WO2003001410A1

WO2003001410A1 - Search site controlling system using bingo game and method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2003001410A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/001208
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chang-Suhn Baeg
Original assignee: Chang-Suhn Baeg
Priority date: 2001-06-26
Filing date: 2002-06-25
Publication date: 2003-01-03
Also published as: KR20030048017A

Abstract

A search engine website controlling system and method using a bingo game is provided. The system using a bingo game includes multipleuser's computers, a data search server, for searching data from multiple data servers which provide information, classifying the search data by category, and storing the classified result in a search database, a bingo game provider server which provides multiple bingo data for forming a bingo board by category of the data stored in the search database to user's computers, to thereby enable users to play a bingo game, and a search engine website which receives a search result searched upon user's search request from the search server, and receives the bingo data matching the category of the search result, to then provide the received search result and bingo data to the corresponding user's computer.

Description

SEARCH SITE CONTROLLING SYSTEM USING BINGO GAME AND

METHOD THEREOF

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a search engine website controlling system using a bingo game and a method thereof, and ore particularly, to a search engine website controlling system using a bingo game and a method thereof, in which a bingo game relevant to a searched result is provided at the time of searching informationvia a search engine website, thereby enhancing a profit by lengthening a page view time of the search engine website, and providing a learning function through the bingo game.

Background Art

In general, search engine websites on the Internet are provided as portal websites, which play important roles of heightening a frequency of use of the Internet and which also become the points of departure in the Internet business .

Thus, most of the Internet websites are associated with search engines or assume the character of portal websites.

However, many users use the search engine websites very often but do not stay long in the websites which provide the search engine websites. Thus, most of the search engine websites cooperate with various contents providers in order to lengthen a stay time to thereby pursue a common profit. However, the search engine sites are lower than specialized search engine websites in view of their practical use and accordingly do not greatly contribute profits to hub portal websites.

Meanwhile, it is natural to heighten a searching efficiency by intensifying a search function. However, the reasons of having general Internet users visit search engine websites are not because the Internet users understand well performances of the search functions possessed by the search engine websites, but because the Internet users rely upon publicity or fame of the search engine websites.

In addition, most of the contents providers cooperated with each of the conventional search engine portal websites have no relation with the search functions directly, or are associated with any one field of items.

Thus, when a user intends to enter an affiliated website, he or she enters may enter a cooperative website on a homepage of the search engine websites without using a search function, in order to find his or her desired contents.

If users wish to find some contents, even though they may enter contents providers which are enumerated on the homepage of the search engine websites, they find the contents providers via a search window to then enter the found contents providers .

However, since only contents cooperated with the website are not necessarily searched, it may not be efficient for the search engine website to cooperate with the contents providers .

Further, in order to lengthen a page view time on the homepage at maximum, the search engine website is changed from a method of linking with respect to a conventional search function, to a method of extracting a corresponding search result and displaying the extracted search result onto the search engine website, so that users review the extracted and summarized search result and then move to the homepage of the selected search result.

For example, it may be assumed that a homepage operating in a prices comparison website compares prices of a certain product with one another over a plurality of shopping malls and analyzes the comparison result. In the case that a user performs a search over predetermined areas on a main screen, the item and prices for the selected field at the shopping malls are converted into a list to then be displayed on a screen. When any one item is selected from the list, the summarized information for the selected item is displayed. The displayed summarized information includes product information, price information, shopping mall information, etc. , with! respect to a corresponding product. In the case that a user clicks on the corresponding shopping mall, he or she can move to the corresponding shopping mall on the Internet in order to buy the corresponding product.

In other words, if a main board among computer parts is selected on an initial main screen, a webpage is displayed wheremakers, model information, specification information, lowest price information, shopping mall information presenting the minimum price, time information available on the market, etc., with respect to the main board are enumerated. Also, if a user selects any one product , recent price variation information, shopping mall information presenting amini umprice, product description information, etc., with respect to the corresponding product, is displayed. A website providing information concerning records or discs operates as follows.

First, a user can search an artist or a record through a search field in the record information website which is connected by a web-browser, or select a well-known artist or record displayed on a main page, in order to obtain record information. By doing so, information on a corresponding artist is displayed. In this case, the web-browser may be connected to a shopping mall website sothatauser who desires to purchase a record of a corresponding artist can search media such as books containing information on a corresponding record or disc, in more detail.

The above-described search engine website, portal website or specialized website providing contents information on a particular field does not show only search result primarily as user's desired information as in the conventional method, but provides scripts information to the user with great satisfaction. Accordingly, a page view time in the search engine website, portal website or specialized website providing contents information is lengthened, and simultaneously the current webpage is linked to a corresponding website as soon as the user enters into the finally desired information, or when the user enters into a purchasing stage in the case of shopping information.

However, since search engine websites or portal websites are not websites which create or provide information, they are limited to provide users' finally desired information to users. Also, a method of lengthening a page view time at maximum need to be studied in various ways .

Disclosure of the Invention

To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a search "engine website controlling system and method in which a contents provider website as well as a search result are displayed additionally when a search is performed by way of a search engine website, to thereby extend a time during which a user stays in the search engine website, that is, a page view time, at maximum, so as to enhance a running efficiency of the search engine website .

It is another object of the present invention to provide a search engine website controlling system and method for extending a user's staying time in a corresponding website and providing useful contents to induce users to visit the corresponding website later on, to accordingly increase a profit of the website, by use of an on-line bingo game including information of a field belonging to a category of a search result in response to a user's search request in a search engine website or portal website.

To accomplish the above obj ect of the present invention, there is provided a search engine website controlling system using a bingo game, comprising: a plurality of user's computers which are connected on the Internet; a data search server connected on the Internet, for searching data from a plurality of data servers which provide information, classifying the search data by category, and storing the classified result in a search database; a bingo game provider server which provides a plurality of bingo data for forming a bingo board by category of the data stored in the search database to the user's computers, to thereby enable users to play a bingo game; and a search engine website which receives a search result searched upon a search request of each of the user's computers from the search server, and receives the bingo data matching the category of the search result from the bingo game provider server, to then provide the received search result andbingo data to the corresponding user's computer.

The bingo data forming the bingo board is comprised of at least one selected from character data, graphic data and sound data. The plurality of bingo data forming the bingo board can be used as keywords for searching information on each bingo data.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a search engine website controlling method using a bingo game, comprising the steps of: (a) classifying, by category, a plurality of bingo data forming a bingo board allowing a user to play a bingo game; (b) displaying a search result on a user's computer, which is obtained by searching information requested by a user's computer connected on the Internet; (c) displaying a bingo board comprised of the plurality of bingo data belonging to the category of the search result on the user's computer ; and (d) enabling a user to play a bingo game through the bingo board.

The plurality of bingo data forming the bingo board can be used as keywords for searching information on each bingo data. The bingo data displayed in the bingo board is linked to relevant information for describing the bingo data .

The step (b) further comprises the step of displaying a bingo game execution link for allowing the user to play the bingo game according to the search result, together with the search result. '

The step (d) further comprises the step of performing a compensation process according to a bingo game result. As described above, the search engine website controlling system and method according to the present invention displays a search result and a bingo game which is relevant with the search result when a user requests for a search after visiting a search engine website on the Internet, to thereby extend a user's staying time during which the user stays in the search engine website at maximum, to enhance a running efficiency of the search engine website and contents provider websites, and to enhance a learning efficiency through the bingo game.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments thereof in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of a search engine website controlling system using a bingo game according to the present invention;

FIG.2 is a flowchart view for explaining a search engine website controlling method using a bingo game according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a search engine website selected for describing the search engine website controlling systemusing a bingo game according to the present invention; and FIG. 4 shows an example of a bingo board applied to the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

Hereinbelow, a search engine website controlling system and method using a bingo game will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A search engine website should perform a search well and also essentially extend a stay time of users in order to play a role of a portal website and pursue a profit. For this purpose, when a particular item is searched in a search engine website, the present invention displays a search result and displays a link linking a contents provider website providing contents closely relevant with the search result, together with the search result.

Also, a general link plays a role of discriminating a user who needs a website "B" among the users staying in a website "A" and handing over the user from the website "A" to the website "B", in the case that a link is accomplished from the website "A" being a search engine website to the searched website "B." However, the present invention is characterized in that a user staying in a website "A" selects his or her desired field in a website "B", to thereby lengthen a user's staying time in the website "A."

Still also, other existing functions devised in order to extend an occupation time in a website are applied to all users in the website with the same functions in the same manner. However, the present invention searches a field which can be classified with a database in a website and provides respectively different data, to thereby allow a user to use the website in a more close relationship with a user's request.

In doing so, although a link displayed together with a general search result is linked to a number of respectively different websites in the prior art, the same website having a single database is linked in the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of a search engine website controlling system using a bingo game according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of users 40 denoted by Ul through Un are connected via the Internet around a search engine website 50. The search engine website 40 is connected by a data search server 52 which provides a search result matching a user's search request.

The data search server 52 searches a number of data provided via the Internet from a number of data servers 42 denoted by Dl through Dn, classifies the searched data by category and stores the classified result in a search database 54. Then, the search server 52 extracts a search result matching a user's search request and provides the extracted result to a user.

Meanwhile, the search engine website 40 is connected by a contents search server 56 which performs a contents search. The contents search server 56 searches a variety of contents provided from a number of contents servers 44 denoted by Cl through Cn, classifies the searched contents by category and stores the classified result in a contents database 58.

The system configured as described above provides relevant contents together with the search result to the user, through the procedure illustrated in FIG.2. Then, the search server 52 extracts a search result matching a user's search request and provides the extracted result to a user.

The search engine website 50 using a web-browser 60 performs a search typically through either a keyword search method SI or a menu search method S2 using a menu classified by category.

When a search is requested for by a user, a search result performed in the data search database 54 via the data search server 52 is transferred to the web-browser 60 in the user's computer 40 via the search engine website 50, and is divided and displayed into a category search result 64 representing a search result by category and a website search result 66 representing web-documents by website (S3).

Also, when the search result is displayed, a contents search icon 68 which is called a bingo game icon for allowing a user to search relevant contents additionally according to the search result , as shown in FIG .3, is displayed together with the search result.

If the icon 68 is clicked (S4), the contents corresponding to the category of the search result are searched and then searched contents are displayed together with the search result (S5) . However, if a user intends to perform a search continuously without using any contents providers, a search function is continuously provided (S6) .

If a search of contents is performed in step S5, the searched result and searched contents are displayed (S7) and the searched contents are loaded and executed on the user computer 50 (S8 and S9) .

An execution of the contents can be repeated or terminated according to a user selection (Sll) , and a point or compensation can be given according to a use of contents in order to induce a user's persistent use of contents (S12) . Also, other items can be re-searched before the contents are repeatedly executed (S10) .

A bingo game is selected and described as contents for explaining the present invention having the above-described structure .

In a bingo game, a plurality of participants are collected at a certain place, under the guidance of a master of the bingo game . Each participant makes a sheet of a ticket having twenty-five blanks in whole, in which five columns and five rows cross with each other, and fills in respective blanks with a number from one to twenty-five at random. Then, the master calls a playing card according to his or her predetermined order, and each participant marks in the blank which has the same number as the master's playing card in the bingo board repeatedly . Finally, when aparticipant whose bingo board forms one of predetermined bingo patterns calls out "Bingo," the bingo game is terminated or the ranks of the game participants are determined according to the pattern formed in the bingo board of each participant .

Such a bingo game is a typical off-line game which is played in a predetermined place, but can be recently played on an on-line through the Internet.

That is, a user can download a bingo board whose blanks are filled at random by a game server on the Internet, or fill the blanks in a bingo board with his or her desired pattern. Then, the blanks in each bingo board are marked according to an order which is determined by the game server which plays a role of the master of the bingo game. As described above, if the marked pattern in the bingo board is one of the predetermined patterns, the user can call out "Bingo."

The bingo game proceeding on the on-line is configured to have a user select data forming a bingo board within a similar category, to thereby realize a categorized learning function . For example, if a word "animal" is selected as a search keyword as shown in FIG. 3, the search result is displayed every category denoted in a reference numeral 64, or is displayed every website item denoted in a reference numeral 66. Simultaneously, an icon 68 is displayed which can connect a bingo game including bingo data corresponding to each category of the search result.

In other words, if an icon 68 related to "SCIENCE, STUDY>NATURAL SCIENCE>BIOLOGY>ZOO OGY>ANIMAL) WILDANIMAL" is clicked in the category search result, a bongo board using wild animals as bingo data is displayed on the computer 40 as shown in FIG. 4. The bingo game proceeds in the same bingo game method as the above-described manner. Here, the role of the game server which runs the bingo game can be replaced by the search engine website 50, the contents search server 56 or an extra game server.

Also, the architectures of the data search database 54 obtained by classifying, by category, data searched by the data search server 52 in the present invention and the 'contents database 58 corresponding to the data search database 54 will be described with geographical information as an example . Table 1 illustrates an example of a search database belonging to a map information category among a plurality of categories . The map information is classified into large classification such as an Asia map, ... , medium classification such as a Korean map, a Chinese map, ... , and small classification such as each provincial map, which are connected to a web address of each corresponding website .

Table 1

Search Database

Summarized information with respect to each website displayed as shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Meanwhile, the contents database 58 is classified into various classification items by a search key, as illustrated in Table 3.

Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

Thus, if a user connects a search engine website via his or her computer 40 and then performs a search for information relating to geographical information, a search result is displayed through a search database as illustrated in Tables 1 and 2, and simultaneously an icon 68 is displayed together with the search result, so that the user can determine whether or not to play a bingo game formed of data regions associated with the categories of the search result and select the bingo game.

Also, if a user clicks the icon 68, a bingo board is generated with the contents data illustrated in Tables 3 through 5, that is, bingo data included in the categories of the search result, and is displayed on a user's computer, to thereby enable the user to play the bingo game.

That is, when information concerning Asian countries is searched, a search result for the Asian countries is generated and displayed through the search database having the structures illustrated in Tables 1 and 2. If a user wishes to play a bingo game, a bingo board such as a bingo board randomly established by a server and a bingo board established by the user is formed of bingo data illustrated in Table 5, that is, bingo data having names of countries included in Asia .

Here, bingo data forming abingoboardincludes character data, graphic data, sound data, etc. If a user clicks corresponding bingo data in the case that he or she does not understand bingo data displayed on a bingo board during the time when a bingo game proceeds, the relevant data is searched among data stored in a contents database or a search database, and then the searched data is displayed. Otherwise, basic information such as brief introduction information of each bingo data is simply displayed without performing any searching process . For example, if corresponding bingo data is selected with a mouse and a right-hand button of the mouse is clicked in the case of a right-handed mouse, basic information is popped up and displayed on the computer screen.

As described above, the present invention can obtain a learning effect with respect to a relevant field through a bingo game in addition to searched information, while searching information.

Further, in order to induce a user ' s persistent interest through a bingo game, a compensation is achieved with winning points which play a role of cash according to the outcome of the bingo game.

The above-described compensation can induce users to connect the search engine website through a bingo game and extend a page view time of the search engine website at maximum.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention displays a search result and a bingo game relating to the search result if a user requests for a search in a search engine website on the Internet, to thereby extend a time during which a user stays in the search engine website at maximum and enhance a running efficiency of the search engine website and the contents provider website, and provide a learning effect through a bingo game .

Also, the present invention induces users to connect the search engine website persistently through a compensation process according to the outcome of the bingo game .

As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to particularly preferred embodiments . However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations , without departing off the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A search engine website controlling system using a bingo game, comprising: a plurality of user's computers which are connected on the Internet; a data search server connected on the Internet, for searching data from a plurality of data servers which provide information, classifying the search data by category, and storing the classified result in a search database; a bingo game provider server which provides a plurality of bingo data for forming a bingo board by category of the data stored in the search database to the user's computers, to thereby enable users to play a bingo game; and a search engine website which receives a search result searched upon a search request of each of the user ' s computers from the search server, and receives the bingo data matching the category of the search result from the bingo game provider server, to then provide the received search result and bingo data to the corresponding user's computer.

2. The search engine website controlling system using a bingo game of claim 1, wherein said bingo data forming the bingo board is comprised of at least one selected from character data, graphic data and sound data.

3. The search engine website controlling system using a bingo game of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bingo data forming the bingo board can be used as keywords for searching information on each bingo data.

4. A search engine website controlling method using a bingo game, comprising the steps of:

(a) classifying, by category, a plurality of bingo data forming a bingo board allowing a user to play a bingo game; (b) displaying a search result on a user's computer, which is obtained by searching information requested by a user's computer connected on the Internet;

(c) displaying a bingo board comprised of the plurality of bingo data belonging to the category of the search result on the user's computer; and

(d) enabling a user to play a bingo game through the bingo board.

5. The search engine website controlling method using a bingo game of claim 4, wherein the plurality of bingo data forming the bingo board can be used as keywords for searching information on each bingo data.

6. The search engine website controlling method using a bingo game of claim 4, wherein the bingo data displayed in the bingo board is linked to relevant information for describing the bingo data.

7. The search engine website controlling method using a bingo game of claim 4, wherein said step (b) further comprises the step of displaying a bingo game execution link for allowing the user to play the bingo game according to the search result, together with the search result.

8. The search engine website controlling method using a bingo game of claim 4, wherein said step (d) further comprises the step of performing a compensation process according to a bingo game result.