Message management method, readable storage medium, computer system and electronic device

Abstract

Disclosed are a message management method, a readable storage medium, a computer system, and an electronic device. The message management method can include the steps of receiving a sharing request for a message group including at least one message included in a chat room; and transmitting information for the message group to a server according to the sharing request to be connected with the chat room in the server and store information for the message group, thereby sharing the message group between users included in the chat room.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for managing messages. BACKGROUND

[0002] An instant messenger, which is a commonly used communication tool, is software capable of transmitting and receiving messages or data in real time, and enables a user to register a conversation object on the messenger and transmit and receive messages in real time with the object in the conversation object directory.

[0003] The use of the messenger is becoming common not only in a PC but also in a mobile environment of a mobile communication terminal.

[0004] For example, Korean Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2002-0074304 discloses a mobile messenger service system and method for a portable terminal using a wireless communication network, which is capable of providing a messenger service between mobile messengers installed in a portable terminal.

[0005] Generally, a messenger provides a list in which conversation objects registered on the messenger are sorted by name for the convenience of a user, and simultaneously provides a list in which chat rooms in which messages are transmitted and received are sorted by message transmission / reception time. SUMMARY

[0006] Technical problem to be solved

[0007] A message management environment capable of clustering messages transmitted and received between users participating in a chat room in the chat room by theme can be provided.

[0008] A message clustering result in the chat room is transmitted to a server, so that it can be shared with other users participating in the chat room, and messages of a message group can be freely added or deleted.

[0009] Since the generation and modification of a message group are performed by a user participating in a chat room, high-accuracy clustering by theme can be achieved.

[0010] Without confirming the entire messages in a chat room, a conversation content can be quickly understood through messages clustered by theme.

[0011] Means for solving the problem

[0012] A message management method is provided, the message management method including the steps of: receiving a sharing request for a message group including at least one message among messages contained in a chat room; and transmitting information for the message group to a server according to the sharing request to make the server connect with the chat room and store information for the message group, thereby sharing the message group among users contained in the chat room.

[0013] According to an aspect, the receiving step can include the steps of: providing a user interface for the user to select the at least one message among messages contained in the chat room; and receiving selection of the at least one message through the user interface.

[0014] According to another aspect, the receiving step can include the steps of: clustering messages contained in the chat room based on message time, and prompting the at least one message among messages contained in the chat room to belong to the message group; and receiving specific user input for the prompted at least one message as the sharing request.

[0015] According to still another aspect, the receiving step can include the steps of: clustering messages contained in the chat room based on a keyword input by the user, and prompting the at least one message among messages contained in the chat room to belong to the message group; and receiving specific user input for the prompted at least one message as the sharing request.

[0016] The receiving step can include the steps of: providing a user interface for the user to select at least one other message among messages contained in the chat room to be added to the message group, or to select at least one other message among messages contained in the message group to be deleted from the message group; and receiving selection of the at least one other message through the user interface.

[0017] According to still another aspect, the sharing step can share the message group through a service channel allocated to the chat room.

[0018] According to still another aspect, the sharing step can include the steps of: receiving a message group viewing request from the user through the chat room; providing a user interface containing a message group directory associated with the chat room according to the message group viewing request; receiving selection of a specific message group in the message group directory through the user interface; obtaining information for the specific message group from the server corresponding to the selection; and displaying messages contained in the specific message group in the order of message time based on information for the specific message group.

[0019] According to still another aspect, the sharing step can include the steps of storing a most recent viewing time for the message group, and distinguishing and displaying at least one message included in the message group from the remaining messages based on the most recent viewing time.

[0020] According to still another aspect, time information for updating the message group can be included in each message included in the message group, and the displaying step can include the steps of comparing the most recent viewing time with the time information to determine whether there is a message updated after the most recent viewing time in the message group, and distinguishing and displaying the message updated after the most recent viewing time from a reference message in the message group.

[0021] According to still another aspect, the displaying step can include the steps of comparing each message time with the most recent viewing time to determine an unread message in the message group for the message group, and distinguishing and displaying the unread message from a read message in the message group.

[0022] A readable storage medium having stored therein execution instructions for implementing any one of the message management methods described above is provided.

[0023] A computer system is provided, which includes at least one processor configured to execute computer readable instructions stored in a memory, the computer readable instructions stored in the memory including a message group receiving section that receives a sharing request for a message group including at least one message included in a chat room, and a message group sharing section that transmits information for the message group to a server according to the sharing request to be connected with the chat room in the server and store information for the message group, thereby sharing the message group among users included in the chat room.

[0024] An electronic device is provided, which includes a memory storing execution instructions, and a processor that executes the execution instructions stored in the memory, such that the processor performs any one of the message management methods described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a view showing an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram for explaining internal configurations of an electronic device and a server in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 3is a view showing an example of components that a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application can include.

[0028] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method that an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application can perform.

[0029] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a message group generation step in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figures 6 to 9 is an example screen showing a user interface related to a message group generation step in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a message group viewing and modification step in an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Figure 11 is an example screen showing a user interface related to a message group viewing and modification step in an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figures 12 to 14 is an example screen showing a user interface related to an added / deleted message of a message group in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figures 15 to 17 is an example screen showing a user interface related to an unread message of a message group in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Embodiments of the present application relate to a technology of managing messages, and more particularly, to a technology of providing a message management environment capable of clustering messages exchanged between users participating in a chat room by theme.

[0037] Embodiments including the contents specifically disclosed in the present specification can provide a message management environment capable of clustering messages exchanged between users participating in a chat room by theme, and thereby achieve considerable advantages in terms of convenience, efficiency, resource saving, cost saving, etc.

[0038] Figure 1 is a view showing an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The network environment of FIG. 1 shows an example including a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140, a plurality of servers 150, 160, and a network 170. Such a network environment can be implemented in a variety of ways. Figure 1The number of electronic devices or the number of servers is not intended to be limited as illustrated in Figure 1

[0039] The plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 can be fixed-type terminals or mobile-type terminals implemented by computer systems. Examples of the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 are smart phones, cell phones, navigation, computers, notebook computers, digital broadcast terminals, PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), tablet PCs, game consoles, wearable devices, IoT (internet of things) devices, VR (virtual reality) devices, AR (augmented reality) devices, etc. As an example, the shape of a smart phone is shown as an example of the electronic device 110 in Figure 1

[0040] The communication method is not limited, and it can include not only a communication method using a communication network (as an example, a mobile communication network, a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, a broadcast network, a satellite network, etc.) that the network 170 can include, but also local wireless communication between devices. For example, the network 170 can include any one or more of networks of PAN (personal area network), LAN (local area network), CAN (campus area network), MAN (metropolitan area network), WAN (wide area network), BBN (broadband network), Internet, etc. In addition, the network 170 can include any one or more of network topologies including a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star-bus network, a tree or hierarchical network, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0041] ​​Each of the servers 150, 160 can communicate with the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 through the network 170, and can be implemented by one or more computer devices that provide instructions, codes, files, contents, services, etc. For example, the server 150 can be a system that provides a first service to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 that access through the network 170, and the server 160 can also be a system that provides a second service to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 that access through the network 170. As a more specific example, the server 150 as the first service can provide a service (as an example, a communication service, etc.) that the application program desires to provide to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 through the application program as a computer program that is installed and driven on the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140. As another example, the server 160 as the second service can provide a service that distributes a file for installing and driving the above-described application program to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140.

[0042] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining internal configurations of an electronic device and a server in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 2 The internal configurations of the electronic device 110 and the server 150 are explained as examples of the electronic device in FIG. 1. Further, the other electronic devices 120, 130, 140 or the server can also have the same or similar internal configurations as those of the electronic device 110 or the server 150 described above.

[0043] Electronic device 110 and server 150 may include memories 211 and 221, processors 212 and 222, communication modules 213 and 223, and input / output interfaces 214 and 224. Memories 211 and 221, as non-transitory computer-readable recording media, may include non-destructive mass storage devices such as RAM (random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), disk drives, SSDs (solid-state drives), and flash memory. Here, non-destructive mass storage devices such as ROM, SSDs, flash memory, and disk drives, as independent permanent storage devices distinct from memories 211 and 221, may also be included in electronic device 110 or server 150. Furthermore, memories 211 and 221 may store an operating system and at least one program code (for example, code for installing and driving a browser in electronic device 110 or code for an application installed in electronic device 110 to provide specific services). Such software components can be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium independent of the memories 211 and 221. This computer-readable recording medium may include computer-readable recording media such as floppy disk drives, hard disks, magnetic tapes, DVD / CD-ROM drives, memory cards, etc. In another embodiment, the software components may also be loaded into the memories 211 and 221 via communication modules 213 and 223 that are not computer-readable recording media. For example, at least one program may be loaded into the memories 211 and 221 based on a computer program (as an example, the application described above) installed via a file distribution system (as an example, server 160 described above) through network 170.

[0044] Processors 212 and 222 can be configured to perform basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations to process instructions of a computer program. Instructions can be provided to processors 212 and 222 via memories 211 and 221 or communication modules 213 and 223. For example, processors 212 and 222 can be configured to execute received instructions according to program code stored in a recording device such as memories 211 and 221.

[0045] Communication modules 213 and 223 provide functionality for enabling electronic device 110 and server 150 to communicate with each other via network 170, and also provide functionality for enabling electronic device 110 and / or server 150 to communicate with other electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 120) or other servers (e.g., server 160). For example, a request generated by processor 212 of electronic device 110 based on program code stored in a recording device such as memory 211 can be transmitted to server 150 via network 170 under the control of communication module 213. Conversely, control signals, instructions, content, or files provided under the control of processor 222 of server 150 can be transmitted to electronic device 110 via communication module 213 through communication module 223 and network 170. For example, control signals, instructions, content, or files received from server 150 via communication module 213 can be transmitted to processor 212 or memory 211, and the content or files can be stored in a storage medium (the aforementioned permanent storage device) further included in electronic device 110.

[0046] Input / output interface 214 may be a means of interfacing with input / output device 215. For example, input devices may include devices such as keyboards, mice, microphones, cameras, etc., and output devices may include devices such as displays, speakers, and haptic feedback devices. As another example, input / output interface 214 may also be a means of interfacing with a device that integrates input and output functions, such as a touchscreen. Input / output device 215 and electronic device 110 may also be constituted by a single device. Furthermore, input / output interface 224 of server 150 may be a means of connecting to server 150 or interfacing with devices (not shown) for input or output that may be included in server 150. As a more specific example, when the processor 212 of electronic device 110 processes instructions of a computer program loaded into memory 211, a service screen or content composed of data provided by server 150 or electronic device 120 may be displayed on a display via input / output interface 214.

[0047] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the server 150 may also include more than Figure 2The electronic device 110 may contain many more components. However, most conventional technology components do not need to be explicitly shown. For example, the electronic device 110 may be implemented to include at least a portion of the input / output devices 215 described above, or it may also include other components such as a transceiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, etc. As a more specific example, in the case of an electronic device 110 being a smartphone, many components typically included in a smartphone, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a camera module, various physical buttons, buttons using a touch panel, input / output ports, a vibrator for vibration, etc., may also be included in the electronic device 110.

[0048] Specific embodiments of the methods and systems used for message group management will be described below.

[0049] When there are many people participating in a chat room or when there is a lively conversation, many unread messages may accumulate. In addition, users who join the conversation later need to read the backlog of messages from the beginning.

[0050] Reading through piles of messages from the beginning is not a good experience for a conversation-based service, so an environment that can collect messages sent and received by users in a chat room by topic is needed.

[0051] Embodiments of the present invention provide a message management function for clustering messages sent and received between users participating in a chat room according to a topic. The message management function can bundle messages sent and received in the chat room into clusters, and can set the topic of the conversation as the title of the cluster. At this time, the message clusters can be shared among users participating in the chat room through a service channel allocated for message management within the chat room, and can be updated by modifications such as adding or deleting messages.

[0052] Users who confirm messages in the chat room later or newly join the chat do not need to read through the backlog of messages from the beginning. Instead, the message management function can cluster the messages that existing users in the chat room want to share, thereby providing a high level of user experience.

[0053] In this specification, a chat room may mean an interface screen for providing messages to and from users, and for example, an interface screen for displaying messages sent and received in a communication session between users' accounts on a communicator or SNS (social network service), or an interface screen for displaying messages sent and received between phone numbers in a text function, such as SMS (short message service) or MMS (multimedia message service), may be equivalent to a representative example of a chat room.

[0054] The following describes a chat room for a communicator using specific embodiments, but it is not limited to these. Any dialog-based interface that allows multiple users to participate and frequently engage in services based on user accounts or phone numbers is acceptable.

[0055] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating examples of components that a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include, and Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method executable by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] The electronic device 110 according to this embodiment may be configured with a message management system implemented by a computer. As an example, the message management system may be implemented as a stand-alone program or as an in-app component of a specific application so that it can be operated on the specific application, and may provide communication services through linkage with a server 150, depending on the circumstances.

[0057] The message management system in electronic device 110 can be implemented based on instructions provided by the application installed in electronic device 110. Figure 4 The message management method shown.

[0058] In order to execute according to Figure 4 Message management methods, such as Figure 3 As shown, the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 may include a message group receiving unit 310 and a message group sharing unit 320 as components. According to embodiments, components of the processor 212 may be selectively included in the processor 212, or may be excluded. Furthermore, according to embodiments, components of the processor 212 may be separated or combined to exhibit the functions of the processor 212.

[0059] This processor 212 and its components can control the electronic device 110 to perform... Figure 4The message management method includes steps S410 to S440. For example, processor 212 and components of processor 212 may be implemented to run the operating system code and at least one program code included in memory 211 (instructions).

[0060] Here, the components of processor 212 can be expressions of different functions of processor 212 executed by processor 212 according to instructions provided by program code stored in electronic device 110 (for example, instructions provided by an application program driven in electronic device 110). For example, as a functional expression of processor 212 that controls electronic device 110 according to the above-mentioned instructions to generate message groups, it can utilize message group receiving unit 310.

[0061] In step S410, the processor 212 may read the required instructions from the memory 211 loaded with instructions related to the control of the electronic device 110. In this case, the read instructions may include instructions for controlling the processor 212 to perform steps S420 to S440, which will be described later.

[0062] In step S420, the message group receiving unit 310 can receive a sharing request for a message group that includes at least one message contained in the messages in the chat room of the communicator installed in the electronic device 110. As an example, the message group receiving unit 310 can provide a user interface that allows a user of the electronic device 110 to directly select at least one message contained in the messages in the chat room, and when the user directly selects at least one message through the user interface, such selection of at least one message can be received as a sharing request for the message group. As another example, the message group receiving unit 310 can cluster the messages contained in the chat room based on message time to indicate that at least one message contained in the messages in the chat room belongs to a message group, and for the message group prompt based on message time, specific user input can be received as a sharing request for the message group. In other words, the message group receiving unit 310 can cluster the messages in the chat room based on message time and first provide the clustering result to the user, at which point the user can request to share the clustering result as is, or request to share the edited message group after adding or deleting messages on the clustering result. Here, the message time can refer to the time when the message is sent, and to the time when the message is received. As another example, the message group receiving unit 310 can cluster messages contained in a chat room based on keywords input by the user of the electronic device 110 to indicate that at least one message in the chat room belongs to a message group. For the message group prompt based on message time, a specific user input can be received as a request to share the message group. Messages corresponding to keywords input by the user in the chat room (e.g., messages containing the same or similar keywords) can be clustered, and the clustering result can be provided to the user first. Similarly, the user can request to share the clustering result as is, or request to share the message group after editing by adding or deleting messages. After automatically clustering messages selected by message time or keywords in the chat room as a basic group, an editing function can be provided for the automatically clustered message group to delete at least some messages in the basic group or add at least one message in the chat room to the basic group. At this time, the message group receiving unit 310 can receive from the user the title of the message group displaying the context or topic of the message group, and set it as the name of the message group. The user of the electronic device 110 can select message groups to share with other users participating in the chat room for each chat room of the communicator, and can set the name of the message group using the common context or topic of the messages in the cluster when requesting to share the message group.

[0063] In step S430, the message group sharing unit 320 can transmit information about a message group, including at least one message contained in the chat room, to the server 150 according to the sharing request received in step S420. The server 150 also stores the message group information in a database (not shown) associated with the chat room, thereby sharing the message group among users within the chat room. The message group receiving unit 320 can transmit the identifier id of each message contained in the message group, the name of the message group, and the identifier of the chat room to which the message group belongs, to the server 150. The server 150 can then assign an identifier to identify the message group and store the identifiers of the clustered messages as a data structure for management using message groups within the chat room. Additionally, a name specified by the user for the message group can be set.

[0064] Cluster messages can be managed on server 150 in the data format shown in Table 1.

[0065] Table 1:

[0066]

[0067] Here, MessageId means message identifier, and UpdatedTime, as the time information reflected in the message group, means the final update time of each message based on the generation or modification (addition / deletion) of the message group. Each message in the message group can be managed using the identifier of the message group (MessageGroupId) and the identifier of the chat room (RoomId).

[0068] Server 150 ensures a unique identifier for each message in the chat room on the communicator and for each message sent and received through the chat room, and also ensures a unique identifier for a message group uploaded by a user in the chat room, thereby providing a service for sharing message groups among users participating in the chat room. Users participating in the chat room can not only cluster messages contained in the chat room to generate message groups, but also add other messages from the chat room to a pre-generated message group or delete a base message contained in the message group. Message group receiving unit 310 provides a user interface that allows users of electronic device 110 to select at least one other message from the messages in the chat room to be added to the message group or to select at least one other message from the messages in the message group to be deleted from the message group, and can receive the selection of messages to be added or deleted through the user interface to edit the message group.

[0069] In step S440, the message group sharing unit 320 can retrieve information about message groups corresponding to the user's request for the electronic device 110 from the server 150 to provide a directory of message groups generated for the chat room. When a specific message group is selected in the message group directory, the messages contained in that message group can be provided. When a user requests to view a message group through the chat room, the message group sharing unit 320 can receive the message group viewing request and provide a user interface containing a directory of message groups associated with the chat room based on the request. When a specific message group is selected in the message group directory through the user interface, the messages contained in that message group are displayed in chronological order based on the information of the selected message group, corresponding to the selection or the information of the message group selected from the server 150. Message groups are associated with the service channel of the chat room to which the message group belongs and are registered in a group form. When a user views the service channel of the chat room, the name information of the message groups belonging to that chat room is displayed in a directory form. Then, when the user selects the name of a specific message group, the message is retrieved from the server 150 using the message identifier contained in the selected message group and provided for viewing in chronological order. The user interface for displaying messages contained in a message group may be in the same or similar form as a chat room of a communicator, and the user interface is formed on the side of the electronic device 110 as a client and the dialogue content is displayed through the interface based on the message information received from the server 150.

[0070] The message management function according to the present invention can provide a message group that allows users in the chat room to directly cluster some of the messages sent and received in the chat room through the service channel of the chat room, thereby creating an environment for managing and viewing messages in the chat room on a message group basis.

[0071] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the message group generation step in one embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 6 to 9 This shows an example screen of the user interface related to the message group generation process.

[0072] Reference Figure 5 In client 110, a message group generation request can be received from the user of the communicator (S501). Client 110 can receive user requests for generating new message groups in the chat room through a service channel that provides message management functions. Figure 6 An example of a chat room 600 with two or more users is shown, and the chat room 600 may include a notes menu 610 for accessing a message management environment. When the notes menu 610 is selected in the chat room 600, as... Figure 7As shown, the message management screen 700 can be moved to the chat room 600. At this time, the message management screen 700 may include a group generation menu 720 for generating new message groups. The client 110 can receive message group generation requests through the group generation menu 720 in the message management screen 700 within the chat room 600.

[0073] Refer again Figure 5 After moving to the chat room to which the service channel that received the message group generation request belongs, client 110 can select at least one message from the messages included in that chat room according to user operation, and can set the name of the message group (S502). Client 110 can select messages and generate a message group in the chat room, and can set the name of the message group when generating the message group. When in Figure 7 When selecting the group generation menu 720 in the message management screen 700, such as Figure 8 As shown, the user navigates again to the interface screen for selecting messages to be clustered, for example, chat room 600. At this point, chat room 600 in the message management environment provides an interface for selecting at least one message from the messages contained in chat room 600, and as an example, a selection button 801 is provided for selecting messages individually. The user can use selection button 801 to select messages to be clustered from the messages contained in chat room 600. When the message selection for clustering is complete, as shown... Figure 9 As shown, a name setting screen 940 can be displayed on chat room 600, and the name of the message group selected by the message cluster through the name setting screen 940 can be set.

[0074] Refer again Figure 5 Client 110, as information about the message group, can transmit the identifier of the message selected for the cluster and the name of the message group to server 150 (S503). Server 150 can store the identifier of the clustered message as a data structure and manage it using the message group. At this time, a message group generated by a user in the chat room can be associated with and registered with the service channel of the chat room to which the message group belongs, and thus shared with other users participating in that chat room.

[0075] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of message group viewing and modification steps in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] Reference Figure 10 Client 110 can receive viewing requests for a specific message group within a message group belonging to the chat room (S1001). When in Figure 6 When selecting the Notes menu 610 in chat room 600, such as Figure 7As shown, a message management screen 700 can be moved within chat room 600. At this time, the message management screen 700 may include a message group directory 730 pre-generated for chat room 600. The message group directory 730 displays the names set by the user who created the group when it was created, in a directory format. Users can select message groups to view in the message group directory 730, thereby conveying a viewing request.

[0077] Refer again Figure 10 Client 110 can obtain information about the message group that the user requested to view from server 150 (S1002). The message group can be associated with the chat room to which the message group belongs on server 150 for registration and management, and server 150 can convey the message information of the message group corresponding to the request of client 110.

[0078] Client 110 can display messages from the user-requested message group in the order of message sending and receiving times based on message information obtained from server 150 (S1003). Figure 7 When a specific message group (e.g., "Group I") is selected in the message group directory 730, such as Figure 11 As shown, a message group viewing screen 1100 can be provided. The client 110 can configure the message group viewing screen 1100 for viewing message groups to be a user interface of the same or similar form as the chat room 600, and can display messages contained in the message group through the message group viewing screen 1100 based on message information received from the server 150.

[0079] Refer again Figure 10 Client 110 can receive add / delete requests for messages belonging to a specific message group in the message group of the chat room (S1004). Figure 11 The message group viewing screen 1100, which serves as an interface for modifying message groups, may include an add menu 1102 for adding other messages contained in chat room 600 to the message group, and a delete menu 1103 for deleting messages contained in the message group. Client 110 can receive message add requests through the add menu 1102 and message delete requests through the delete menu 1103 from the message group viewing screen 1100.

[0080] Refer again Figure 10 Client 110 can select messages to be added or deleted from the message group (S1005). When in Figure 11 When selecting the "Add Menu" 1102 in the message group viewing screen 1100, as follows: Figure 8As shown, the user navigates again to the interface screen for selecting messages to be added, for example, chat room 600. Chat room 600 in the message management environment provides an interface for selecting at least one message from the messages contained in chat room 600, and as an example, a selection button 801 may be provided for selecting messages individually. If a message has already been added to a message group from the messages contained in chat room 600, the selection button 801 may not be provided, or it may be an inactive selection button 801 that is not selectable. Additionally, when in… Figure 11 When selecting the delete menu 1103 in the message group viewing screen 1100, an interface for selecting messages to be deleted in the message group can be provided on the message group viewing screen 1100.

[0081] Refer again Figure 10 Client 110 may transmit the identifier of the message selected for modifying (adding / deleting) a message group, along with the identifier of the message group, to server 150 (S1006). Server 150 may receive the identifier of the message to be added to or deleted from the message group and update the message group accordingly.

[0082] Furthermore, the client 110 can store the time information of the message group that the user recently viewed (hereinafter referred to as "recent viewing time") according to the message group, and can distinguish and display newly added or deleted messages in the message group, as well as unread messages and remaining messages that the user has not read, based on the recent viewing time.

[0083] As an example, client 110 can compare the most recent viewing time of a message group with the update time of each message contained in that message group to determine whether any new messages have been added / deleted, and thereby provide update notifications for the message group. Figure 12 As shown, the message management screen 700 may include a message group directory 730 generated by the chat room 600. At this time, a notification identifier 1204 can be displayed for message groups with newly added / deleted messages. The notification identifier 1204 can distinguish between update notifications based on message additions and update notifications based on message deletions and display them on different interfaces.

[0084] When the message group with notification identifier 1204 is selected in the message group directory 730, the message group viewing screen 1100 can be provided. At this time, if... Figure 13 As shown, message 1305, added after the most recently viewed time, can be distinguished from the baseline message in this message group and displayed with a different interface. Additionally, refer to... Figure 14 In the case of a message in a message group that has been deleted after the most recent viewing time, a message "1406" can be displayed at the location of the deleted message instead of the message content.

[0085] In addition to update notifications based on message additions / deletions, notifications for newly generated message groups can also be provided through the interface associated with that chat room when a new message group is generated in the chat room.

[0086] As another example, client 110 can compare the most recent viewing time of a message group with the send and receive times of each message contained in that message group to determine if there are any unread messages in the message group, and thereby provide notifications for unread messages within the message group. (See also...) Figure 15 The communicator's interface screen (e.g., friend directory screen, chat room directory screen, environment settings screen, etc.) 1500 may include an unread menu 1550 for confirming unread messages in the message group.

[0087] If the user selects the unread menu 1550 on the communicator interface screen 1500, such as Figure 16 As shown, client 110 can provide a message group directory 1660, including unread messages, through a separate management screen 1600, different from the chat room. The message group directory 1660 can include information about the chat rooms belonging to each message group (e.g., chat room names), and can display a notification indicator 1607 showing the number of unread messages displayed by message group. When a specific message group is selected in the message group directory 1660, a message group viewing screen 1100 can be provided, and at this time, such as... Figure 17 As shown, messages sent or received after the most recent viewing time in this message group (i.e., unread message 1708) can be distinguished from read messages and displayed on a different interface.

[0088] The above description illustrates the execution of the message management method in the electronic device 110 based on instructions provided by the application installed in the electronic device 110, but it is not limited thereto. According to the embodiment, the server 150 can be linked with the application installed in the electronic device 110 to directly execute the above-described message management method on the server 150 side.

[0089] Specifically, in order for server 150 to execute according to Figure 4 In the message management method, the processor 222 of the server 150 may include a message group receiving unit and a message group sharing unit. According to embodiments, the message group receiving unit and the message group sharing unit may also be selectively included in the processor 222, or may be excluded. Furthermore, according to embodiments, components of the processor 222 may be separated or combined to exhibit the functions of the processor 222.

[0090] This processor 222 and its components can control the server 150 to perform... Figure 4Steps (S420 to S440). For example, processor 222 and component memory 221 of processor 222 may be implemented as instructions for running operating system code and at least one program code contained in memory 221.

[0091] The message group receiving unit and message group sharing unit included in the processor 222 of server 150 are connected via Figure 3 The message group receiving unit 310 and the message group sharing unit 320 perform the same or corresponding functions. Figure 4 The steps (S420 to S440) are omitted, therefore specific descriptions of the components of processor 222 are omitted.

[0092] As described above, according to embodiments of the present invention, a message management environment can be provided that can cluster messages sent and received between users participating in a chat room according to a topic. The message clustering results within the chat room are transmitted to a server, allowing sharing with other users participating in the chat room, and enabling the free addition or deletion of messages in the message cluster. Accordingly, since message clusters are generated and modified by users participating in the chat room, message clusters are created using messages with a shared context, thereby achieving highly accurate clustering according to a topic. Furthermore, instead of confirming all messages within the chat room, confirmation can be performed on a message cluster basis, allowing for rapid understanding of the dialogue content through topic-based message clustering.

[0093] The apparatus described above can be implemented as hardware components, software components, and / or combinations of hardware and software components. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments can be implemented using more than one general-purpose or special-purpose computer, such as a processor, controller, ALU (arithmetic logic unit), digital signal processor, microcomputer, FPGA (field programmable gate array), PLU (programmable logic unit), microprocessor, or any other device capable of running and responding to instructions. The processing device can execute an operating system (OS) and more than one software application running on said operating system. Furthermore, the processing device can also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For ease of understanding, although the processing device is described as using a single instance, those skilled in the art will understand that a processor can include multiple processing elements and / or multiple tangible processing elements. For example, a processing device can include multiple processors, or one processor and one controller. Furthermore, other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0094] Software may include computer programs, code, instructions, or a combination thereof, and may configure a processing device to operate in a desired manner, or to command the processing device individually or collectively. Software and / or data may be embodied in any tangible machine, component, device, computer storage medium, or apparatus for parsing by the processing device or for providing instructions or data to the processing device. Software may also be distributed across a network-connected computer system, thereby being stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on more than one computer-readable recording medium.

[0095] The method according to the embodiments can be implemented as program instructions executable by various computer devices and recorded in a computer-readable medium. In this case, the medium can continuously store a computer-executable program, or it can temporarily store it for running or downloading. Furthermore, the medium can be various recording or storage devices in the form of a combination of one or more hardware components, and is not limited to any medium directly connected to a computer system, and can also exist distributedly on a network. Examples of media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floppy disks; and ROM, RAM, and flash memory, configured to store program instructions. Furthermore, examples of other media may include recording media and even storage media managed in application stores that distribute applications or websites and servers that supply or distribute various other software.

[0096] As described above, although embodiments have been described with reference to specific examples and accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can make various modifications and variations based on the above description. For example, even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc., are combined or integrated in a different manner than the described methods, or are replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents, suitable results can still be achieved.

[0097] Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims should also be covered in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A message management method, comprising the following steps: Receive a sharing request for a first message group among a plurality of message groups associated with a chat room, wherein the first message group includes at least one message among the messages contained in the chat room; as well as Based on the sharing request, information for the first message group is transmitted to the server so that the server stores the information for the first message group in association with the chat room, thereby sharing the first message group among users included in the chat room. The step of sharing the message group further includes: The identifiers of each message contained in the first message group and the name of the first message group, along with the identifier of the chat room to which the first message group belongs, are transmitted to the server. Each of the plurality of message groups is managed on the server using its own message group identifier and the identifier of its respective chat room. Based on a message group viewing request received from the user by displaying a first user interface of the chat room, a second user interface is provided to display a message group directory associated with the chat room and including the first message group and the second message group, wherein the first message group and the second message group have a first group identifier and a second group identifier, respectively. Based on the selection of the first message group in the message group directory displayed in the second user interface, through interaction with the server, messages belonging to the first message group are identified based on the first group identifier, and messages associated with the first group identifier are displayed as included in the first message group; and Based on the selection of the second message group in the message group directory displayed in the second user interface, messages belonging to the second message group are identified through interaction with the server based on the second group identifier, and the messages associated with the second group identifier are displayed as included in the second message group. The receiving step includes the following steps: Provides a third user interface that allows the user to select at least one message from the messages contained in the chat room or to add or delete messages from the first message group; and The option to receive at least one message through the third user interface.

2. The message management method as described in claim 1, wherein, The receiving step includes the following steps: The messages contained in the chat room are clustered based on message time, and a notification is given indicating that at least one message in the chat room belongs to the first message group; and The sharing request receives specific user input as a prompt for the at least one message.

3. The message management method as described in claim 1, wherein, The receiving step includes the following steps: The messages contained in the chat room are clustered based on keywords input by the user, and a message indicating that at least one message in the chat room belongs to the first message group is displayed; and The sharing request receives specific user input as a prompt for the at least one message.

4. The message management method as described in claim 1, wherein, The receiving step includes the following steps: A fourth user interface is provided, allowing the user to select at least one other message from the messages in the chat room to be added to the first message group, or to select at least one other message from the messages in the first message group to be deleted from the first message group; and The option to receive at least one other message through the fourth user interface.

5. The message management method as described in claim 1, wherein, The sharing step involves sharing the first message group or the second message group through a service channel assigned to the chat room.

6. The message management method as described in claim 1, wherein, The sharing process includes the following steps: Store the most recent viewing time for either the first message group or the second message group; and Based on the most recently viewed time, at least one message contained in the first message group or the second message group is distinguished from the remaining messages and displayed.

7. The message management method as described in claim 6, wherein, Each message contained in the first message group or the second message group contains time information about when the first message group or the second message group was updated, and The display steps include the following: The most recently viewed time is compared with the time information to determine whether there are any messages updated after the most recently viewed time in the first message group or the second message group; and In the first message group or the second message group, messages updated after the most recently viewed time are distinguished from and displayed as reference messages.

8. The message management method as described in claim 6, wherein, The display steps include the following steps: For the first message group or the second message group, the time of each message is compared with the most recently viewed time to determine the unread messages in the corresponding message group; and The unread messages and read messages are distinguished and displayed in the corresponding message group.

9. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores execution instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the message management method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer system, comprising: At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to execute computer-readable instructions included in memory, Wherein, the at least one processor includes: A message group receiving unit receives a sharing request for a first message group among multiple message groups associated with a chat room, wherein the first message group includes at least one message from the messages contained in the chat room; and A message group sharing unit transmits information about the first message group to a server based on the sharing request. The server connects to the chat room and stores the information about the first message group, thereby sharing the first message group among users included in the chat room. The message group sharing department also includes: The identifiers of each message contained in the first message group, the name of the first message group, and the identifier of the chat room to which the first message group belongs are transmitted to the server, wherein each of the plurality of message groups is managed on the server using its respective message group identifier and the chat room identifier. Based on a message group viewing request received by the user through a first user interface displaying the chat room, a second user interface is provided to display a message group directory associated with the chat room and including the first message group and a second message group, wherein the first message group and the second message group have a first group identifier and a second group identifier, respectively. Based on the selection of the first message group in the message group directory displayed in the second user interface, through interaction with the server, messages belonging to the first message group are identified based on the first group identifier, and messages associated with the first group identifier are displayed as included in the first message group. Based on the selection of the second message group in the message group directory displayed in the second user interface, messages belonging to the second message group are identified through interaction with the server based on the second group identifier, and the messages associated with the second group identifier are displayed as included in the second message group. The message group receiving unit provides a third user interface that allows the user to select at least one message from the messages contained in the chat room or to add or delete messages in the first message group, so as to receive the selection of at least one message through the third user interface.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein, The message group receiving unit clusters messages contained in the chat room based on message time or keywords entered by the user, so as to receive specific user input as a sharing request after indicating that at least one message in the messages contained in the chat room belongs to the first message group.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein, The message group receiving unit provides a fourth user interface for users to select at least one other message to be added to the first message group from the messages contained in the chat room, or to select at least one other message to be deleted from the first message group from the messages contained in the first message group, so as to receive the selection of the at least one other message through the fourth user interface.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein, The message sharing unit shares the first message group or the second message group through the service channel assigned to the chat room.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein, The message group sharing unit stores the most recent viewing time for the first message group or the second message group, and distinguishes and displays at least one message contained in the first message group or the second message group from the remaining messages based on the most recent viewing time.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein, Each message contained in the first message group or the second message group contains time information about when the first message group or the second message group was updated, and The message group sharing unit compares the most recently viewed time with the time information, and distinguishes and displays messages updated after the most recently viewed time from the baseline message in the first message group or the second message group.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein, The message group sharing unit compares the time of each message in the first message group or the second message group with the most recently viewed time to determine unread messages in the corresponding message group, and distinguishes and displays the unread messages and read messages in the corresponding message group.

17. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The memory stores execution instructions; as well as A processor that executes execution instructions stored in the memory, causing the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images