KR20130122424A - Method and system for providing app service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an application service providing and a system capable of easily and quickly finding an application suitable for a user by providing an application list by category to the user by classifying applications in an application store into categories. The invention includes a process that an application choice server composes the application list with crawling applications in an application store server by being linked with the server, a process that a user device connects to the application choice server through a connection application, a process that the user device displays the list by obtaining it from the application choice server, a process of receiving input for selecting one of applications in the list, a process of displaying detail information about the selected one by obtaining it from the application choice server, a process of receiving a download request for an application corresponding to the detail information, a process of connecting the application store server supplying the application based on metadata of the application, a process of displaying a download page about the application by obtaining it, and a process of installing the application by downloading it from the application store server. [Reference numerals] (AA) Application list by category;(BB) Crawling;(CC) Application

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING APP SERVICE}

The present invention relates to a method for providing an app (App, Application) service and a system therefor, and in particular, an app service for recommending an app that can be used in a client by a categorized category to quickly and easily find an app suitable for a user. The present invention provides a method and system.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, with the development of digital technology, various user devices capable of mobile communication and personal information processing such as a mobile communication terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), an electronic notebook, a smart phone, a tablet PC, These user devices are approaching a mobile convergence stage that spans the areas of other terminals rather than staying in their own traditional areas. Typically, the user device includes a voice call, a video call, a message transmission such as a Short Message Service (SMS) / Multimedia Message Service (SMS), an electronic notebook, a recording, an e-mail transmission, a broadcast play, a video play, the Internet, an e-commerce, a music. Various functions such as playback, schedule management, social networking service (SNS), friend search service, messenger, and dictionary may be provided. The above functions may be basically installed when manufacturing a user device, and a user may download and install an application having a new function through a 'mobile content marketplace' as needed.

In recent years, mobile applications (e.g., calendars, address books, alarms, calculators, games, videos, Internet access, music playback, navigation, Word, Excel, etc. content applications that can be freely bought and sold) Online 'mobile content (software) marketplace' is being activated. The mobile content marketplace is generally referred to as an App Store, which is short for Application Store, or a market. Hereinafter, the app store will be referred to collectively.

The App Store is an open marketplace where individuals develop and sell applications, not developed by specific large companies and sold by mobile carriers. The App Store uses programs such as software development kits (SDKs) and Xcode that are released by operators. Anyone can sell or distribute their applications to users all over the world. After registering the application created by the individual developer in the App Store, the consumer (user) accesses the App Store through wired / wireless communication and downloads the selected application to the user device or downloads it to the personal computer (PC, Personal Computer). You can move it to the user device.

However, while many applications and contents (hereinafter, referred to as App) are registered in the App Store, in general, the App Store shows the registered apps in a few simple categories, or only in the order of popularity. It is just giving. In other words, in the App Store, apps are simply classified into a few categories, and many apps exist in each category, and the user is required to search for an app. Therefore, the user may read the description of each app or install the corresponding app to determine whether the app is necessary for the user.

An object of the present invention to provide an app service method and a system therefor that can support a quick and easy app search to the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing an app service that enables a user to quickly and easily find an app that a user needs by providing a more detailed and classified app by registering in an app store.

The method according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is, App service providing method, the app choice server, the process of starting crawling (crawling) for the app registered in the app store server; Extracting keywords related to the crawled app; Identifying a category classified according to the keyword; And registering the app in the category.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing an app service, including: a process of a user device executing a connection application and accessing an app choice server to obtain an app list for each category; Displaying a list of acquired apps for each category; Receiving a download request of an app according to user selection from the app list for each category; Accessing an app store server that supplies the app; And downloading and installing the app from the app store server.

The method according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, in the app service providing method, the app choice server in conjunction with the app store server by crawling (crawling) for apps in the app store server by category Constructing an app list; A user device accessing the app choice server through a connection application; Obtaining and displaying the app list for each category from the app choice server by the user device; Receiving an input for selecting one app from the app list for each category; Obtaining and displaying detailed information about the selected app from the app choice server; Receiving a download request of an app corresponding to the detailed information; Accessing an app store server that supplies the app based on metadata of the app; Obtaining and displaying a download page for the app from the app store server; And downloading and installing the app from the app store server.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a processor to execute the method.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, App App server, a storage unit for storing at least one program; And a control unit configured to execute the at least one program to configure crawling for an app store server and a list of apps by category, wherein the app choice server initiates crawling for an app registered in the app store server. process; Extracting keywords related to the crawled app; Identifying a category classified according to the keyword; And instructions for executing a process of registering the app in the category.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, the user device, a storage unit for storing at least one program; And a control unit configured to execute the at least one program to control an app choice server based app search, wherein the at least one program is connected to an app choice server by a user device executing a connected application. Obtaining an app list; Displaying a list of acquired apps for each category; Receiving a download request of an app according to user selection from the app list for each category; Accessing an app store server that supplies the app; And instructions for executing a process of downloading and installing the app from the app store server.

The recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, the app acquired by crawling (crawling) for the apps in the app store server by classifying the app category by category according to the predefined category And a computer readable recording medium configured to access the app store server based on metadata of an app selected from the app list for each category, and to record a program for downloading the app.

The foregoing is a somewhat broad summary of features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that those skilled in the art will be better able to understand it from the following detailed description of the present invention. Additional features and advantages of the present invention, which form the subject matter of the claims of the invention, in addition to those features and advantages, will be better understood from the following detailed description of the invention.

As described above, according to the method and system for providing an app service according to the present invention, a user can quickly and easily find an app suitable for the user through an app choice server even if the user does not look up numerous apps registered in the app store server. According to the present invention, a user can be classified into more subdivided categories (eg, occupations, job hobbies, etc.) in a number of apps distributed and stored in an app store server. Accordingly, there is an advantage that can improve the user's convenience to search and use of the app. In addition, according to the present invention, the user can easily and quickly search a variety of apps supplied (sold) from the App Store server through the App Choice server, thereby improving the accessibility of the app search and use of information there is an advantage. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to meet user needs for the need for speed and convenience of app search. In addition, according to the present invention, in dividing the various apps into categories, the App Choice server is frequently changed through the crawl of the App Store server according to the administrator request, the set crawl period, and push to the newly updated apps of the App Store server It can provide the efficiency of maintenance for the app.

And the present invention can be implemented in all types of user device and the corresponding various devices. In addition, according to the present invention can implement an optimal environment for supporting a quick and easy app search of the user, it can contribute to improve the usability, convenience and competitiveness of the user device.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration for supporting an app service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of providing an app service to a user device in a system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of classifying and configuring a category by an app recommendation server in association with an app store server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a user device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an app recommendation server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of classifying a database update and a category by an app recommendation server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an app service by a user device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
8 and 9 illustrate examples of operation screens of a user device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, in the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible. Further, the detailed description of well-known functions and constructions that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted. In other words, it should be noted that only parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, and descriptions of other parts will be omitted so as not to disturb the gist of the present invention.

The present invention proposes an app service method and system for providing all applications and / or content (hereinafter, referred to as App) that can be used in a user device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, by classifying various apps into more detailed categories and providing a screen interface for apps classified by various categories, a user can find an app that is suitable for them more quickly and easily. Particularly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the app choice server crawls for various apps registered in the AppStore (or market), and classifies the crawled apps by category. Can be registered in the database (DB, Database) of the app choice server. In the present invention, crawling may represent a technique of collecting a myriad of apps that are distributed and stored in an app store server and including them as categories of a search target. In addition, the user accesses the App Choice server, not the App Store server, by using a user device to check app information on apps classified by category, and when the user wants to download the app, the App Store server that supplies (sells) the app. You can automatically connect to download and install the app.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the system and its operation control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings. It is to be noted that the configuration of the system and the operation control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention are not limited or limited to the contents described below, and thus may be applied to various embodiments based on the following embodiments.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration for supporting an app service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system of the present invention includes a user device 100, an app choice server 200, and an app store server 300.

The user device 100 may access the app choice server 200 to perform app searches for each category, and may download and access the app store server 300 for the found app. The user device 100 may access an app choice server 200 and install an app that can use an app recommendation service. The user device 100 may access the app choice server 200 when the user executes the app. In addition, the user device 100 may display a user interface (UI) for a list of apps for each category transmitted by the app choice server 200. The user device 100 may download and install the specific app by accessing an app store server 200 that supplies the specific app when the user selects a download of the specific app among the apps.

The user device 100 of the present invention, like all information communication devices, multimedia devices, and application devices that support the functions of the present invention, uses an AP (Application Processor), a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), and a Central Processing Unit (CPU). It can include any device you use. For example, the user device 100 may include a tablet PC, a smart phone, a mobile communication terminal that operates based on communication protocols corresponding to various communication systems. Devices such as phones, digital cameras, portable multimedia players (PMPs), media players, portable game terminals, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In addition, the function control method of the present invention can be applied to various display devices such as a digital TV, a digital signage (DS), and a large format display (LFD).

The app choice server 200 may crawl an app registered in the app store server 300, classify the crawled app by category, and register it in its database. The app choice server 200 periodically checks the app registered in the app store server 300, checks the category corresponding to the newly updated app category table, and registers the app in the corresponding category. If there is no category classified for the newly updated app, a new category corresponding to the app is created, and the app is registered in the generated category. As the app selection server 200 continues to add the app as described above, the number of categories (eg, occupation, job, hobby) increases, and the number of apps classified into the corresponding category increases. The app choice server 200 determines a category (eg, occupation, job, hobby) that the app corresponds to by using a keyword from information such as title, description, and tag of the app. After extraction, it may be checked by referring to a category table whether a category corresponding to the keyword exists.

An example of the category table may be shown in Table 1 below. As shown in Table 1, the category table may include a higher category, a lower category, and a keyword. For example, occupations (hobbies) may be classified into the upper categories, occupations (detailed hobbies) in which the upper categories are subdivided into sub categories, and related keywords for the lower categories may be set. The categories such as <Table 1> to <Table 3> are merely to illustrate specific examples in order to easily explain the present invention and to help the understanding of the present invention, the categories and keywords shown in the <Table 1> to <Table 3> It may be variously implemented to have more elements or fewer elements.

The app store server 300 represents a server capable of registering and supplying (selling) an app, and may include one or more. The app store server 300 is based on the app choice server 200 and the Open Application Programmer Interface (API) based on metadata such as apps, app information, user information, sales information, evaluation information, and link information. You can allow crawling. The app store server 300 may push to the app choice server 200 that there is a newly updated app in which a new app can be registered.

2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of providing an app service to a user device 100 in a system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the user device 100 may execute a connection application in response to a user request (step 201), and access the app choice server 200 to request a category list (step 203). The connection application may indicate an app for an app recommendation service that can access information on apps classified by category by accessing the app choice server 200 from the user device 100, and downloaded from the app store server 300. Can be installed. The category list indicates a list of categories for apps sorted by predefined categories and sorted by various categories as described above with reference to the tables. The category list may be displayed based on a user interface provided by the app choice server 200. Can be.

When the category list request is received from the user device 100, the app choice server 200 may collect apps for each category, and transmit the category list to the user device 100 (step 205).

When the category list is received from the app choice server 200, the user device 100 displays the received category list and receives a category selection from the category list (207). If a category is selected, the user device 100 may request an app list server 200 for an app list of apps in the selected category (step 209).

The app choice server 200 may determine the selected category when an app list request for the apps in the selected category is received from the user device 100 (step 211). In addition, the app choice server 200 may collect apps in the determined category and transmit the app list corresponding thereto to the user device 100 (step 213).

When the app list is received from the app choice server 200, the user device 100 displays the received app list and receives an app selection from the app list (215). When the app is selected, the user device 100 may request the app choice server 200 for detailed information about the selected app (step 217).

The app choice server 200 may extract detailed information about the selected app when the request for detailed information about the selected app is received from the user device 100, and transmit the extracted detailed information to the user device 100 (219). step).

The user device 100 may display the received detailed information when the detailed information about the selected app is received from the app choice server 200 (operation 221). In addition, when a download selection for the selected app is input (step 223), the user device 100 may access the app store server 300 linked to the selected app and request the download of the app (step 225). ). When the user device 100 is requested to download an app by user selection, the access information of the app store server 300 linked to the app (for example, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the app store server 300), Internet Protocol (IP) address, etc.), and automatically connects to the App Store server 300 using the extracted access information. When the user device 100 connects to the app store server 300, the user device 100 may transmit the app information of the selected app from the user and request a download of the app.

The app store server 300 may identify the app based on the app information transmitted from the user device 100 (step 227), and transmit a download page for the identified app to the user device 100 (step 229). . The download page may include information for consent and download of the app and payment when the app is paid.

When the download page is received from the app store server 300, the user device 100 displays the received download page and receives consent and download selection from the download page (231). If the user device 100 selects consent and download, the user device 100 may request the app store server 300 to download the app (step 233).

The app store server 300 may transmit the app to the user device 100 when a download of the app is requested from the user device 300 (step 235). Then, the user device 100 may install an app downloaded from the app store server 300 (step 237).

Meanwhile, in FIG. 2, the app choice server 200 provides detailed information of the app corresponding to the user selection, but when the user selects the app, the app store server 300 connects to the app store server. In operation 300, the detailed information of the app may be provided.

3 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of categorizing and configuring a category by an app choice server 200 in association with an app store server 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the app choice server 200 connects to the app store server 300 according to an administrator's request or a set cycle to crawl the category based on the apps registered in the app store server 300. It may initiate (step 301). That is, the app choice server 200 is connected to the app store server 300, such as an app registered in the app store server 300, app information about the app, user information, sales information, evaluation information, and link information. Obtain metadata. The app choice server 200 may extract a keyword for the app from the obtained metadata (step 303). In particular, the app choice server 200 may extract a keyword for category classification from the title, description, tag, etc. of the app recorded in the app information.

The app choice server 200 may inquire whether a category corresponding to the extracted keyword exists in the database 570 of the app choice server 200 (step 305). That is, the app choice server 200 may check whether the category having the extracted keyword exists in the database 570 by referring to the category table as described above.

When the app choice server 200 confirms the existence of a category corresponding to the extracted keyword in a category in the database 570 through a category table, the app choice server 200 may add metadata for the app to the corresponding category (307). step).

When the app choice server 200 confirms the absence of the category corresponding to the extracted keyword in the category in the database 570 through the category table, the app choice server 200 may request the manager system 580 to generate a category corresponding to the keyword (see FIG. Step 309).

The manager system 580 may alert the manager when a category generation request is received from the app choice server 200 (step 311). For example, the manager system 580 may output a popup or the like for notifying to generate a category for a new keyword through an output device included in the manager system 580. The manager system 580 may generate a new category corresponding to the keyword according to the input of the manager (step 313), and additionally configure the new category in the database 570 (step 315). In operation 317, the manager system 580 may add metadata about an app corresponding to the keyword to the additionally configured category.

Meanwhile, although FIG. 3 illustrates an example of generating a category member corresponding to the extracted keyword, that is, additionally generated by an administrator when it does not exist, the app choice server 200 may be appropriate to correspond to the keyword when the category is absent. You can also create categories automatically to update the category table and categories.

4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a user device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the user device 100 of the present invention includes a wireless communication unit 410, a user input unit 420, a display unit 430, an audio processor 440, a storage unit 450, and an interface unit 460. , A controller 470, and a power supply 480. The user device 100 of the present invention may be implemented by having more components than those shown in FIG. 4 or having fewer components.

The wireless communication unit 410 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the user device 100 and a wireless communication system or between a network in which the user device 100 and another user device (not shown) are located. . For example, the wireless communication unit 410 may include a mobile communication module 411, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 413, a short range communication module 415, a location calculation module 417, and a broadcast receiving module. 419 and the like.

The mobile communication module 411 transmits and receives a wireless signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server (app choice server 200, app store server 300) on a mobile communication network (not shown). It may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call signal, or a text / multimedia message In particular, the mobile communication module 411 performs communication related to operation of a function for an app service of the present invention. For example, the mobile communication module 411 may support data transmission and reception for supporting the app choice server 200 and the app recommendation service for each category, and data transmission and reception for supporting the app download with the app store server 300. have.

The wireless LAN module 413 represents a module for establishing a wireless Internet link and a wireless LAN link with another user device, and may be embedded or external to the user device 100. Wi-Fi, Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies. In particular, the WLAN module 413 performs communication related to the operation of the function for the app service of the present invention. For example, the WLAN module 413 may support data transmission and reception for supporting the app choice server 200 and app recommendation services for each category, and data transmission and reception for supporting the app download with the app store server 300. .

The short range communication module 415 represents a module for short range communication. Short range communication technologies include Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and Near Field Communication (NFC). This can be used.

The position calculation module 417 is a module for acquiring a position of the user device 100, and a representative example is a global position system (GPS) module. The position calculating module 417 calculates distance information and accurate time information away from three or more base stations, and then applies trigonometric methods to the calculated information to calculate three-dimensional current position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude. Can be. Alternatively, the location calculation module 417 may calculate location information by continuously receiving the current location of the user device 100 in real time from three or more satellites. The location information of the user device 100 may be obtained by various methods.

The broadcast receiving module 419 may transmit a broadcast signal (eg, TV broadcast signal, radio broadcast signal, data broadcast signal, etc.) and / or the broadcast from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel (eg, satellite channel, terrestrial channel, etc.). Information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program or a broadcast service provider, and the like.

The user input unit 420 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the user device 100. The user input unit 420 may include a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The display unit 430 displays (outputs) information processed by the user device 100. For example, when the user device 100 is in a call mode, a user interface related to a call is displayed. In addition, when the user device 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the display unit 430 displays a photographed and / or received image or a user interface. In particular, the display unit 430 outputs a user interface such as a category list, an app list, a download page, and the like related to an app service operation for recommending apps for each category. The screen configuration of the display unit 430 and the screen example thereof used in the present invention will be described later.

The display unit 430 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), The display device may include at least one of an active OLED (AMOLED, Active Matrix OLED), a flexible display, a bent display, and a 3D display. Some of these displays may be implemented as a transparent display configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that the outside can see.

According to the present invention, when the display unit 430 and the touch panel sensing a touch operation form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, referred to as a touch screen), the display unit 430 may be an input device other than an output device. May also be used.

The touch panel may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 430 or capacitance generated at a specific portion of the display unit 430 into an electrical input signal. The touch panel can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch. If there is a touch input to the touch panel, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller (not shown). The touch controller (not shown) processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 470. As a result, the controller 470 may determine which area of the display unit 430 is touched.

The audio processor 440 transmits an audio signal input from the controller 470 to the speaker 441, and transmits an audio signal such as a voice received from the microphone 443 to the controller 470. The audio processor 440 converts the audio / sound data into an audible sound through the speaker 341 under the control of the controller 470, and converts an audio signal such as a voice received from the microphone 443 into a digital signal to control the audio / sound data. 470.

The speaker 441 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 410 or stored in the storage unit 450 in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast receiving mode, and the like. The speaker 441 may output a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, a music file playback, etc.) performed by the user device 100.

The microphone 443 receives an external sound signal in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 411 and output in the call mode. The microphone 443 may be implemented with various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The storage unit 450 may store a program for processing and controlling the controller 470, and temporarily stores input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, an audio, a still image, an e-book, a video, etc.). You can also perform a function for storage. The storage 450 may also store frequency of use (eg, application usage frequency, phone number, message, usage frequency for multimedia, etc.) and importance according to the operation of the user device 100. The storage unit 450 may store data regarding vibrations and sounds of various patterns that are output when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The storage unit 450 may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a micro type, and a card type memory (eg, SD or XD memory) and RAM. , Random Access Memory (SRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Magnetic Memory (MRAM, Magnetic) And a storage medium of at least one type of RAM, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk type of memory. The user device 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the storage unit 450 on the Internet.

The interface unit 460 serves as a path to all external devices connected to the user device 100. The interface unit 460 receives data from an external device, receives power, transfers the power to each component inside the user device 100, or transmits data within the user device 100 to an external device. For example, wired / wireless headset ports, external charger ports, wired / wireless data ports, memory card ports, ports for connecting devices with identification modules, audio input / output ports, video input / output ports The earphone port may be included in the interface unit 460.

The controller 470 controls the overall operation of the user device 100. For example, it performs related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, app searches, and the like. The controller 470 may include a multimedia module for playing multimedia. The multimedia module may be implemented in the controller 470 or may be implemented separately from the controller 470.

In particular, the controller 470 is responsible for the overall control for the operation of the function associated with the app search-based app service using the app list for each category of the present invention. That is, the controller 470 supports the app search based on the app choice server 200, and a series related to the download and installation based on the app store server 300 for the app searched through the app choice server 200. Can control the operation of. For example, the controller 470 may access the app choice server 200 in response to executing the connected application. When the controller 470 is connected to the app choice server 200, the controller 470 acquires it from the app choice server 200 and controls the screen display thereof. The controller 470 may control a series of procedures for downloading and installing the app according to the user's selection in the app list for each category. The detailed control operation of the control unit 470 will be described in the operation example of the user device and the control method thereof with reference to the drawings described below.

The power supply unit 480 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 470 to supply power for operation of each component.

5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an app choice server 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the app choice server 200 of the present invention includes a communication unit 510, a crawling processor 520, a keyword extractor 530, a category manager 540, an update manager 550, and a user interface unit. 560, database 570, and administrator system 580. The app choice server 200 of the present invention may be implemented by having more components than those shown in FIG. 5 or fewer components.

The communication unit 510 performs data communication with the user device 100 and the app store server 300. The communication unit 510 may support data communication through the wireless communication method with the user device 100, and support data communication through the wireless communication or the wire communication method with the app store server 300. That is, the communication unit 510 may include one or more modules that enable communication between the app choice server 200 and the user device 100 or the app choice server 200 and the app store server 300.

The crawl processing unit 520 is an app store server 300 through the communication unit 510 according to a set crawl period, an administrator request using the manager system 580, or a push for a newly updated app of the app store server 300. And the crawl process for the apps registered in the app store server 300. The crawling processor 520 may process a series of processes of collecting a myriad of apps stored in the app store server 300 in a category of a search target.

The app store server can provide the efficiency of maintenance of the app that is changed from time to time through the crawl of the app store server according to the administrator request, the set crawl period, and the push of the newly updated app from the app store server.

The keyword extractor 530 may extract a keyword for category classification from the title, description, tag, etc. of the app recorded in the app information of the app collected by the crawl processor 520 through crawling.

The category manager 540 may process category inquiry corresponding to the keyword extracted by the keyword extractor 530, addition of a category requested by the manager system 580, and the like.

The update manager 550 may process an update in the database 570 based on the app or app information collected by the crawl processor 520 through crawling. The update manager 550 may be integrated with the category manager 540 and implemented as a single configuration.

The user interface unit 560 provides a user interface for searching for and searching an actual app on the user device 100. The user interface unit 560 may provide a user interface in various forms according to the platform of the user device 100.

The database 570 may record a category table, an app list for each category (category list, app list), metadata about apps, and the like.

The manager system 580 notifies generation of a category for a new app, and generates a category in response to the input of an administrator and further configures the category in the database 570. The manager system 580 may be implemented in the app choice server 200 or separately implemented in a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the user device 100.

On the other hand, the illustration and description thereof are omitted in FIG. 5, the app choice server 200 or the manager system 580 is to retrieve the app obtained by crawling, crawling for apps registered in the app store server 300 It may be configured to include a control unit for controlling a series of functions of the present invention to classify into a predefined category to form a category-specific app list accordingly.

In addition, the various embodiments described in the present invention may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or a similar device by using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described in the present invention may be applied to various types of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) ), A processor, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and an electrical unit for carrying out other functions. In some cases, the embodiments described herein may be implemented by the processor itself. According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the app choice server 200 updating a database 570 and classifying categories according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the app choice server 200 starts crawling according to a set cycle or an administrator's request (step 601). For example, the app choice server 200 may access the app store server 300 and start crawling the newly updated app on the app store server 300. Alternatively, the app choice server 200 may periodically check an app registered in the app store server 300 to start crawling the app when a newly updated app is confirmed. The app choice server 200 may collect metadata of all the apps by crawling all the apps registered in the app store server 300 when crawling with the app store server 300 for the first time. Afterwards, crawling may be performed only for newly updated apps, such as adding an app to the app store server 300, changing app information, and deleting an app.

The app choice server 200 determines whether the app acquired through the crawl is an app registered in the database 580 (step 603). For example, the app choice server 200 may compare the acquired app metadata with metadata of the apps registered in the database 580 and analyze whether there is a corresponding app.

If there is a registered app (YES in step 603), the app choice server 200 may update the metadata of the registered app by replacing the acquired app with the obtained app (step 605). On the other hand, if there is no registered app (NO in step 603), the app choice server 200 may extract a keyword from the metadata of the app (step 607). For example, the app choice server 200 may extract a keyword for category classification from the title, description, tag, etc. of the app recorded in the app information. In this case, when the plurality of keywords are extracted, the app choice server 200 may determine a keyword having a high priority among the extracted keywords as the final keyword.

The app choice server 200 may determine whether a category corresponding to the extracted keyword exists in operation 609. For example, the app choice server 200 may search for a category classified by the keyword by referring to a category table of the database 570.

In the absence of a category corresponding to the extracted keyword (NO in step 609), the app choice server 200 may generate and configure a new category corresponding to the keyword (step 611). For example, the app choice server 200 may notify a manager of generating a category for a new keyword, and generate a category corresponding to the manager input to configure a new category. Alternatively, the app choice server 200 may automatically configure a category for a new keyword corresponding to the keyword. The app choice server 200 may update the category table by adding a new keyword and a category to the category table when constructing a new category for the extracted keyword (step 613).

If the category for the extracted keyword exists (YES in step 609) or a new category is configured, the app choice server 200 may register the app in the corresponding category (step 615). For example, the app choice server 200 may update the list of apps by category by adding metadata of a new app obtained through crawling into a category classified according to the app.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the category search may be performed several times according to the priority of the keyword. For example, in step 607, three keywords such as A, B, and C may be extracted, and the priority may be A> B> C. Accordingly, the app choice server 200 may first determine whether a category corresponding to the A keyword exists in step 609. If there is no category corresponding to the A keyword, the app choice server 200 may determine whether a category corresponding to the next B keyword is present. Similarly, when there is no category for the B keyword, it may be determined whether there is a category corresponding to the final C keyword. If a category for all keywords A, B, and C is absent, the new category may be added as in step 611. Such an operation method may be implemented in various ways according to the administrator setting.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an app service by the user device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, the user device 100 may execute a connection application (step 701) and access the app choice server 200 (step 703). For example, a user may execute a connection application for using an app service on the user device 100. Then, the user device 100 may execute the connection application and request the app list for each category by accessing the app choice server 200 through wireless communication.

As the user device 100 is connected to the app choice server 200 by executing the connected application, the user device 100 receives the app list for each category from the app choice server 200 (operation 705). In operation 707, the user device 100 displays the received app list for each category on the screen.

If a user selection for an app of a specific category is input in the app list for each category (step 709), the user device 100 displays detailed information about the selected app on the screen (step 711). The user may select a category and / or an app from the category-specific app list using the user input unit 420. Then, the user device 100 may obtain detailed information about the selected app from the app choice server 200 and display the obtained detailed information on the screen.

If a user selection for an app corresponding to the detailed information is input (step 713), the user device 100 may access an app store server 300 corresponding to a link of the selected app (step 715). For example, when the user device 100 inputs a user selection requesting the download of an app, access information of the app store server 300 linked to the app (eg, a URL and an IP address of the app store server 300) is input. Etc.), and may be connected to the app store server 300 using the extracted access information.

When the user device 300 accesses the app store server 300 linked to the app, the user device 300 obtains a download page corresponding to the app from the app store server 300 (step 717). In operation 719, the user device 100 displays the obtained download page on the screen.

The user device 300 may download and install the app from the app store server 300 (step 723) when the user agrees to the app and a user selection for downloading is input on the download page (step 721).

8 and 9 illustrate examples of an operation screen of the user device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment.

8 and 9, FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a screen of a user device 100 when a user displays a list of apps for each category received from the app choice server 200 by executing a connection application. will be. That is, the user executes the connection application, the user device 100 connects to the app choice server 200 in response to the execution of the connection application, and the category-specific app list received from the app choice server 200 through the user interface. It may be displaying.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the user device 100 displays a category-specific app list (category list provided as a main screen) received from the app choice server 200. The category-specific app list includes a plurality of category views 810, 820, 830, and 840 classified according to a preset category. In the present invention, four category views 810, 820, 830, and 840 are provided on one screen, which is implemented in various forms such as 2, 3, 4, 8, etc. according to the administrator setting. Can be. In the present invention, when a category of various apps is classified into a total of 16 categories, other category views (not shown) may be displayed on the screen through page switching. That is, the user may check the page (eg, four pages) including the category views with reference to the page view 870.

Each of the category views 810, 820, 830, and 840 may be divided into a category area 850 and an app area 860. The category area 850 may include a higher category (eg, occupation) to which a category view belongs, a sub-category (eg, a subdivided occupation) included in the higher category, an image for identifying the upper category, and the like. The app area 860 is provided with app information related to an app that is randomly extracted according to a set number of various apps belonging to a higher category, a predefined app, an app corresponding to a frequency of user use, and the like.

When the category area 850 of any one category view (eg, the education category view 810) is selected in the category-specific app list (especially, the category list), the user device 100 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 9. . That is, the category list of the user device 100 illustrated in FIG. 8 is switched as shown in FIG. 9 according to the category selection input of the user.

As shown in FIG. 9, the user device 100 displays a category-specific app list (particularly, an app list) for apps of a category selected from a category list. The category-specific app list includes a sub category area 910 and a sub category app area 930. The sub category area 910 is provided with a list of sub-categories (eg, occupations) that are subordinate to a higher category (eg, occupation) according to a user selection. The app area 930 for each sub category is provided by classifying all the apps classified into the upper category into each sub category.

When the specific app is selected while the list for each category is displayed as shown in FIG. 8 or 9, the user device 100 displays a screen of detailed information about the selected app. That is, the app list for each category of the user device 100 illustrated in FIG. 8 or 9 is switched to a screen in which detailed information about the selected app is provided according to the user's app selection input. The screen of the detailed information may be configured in the app choice server 200 based on metadata acquired from the app store server 300, and the detailed information screen of the apps may be implemented in various screen interfaces.

The embodiments of the present invention as described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include a program command, a data file, a data structure, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the recording medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or may be known and available to those skilled in computer software.

The computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) A magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk, and a program command such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; a &lt; / RTI &gt; The program instructions also include high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like, as well as machine code as produced by the compiler. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention, all changes or modifications derived from the technical idea of the present invention.

100: user device 200: app choice server
300: App Store Server
410: wireless communication unit 420: user input unit
430: display unit 440: audio processing unit
450: storage unit 460: interface unit
470:
510: communication unit 520: crawl processing unit
530: keyword extraction unit 540: category management unit
550: update management unit 560: user interface unit
570: Database 580: Administrator System

Claims (13)

In the method of providing an app service,
The app choice server initiating crawling for the app registered in the app store server;
Extracting keywords related to the crawled app;
Identifying a category classified according to the keyword; And
App service providing method comprising the step of registering the app in the category. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking
And generating a category corresponding to the keyword when the category classified according to the keyword does not exist. 3. The method of claim 2,
App service providing method further comprises the step of registering the app in the generated category. 3. The method of claim 2,
The method may further include determining whether the app acquired through the crawl is an app registered in a database.
If the crawled app is an app registered in advance in the app choice server, App service providing method further comprising the step of updating the information about the app. The method of claim 2, wherein the keyword extraction is
App service providing method characterized in that the extraction from the metadata of the app. The method of claim 2, wherein the checking
And determining a presence of a category classified as the keyword in the category table by referring to a predefined category table. In the method of providing an app service,
The user device executing a connection application and accessing an app choice server to obtain a list of apps for each category;
Displaying a list of acquired apps for each category;
Receiving a download request of an app according to user selection from the app list for each category;
Accessing an app store server that supplies the app; And
App service providing method comprising the step of downloading and installing the app from the app store server. In the method of providing an app service,
Comprising an app choice server in conjunction with the App Store server to build a list of apps by category through crawling (crawling) for the apps in the App Store server;
A user device accessing the app choice server through a connection application;
Obtaining and displaying the app list for each category from the app choice server by the user device;
Receiving an input for selecting one app from the app list for each category;
Obtaining and displaying detailed information about the selected app from the app choice server;
Receiving a download request of an app corresponding to the detailed information;
Accessing an app store server that supplies the app based on metadata of the app;
Obtaining and displaying a download page for the app from the app store server; And
App service providing method comprising the step of downloading and installing the app from the app store server. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuring process
The app choice server initiating crawling for an app registered in an app store server;
Determining whether the app acquired through the crawl is an app registered in a database;
Updating information about the app if the crawled app is an app pre-registered in an app choice server;
Extracting a keyword associated with the app from metadata of the app if the crawled app is not an app registered in an app choice server;
Determining whether a category classified as the keyword exists in the category table by referring to a predefined category table;
Generating a category corresponding to the keyword and registering the app in the generated category when there is no category classified according to the keyword;
And registering the app in the category when there is a category classified according to the keyword. A storage unit in which at least one program is stored; And
And a controller configured to execute the at least one program to control crawling of an app store server and a list of apps for each category.
The app choice server initiating crawling for the app registered in the app store server;
Extracting keywords related to the crawled app;
Identifying a category classified according to the keyword; And
App choice server comprising instructions for executing the process of registering the app in the category. The method of claim 10, wherein the app choice server
A communication unit configured to perform data communication with a user device and an app store server;
A crawling processor configured to process crawling for apps registered in the app store server according to a set crawl period, an administrator request, or an push of an app store server;
A keyword extraction unit for extracting a keyword for category classification from the title, description, and tag of the app recorded in the app information of the app collected through the crawling;
A category manager configured to process category inquiry corresponding to the extracted keyword and addition of a category requested to a manager system;
An update manager configured to process an update in a database based on the app or app information collected through the crawl;
A user interface unit providing a user interface for searching and searching for an app on a user device;
The database for recording a category table, a list of apps by category, and metadata about an app; And
And an administrator system for notifying category generation for a new app, and generating a category in response to an administrator input and adding the category to the database. A storage unit in which at least one program is stored; And
And a controller configured to execute the at least one program to control an app choice server based app search.
Wherein the at least one program comprises:
The user device executing a connection application and accessing an app choice server to obtain a list of apps for each category;
Displaying a list of acquired apps for each category;
Receiving a download request of an app according to user selection from the app list for each category;
Accessing an app store server that supplies the app; And
And instructions for executing a process of downloading and installing the app from the app store server. The app obtained by crawling the apps in the app store server is classified into a predefined category to form a list of apps according to the category, and based on the metadata of the app selected from the list of apps by category. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program that accesses an app store server and downloads the app.

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