provision function), data sharing with the subscriber terminal system through a server or P2P method (data sharing function), entertainment (entertainment information provision function) such as meeting, mating, entertainment news provision, online game with other subscribers E-commerce (e-commerce functions) such as performance (game functions), provision of purchase information, joint purchases associated with other subscribers, and auctions.

For example, if a data processing module receives post data from a specific subscriber terminal system, the data processing module updates and stores the post data and transmits the data to a subscriber terminal system requesting to view the post after accessing the community. .

For such data processing, a data transmission / reception tool may be provided between computer systems such as a common gateway interface (CGI) or an active server program (ASP) program for a chat, a CGI or ASP program for a bulletin board, a P2P support program, and the like.

In addition, a search function must be provided with its own search engine or linked with an external search engine, and must have a function as a game server.

Since this series of community activities and their manner of implementation can be easily implemented using the prior art, a more detailed description is omitted.

The instant community life management module 560 provides a predetermined default (default) life to each instant community, extends / manages the subscriber's request, and deletes or deactivates a community that has passed a predetermined life. When a specific community is created in the community generation module, the corresponding community identification information, creation date and estimated time of inactivity due to the basic lifetime, etc. are stored in the community database, and the estimated time of inactivity of all communities and the current time are compared every predetermined period. Deactivate an outdated community.

Deactivation means a state in which community information is stored in a database but cannot perform a function of a community.

In addition, the life management module 560 is a subscriber terminal system of the community that has been deactivated or expected to be deactivated upon completion of life, and preferably further includes a function of notifying the deactivation (planned). Subscribers who are notified of the deactivation (planned) who wish to extend the life of the community to maintain the active state or to restore the already deactivated community to the active state, request a life extension request or activation restoration to the instant community provision server. Send a signal.

Then, the instant community providing server 500 to specify the extended life, and guides the cost determined for extending the life. When a payment completion signal of the corresponding community life extension cost is received from a payment module or an external payment gateway provided in the home, the information (extension life) is updated / stored in the community database, and the community is maintained or restored.

In addition, the instant community life management module 560 is a community subscriber terminal system that is left inactive for a predetermined period of time, and may further include a function of transmitting a signal that the community information is to be deleted from the server (database) completely. have. Receiving such a signal for complete deletion, the subscriber may pay a predetermined fee and continue to restore the community information to the database or to restore the community information.

The change notification module 570 searches the aforementioned community database at predetermined intervals, monitors the state change of a specific community, and notifies the terminal system of a specific subscriber or the terminal system of all subscribers when a state change occurs. Do it.

A community status change is a text (chat) message sent to a particular subscriber when a change in information related to that particular community, for example, a new post is uploaded to the community, or a reply to a particular subscriber's post. When delivered, when a subscriber (friend) designated by a particular subscriber is connected, when there is new data in the interest selected by a particular subscriber, when there is a game request from the subscriber, predetermined e-commerce information predetermined by a particular subscriber This can be the case when uploaded.

The above-described data processing module 550 and the change notification module 570 extract a content updater for receiving and updating community-related data transmitted from the subscriber terminal system, extracting interest information of each subscriber, and the like. And a user profile filter, and an event manager for automatically notifying a specific subscriber terminal system by executing an event handler which is determined when a community state change occurrence event occurs.

For example, if a subscriber named A joins a community named B and then designates the community's bulletin board as an automatic change notification area, the change notification module monitors the bulletin's data and, if a new post is registered, the fact and / or The notice is sent to the subscriber A's terminal system.

The community generation module, subscriber management module, life management module, data processing module, and change notification module may be implemented in software written using a predetermined server programming language.

The user database 510 stores information about a user who uses the instant community service according to the present invention, for example, personal information such as an ID, an IP address, an e-mail address, and the like of the user. In order to create and join an instant community according to the present invention, each user preferably uses a formal membership registration procedure such as real name verification, but the service according to the present invention is characterized by quick and easy community creation and use. Only minimal user identification information such as ID can be provided.

The community database 520 stores information related to each instant community, for example, community titles, content information, subscriber information, duration (lifetime) information, community configuration information, and the like, when related to Internet content. The data can be searched, added, deleted, and updated by a predetermined database management system (DBMS).

These databases are relational database management systems (RDBMS) such as Oracle, Infomix, Sybase, DB2, or object-oriented databases such as Gemston, Orion, O2, etc. It can be implemented for the purpose of the present invention using an XML native database such as management system (OODBMS) and Excelon, Tamino, Sekaiju, etc., and achieves its own functions. It has the appropriate fields or elements to do so.

In addition, the above-described user database and community database may be integrated into one database and implemented as needed.

Since the construction and management of the database required for the present invention can be sufficiently performed by those skilled in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

6 illustrates an example of a user interface screen in the process of providing an instant community service used in the present invention.

As described above, the instant community service used in the present invention may not be provided in connection with predetermined Internet content, and may be performed in a manner similar to that of a normal online community service. It is limited to the example provided in conjunction with specific content.

6A shows an example of Internet content for creating an instant community according to the present invention, and is a web page for selling a digital camera called F401 at the "Naver Shopping" site.

That is, although the illustrated content is the same as a typical shopping mall web page, an instant community generation button 601 and an existing instant community join button 602 are provided for instant community generation according to the present invention. This instant community is related to the product F401 digital camera.

The user can join a community that has already been created, or create a new community if there is no favorite community. Therefore, several instant communities may be created in relation to one content.

The Internet content to which the present invention can be applied is not limited in form, and any object, person, subject, article, current affairs, game, etc. can be used.

6B illustrates another embodiment of Internet content for creating an instant community according to the present invention. In addition to the instant community creation button, FIG. 6B provides a button for joining one or more communities currently created and operated. Each button may be a button 602 'in the form of, for example, a community 01 (Modara F401) subscription (17 members), which includes the community serial number, the title of the community, and the number of subscribers. It is not limited.

As described above, when a plurality of instant communities are generated in one content and it is difficult to provide a subscribe button for all communities, the number of subscribers, the degree of community activity (the number of posts, etc.), the recentity of creation, etc. are determined. It is possible to provide only a join button for an instant community that passes certain criteria.

6C illustrates an example of a screen provided by a community providing server when creating an instant community.

In order to manage community subscribers, at least user information such as the ID of the corresponding user is required. Therefore, when creating an instant community, a community title and user information may be input using a screen as shown in FIG. 6C. Of course, if the user has already logged in as a member, the user information may be extracted from the member information.

In addition, FIG. 6C provides an item for specifying (extending) the lifespan (duration) of the community to be created. For example, all instant communities can provide a free two-day lifespan by default, but may require a predetermined fee to extend it. By assigning a lifespan to the community and extending it for a fee, it is possible to reduce excessive server load and secure proper income for service provision. Of course, it is not necessary to pay for this extension of community life.

When applying for a paid extension of community life, an additional screen for selecting a period to be extended is provided, and a life extension cost is paid through a predetermined payment system.

However, the process of extending the life when creating a community may be omitted. For example, initially, all communities are provided with a (free) base lifespan, and may be extended through the end of life notice as described above at the end of life.

6D is an instant community user interface screen (hereinafter referred to as community screen) for providing an instant community service according to the present invention.

The community screen according to the present invention includes a content information providing area 611 for providing information of content that has largely caused a community creation, and a subscriber information area 612 for providing information about a community subscriber or a user who is currently connected among subscribers. ), A bulletin board area 613 available to the corresponding community subscribers, a chat area 614 enabling chatting or real-time message exchange between the corresponding community subscribers, a member's own status information area 615, and the member himself / herself Interest area 616, data sharing area 617 to perform P2P data sharing, e-commerce area 618 to provide purchase information, co-purchase, auction, etc., search to search various information Area 619 and the like.

In addition, although not shown, an entertainment area for performing an entertainment function such as meeting, mating, entertainment news, etc., and a game area for performing various games between members connected to the corresponding community may be further included. .

Of course, it is not necessary to include all of the above-mentioned areas, and may be appropriately combined according to the needs of the user.

The details of each area are as follows.

First, the content information providing area 611 is a place for providing information of content that has caused a community creation, and displays content information processed and transmitted from a server. In FIG. 5A, approximate information about the F401 digital camera designated as the content in FIG. 5A is displayed, and on the right side of the region, a product specification view for viewing detailed information and an image view item for viewing an image file are additionally provided. The content information providing area is not necessarily limited to the illustrated form, but may be expressed in various forms.

The subscriber information area 612 provides information about the community member or the user who is currently connected among the subscribers. In the figure, information of four other users who are currently online among the subscribers (avatar character, ID, gender, and age) is shown. ) Is output in list form. Like a normal messenger, a function such as sending a message by clicking a desired subscriber can be provided.

The bulletin board area 613 is a general bulletin board that can be used by the corresponding community subscribers, and shows a review bulletin board for the F401 digital camera in the drawing. Like a general bulletin board, each post is outputted in the form of a list having fields such as number, title, number of comments, attachment status, creation date, author, and views, and the detailed posts can be viewed by clicking the desired post. In order to provide such a bulletin board function, a predetermined bulletin board Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program or an application server program (ASP) may be used.

The chat area 614 is an area that enables chatting or real-time message exchange between corresponding community subscribers. The chat area 614 includes an area in which a text being chatted is displayed and an input area in which a text to be delivered is input. Such a chat area can be used using a general chat interface, but should be arranged small on a part of the screen. The chat function may be implemented by using a predetermined CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program or an application server program (ASP).

In the member's own status information area (My Box) 615, the current status (login status) of the subscriber with the ID of Chlee is displayed, and a preference item for selecting various functions of the instant community is provided.

The interest information area 616 is an area for displaying new information of a field designated by the subscriber as a field of interest through preference. In the figure, the subscriber himself selected the sports and photography sectors as interest information, and therefore, the interest information area updates and outputs new information of the corresponding fields.

The data sharing area 617 is a space in which various data can be shared with other subscribers through a P2P method or a server, and designates a part of a directory of a storage unit (hard disk) of the own terminal system as a shared directory. Then, the other user can access the terminal system via a server or directly (in a P2P method) to select and receive data such as a video file, a music file, or a general file in the corresponding shared directory.

The e-commerce area 618 provides various purchase information, joint purchase, auction information, and the like, and actually performs commerce. In the drawing, digital camera joint purchase, digital camera auction, digital camera price comparison, etc. It provides an item for the above, but is not limited thereto.

The search area 619 is an area for searching a variety of information on the Internet, and may be provided in conjunction with a general search engine.

The community screen may be output on a web browser (web method) or may be provided in a special GUI form (application method) using a separate application program.

6E is an example of an environment setting screen of an instant community service used in the present invention.

Basic information item to input basic information, automatic notification designation item to designate target of automatic notification, interlocking program item to select linkage program, interest designation item to designate field of interest and P2P "P2P" item for setting the environment for the implementation.

Among them, the automatic notification designation item is provided for the subscriber to designate a specific target among various areas of the community and to automatically notify the user when there is a change of information in the designated area. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, if an automatic notification item for updating a post or an automatic notification item for updating a comment is selected and specified as a check box, the instant community providing server stores the corresponding subscriber information and the automatic notification area information in a database. At the same time, it continuously monitors whether information of the corresponding automatic notification area is changed and notifies the corresponding subscriber station system when new data is added.

6F is such an automatic notification interface screen. For example, when automatic notification is selected at the time of updating a post, if the post data is continuously monitored and a new post is detected, the new post is gathered as in FIG. 6F. The pop-up window can be displayed as a message that two are registered. Of course, such notification may be in a number of ways, for example, by text and / or voice, in the form of which the avatar or character speaks.

6G illustrates an example of a notification screen for extending the life of an instant community. The instant community providing server outputs a notification of deactivation notice screen as shown in FIG. The notification screen is preferably provided with a message informing the end of life, and a link to a web page for extending the life. Such notification may be performed through an e-mail, a messenger message, or the like, but it may be desirable to install a predetermined plug-in program to be performed in real time.

In addition, if necessary, among the community identification means displayed on the messenger program screen, the identification means of the deactivated instant community or the permanently deleted instant community may be changed to be distinguishable or may be removed from the messenger program screen.

The above description is merely illustrative of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may various modifications without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to limit the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited by these embodiments. It is intended that the scope of the invention be interpreted by the following claims, and that all descriptions within the scope equivalent thereto shall be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, one or more online communities can be registered on a messenger program, and a simple operation can be used to access a desired community. In order to access a community to which the user has subscribed, a web browser is manually entered to enter a URL and an ID It is possible to completely solve the conventional inconvenience of having to log in by entering the password.

In addition, according to the present invention, since multiple communities are registered and managed in a single messenger, it is possible to prevent inconvenience of not accessing the subscribed community by forgetting the location or title of the community to which they have subscribed.

In detail, the user receives the community information that the user wants to register from the user or receives from the community providing server, stores / manages, outputs the appropriate community identification means on the messenger program screen, and selects an identification means of a specific community. When is generated, a series of processes that automatically bring up the corresponding community screen, log in, and then print out are automatically performed, so it is convenient for the user to quickly and easily access various communities.

In addition, in the present invention, in addition to the general online community, it is possible to easily create and use a temporary (instant) community related to a specific content on the Internet in real time, the complexity of the creation, subscription and management procedures of the conventional Internet community, messenger We can solve the weakening of the program at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to provide an instant community service that retains the advantages of the conventional community while ensuring real time and simplicity.

In addition, according to the instant community used in the present invention, by giving each community a predetermined duration and automatically removing the period, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an exponentially growing inactive community, as well as the community. Service life can be ensured by using extended life as a revenue source.

Claims (1)

An online community providing server and a messenger program connected through a wired / wireless internet network are installed to use one or more user terminal systems. A first step of the messenger program receiving an online community registration request signal from a user; A second step of the messenger program storing the online community information input by the user or transmitted from the online community providing server in a storage means of the user terminal system; A third step of assigning identification means unique to a registered community and displaying the identification means of the community on a part of the messenger program screen; And The messenger program may further include outputting data on at least one of the stored online communities on a corresponding user terminal system; Recording medium in which a program implemented with a function including the stored.