Live streaming service provision device and method

Abstract

To provide a live streaming service provision device capable of realizing a smooth bidirectional communication while protecting a privacy of a viewer so as couple a small number of streamers with a plurality of viewers via an online image, and provide a method.SOLUTION: A live streaming service provision device 100 contains: a reception media control part that identifies a terminal to be connected and controls a media to be received in each of identified terminal; a source media reception part that receives a media that is permitted in each terminal identified by the control of the reception media control part; a personalized media generation part that combines the media to be received by the source media reception part, and generates a personalized media transmitted to each identified terminal; and a personalized media transmission part that transmits the personalized media generated by the personalized media generation part to each identified terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a live streaming service, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for providing a live streaming service that enables smooth two-way communication by connecting a small number of streamers and a large number of viewers through online images. [Background technology]

[0002] With the development of Internet technology, a variety of live streaming services for content have recently been provided.

[0003] Live streaming is a streaming method that applies the existing Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) streaming to live media, and unlike on-demand video content, a live source is input in real time.

[0004] Conventional live streaming services broadcast a streamer's image one-way in real time to a large number of viewers, and viewers can communicate with the streamer by sending messages through a live chat function provided by the live streaming service.

[0005] For example, when a streamer such as a singer, actor, athlete, or influencer uses a conventional live streaming service to conduct a fan meeting via images, the streamer conducts the fan meeting while viewing live chat messages sent by a large number of fans.

[0006] In this way, in live streaming services, streamers conduct fan meetings while viewing live chat messages, but in some cases, there may be an excessive amount of live chat messages, making it difficult for streamers to read them all, making it difficult for smooth communication to take place.

[0007] Meanwhile, video conference call services such as Zoom and Google Meet allow everyone to see each other's images and communicate in real time, without any distinction between streamers and viewers.

[0008] When a fan meeting is conducted through images via such a video conference call service, there are problems such as the faces of fans attending the fan meeting being unnecessarily exposed to each other, hindering the user experience and raising concerns about privacy violations.

[0009] To avoid this, when a streamer shares an image with a fan one-on-one, the fan can only talk with the streamer for a relatively short time (about 15 seconds to 1 minute), but the streamer has to spend more time on the one-on-one image share in proportion to the number of viewers, which is a problem. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2388670 (Publication date: 2022.04.20.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has an object to provide an apparatus and method for providing a live streaming service that enables smooth two-way communication by connecting a small number of streamers and a large number of viewers through online images.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for providing a live streaming service that enables each viewer to communicate with a streamer two-way while protecting the viewer's privacy from other viewers by providing only images of the viewer and the streamer to each viewer.

[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing a live streaming service that classifies viewers into a plurality of classes and applies discriminatory privileges to the viewers according to the classes, thereby ensuring smooth operation and streaming quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by including: a receiving media control unit which identifies a connected terminal and controls the media to be received for each identified terminal; a source media receiving unit which receives media permitted for each identified terminal under the control of the receiving media control unit; a personalized media generating unit which combines the media received by the source media receiving unit to generate personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal; and a personalized media transmitting unit which transmits the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit to each identified terminal.

[0015] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the receiving media control unit controls the identified terminal to receive video and audio if the identified terminal is a streamer terminal, and controls the identified terminal to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text according to a grade of the viewer terminal if the identified terminal is a viewer terminal.

[0016] In the apparatus for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, the receiving media control unit controls the audio to be received from a viewer terminal selected by a streamer from among the viewer terminals.

[0017] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the personalized media generating unit generates media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal by combining video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal, and generates media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal by combining video and audio received from the streamer terminal and live chat text received from the viewer terminal.

[0018] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the personalized media generating unit generates the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal and the audio received from the viewer terminal selected by the streamer from among the viewer terminals to generate the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal.

[0019] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the personalized media sending unit transmits media generated by combining video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal, generated by the personalized media generating unit, to a terminal identified as a streamer terminal, and transmits media generated by combining video and audio received from the streamer terminal and live chat text received from the viewer terminal, generated by the personalized media generating unit, to a terminal identified as a viewer terminal.

[0020] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the streamer terminal streams the media received from the personalized media transmitting unit, and the streaming screen includes a viewer screen that displays videos received from a plurality of viewer terminals that are video-enabled; and a live chat window that displays live chat texts received from all viewer terminals.

[0021] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the viewer screen is divided according to the number of viewer terminals for which the video is permitted, and each divided screen includes: a video display unit for displaying the video received from the viewer terminal for which the video is permitted; and a fixed text window for displaying the fixed text received from the viewer terminal for which the video is permitted.

[0022] In addition, in the live streaming service providing apparatus according to the present invention, the viewer terminal streams the media received from the personalized media transmitting unit, and the streaming screen includes: a streamer screen that displays the video received from the streamer terminal; and a live chat window that displays the live chat text received from all the viewer terminals.

[0023] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned object, the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention includes a step of a receiving media control unit identifying a connected terminal and controlling the media to be received for each identified terminal; a step of a source media receiving unit receiving media permitted for each identified terminal under the control of the receiving media control unit; a step of a personalized media generating unit combining the media received by the source media receiving unit to generate personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal; and a step of a personalized media transmitting unit transmitting the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit to each identified terminal.

[0024] In addition, in the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, the step of controlling media to be received by each identified terminal is characterized in that if the identified terminal is a streamer terminal, the step of controlling to receive video and audio, and if the identified terminal is a viewer terminal, the step of controlling to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text according to a grade of the viewer terminal.

[0025] In addition, in the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, in the step of controlling media to be received by each identified terminal, the step of controlling so that audio is received from a viewer terminal selected by a streamer from among the viewer terminals may be performed.

[0026] In addition, in the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, the step of generating personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal includes the steps of generating media to be transmitted to a streamer terminal by combining a video, a static text, and a live chat text received from a viewer terminal, and generating media to be transmitted to a viewer terminal by combining a video and an audio received from the streamer terminal and a live chat text received from the viewer terminal.

[0027] In addition, in the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, in the step of generating personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal, when generating media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal, the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal is generated by combining video, static text, and live chat text received from a viewer terminal and audio received from a viewer terminal selected by the streamer from among the viewer terminals.

[0028] In addition, in the method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention, the step of transmitting the personalized media to each of the identified terminals includes a step of transmitting media generated by the personalized media generation unit by combining a video, a static text, and a live chat text received from a viewer terminal to a terminal identified as a streamer terminal, and transmitting media generated by the personalized media generation unit by combining a video and an audio received from the streamer terminal and a live chat text received from a viewer terminal to a terminal identified as a viewer terminal.

[0029] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the "Specific Details for Carrying Out the Invention" and the attached "Drawings".

[0030] The advantages and / or features of the present invention and the methods of achieving the same will become more apparent with reference to the various embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of each embodiment disclosed below, but can be embodied in various different forms, and each embodiment disclosed in this specification is provided solely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention will be complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, and it should be understood that the present invention is defined only by the scope of each claim in the claims. Effect of the Invention

[0032] According to the present invention, a small number of streamers and a large number of viewers are connected by online images, enabling smooth two-way communication, and each viewer is provided with only images of himself / herself and the streamer, allowing two-way communication with the streamer while protecting privacy from other viewers.

[0033] In addition, viewers will be classified into multiple grades and differential privileges will be applied to viewers depending on the grade, ensuring smooth operation and streaming quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a live streaming service providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2-4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example operation of a live streaming service providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen provided by a streamer terminal according to the present invention; [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a split screen of FIG. 5; [Figure 7-8] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen provided by a viewer terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a process diagram illustrating a method for providing a live streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the terms and words used in this specification should not be interpreted in an unconditional and limited manner to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but rather that the inventor of the present invention may appropriately define and use the concepts of various terms in order to describe his / her invention in the best possible manner, and further that these terms and words should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical ideas of the present invention.

[0036] In other words, the terms used in this specification are merely used to describe preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to specifically limit the contents of the present invention. It should be understood that these terms are defined in consideration of various possibilities of the present invention.

[0037] In addition, in this specification, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, it should be understood that singular expressions may include plural expressions, and similarly, even if an expression is made in the plural, it may also include the singular meaning.

[0038] Throughout this specification, when a component is described as "comprising" another component, unless specifically stated to the contrary, this does not mean to exclude any other components, but may also include any other components.

[0039] Furthermore, when a component is described as being "located inside or connected to" another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected to or in contact with the other component, or may be spaced apart a certain distance, and in the case where the component is spaced apart a certain distance, there may be a third component or means for fixing or connecting the component to the other component, and a description of this third component or means may be omitted.

[0040] Conversely, when an element is described as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no third element or means is present.

[0041] Similarly, other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be construed in a similar manner.

[0042] Furthermore, in this specification, when terms such as "one side," "other side," "one side," "other side," "first," and "second" are used, they are used to clearly distinguish one component from other components, and it should be understood that such terms are not used to limit the meaning of the corresponding components.

[0043] In addition, when used in this specification, position-related terms such as "top," "bottom," "left," and "right" should be understood as indicating relative positions in the relevant drawings with respect to the relevant components, and unless absolute positions are specified with respect to these positions, these position-related terms should not be understood as referring to absolute positions.

[0044] Furthermore, in the specification of the present invention, the terms "module", "unit", "module", "device", etc., when used, refer to a unit capable of processing one or more functions or operations, and it should be understood that these can be embodied in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0045] Furthermore, in this specification, when specifying the drawing numbers for each component in each drawing, the same components have the same drawing numbers even if the components appear in different drawings, i.e., the same reference numbers refer to the same components throughout the specification.

[0046] In the drawings accompanying this specification, the size, position, connection relationship, etc. of each component constituting the present invention may be exaggerated, reduced, or omitted in order to sufficiently and clearly convey the concept of the present invention or for the convenience of explanation, and therefore the proportions and scales may not be strictly accurate.

[0047] In addition, in the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of configurations that are deemed to have the potential to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such as detailed descriptions of well-known technologies including conventional technologies, may be omitted.

[0048] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a live streaming service providing apparatus and method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a live streaming service providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the live streaming service providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1, a live streaming service providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a received media control unit 110, a source media receiving unit 120, a personalized media generating unit 130, a personalized media transmitting unit 140, and the like.

[0051] In this configuration, when the terminals 200, 300 that wish to receive the live streaming service are connected via a wired / wireless Internet network, the receiving media control unit 110 can identify the connected terminals 200, 300 and control the media to be received for each identified terminal (see FIG. 2).

[0052] Here, the connected terminals 200 and 300 may be identified by the ID of the terminal user, but is not limited to this.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, the terminals 200 and 300 can be roughly divided into streamer terminals 200 and viewer terminals 300, and the viewer terminals 300 can be further divided according to ranks.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present invention, the viewer terminals 300 may be divided into two classes (e.g., VIP class, A class), three classes (e.g., VIP class, S class, A class), five classes (e.g., VIP class, R class, S class, A class, B class), etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0055] Here, the grade of the viewer terminal 300 may correspond to the grade of the seat purchased by the terminal user, and may be determined by the paid item purchased by the terminal user, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, one streamer terminal 200 and one viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank are illustrated, but this is only one embodiment and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the streamer terminal 200 and the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank may be embodied in a plurality of units.

[0057] As described above, the receiving media control unit 110 controls the media received by each identified terminal, and if the identified terminal is a streamer terminal 200, it can control the corresponding streamer terminal 200 to receive video and audio. Thus, the streamer terminal 200 can activate audio and video.

[0058] Also, if the identified terminal is a viewer terminal 300, it is possible to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text depending on the class of the viewer terminal 300.

[0059] For example, when the viewer terminals 300 are divided into two classes (VIP class and A class), the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP class can be controlled to receive video, static text, and live chat text, and the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A class can be controlled to receive only live chat text. Thus, the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP class can activate video and deactivate audio, and the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A class can deactivate both video and audio.

[0060] In addition, while a streamer and a viewer are connected online and performing two-way communication, the receiving media control unit 110 can control the viewer terminal 300, specifically the VIP-class viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the highest class, to receive not only video, static text, and live chat text but also audio for the viewer terminal 300-1 that has requested a conversation with the streamer through a hand-raising function, a microphone request, etc. and accepted the conversation request from the streamer, among the viewer terminals 300. In this case, the receiving media control unit 110 can control the audio of the viewer terminal 300-1 that has accepted the conversation by the streamer to be received for a preset time.

[0061] As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, audio is received only by the viewer terminal 300-1 with which the streamer has accepted a conversation, thereby making it possible to prevent overlapping of the viewer's audio.

[0062] Meanwhile, the source media receiver 120 can receive media permitted for each identified terminal under the control of the received media controller 110 (see FIG. 3).

[0063] Specifically, the streamer terminal 200 can receive audio and video from the identified terminal.

[0064] From the terminals identified by the viewer terminal 300, video, static text, and live chat text can be selectively received depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300. For example, video, static text, and live chat text can be received from viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade, and live chat text can be received from viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to grade A. In this case, the source media receiving unit 120 can accept a conversation from the streamer among the viewer terminals 300, and can also receive audio from viewer terminal 300-1 that is permitted to receive audio.

[0065] Meanwhile, the personalized media generator 130 can combine the media received by the source media receiver 120 to generate personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal.

[0066] Specifically, the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300 are combined to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200. Depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300, the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade and the live chat text received from the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A grade may be combined to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200. Here, when generating media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200, if there is a viewer terminal 300-1 that accepts dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio among the viewer terminals 300, the personalized media generating unit 130 may combine the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade, the live chat text received from the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A grade, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 that accepts dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200.

[0067] In addition, the personalized media generator 130 can control the screen position where the video received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank is displayed when generating the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200. For example, assuming that there are 12 viewer terminals 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank, the personalized media generator 130 can control the screen position where the 12 videos are displayed.

[0068] In this case, the personalized media generator 130 may assign display screen positions in order of connection or may assign positions arbitrarily. Also, by giving a grade to each screen position, a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who connected earlier according to the order of connection during the progress of a service such as a fan meeting, a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who made an early advance purchase according to the advance purchase order, or a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who frequently used a live streaming service according to a live streaming service usage index, but is not limited thereto.

[0069] Here, the grade for each screen position may be such that a high grade is given to the center part of the display screen, and the grade decreases as the screen moves from the center to the outer frame part, but is not limited thereto.

[0070] The personalized media generator 130 can combine the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200 with the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade, and generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminals 300.

[0071] When generating media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300, if there is a viewer terminal 300-1 among the viewer terminals 300 that has accepted dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio, the personalized media generation unit 130 can generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300 by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200, the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 that has accepted dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio.

[0072] In addition, when generating media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300, if a plurality of videos are received from the streamer terminal 200 or a plurality of videos are received from each of the streamer terminals 200, and a video to be received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank is selected, the personalized media generation unit 130 can generate media to be transmitted to the corresponding viewer terminal 300 by combining the video selected from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank, the audio received from the streamer terminal 200, and the live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300.

[0073] For example, assuming there are four streamers, A, B, C, and D, four videos shot by streamers A, B, C, and D respectively and one video shot by all of streamers A, B, C, and D together are received. If the video shot by streamer A and the video shot by all of streamers A, B, C, and D together are selected from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank, the video shot by streamer A selected from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank and the video shot by all of streamers A, B, C, and D together, the audio received from the streamer terminal 200, and the live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300 can be combined to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300-1.

[0074] Meanwhile, the personalized media sending unit 140 can transmit the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit 130 to each identified terminal (see FIG. 4).

[0075] Specifically, the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200 generated by the personalized media generating unit 130, i.e., the media generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from all the viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade, can be transmitted to the terminal identified by the streamer terminal 200. In this case, if there is a viewer terminal 300-1 that accepts a dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio, the personalized media transmitting unit 140 can transmit to the streamer terminal 200 the media generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from all the viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio by the streamer.

[0076] Then, the media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300 generated by the personalized media generating unit 130, i.e., the media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200 and the live chat text received from all the viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade, can be transmitted to the terminal identified by the viewer terminal 300. In this case, if there is a viewer terminal 300-1 that accepts dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio, the personalized media transmitting unit 140 can transmit to the viewer terminal 300 the media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200 generated by the personalized media generating unit 130, the live chat text received from all the viewer terminals 300, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 that accepts dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio. Here, the personalized media transmitting unit 140 transmits media generated by combining audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio to the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300, and transmits media that does not include audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio to the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A grade.

[0077] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen provided by a streamer terminal according to the present invention. The streamer terminal 200 can stream media received from the personalized media sending unit 140, i.e., media generated by the personalized media generating unit 130 and transmitted to the streamer terminal 200, to provide it to a user.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 5, the screen 210 provided by the streamer terminal 200 may include a viewer screen 211 that displays video received from a plurality of viewer terminals 300-1 that are video-enabled so that the streamer can see the viewers at a glance, and a live chat window 215 that displays live chat text received from a plurality of viewer terminals 300-1 that are video-enabled.

[0079] The viewer screen 211 is divided according to the number of viewer terminals 300-1 for which video is permitted, and videos received from the viewer terminals 300-1 for which video is permitted can be displayed on each divided screen 213. For example, assuming that there are 10 viewer terminals 300-1 for which video is permitted, the viewer screen 211 can be divided into 10 screens.

[0080] In addition, the viewer screen 211 is divided according to the number of viewer terminals 300-1 permitted to have videos and the number of videos received from the streamer terminal 200, and the videos received from the viewer terminals 300-1 permitted to have videos and the videos received from the streamer terminal 200 can be displayed on each divided screen 213. For example, assuming that there are 10 viewer terminals 300-1 permitted to have videos and 2 videos received from the streamer terminal 200, the viewer screen 211 can be divided into 12 screens.

[0081] Here, the position of the video displayed on each split screen 213 can be determined by the personalized media generator 130 as described above.

[0082] In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, an example is described in which videos received from all viewer terminals 300-1 for which video is permitted are displayed on one display screen. However, the videos may also be displayed on multiple display screens so that the streamer can see the faces of the viewers prominently.

[0083] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the split screen of FIG. 5, and each split screen 213 may display a video received from a viewer terminal 300-1 for which video is permitted, for example, a viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank. As shown in FIG. 6, each split screen 213 may include a video display unit 213-1 for displaying a video received from a viewer terminal 300-1 for which video is permitted, a fixed text window 213-3 for displaying a fixed text received from a viewer terminal 300-1 for which video is permitted, an audio status window 213-5 for indicating an audio status (activated / inactivated) of the viewer terminal 300-1 for which video is permitted, and a nickname display window 213-7 for indicating the viewer's nickname.

[0084] Here, the static text is a message that a viewer who has been granted permission to watch a video wishes to convey to the streamer, and the streamer can smoothly communicate with the viewer through the static text window 213-3.

[0085] Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating exemplary screens provided by a viewer terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the viewer terminal 300 can stream media received from the personalized media transmission unit 140, i.e., media generated by the personalized media generation unit 130 to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300, and provide it to a user.

[0086] The screen 310 provided by the viewer terminal 300 can be set to have different screen configurations depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300 .

[0087] For example, if the viewer terminal 300 is a viewer terminal that is permitted to transmit video, e.g., a viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank, as shown in FIG. 7, it may include a streamer screen 311 that displays the video received from the streamer terminal 200, a viewer screen 315 that displays the video of the viewer captured through a camera installed in the viewer terminal 300-1, and a live chat window 313 that displays the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300.

[0088] If the viewer terminal 300 is a viewer terminal that does not allow video, for example, viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to Class A, it may include a streamer screen 311 that displays the video received from the streamer terminal 200 and a live chat window 313 that displays the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a process diagram illustrating a method for providing a live streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] Since the method for providing a live streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed on substantially the same configuration as the live streaming service providing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, the same components as those of the live streaming service providing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0091] First, in step S10, when the terminals 200, 300 for which a live streaming service is to be provided are connected via a wired / wireless Internet network, the receiving media control unit 110 can identify the connected terminals 200, 300 and control the media to be received for each identified terminal.

[0092] In the above step S10, the receiving media control unit 110 controls the media to be received for each identified terminal. If the identified terminal is a streamer terminal 200, it can control the corresponding streamer terminal 200 to receive video and audio. If the identified terminal is a viewer terminal 300, it can control the corresponding streamer terminal 200 to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text depending on the class of the viewer terminal 300.

[0093] For example, if the viewer terminals 300 are divided into two classes (VIP class and A class), the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP class can be controlled to receive video, static text, and live chat text, and the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A class can be controlled to receive only live chat text.

[0094] Thereafter, in step S20, the source media receiving unit 120 can receive media permitted for each terminal identified under the control of the receiving media control unit 110 through the above step S10.

[0095] In the above step S20, the source media receiving unit 120 can receive audio and video from a terminal identified as the streamer terminal 200, and can selectively receive video, static text, or live chat text from a terminal identified as the viewer terminal 300 depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300.

[0096] For example, a video, static text, and live chat text can be received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP class, and live chat text can be received from the viewer terminals 300-2, . . . , 300-N corresponding to the A class.

[0097] In step S30, the personalized media generator 130 can combine the media received by the source media receiver 120 in step S20 and generate personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal.

[0098] In the above step S30, the personalized media generation unit 130 generates media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200 by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300. Depending on the grade of the viewer terminal 300, the personalized media generation unit 130 may generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200 by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade and the live chat text received from the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A grade.

[0099] In step S30, when the personalized media generator 130 generates media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200, it can control the screen position where the video received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank is displayed.

[0100] In this case, the personalized media generator 130 may assign display screen positions in order of connection or may assign positions arbitrarily. Also, by giving a grade to each screen position, a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who connected earlier according to the order of connection during the progress of a service such as a fan meeting, a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who made an early advance purchase according to the advance purchase order, or a higher grade position may be assigned to a viewer who frequently used a live streaming service according to a live streaming service usage index, but is not limited thereto.

[0101] In the above step S30, the personalized media generator 130 can combine the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200 with the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300 regardless of rank to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminals 300.

[0102] In the above step S30, when the personalized media generation unit 130 generates media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300, if a plurality of videos are received from the streamer terminal 200 or a plurality of videos are received from each of the streamer terminals 200 and a video to be received from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP rank is selected, the personalized media generation unit 130 can combine the video selected from the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank, the audio received from the streamer terminal 200, and the live chat text received from the viewer terminal 300 to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP rank.

[0103] In step S40, the personalized media sending unit 140 can transmit the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit 130 to each identified terminal.

[0104] In the above step S40, the personalized media sending unit 140 can transmit the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200 generated by the personalized media generating unit 130, i.e., the media generated by combining the videos, static texts, and live chat texts received from all viewer terminals 300 regardless of rank, to the terminal identified by the streamer terminal 200.

[0105] In addition, in the above step S40, the personalized media sending unit 140 can transmit the media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300 generated by the personalized media generating unit 130, i.e., the media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200 with the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade, to the terminal identified by the viewer terminal 300.

[0106] While the streamer and the viewer are connected online through the above-mentioned steps S10 to S40 and perform two-way communication, the viewer terminals 300, specifically the VIP-class viewer terminals 300-1 corresponding to the highest class, can request a conversation with the streamer through, for example, a hand-raising function, a microphone request, etc., and when a viewer terminal 300-1 whose conversation has been accepted by the streamer is generated, the receiving media control unit 110 can control the viewer terminal 300-1 whose conversation has been accepted from the streamer to receive not only video, static text, and live chat text, but also audio. At this time, the audio of the viewer terminal 300-1 whose conversation has been accepted by the streamer can be controlled to be received for a preset time.

[0107] As described above, when the received media control unit 110 controls to receive audio from the viewer terminal 300-1 whose conversation has been accepted by the streamer, the source media receiving unit 120 can also receive the audio from the viewer terminal 300-1.

[0108] In addition, when the personalized media generator 130 generates media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200, the personalized media generator 130 can also combine the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 whose dialogue has been accepted by the streamer to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200.

[0109] Specifically, media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal 200 can be generated by combining video, static text, and live chat text received from a viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to a VIP grade, live chat text received from viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to an A grade, and audio received from a viewer terminal 300-1 whose conversation has been accepted by the streamer.

[0110] In addition, when generating media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300, the personalized media generation unit 130 can also combine the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 whose dialogue has been accepted by the streamer to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300.

[0111] Specifically, media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal 300 can be generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200, the live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 that has accepted dialogue from the streamer and is permitted to receive audio.

[0112] Meanwhile, the personalized media sending unit 140 can transmit to the streamer terminal 200 media generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from all viewer terminals 300 regardless of the grade generated by the personalized media generating unit 130 and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 that is permitted to receive audio by the streamer.

[0113] Then, the personalized media generating unit 130 can transmit media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal 200, the live chat text received from all the viewer terminals 300, and the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio by the streamer to the viewer terminals 300. Here, the personalized media transmitting unit 140 can transmit media including the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio to the viewer terminal 300-1 corresponding to the VIP grade according to the grade of the viewer terminal 300, and transmit media not including the audio received from the viewer terminal 300-1 permitted to receive audio to the viewer terminals 300-2, ..., 300-N corresponding to the A grade.

[0114] The method for providing a live streaming service according to the present invention may be implemented in the form of an application or program commands that can be executed through various computer components and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., either alone or in combination.

[0115] The program commands recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well known and available to those skilled in the computer software art.

[0116] Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.

[0117] Examples of program commands include not only machine code, such as produced by a compiler, but also high level language code that can be executed by the computer using an interpreter or the like.

[0118] As discussed above, in an embodiment of the present invention, a small number of streamers and a large number of viewers are connected through online images to carry out two-way communication, making two-way communication possible not only through verbal communication but also through non-verbal communication (facial expressions and actions).

[0119] In addition, while the streamer's images are made public to all viewers, the viewer's images are made public only to the viewer and the streamer, thereby protecting privacy from other viewers.

[0120] In addition, viewers will be classified into multiple grades and differential privileges will be applied to viewers depending on the grade, ensuring smooth operation and streaming quality.

[0121] Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above using some examples, the description of the various embodiments described in this section "Specific Contents for Carrying Out the Invention" is merely illustrative, and a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains will be well aware from the above description that the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms or in an equivalent manner to the present invention.

[0122] Furthermore, since the present invention can be embodied in various other forms, the present invention is not limited by the above description, and the above description is provided only to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, and it should be understood that the present invention is defined only by the claims of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 100. Live streaming service providing device 110 Receiving media control unit 120 Source media receiver 130 Personalized Media Creation Department 140 Personalized media transmission unit 200...Streamer terminal 300...Viewer terminal

Claims

1. a receiving media control unit for identifying a connected terminal and controlling media to be received by each identified terminal; a source media receiving unit for receiving media permitted for each of the identified terminals under the control of the receiving media control unit; a personalized media generating unit that combines the media received by the source media receiving unit and generates personalized media to be transmitted to the identified terminal; and a personalized media sending unit configured to send the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit to the identified terminals.

2. The receiving media control unit includes: If the identified terminal is a streamer terminal, control is performed so that video and audio are received; The apparatus for providing a live streaming service according to claim 1, wherein if the identified terminal is a viewer terminal, the apparatus controls to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text according to a class of the viewer terminal.

3. The receiving media control unit includes:

3. The live streaming service providing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit configured to control a viewer terminal selected by a streamer from among the viewer terminals to receive audio.

4. The personalized media generation unit includes: Combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal; 2. The live streaming service providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a live streaming service providing device for providing live streaming services to a live terminal by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal with the live chat text received from the viewer terminal to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal.

5. The personalized media generation unit includes:

5. The live streaming service providing device of claim 4, wherein when generating the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal, the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal is generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal and the audio received from the viewer terminal selected by the streamer from among the viewer terminals.

6. The personalized media sending unit is Transmitting media generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal, generated by the personalized media generating unit, to the terminal identified as the streamer terminal; The live streaming service providing device of claim 1, characterized in that the media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal and the live chat text received from the viewer terminal, generated by the personalized media generating unit, is transmitted to the terminal identified by the viewer terminal.

7. The streamer terminal includes: Streaming the media received from the personalized media sending unit, The streaming screen is a viewer screen for displaying video received from a plurality of video-enabled viewer terminals; and The apparatus for providing a live streaming service according to claim 6, further comprising: a live chat window for displaying live chat texts received from all viewer terminals.

8. The viewer screen includes: The screen is divided according to the number of viewer terminals to which the video is permitted, Each split screen is a video display unit for displaying the video received from the viewer terminal for which the video is permitted; and The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising: a fixed text window for displaying fixed text received from the viewer terminal for which the video is permitted.

9. The viewer terminal includes: Streaming the media received from the personalized media sending unit, The streaming screen is a streamer screen for displaying the video received from the streamer device; and The apparatus for providing a live streaming service according to claim 6, further comprising: a live chat window for displaying live chat texts received from all viewer terminals.

10. A receiving media control unit identifies a connected terminal and controls media received by each identified terminal; a source media receiving unit receiving media permitted for each of the identified terminals under the control of the receiving media control unit; A personalized media generating unit combines the media received by the source media receiving unit to generate personalized media to be transmitted to each of the identified terminals; and A method for providing a live streaming service, comprising: a step of: a personalized media sending unit transmitting the personalized media generated by the personalized media generating unit to the identified terminal.

11. The step of controlling media received by each identified terminal comprises: If the identified terminal is a streamer terminal, control is performed so that video and audio are received; 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: if the identified terminal is a viewer terminal, controlling to selectively receive video, static text, and live chat text according to a class of the viewer terminal.

12. In the step of controlling media received by each identified terminal, The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling the audio to be received from a viewer terminal selected by the streamer from among the viewer terminals.

13. The step of generating personalized media to be transmitted to each identified terminal comprises: Combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal to generate media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal; The method for providing a live streaming service according to claim 10, further comprising the step of: combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal with the live chat text received from the viewer terminal to generate media to be transmitted to the viewer terminal.

14. In the step of generating personalized media to be transmitted to each of the identified terminals, 14. The method of claim 13, wherein when generating the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal, the media to be transmitted to the streamer terminal is generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal and the audio received from the viewer terminal selected by the streamer from among the viewer terminals.

15. The step of transmitting the personalized media to the identified terminal comprises: Transmitting media generated by combining the video, static text, and live chat text received from the viewer terminal, generated by the personalized media generating unit, to the terminal identified as the streamer terminal; 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of transmitting media generated by combining the video and audio received from the streamer terminal and the live chat text received from the viewer terminal, to the terminal identified by the viewer terminal.

16. A computer-readable recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for performing the method of providing a live streaming service according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

Images