WO2016148525A1 - Method for searching for emoticon, and terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for searching for an emoticon in a user terminal comprises: displaying an emoticon selection area including thumbnail images of at least one emoticon; outputting, in a preview form, a first emoticon corresponding to a thumbnail image within a chat window, if an input for selecting any one of the thumbnail images is received; and outputting, in correspondence to a user's interaction, a second emoticon in a preview form, different from the first emoticon outputted in the preview form, if an input for the user's interaction for the outputted first emoticon is received, wherein the second emoticon includes emotion information corresponding to emotion information of the first emoticon.

Description

Emoticon navigation method and terminal

The present invention relates to an emoticon search method and a terminal.

Instant Message Service (IMS) is a real-time online communication service that allows a message sent by a sender to be immediately displayed on the screen of a receiver, without using an e-mail program or a web browser. In particular, a service that provides a chat, voice and video call using a mobile network is called a MIM (Mobile Instant Messenger) service. In this regard, Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0012315 discloses an instant message control method.

On the other hand, the instant message service provided to the user terminal may allow the conversation partner to send an emoticon as an instant message. In this case, in the related art, when an emoticon selection area and an emoticon set selection area are displayed on the screen of the user terminal when using an emoticon, the user has to search for an emoticon to be transmitted in the emoticon selection area and the emoticon set selection area. That is, the emoticons are usually grouped by the set of emoticons, so that the user selects and transmits one emoticon, and then selects and transmits another emoticon having the same or similar emotion as the transmitted emoticon, on the screen of the user terminal. In the selected emoticon set selection area, we had to navigate back to the corresponding emoticon set. In addition, since an emoticon to be transmitted must be selected in the emoticon selection area in which the corresponding emoticon set is displayed, there is a hassle when selecting an emoticon.

In addition, even if one emoticon set is selected, a plurality of emoticons exist in the emoticon set area, and the user had to search for emoticons having the same or similar emotion information as the previously sent emoticon in the emoticon set area. .

Accordingly, the user spends a relatively long time in order to select an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information as the emoticon previously transmitted or output in the form of a preview, thereby preventing the flow of the conversation with the participants of the conversation. There was a problem.

In addition, the existing emoticon search method provides an emoticon without considering the user's intention, use pattern, etc., if the user does not generate interest or purpose for the new emoticon, there is a problem that it is difficult to induce the user to buy emoticons.

In this regard, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2011-0088693 (name of the invention: a method for providing a messenger service and a server) discloses a messenger service providing method for changing a displayed emoticon according to an input signal.

Some embodiments of the present invention output an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information in a preview form according to an input for a user's interaction with respect to the emoticon output in the preview form in a chat window of the user terminal. It provides a method and terminal for searching emoticons.

However, the technical problem to be achieved by the present embodiment is not limited to the technical problem as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical problem, an emoticon searching method in a user terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of: displaying an emoticon selection area containing a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon; Receiving an input for selecting any one of the thumbnail images; Outputting a first emoticon corresponding to the thumbnail image in a preview form in a chat window; Receiving an input for a user's interaction with the output first emoticon; And outputting, in preview form, a second emoticon different from the first emoticon output in the preview form in response to the interaction. In this case, the second emoticon includes emotion information corresponding to the emotion information of the first emoticon.

In addition, the user terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention is a memory module storing a communication module for communicating with at least one user terminal and an emoticon providing server, a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon, an image file of the emoticon and a program for providing the emoticon And a processor for executing the program. In this case, the processor displays the emoticon selection area including the thumbnail image of at least one emoticon as the program is executed, and when an input for any one of the thumbnail images is received from the user, the processor corresponds to the thumbnail image. Outputting the first emoticon in the form of a preview in a chat window, and receiving an input for a user's interaction with the output first emoticon, wherein the second emoticon is different from the outputted first emoticon in response to the interaction; In a preview form, the second emoticon includes emotion information corresponding to the emotion information of the first emoticon.

According to any one of the above-described problem solving means, it is possible to search through the interaction input for the emoticon output in the preview form, without moving the tab when searching for the emoticon to be transmitted on the user terminal.

In addition, by providing an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information as the emoticon output in the preview form, it is easy to search and select an emoticon in accordance with the user's intention.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exemplary view for explaining the configuration of the chat window in the user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are exemplary views for explaining a process of searching for an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information and outputting it in a preview form according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are exemplary views for explaining an emoticon purchase process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are exemplary views for describing a display method of an emoticon thumbnail image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a emoticon searching method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element in between. . In addition, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, which means that it may further include other components, except to exclude other components unless otherwise stated.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For reference, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a terminal capable of accessing an instant message server (not shown) and an emoticon providing server (not shown), for example, wireless communication in which portability and mobility are guaranteed. It may be a device. That is, the user terminal 100 may include a personal communication system (PCS), a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a personal digital cellular (PDC), a personal handyphone system (PHS), a personal digital assistant (PDA), and an international mobile telecommunication (IMT). ) -2000, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) -2000, W-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Wireless Broadband Internet (WBRO) terminal, etc., including all kinds of handheld based wireless communication devices can do. In particular, the user terminal 100 is an intelligent terminal that adds computer support functions such as Internet communication and information retrieval to a portable terminal, and is a smart phone capable of installing and executing a plurality of applications (ie, applications) desired by a user. May be). In addition, the user terminal 100 may be a terminal device that can be connected to an emoticon providing server (not shown) and an instant message server (not shown) such as a PC through wired / wireless communication.

An emoticon providing server (not shown) provides an image file corresponding to the emoticon to the user terminal 100. That is, a file corresponding to an emoticon downloaded by a user for a fee or free of charge is provided to the user terminal 100, and an image file corresponding to an emoticon which is not stored in the user terminal 100 among the emoticons used by the chat room in the chat room. Provided to the user terminal 100 to be displayed in the chat window of the user terminal 100. In addition, when a user wants to purchase a paid or free emoticon for the emoticon not downloaded to the user terminal 100, an image file for the emoticon set may be provided to the emoticon purchase window output to the user terminal 100.

An instant message server (not shown) provides a service for relaying messages in real time in a chat application using data communication using a network such as the Internet. An instant message server (not shown) may be connected to the user terminal 100 through a network to transmit an instant message to the user terminal 100.

The emoticon providing server (not shown) and the instant message server (not shown) may be operated in independent server computers, respectively, or may be mounted on the same server computer as a server program and executed.

Meanwhile, the plurality of user terminals 100 may be connected between an instant message server (not shown) and the terminal through a network to process a chat service through an instant message. As such, the network connecting each component constituting the chat system using the instant message service refers to a connection structure capable of exchanging information between nodes such as terminals and servers. Examples of such networks include 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) networks, the Internet, Local Area Networks, and Wireless Local Area Networks. Area Network (WAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), Bluetooth (Bluetooth) network, satellite broadcasting network, analog broadcasting network, DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) network and the like, but are not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication module 110, a memory 120, and a processor 130.

The communication module 110 communicates with one or more user terminals and an emoticon providing server (not shown). That is, the communication module 110 receives an emoticon from an emoticon providing server (not shown). More specifically, the communication module 110 may receive a full list of emoticons from an emoticon providing server (not shown). In addition, when the image file corresponding to the emoticon is not stored in the user terminal 100, the communication module 110 may receive it from an emoticon providing server (not shown).

The memory 120 stores thumbnail images of one or more emoticons, image files of emoticons, and programs for transmitting and receiving instant messages. Such thumbnail images and image files are downloaded and stored in advance from an emoticon providing server (not shown) or, if not, are downloaded through the communication module 110 and stored in the memory 120.

The processor 130 generates a chat window in which the user participates, and displays an instant message input by the user in a display area of the chat window to provide an instant message. At this time, the instant message processes a variety of messages, such as chat messages, video, photos, audio, emoticons, in particular, in the present invention can send and receive emoticons between participants through the instant message.

As the processor 130 executes a program stored in the memory 120, the processor 130 displays an emoticon selection area including a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon. When the user receives an input for any one of the thumbnail images displayed in the emoticon selection area, the processor 130 outputs a first emoticon corresponding to the thumbnail image in a preview form in the chat window. When receiving the input for the user's interaction with respect to the first emoticon output in the preview form, the processor 130 previews a second emoticon different from the first emoticon output in the preview form in response to the user's interaction. Output in the form Here, the type of interaction may be a user click, tap, drag and drop, swipe, pinch in / out, and flick. It may include at least one of.

In this case, the second emoticon may be output in the form of a preview in the display area of the first emoticon which is output in the form of a preview in response to receiving an input for the user's interaction. In this case, the first emoticon may be removed. That is, the first emoticon output in the preview form may be converted into the second emoticon as the input for the user's interaction is received while the first emoticon is output in the preview form. As described above, the first emoticon or the second emoticon output in the form of a preview may be displayed on the display area of the chat window in response to an input for a transmission button from the user.

Meanwhile, the second emoticon output in the preview form includes emotion information corresponding to the emotion information of the first emoticon. In other words, the emotion information of the first and second emoticons may be the same or similar to each other. That is, upon receiving an input for the user's interaction, the second emoticon having the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon is converted from the first emoticon, which is output in the preview form in the chat window, and output in the preview form. Can be. In more detail, the emotion information of the first and second emoticons may correspond to a case in which the metadata of the first emoticon and the metadata of the second emoticon are the same or similar. The related information will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

As described above, the first emoticon or the second emoticon output in the form of a preview may be displayed in a display area of a chat window in which an instant message is output as an input for a transmission button to a conversation partner terminal is received.

Hereinafter, a user terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3A and 3B together with FIG. 1. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining the configuration of the chat window in the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3A and 3B are exemplary views for explaining a process of searching for an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information and outputting it in a preview form according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 2, when an emoticon menu is selected from a preset user interface menu on the chat window P300, the processor 130 displays an emoticon selection area P310 on a portion of the chat window P300. In this case, the emoticon selection area P310 is distinguished from the display area P320 included in the chat window P300, and the thumbnail image P311 of one or more emoticons is displayed in the emoticon selection area P310.

The processor 130 receives an input for the user's selection of any one of the thumbnail images displayed in the emoticon selection area P310.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the processor 130 may provide a preview function for the emoticon P312 selected by the user. That is, upon receiving an input for any one of the thumbnail images P312 of the emoticon from the user, the processor 130 displays the first emoticon P10 corresponding to the thumbnail image P312 of the selected emoticon in the chat window P300. Output in preview form from.

Meanwhile, the first emoticon P10 output in the preview form may be output in the preview form on the display area P320 in the chat window P300 as shown in FIG. 3A. In addition, the first emoticon is the entire area of the chat window P300, the specific area P325 of the display area P320 of the chat window P300, the entire area of the emoticon selection area P310, and the emoticon selection area P310. It may be output in the form of a preview on various areas, such as some specific areas. In addition, the preview of the emoticon may be output in the form of being overlaid on the set area (ie, the entire area of the chat window, the display area and the emoticon selection area).

When the processor 130 receives an input for a user's interaction (eg, tap toggle) with respect to the first emoticon P10 output in the form of a preview, the processor 130 interacts with the user, as illustrated in FIG. 3B. In response to the second emoticon P20 different from the first emoticon P10 output in the preview form is output in the preview form. In this case, the second emoticon P20 output in the preview form includes emotion information that is the same as or similar to the emotion information of the first emoticon P10. For example, the first emoticon P10 illustrated in FIG. 3A includes emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a hair break”, and the user's interaction in the state in which the first emoticon P10 is previewed and output. When receiving the input, the second emoticon P20 including emotion information of “greeting indicating a breakup” is output in a preview form as shown in FIG. 3B.

Metadata including emotion information corresponding to each of the first emoticon and the second emoticon may be stored in the memory 120 of the user terminal 100. That is, in response to receiving an input for the user's interaction, the processor 130 searches for the second emoticon having the metadata including the same emotion information as the emotion information of the first emoticon from the memory 120 and then the user terminal. It can be output in the form of a preview in the chat window (100).

Alternatively, metadata including emotion information corresponding to each of the first emoticon and the second emoticon may be stored in a memory of an emoticon providing server (not shown). Upon receiving an input for a user's interaction on the user terminal 100, the emoticon providing server (not shown) may have a second emoticon P20 having metadata including the same emotion information as that of the first emoticon P10. May be transmitted to the user terminal 100.

Meanwhile, metadata stored in the memory 120 of the user terminal 100 or the memory of an emoticon providing server (not shown) may include one or more detailed metadata. The detailed metadata may include one or more granular emotion information classified according to the emotion information. Accordingly, one or more detailed metadata may be assigned to one emoticon. For example, emotion information "laugh" may be classified into one or more granular emotion information, such as "joyful laughter", "sad laughter" and "laughter for consent". Such detailed emotion information may be composed of detailed metadata and assigned to each emoticon. For example, in the emoticon P10 illustrated in FIG. 3A, detailed metadata including detailed emotion information indicating “greeting indicating a hair break” and “sadness” may be allocated.

As such, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured based on a second metadata based on metadata stored in the memory of the memory 120 or the emoticon providing server (not shown) or one or more detailed metadata included in the metadata. Emoticons may be output in a preview form. In this case, the second emoticon including the same emotion information as the first emoticon may be output in a preview form through the same detailed metadata as the first emoticon. For example, when the first emoticon is output in a preview form according to detailed metadata including emotion information of “sad laughter”, the second emoticon is also output according to the detailed metadata including emotion information of “sad laughter”. It can be output in preview form.

Alternatively, the second emoticon including emotion information similar to the first emoticon may be output in a preview form through the same metadata as the first emoticon. That is, the second emoticon having similar emotion information as the first emoticon may have the same first emoticon and metadata, and may be determined according to different detailed metadata included in the metadata and output in a preview form. For example, when the first emoticon is output in preview form according to detailed metadata including emotion information of “sad laugh” among metadata including emotion information corresponding to “laugh”, the second emoticon is “ Different detailed metadata included in the same metadata called “laughs” may be output in a preview form according to detailed metadata including emotion information of “embarrassing laughter”, which is emotion information similar to the first emoticon.

As such, when the second emoticon including the same emotion information as the first emoticon is output in the form of a preview, the user terminal 100 may be output based on the detailed metadata. When a second emoticon including emotion information is output, the second emoticon may be output in a preview form based on metadata. In this case, whether the second emoticon including the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon is output in a preview form based on the metadata or the detailed metadata is determined by the user terminal 100 or the emoticon providing server (not shown). It may be set in advance.

Meanwhile, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives an emoticon which is not stored in the user terminal 100 from an emoticon providing server (not shown) in response to an input for a user interaction. The output can be induced to purchase an emoticon, which will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. 4A and 4B are exemplary views for explaining an emoticon purchase process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal 100 receives a third emoticon P30 different from the first emoticon P10 from an emoticon providing server (not shown) when receiving an input for a user's interaction. Can be. At this time, the image file of the third emoticon (P30) recommended from the emoticon providing server (not shown) is not stored in the user terminal 100, and is downloaded from the emoticon providing server (not shown) to be output in preview form. Can be.

In addition, the third emoticon P30 may be output in a preview form as the second emoticon P20 stored in the user terminal 100 is output in the form of a preview and then receives an input for the user's interaction. have. That is, as soon as the first emoticon P10 is output and an input for the user's interaction is received, the third emoticon P30 which is not downloaded is not immediately output, but the same or similar emotion as the first emoticon P10. After outputting one or more previously downloaded emoticons including information, the third emoticon P30 that has not been finally downloaded may be output in a preview form. Accordingly, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may improve the convenience of using the pre-downloaded emoticon and induce a user to purchase an undownloaded emoticon.

In this regard, referring first to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first emoticon P10 output in the form of a preview includes emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a hair break” and receives an input for user interaction. As a result, a second emoticon P20 including emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a break” that is the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon P10 is output in a preview form. When the second emoticon P20 is output in the form of a preview and once again receives an input for the user's interaction, the processor 130 and the first emoticon P10 of the emoticons previously downloaded to the user terminal 100 and the like. Search whether there is an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information, and if no emoticon is downloaded as a result of the search, download an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon P10 from an emoticon providing server (not shown). do. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, an image file of the third emoticon P30 corresponding to “greeting indicating a break” may be downloaded to the user terminal 100 and output in a preview form. At this time, the emoticon providing server (not shown) does not transmit the file for the emoticon set corresponding to the third emoticon P30 to the user terminal 100, but previews the chat window P300 of the user terminal 100. You can send an image file that can be output in a form.

Such an image file may be downloaded by a preset condition from an emoticon providing server (not shown). In this case, the preset condition may be a random order, an order updated on an emoticon providing server (not shown), a high emoticon sales turnover order, and the like. For example, when the preset conditions are in a random order, the emoticon providing server (not shown) searches for emoticons including the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon P10, and randomly when there are a plurality of searched emoticons. The third emoticon P30 corresponding to a randomly downloaded image file may be output in a preview form to the user terminal 100.

Meanwhile, in FIGS. 4A and 4B, after the first emoticon P10 and the second emoticon P20 are output in a preview form, the third emoticon P30 not downloaded to the user terminal 100 is previewed. Although described as output, it is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, in response to receiving an input for a user's interaction, a plurality of previously downloaded emoticons are continuously output in a preview form, and then a third emoticon P30 which is not downloaded may be output in a preview form. Upon receiving the input for the interaction of the third emoticon P30 may be output in a preview form according to a preset condition.

Upon receiving an input for selecting the third emoticon P30 output in the form of a preview from the user, the processor 130 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4B, emoticons displaying thumbnail images for one or more emoticons. The purchase window P500 may be output. Some areas of the emoticon purchase window P500 include an emoticon selection window P510 displaying a plurality of emoticon thumbnail images. The processor 130 receives an input for purchasing the emoticon set including the third emoticon P30 from the emoticon purchase window P500. At this time, when a purchase selection for any one of the emoticons is input from the user, the processor 130 according to the present invention downloads the completed emoticon set from the emoticon providing server (not shown) to include in the emoticon selection area P310. Can be.

Meanwhile, the third emoticon output in the form of a preview according to an embodiment of the present invention may be recommended based on a preset condition of profile information of a plurality of users participating in a chat room from an emoticon providing server (not shown). In this case, the profile information may include one or more of a user's gender and age. For example, if the average age of multiple users in a chat room is “30s” and the majority of users have a gender of “female,” the processor provides an emoticon with an image file for an emoticon that is frequently used by “females in their 30s”. Request to the server (not shown), and accordingly, the emoticon providing server (not shown) transmits an image file for the emoticon frequently used by the “female in their 30s” to the user terminal 100, thereby The third emoticon may be output in a preview form in the chat window. In this case, the processor 130 may request an image file for an emoticon by averaging the ages of a plurality of users who participated in the chat room as a whole, or by arranging them in a higher or lower order.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal 100 may not only recommend the third emoticon based on profile information of the user participating in the chat room, but may also be recommended based on a preset condition called information preset by the user. have. In this case, the preset information may include one or more of user profile information and user interest information. For example, if the user has previously set "exercise" as the interest information, the processor 130 requests an image file for an emoticon related to "exercise" to an emoticon providing server (not shown), and thus provides an emoticon. The server (not shown) may transmit a file for the emoticon related to the "exercise", and the emoticon related to the "exercise" may be output to the user terminal 100 in a preview form.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may be recommended based on one or more of emotion information of an emoticon or a character input by one or more of the plurality of users who participated in the chat room according to a preset condition. For example, a case in which a participant in a chat room enters an emoticon including emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a breakup” is as follows. After the user selects a first emoticon including emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a break” different from an emoticon input by a participant of the conversation, the first emoticon is output to the user terminal 100 in a preview form. When inputting the interaction, the processor 130 of the user terminal 100 may output a third emoticon not downloaded on the user terminal 100 in a preview form. In this case, the third emoticon is an emoticon not downloaded to the user terminal 100 and may be the same emoticon as the emoticon input by the partner of the conversation partner. As such, the user terminal 100 according to the present invention may receive a recommendation of an emoticon or a character input by one or more users among a plurality of users who participated in the chat room as a third emoticon, and output the previewed emoticons as well as the same emoticon. Alternatively, an emoticon including similar emotion information may be recommended and output in a preview form.

In addition, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be based on the emotion information included in the instant message inputted by one or more of the plurality of users participating in the chat room according to a preset condition and included in the previously outputted instant message. You can also recommend emoticons and print them out in preview form. In this case, the emotion information included in the instant message may be extracted based on one or more of words, predicates, and interjections extracted from one or more sentences included in the instant message. For example, when a partner participant enters an instant message that says, “I only get embarrassed and laughs.” When the user selects an emoticon that includes emotion information corresponding to “laughs,” the user enters an interaction. The 130 may receive an emoticon corresponding to “embarrassing laughter” which is detailed emotion information among emotion information corresponding to “laughs” from an emoticon providing server (not shown) and output the preview on a user terminal.

In addition, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may output a third emoticon in the form of a preview based on the emoticon usage log of the user terminal 100 which is a preset condition. At this time, the emoticon usage log may be collected based on the type of emoticon, and the type of emoticon may include one or more of static emoticons, dynamic emoticons, text emoticons, live action emoticons, and synthetic emoticons. For example, when a user mainly uses an emoticon in which a character is illustrated, when the user outputs a first emoticon including emotion information corresponding to “laugh” in a preview form and inputs an interaction, the present invention may be used. The processor 130 may analyze the emoticon usage log and receive the emoticon in which the text “HAPPY” is illustrated as a third emoticon to output a preview form. As such, the user terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention recommends an undownloaded emoticon based on a user's emoticon usage log, thereby inducing a purchase more efficiently than randomly recommending an emoticon. It is possible.

Meanwhile, the user terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention displays thumbnail images of the second to third emoticons including the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon output in the preview form on the emoticon selection area. This can be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

5A and 5B are exemplary diagrams for describing a thumbnail image display method of an emoticon according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 5A, when a user selects a thumbnail image of the first emoticon P40 including emotion information “cool” among the emoticons output in the form of a thumbnail image in the emoticon selection area, the first emoticon P40. Is output in preview form in the chat window (P300). Thereafter, when the user selects a tab in the chat window P300 to display a thumbnail image of a set of emoticons including the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon P40 in the emoticon set selection area P330, FIG. A thumbnail image of the emoticon including emotion information “cool” which is the same or similar emotion information as the first emoticon P40 output in the preview form is displayed. In this case, the thumbnail image of the emoticon displayed in the emoticon selection area P310 may be not only an emoticon previously downloaded to the user terminal 100 but also a thumbnail image of an undownloaded emoticon, and the user may be displayed by displaying such a thumbnail image. It can also encourage you to buy emoticons.

In addition, unlike the method illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may unfold an emoticon which is switched when another interaction is input to the first emoticon output in the form of a preview. Can be output. For example, after selecting a first emoticon including emotion information corresponding to “greeting indicating a hair break” and receiving an input for left and right swipe gestures as a user's interaction, the second emoticon and the third emoticon are displayed. The preview can be expanded and output together. In addition, a plurality of emoticons output in a preview form may be moved left and right through a left and right swipe operation. Accordingly, the user may more easily select an emoticon including the same or similar emotions through the left and right swipe gestures.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a emoticon searching method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The emoticon searching method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes steps processed in time series in the user terminal 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5A and 5B. Therefore, even if omitted below, the contents already described with respect to the user terminal 100 may be applied to the emoticon searching method of FIG. 6.

In the emoticon searching method according to an embodiment of the present invention, first, an emoticon selection area including a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon is displayed (S610).

Next, upon receiving an input for any one of the displayed thumbnail images from the user (S620), the first emoticon corresponding to the thumbnail image is output in a preview form in the chat window (S630).

Next, upon receiving an input for the user's interaction with the first emoticon output in the preview form (S640), the second emoticon different from the first emoticon output in the preview form in response to the input interaction is previewed. Output in the form (S650). In this case, the second emoticon may be converted into a second emoticon and output in a preview form in response to receiving an input for a user's interaction.

On the other hand, the second emoticon output in the preview form includes the same or similar emotion information as the emotion information of the first emoticon. Such emotion information for each emoticon may be stored in the form of metadata in the memory 120 of the user terminal 100. That is, after receiving an input for the user's interaction, the second emoticon corresponding to the metadata including emotion information identical or similar to the emotion information of the first emoticon is retrieved from the memory 120 of the user terminal 100. In the chat window of the user terminal 100, a preview form may be output.

Alternatively, the metadata may be stored in a memory of an emoticon providing server (not shown). Accordingly, upon receiving an input for a user's interaction on the user terminal 100, the emoticon providing server (not shown) may select a second emoticon corresponding to metadata including the same or similar emotion information as that of the first emoticon. It may transmit to the user terminal 100.

Meanwhile, the metadata may include one or more detailed metadata. The detailed metadata may include one or more detailed emotion information classified according to the emotion information, and thus, one or more detailed metadata may be assigned to one emoticon. Detailed description thereof has been described with reference to FIG. 3 and will be omitted below.

Meanwhile, the emoticon searching method according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include receiving a third emoticon different from the first emoticon from the emoticon providing server (not shown) upon receiving an input for a user's interaction. have. In this case, the image file of the recommended third emoticon is not stored in the user terminal 100 and may be downloaded from an emoticon providing server (not shown) and output in a preview form. A specific embodiment of outputting the third emoticon in the form of a preview has been described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 5B, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The emoticon search method in the user terminal 100 and the user terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention does not move a tab when searching for an emoticon to be transmitted on the user terminal 100, and outputs a preview emoticon. It is possible to search through the interaction input for.

In addition, by providing an emoticon including the same or similar emotion information as the emoticon output in the preview form, it is possible to easily select the emoticon according to the user's intention.

In the above description, steps S610 to S650 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, according to an embodiment of the invention. In addition, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order between the steps may be changed.

One embodiment of the present invention may also be embodied in the form of a computer program stored in a medium executed by a computer or a recording medium including instructions executable by the computer. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, computer readable media may include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Communication media typically includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or other transmission mechanism, and includes any information delivery media.

Although the methods and systems of the present invention have been described in connection with specific embodiments, some or all of their components or operations may be implemented using a computer system having a general purpose hardware architecture.

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the above description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

The present invention has industrial applicability in providing emoticons utilized in chat applications and enabling users to navigate emoticons.

Claims (19)

1. In the emoticon search method in the user terminal,

   Displaying an emoticon selection area including a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon;

   Receiving an input for selecting any one of the thumbnail images;

   Outputting a first emoticon corresponding to the thumbnail image in a preview form in a chat window;

   Receiving an input for a user's interaction with the output first emoticon; And

   Outputting, in a preview form, a second emoticon different from the first emoticon output in the preview form in response to the interaction;

   The second emoticon includes emotion information corresponding to the emotion information of the first emoticon.
2. The method of claim 1,

   Metadata including emotion information for each of the first emoticon and the second emoticon is stored in the memory of the user terminal or the memory of the emoticon providing server.
3. The method of claim 2,

   After receiving an input for a user's interaction with the output first emoticon,

   According to the interaction, further comprising the step of receiving a second emoticon having metadata including the same emotion information as the emotion information included in the metadata of the first emoticon, emoticon search method.
4. The method of claim 2,

   The metadata includes one or more detailed metadata,

   The detailed metadata includes one or more granular emotion information classified according to the emotion information,

   Wherein one emoticon is assigned one or more detailed metadata.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein

   Emotion information and detailed metadata included in the metadata of the first emoticon and emotion information and detailed metadata included in the metadata of the second emoticon are the same, or

   The emotion information included in the metadata of the first emoticon and the emotion information included in the metadata of the second emoticon are the same, but the detailed metadata of the first emoticon and the detailed metadata of the second emoticon are different. Navigation method.
6. The method of claim 1,

   When the input for the interaction is received, the second emoticon is displayed in a preview form on the display area of the first emoticon output in the preview form, emoticon search method.
7. The method of claim 1,

   Receiving a third emoticon different from the first emoticon from the emoticon providing server in response to receiving an input for the user's interaction,

   The image file of the recommended third emoticon is not stored in the user terminal and is downloaded from an emoticon providing server.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein

   The third emoticon, after the second emoticon stored in the user terminal is output in the form of a preview, after receiving an input for the user's interaction, the emoticon search method.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein

   The image file is downloaded from the emoticon providing server based on a preset condition,

   The outputting of the third emoticon in a preview form may include outputting a third emoticon in a preview form corresponding to the image file downloaded by the preset condition.

   The preset condition is an emoticon searching method based on one or more of a random order, the order in which the emoticon is updated in the emoticon providing server, and the order of sales of emoticons.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein

    In response to an input for selecting a third emoticon output in the preview form,

    Outputting an emoticon purchase window displaying a thumbnail image for each one or more emoticons;

    Receiving an input for purchasing an emoticon set including the third emoticon from the emoticon purchase window; And

    The emoticon search method further comprising the step of including the emoticon set of the purchase is completed in the emoticon selection area.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein

    The third emoticon is recommended based on profile information of a plurality of users who participated in the chat room,

    Wherein the profile information includes one or more of a user's gender and age.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein

    The third emoticon is recommended based on one or more of the emotion information of the character included in the emoticon or emoticon input by one or more of the plurality of users participating in the chat room, emoticon search method.
13. The method of claim 7, wherein

    The third emoticon is recommended based on the emotion information included in the instant message output to the chat room by one or more users of the plurality of users who participated in the chat room,

    The emotion information included in the instant message is extracted based on one or more of the words, predicates and interjections extracted from one or more sentences included in the instant message, emoticon search method.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein

    The third emoticon is recommended based on the emoticon usage log on the user terminal,

    The emoticon usage log is collected based on the type of emoticon,

    The type of emoticon includes one or more of static emoticons, dynamic emoticons, text emoticons, live action emoticons, and synthetic emoticons.
15. The method of claim 7, wherein

    The first emoticon to the third emoticon are displayed on the emoticon selection area,

    And the third emoticon is displayed after the image file of the recommended third emoticon is previously downloaded from the emoticon providing server.
16. The method of claim 1,

    And receiving the first emoticon or the second emoticon on the display area of the chat window in response to receiving an input for transmitting the previewed first emoticon or the second emoticon. Way.
17. The method of claim 1,

    The interaction comprises at least one of a click, a tap, a drag and drop, a swipe, a pinch in / out, and a flick , Emoticon navigation method.
18. The method of claim 1,

    Receiving an input for an interaction different from the user's interaction with respect to the output first emoticon,

    The first emoticon and the second emoticon are previewed together in the chat window in response to receiving an input for an interaction different from the user's interaction.
19. In the user terminal,

    A communication module for communicating with at least one user terminal and an emoticon providing server,

    A memory storing a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon, an image file of the emoticon, and a program for providing the emoticon; and

    Including a processor for executing the program,

    As the processor executes the program,

    Display an emoticon selection area containing a thumbnail image of at least one emoticon,

    Upon receiving an input for any one of the thumbnail images from a user, outputting a first emoticon corresponding to the thumbnail image in a preview form in a chat window;

    When receiving an input for a user's interaction with the output first emoticon, a second emoticon different from the output first emoticon is output in preview form in response to the interaction,

    The second emoticon includes emotion information corresponding to the emotion information of the first emoticon.

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