Digital comic book providing device and control method thereof

Abstract

A method for providing a digital comic according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: storing a digital comic including one or more page images each corresponding to one or more pages included in a printed comic; detecting one or more cut areas for each of the one or more page images; when a request for the digital comic is received from a user terminal, displaying each page image of the digital comic by reference area on a display of the user terminal by referring to information of the user terminal; and applying a visual effect to the displayed reference area, wherein the reference area is one of the detected one or more cut areas, a sequence area including all content in the page image, and a page area corresponding to the page image.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a digital comic book providing apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a digital comic book providing apparatus and a control method thereof that can effectively display digital comic books obtained from printed comic books on a small display device. [Background technology]

[0002] The publishing market, which was dominated by print publications, is gradually changing to digital publications. In line with this trend, there are ongoing efforts to convert comic books and magazines that were previously published in print format into digital data for further use.

[0003] One method for converting printed comics into digital data is to use a scanner. By scanning each page of the printed comic with a scanner, digital data corresponding to each page of the printed comic can be obtained, and this can then be appropriately processed to generate a digital comic.

[0004] However, while digital comics obtained in this manner do not pose any particular problems when displayed on a digital device with a relatively large display size, such as a personal computer or e-book reader, various problems arise when displayed on a digital device with a relatively small display size, such as a mobile phone.

[0005] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, digital comics have a more complex eye movement than webtoons. Therefore, readability may decrease when digital comics are displayed on a small display device. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, if the pages of a digital comic are simply reduced in size to fit the size of a mobile phone display, a relatively large amount of blank space will appear on the mobile phone display. In particular, a large amount of blank space will appear at the top and bottom of the display. Also, readability decreases as the size of the pages of a digital comic is reduced. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present disclosure has been devised in response to the above-mentioned need, and the problem that the present disclosure aims to solve is to provide a digital comic book providing device and a control method thereof that can efficiently display digital comic books based on printed comic books even on a small display device.

[0007] The problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for providing a digital comic according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: storing a digital comic including one or more page images each corresponding to one or more pages included in a printed comic; detecting one or more cut areas for each of the one or more page images; when a request for the digital comic is received from a user terminal, sequentially displaying each page image of the digital comic by reference area on a display of the user terminal by referring to information of the user terminal; and applying a visual effect to the displayed reference area, wherein the reference area is one of the detected one or more cut areas, a sequence area including all content in the page image, and a page area corresponding to the page image.

[0009] Further details of the embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, readability can be improved when a digital comic based on a printed comic is displayed on a small display device.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a digital cartoon based on a printed cartoon is displayed on a small display device, the resources of the display device can be efficiently utilized.

[0012] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating a comparison of eye flow in a digital comic based on a printed comic and eye flow in a webtoon. [Diagram 2] 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison between a digital comic page obtained based on a printed comic and the corresponding digital comic page reduced and displayed on a user terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining terms used in the present disclosure, illustrating an example of a page image of a digital comic book. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a digital comic provision system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital comic book providing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a sequence area in a page image. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page image included in a digital comic. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 10] Same as above. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 12]13 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram illustrating a fifth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 15] 13 is a diagram illustrating a sixth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing digital comics according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and the methods for achieving them, will become clear from the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments set forth below, and may be embodied in various different forms, but the embodiments are provided to complete the disclosure and fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in the sense commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless expressly and specifically defined.

[0016] The terms used in the present specification are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the present specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless otherwise specified. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the components mentioned.

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0018] First, the terms used in the present disclosure will be generally described. The explanation of the terms is intended to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, unless expressly limited in the detailed description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the terms described below are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the terms used in this disclosure, and is a diagram illustrating an example of a page image of a digital comic.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 3, a digital comic page image includes a page region 10, a scene region 20, a scene region 30, a sequence region 40, and a speech bubble region 50.

[0021] The page area 10 refers to the entire area of ​​a page image of a digital comic. That is, the size of the page image can be understood as the size of the page area 10. The page area 10 can include one or more cut areas 20.

[0022] The cut area 20 is an area that includes a cut. A cut is the smallest unit of a story. A cut includes content. Examples of content include pictures and text. The cut area 20 can have a shape that includes one or more of straight lines and curves. That is, the cut area 20 can be understood as a figure that is divided by a continuous outline. Among figures that are divided by a continuous outline, a figure in which the proportion of straight lines is equal to or greater than a reference value or a figure in which the radius of curvature of the outline is less than a reference value can be understood to be the cut area 20.

[0023] The page area 10 may include a cut area 20 that is divided by a continuous outline, but may also include a cut area 21 that is not divided by a continuous outline. In the latter case, there is often a large difference in brightness or hue between the cut and its periphery. Therefore, a virtual outline may be formed by connecting a number of points where the difference in brightness is equal to or greater than a reference value, and the cut area 21 may be divided based on the virtual outline.

[0024] One cut area 20 may occupy one entire page area 10, or may occupy two consecutive page areas. Two consecutive page areas refer to page areas of page images that respectively correspond to two pages that are visible when a printed comic is opened. In the following description, the cut area 20 may be referred to as a "shot area." The cut area 20 may constitute a scene area 30 or a sequence area 40, which will be described later.

[0025] The scene area 30 refers to an area on which the reader focuses among the cuts included in the page area 10. As an example, if a second cut area exists within a first cut area, the first cut area may be understood to be the scene area 30. As another example, if the outline of the first cut area is in contact with the outline of a second cut area adjacent to the first cut area, the area defined by the outline of the first cut area and the outline of the second cut area may be understood to be the scene area 30. As yet another example, if the outline of the first cut area is connected to the picture of the second cut area adjacent to the first cut area, the area defined by the outline of the first cut area, the outline of the second cut area, and the outline of the picture may be understood to be the scene area 30. As yet another example, if the outline of the first cut area is connected to the outline of the second cut area adjacent to the first cut area by a speech bubble area, the area defined by the outline of the first cut area, the outline of the second cut area, and the outline of the speech bubble area may be understood to be the scene area 30. As illustrated, a scene area may be determined based on whether a cut area includes other cut areas, and whether a cut area is connected to other cut areas. As another example, a scene area may be determined based on the amount of information included in a cut area.

[0026] The sequence region 40 refers to an area that includes all content within the page region 10. In other words, the sequence region 40 refers to an area of ​​the page region 10 excluding the top and bottom margins and the left and right margins. Therefore, the sequence region 40 has a size smaller than the page region 10. The outer boundary of the sequence region 40 may be defined by an outer boundary line that is closest to the outer boundary line of the page region 10 among the outer boundaries that constitute one or more cut regions arranged along the outer boundary line of the page region 10.

[0027] The speech bubble region 50 refers to a region in which characters are arranged. The speech bubble region 50 may be arranged inside the cut region 20 or may be arranged protruding from the outer boundary of the cut region 20. The speech bubble region 50 protruding from the outer boundary of the cut region 20 may invade the outer boundary of the adjacent cut region 21. The speech bubble region 50 does not have a fixed shape. Instead, most of the speech bubble region 50 may have a different brightness or color compared to the surroundings of the speech bubble region 50. Therefore, the speech bubble region 50 may be detected through brightness contrast or color comparison with the surroundings. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) may be performed on the speech bubble region 50. Character data recognized in the speech bubble region 50 may be stored and managed in a separate database.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a digital comic book providing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 4, a digital comic book providing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a user terminal 100 and a digital comic book providing device 200.

[0030] The user terminal 100 provides its identification information to the digital cartoon providing device 200 and displays the digital cartoon provided by the digital cartoon providing device 200. The user terminal 100 may include a small display device such as a mobile phone. A more detailed description of the configuration of the user terminal 100 will be given later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0031] The digital comic providing device 200 acquires identification information of the user terminal 100 and setting information related to the digital comic, processes a pre-stored digital comic to fit the user terminal 100 based on the acquired identification information and setting information, and provides the digital comic to the user terminal 100. According to the embodiment, the digital comic providing device 200 may process each page image of the digital comic for each reference area. The reference area may be set to one of a cut area, a sequence area, and a page area. The reference area may be set directly by a user, or may be automatically set by the digital comic providing device 200 in consideration of the user terminal 100. The digital comic providing device 200 may be a server for providing digital comics to the user terminal 100. A more detailed description of the configuration of the digital comic providing device 200 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 5, the user terminal 100 may include a wireless communication unit 110, an input unit 120, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, an interface unit 160, a memory 170, a control unit 180, a power supply unit 190, and the like.

[0034] The components illustrated in FIG. 5 are not essential to the implementation of the user terminal 100, and the user terminal 100 described herein may have more or less components than those illustrated above.

[0035] More specifically, the wireless communication unit 110 among the components may include one or more components enabling wireless communication between the user terminal 100 and a wireless communication system (not shown), wireless communication between the user terminal 100 and another user terminal (not shown), or wireless communication between the user terminal 100 and an external server (not shown). Also, the wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more components connecting the user terminal 100 to one or more networks. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include at least one of a broadcast receiving unit 111, a mobile communication unit 112, a wireless Internet 113, a short-range communication unit 114, and a location information unit 115.

[0036] The input unit 120 may include a camera 121 or a video input unit for inputting a video signal, a microphone 122 or an audio input unit for inputting an audio signal, and a user input unit 123 for receiving information input from a user. Examples of the user input unit 123 include a touch key, a mechanical key, etc. The voice data and image data collected by the input unit 120 may be analyzed and processed as a user control command.

[0037] The sensing unit 140 may include one or more sensors for sensing at least one of information in the user terminal 100, information on the surrounding environment surrounding the user terminal 100, and user information. For example, the sensing unit 140 may include one or more of a proximity sensor (141), an illumination sensor (142), a touch sensor, an acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gravity sensor (G-sensor), a gyroscope sensor, a motion sensor, an RGB sensor, an infrared sensor (IR sensor), a finger scan sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an optical sensor. Information sensed by two or more of the exemplified sensors may be combined and utilized.

[0038] The output unit 150 generates an output related to vision, hearing, touch, or the like. The output unit 150 may include at least one of a display unit 151, an audio output unit 152, a haptic unit 153, and an optical output unit 154. The display unit 151 may be layered with a touch sensor or may be integrally formed with the touch sensor to implement a touch screen. The touch screen may function as a user input unit 123 that provides an input interface between the user terminal 100 and a user, and may also provide an output interface between the user terminal 100 and a user.

[0039] The interface unit 160 serves as a passageway for various kinds of external devices connected to the user terminal 100. The interface unit 160 may include one or more of a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device equipped with an identification module, an audio input / output port, a video input / output port, and an earphone port. In response to an external device being connected to the interface unit 160, the user terminal 100 may perform appropriate control related to the connected external device.

[0040] The memory 170 also stores data supporting various functions of the user terminal 100. The memory 170 can store a number of application programs (or applications) operated by the user terminal 100, and data and commands for the operation of the user terminal 100. At least some of the application programs can be downloaded from an external server through wireless communication. At least some of the application programs can be present in the user terminal 100 from the time of release for basic functions of the user terminal 100 (e.g., incoming call function, outgoing call function, message receiving function, message sending function). Meanwhile, the application programs can be stored in the memory 170, installed in the user terminal 100, and driven by the control unit 180 to perform the operation or function of the user terminal 100.

[0041] In addition to operations related to the application programs, the control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the user terminal 100. The control unit 180 processes signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the components detailed above, or runs application programs stored in the memory 170, thereby providing or processing appropriate information or functions to the user.

[0042] 5 in order to operate the application programs stored in the memory 170. Furthermore, the controller 180 can operate at least two or more of the components included in the user terminal 100 in combination with each other in order to operate the application programs.

[0043] The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the control unit 180 and supplies power to each component included in the user terminal 100. The power supply unit 190 includes a battery, which may be a built-in battery or a replaceable battery.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital comic book providing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 6, the digital comic book providing device 200 may include an area detecting unit 210 , a character recognizing unit 220 , an effect processing unit 230 , a control unit 240 , a database 250 , and a communication unit 260 .

[0046] The database 250 stores various data required to provide a digital cartoon service to the user terminal 100. The database 250 may include a first database, a second database, and a third database.

[0047] The first database stores user information, which may include one or more of a user's ID, password, name, identification information of the user terminal 100, and setting information for digital cartoons.

[0048] The identification information of the user terminal 100 may include one or more of a serial number assigned to the device, a manufacturer of the device, and a name of the device. Such identification information may be collected from the user terminal 100 or may be provided directly by the user.

[0049] The setting information for the digital cartoon may include various information related to a display method of the digital cartoon, such as information on a reference area applied to the digital cartoon, the type and number of effects applied to the reference area, and a criterion for generating a display switching event.

[0050] A display switching event may occur when a display switching command is received from a user, when a reference time is reached after the reference area is displayed, or when a specific point in the reference area reaches a specific point on the display as a result of the position of the reference area being moved by a display switching command. Among the exemplified cases, a criterion for generating a display switching event may be preset, and the preset content may be embodied to be changeable by a user.

[0051] The display switching command may include a voice command and a gesture command, and the gesture command may include a single tap, a double tap, a press, a deep press, a pan, a swipe, a flick, a scroll, and a drag.

[0052] Meanwhile, the display switching event may include a page image switching event and a cut area switching event. A gesture command for generating a page image switching event and a gesture command for generating a cut area switching event may be set to be different from each other.

[0053] The second database stores digital comics corresponding to printed comics. A printed comic includes one or more pages, and the digital comic includes one or more page images corresponding to the one or more pages. Each page image includes one or more cut regions.

[0054] According to an embodiment, the digital comics stored in the second database may be labeled with one or more labels.

[0055] As an example, the labels may include category labels for classifying categories of digital comics, such as category labels for available ages, category labels for publishing countries, category labels for publishing languages, category labels for genres, and category labels for subjects.

[0056] As another example, the label may include a line of sight information label, which indicates a cut region where the line of sight begins in the page image.

[0057] More specifically, printed comics published in Korea are turned from right to left, so when a printed comic is opened, the viewer's viewpoint starts from the left page and moves to the right page. Also, within a page, the viewer's viewpoint starts from the top left and moves to the top right, bottom left, left and right. Therefore, in a digital comic page, the viewer's viewpoint also starts from the top left and moves to the top right, bottom left and bottom right.

[0058] In contrast, printed comics published in Japan are turned from left to right, so when a printed comic is opened, the viewpoint starts from the right page and moves to the left page. Also, within a page, the viewpoint starts from the top right of the page and progresses in the order of top left, bottom right, and bottom left. Therefore, in a digital comic page image, the viewpoint also starts from the top right and progresses in the order of top left, bottom right, and bottom left.

[0059] As mentioned above, the overall direction of gaze flow and the starting position of gaze flow differ for printed comics depending on the country the printed comic is published in. Therefore, if the information of the cut area where the gaze flow starts is labeled in the digital comic with a gaze flow information label, it becomes unnecessary to perform separate image processing to detect the position where the gaze flow starts in each page image, and the resources required for image processing can be reduced.

[0060] In addition to the examples given above, it goes without saying that digital manga can be labeled with a wider variety of labels.

[0061] The third database stores character data recognized in the balloon region 50 of the page image. The character data stored in the third database may be processed into a form suitable for the user terminal 100 in terms of font, size, and effect, and then displayed through the user terminal 100.

[0062] The area detection unit 210 detects an area in each page image of the digital comic, where the area means one or more of the page area 10, scene area 20, scene area 30, sequence area 40, and speech bubble area 50 described above.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the area detection unit 210 detects an area from one page image. According to another embodiment, the area detection unit 210 detects an area from two consecutive page images. The two consecutive page images refer to page images corresponding to two pages that are visible when a printed comic is opened. When detecting an area from two consecutive page images, a cut area disposed across two consecutive page images can also be detected as one cut area. Therefore, when a digital comic is displayed based on the cut area, the contents of the digital comic can be conveyed more naturally. An administrator may specify in advance which of one page image and two consecutive page images is to be used for area detection.

[0064] After the area detection target has been determined, the area detection unit 210 first detects the cut areas 20 and 21. At this time, the area detection unit 210 detects both the cut area 20 that includes the outline and the cut area 21 that does not include the outline.

[0065] According to an embodiment, the area detection unit 210 detects a contour line in the page image and detects one or more cut areas 20 based on characteristic information of the detected contour line. More specifically, an area separated by a continuous outline from the detected contour line is detected. At this time, not only the outline line separating the cut area 20 but also the outline line of the content may be detected in the area separated by the continuous outline line. Therefore, the area detection unit 210 detects only an area in which the ratio of straight lines included in the outline is equal to or greater than a reference value as the cut area 20 from among the detected areas. Thereafter, the area detection unit 210 detects an area including the content from among the areas excluding the detected cut area 20 as the cut area 21. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a cut area 21 with no defined outline is excluded from detection targets.

[0066] According to another embodiment, the area detection unit 210 may convert the page image into grayscale in order to detect the cut area 21 whose outline is not defined. Then, a virtual outline is generated by connecting a plurality of points whose brightness difference with the surroundings is equal to or greater than a reference value, and the cut area 21 is detected based on the virtual outline.

[0067] After detecting the cut regions 20 and 21, the region detection unit 210 detects the speech bubble region 50. The detected speech bubble region 50 may be subjected to optical character recognition by the character recognition unit 220, which will be described later.

[0068] After detecting the cut regions 20 and 21 and the speech balloon region 50, the region detection unit 210 detects the scene region 30 based on the detected cut regions 20 and 21.

[0069] As an example, if a second cut region exists within a first cut region, the first cut region may be detected as a scene region 30 .

[0070] As another example, suppose that a second cut area exists around a first cut area. In this case, if the outline of the first cut area and the outline of the second cut area are in contact with each other, the entire area divided by the outline of the first cut area and the outline of the second cut area may be detected as a scene area 30. In addition, if a picture or speech bubble area belonging to one of the first cut area and the second cut area invades the other cut area, the entire area including the first cut area and the second cut area may be detected as a scene area 30.

[0071] As another example, when the amount of information contained in each detected cut area is calculated, a cut area containing an amount of information equal to or greater than a reference value may be detected as a scene area 30. This is because the scene area 30 is an area of ​​the page area 10 on which a reader focuses, and is therefore likely to contain a large amount of information regarding straight lines, curves, hues, etc.

[0072] After detecting the scene region 30, the region detection unit 210 detects the sequence region 40 based on the cut region that is arranged along the outline of the page region 10 among the detected cut regions.

[0073] When the detection of the cut regions 20, 21, the scene region 30, the sequence region 40, the speech bubble region 50, etc. is completed, the region detection unit 210 assigns sequential numbers to the cut regions 20, 21 and the scene region 30 according to the flow of the reader's gaze. As an example, if the publication language of the digital comic is Korean, the reader's gaze within the page starts from the upper left side of the page, moves to the upper right side, the lower left side, and the lower right side in that order. Therefore, the region detection unit 210 assigns sequential numbers corresponding to the flow of the gaze, taking into account the positions of the cut regions 20, 21 and the scene region 30 within the page image.

[0074] On the other hand, a sequential number may be newly assigned for each page image. As another example, a sequential number may be newly assigned for every two consecutive page images. As yet another example, a sequential number may be assigned to all page images included in a digital comic.

[0075] Information about a cut area or scene area located at a point where the reader's line of sight begins within the assigned sequential number can be labeled in the digital comic as a line of sight information label.

[0076] In the above explanation, we have used an example of a case where sequential numbers are assigned to cut areas and scene areas after all areas have been detected in the page image, but the sequential numbers may also be assigned after detection of the scene areas is completed.

[0077] In the above explanation, the cut areas 20, 21 and the scene area 30 are assigned sequential numbers according to the reader's line of sight. However, not all page images necessarily include the scene area 30. In the case of a page image that does not include the scene area 30, sequential numbers are assigned only to the cut areas 20 and 21.

[0078] In the above description, the cut areas 20, 21 and the scene area 30 are described separately. However, this is for the convenience of description, and the scene area 30 can be understood as a cut area that matches a specific criterion among the cut areas detected in the page image. Therefore, in the following description, "sequential numbers are assigned to the cut areas 20, 21" means that sequential numbers are assigned to the cut areas 20, 21 and the scene area 30.

[0079] Meanwhile, in order to perform the above-mentioned operations, the region detection unit 210 may include an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be trained in advance using a large number of page images as training data. As a training method, supervised learning or unsupervised learning may be used. In the case of supervised learning, labeling data in which information on cut regions, speech bubble regions, scene regions, and sequence regions is labeled in the page images may be used as training data. In the case of unsupervised learning, after performing region detection on a large number of unlabeled page images, the accuracy of the region detection result may be determined by a human being and fed back to the artificial intelligence model.

[0080] The character recognition unit 220 recognizes characters by performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the balloon area 50 detected in the page image. The recognized character data may be stored in a third database. The character data stored in the third database may be processed into a form suitable for the user terminal 100 in terms of font, size, and effect, and then displayed through the user terminal 100.

[0081] The effect processor 230 applies a video effect to one or more of the page image, the area detected in the page image, and the text data recognized in the page image. Examples of the video effects include zooming in, zooming out, moving the position, appearing direction, shaking, blurring, adjusting transparency, hiding, unhiding, and overlay. According to the embodiment, the exemplified video effects may be applied alone, or two or more video effects may be applied simultaneously. The number and type of effects to be applied to a specific object may be directly set by a user, or may be automatically set according to at least one of the size, width, height, and amount of information of the object to which the video effect is applied.

[0082] The control unit 240 can connect and control each component that constitutes the digital comic book providing device 200.

[0083] The communication unit 260 performs wireless communication between the digital comic book providing device 200 and the user terminal 100 .

[0084] The digital comic book providing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Fig. 6. The components illustrated in Fig. 6 may be configured to be included in the user terminal 100. For example, one or more of the area detection unit 210, the character recognition unit 220, and the effect processing unit 230 may be configured to be included in the user terminal 100.

[0085] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a sequence area in a page image.

[0086] The left side of Fig. 7 shows a page image, and the right side of Fig. 7 shows sequence regions detected in the page image.

[0087] 7, the page image includes a first cut area to a fourth cut area. Here, it can be seen that the first cut area to the fourth cut area are arranged offset from each other. When such a page image is displayed as it is through a user terminal 100 such as a mobile phone, a relatively large amount of blank space is generated compared to the content included in the page area 10 (i.e., the first cut area to the fourth cut area).

[0088] The digital comic providing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure detects a cut area in a page image, and then detects a sequence area based on the detected cut area. Hereinafter, various methods for detecting a sequence area will be described.

[0089] FIG. 7A illustrates a case where a sequence area is detected while maintaining the existing position of a cut area detected in a page image.

[0090] 7B illustrates a case where the cut areas detected in the page image are aligned to the center by moving the cut areas horizontally within the page area, and then the sequence area is detected based on the outermost outline of the aligned cut areas. In the case of (B), the third and fourth cut areas are arranged next to each other in the horizontal direction, and therefore are excluded from the horizontal movement for center alignment.

[0091] 7C shows the state in which the first and second cut regions, which have a width shorter than that of the sequence region in the state of (B), are expanded to fit the sequence region, where the first and second cut regions are expanded in the horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously, but the width of the first and second cut regions is expanded within a range that does not exceed the width of the sequence region.

[0092] Next, various embodiments of a method for displaying a page image of a digital comic will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0093] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of page images included in a digital comic. The page images shown in Fig. 8 are examples of page images corresponding to two pages that can be seen when a printed comic published in Japanese is opened. Figs. 9 to 15 are diagrams for explaining various embodiments of a method for displaying the page images shown in Fig. 8.

[0094] 8, the image on the right side is a first page image 60, and the image on the left side is a second page image 70 that is displayed following the first page image 60. The first page image 60 and the second page image 70 are illustrated to match the order of pages that are seen when a printed comic is opened.

[0095] The first page image 60 includes seven cut areas 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. The second page image 70 includes six cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76.

[0096] Since the illustrated page image is published in Japanese, the reader's gaze flows from the first page 60 on the right to the second page 70 on the left. In addition, in each page image, the reader's gaze starts from the cut area in the upper right corner and progresses in the order of the upper left, lower right, and left right. That is, in the case of the first page image 60, the gaze flows in the order of 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. And in the case of the second page image 70, the gaze flows in the order of 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76.

[0097] In the first page image 60, the second cut region 62 and the third cut region 63 are not completely separated from each other, but are connected by a speech bubble region. Therefore, the second cut region 62 and the third cut region 63 can be detected as one scene region. Similarly, the fourth cut region 64 and the fifth cut region 65 are also connected by a speech bubble region. Therefore, the fourth cut region 64 and the fifth cut region 65 can be detected as one scene region. In addition, the sixth cut region 66 and the seventh cut region 67 are connected by a speech bubble region. Therefore, the sixth cut region 66 and the seventh cut region 67 can be detected as one scene region.

[0098] It can be seen that in the second page image 70, the cut areas 71, 72, 74, 75, and 76, excluding the third cut area 73, are separated by continuous outlines. Although the third cut area 73 is not separated by an outline, it can be seen that there is a large contrast between the adjacent cut areas 71, 72, 74, 75, and 76 and the margins. Therefore, the third cut area 73 can be detected based on the contrast between the third cut area 73 and the surrounding areas.

[0099] The cut regions and scene regions are assigned sequential numbers that follow the reader's line of sight. For example, in the case of the first page image 60, the scene region including the first cut region 61, the second cut region 62, and the third cut region 63, the scene region including the fourth cut region 64 and the fifth cut region 65, and the scene region including the sixth cut region 66 and the seventh cut region 67 may be assigned sequential numbers "1," "2," "3," and "4," respectively. In the case of the second page image 70, the first to sixth cut regions 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 may be assigned sequential numbers "5," "6," "7," "8," and "9," respectively.

[0100] Meanwhile, suppose that an area including cut areas 66 and 67 arranged at the bottom of the first page image 60 and cut areas 74, 75, and 76 arranged at the bottom of the second page image 70 are detected as one scene area. In this case, the reader's line of sight starts from the first cut area 61 of the first page image 60, moves to the scene area including the second cut area 62 and the third cut area 63, the scene area including the fourth cut area 64 and the fifth cut area 65, the first cut area 71, the second cut area 72, and the third cut area 73 of the second page image 70, and the scene areas arranged at the bottom of the two page images 60 and 70, in that order. Therefore, sequential numbers can be assigned according to this line of sight. That is, the last sequential number can be assigned to the scene area arranged across the bottom of the two page areas.

[0101] The page image shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display of the user terminal 100 after image effects are applied to each reference area. The reference area may be set as a cut area, a sequence area, and a page area. The reference area may be set directly by the user or automatically depending on the type of the user terminal 100. Examples of image effects include zooming in, zooming out, moving the position, appearing direction, shaking, blurring, transparency adjustment, hiding, unhiding, and overlay. The exemplified image effects may be applied alone, or two or more image effects may be applied simultaneously. For a more detailed description of this, please refer to FIGS. 9 to 15.

[0102] 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining a first embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. Specifically, FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a case where, when a reference area is a cut area, the cut area is divided and an image effect is applied.

[0103] When a page image switching event occurs while the first page area 60 of FIG. 8 is being displayed, the second page area 70 is displayed and then an image effect is applied to the second page area 70.

[0104] First, the cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 of the second page area 70 are divided. Then, the divided cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 move vertically along an imaginary vertical line passing through the center point of each cut area, but move in sequence according to the sequential number. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, vertical cut gaps are generated between the cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76. FIG. 9 shows how vertical cut gaps are generated between the first cut area 71 and the second cut area 72, and between the second cut area 72 and the third cut area 73. That is, the positions of the divided cut areas are rearranged to be similar to those of conventional webtoons.

[0105] Meanwhile, the generated cut interval may be equal to or larger than a reference value. The reference value for the cut interval may be set directly by the user, may be automatically set in consideration of the display of the user terminal 100, or may be automatically set in consideration of both the size of the cut area and the size of the display. FIG. 9 illustrates the rearrangement process of the divided cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76, and it can be seen that no cut interval is generated between the fourth cut area 74, the fifth cut area 75, and the sixth cut area 76. When the positional movement of all the cut areas is completed, vertical cut intervals are also generated between the fourth cut area 74 and the fifth cut area 75, and between the fifth cut area 75 and the sixth cut area 76.

[0106] After the position is moved, the cutout area is enlarged at a certain ratio. At this time, the enlargement ratio of the cutout area may be determined based on the horizontal length and / or vertical length of the cutout area. For example, in the case of the first cutout area 71, the horizontal length is longer than the vertical length. Therefore, the enlargement ratio of the first cutout area 71 is determined within a range in which the horizontal length of the first cutout area 71 does not exceed the horizontal length of the display of the user terminal 100. If the horizontal length of the first cutout area 71 is the same as the horizontal length of the user terminal 100, the enlargement of the first cutout area 71 is omitted. As another example, instead of omitting the enlargement of the first cutout area 71, the size of the first cutout area 71 may be enlarged and then a part of the enlarged first cutout area 71 may be cut out.

[0107] The cutout areas to which the video effects are applied in this manner are displayed in order on the display of the user terminal 100. According to one embodiment, the cutout areas corresponding to the display order are displayed to be located at preset positions among the top, center, and bottom of the vertical length of the display. According to another embodiment, the cutout areas corresponding to the display order are displayed to be located at preset positions among the left, center, and right of the horizontal length of the display.

[0108] According to another embodiment, the display position may be different for each cut area. For example, when the second page image 70 is rearranged according to the webtoon format, the cut area arranged at the top, the cut area arranged at the bottom, and the remaining cut areas may be applied so that their display positions are different from each other. Specifically, the first cut area 71 of the second page image 70 may be displayed at the top of the display. When a cut area switching event occurs in this state, the first cut area 71 disappears toward the top of the display, and the second cut area 72 begins to be displayed from the bottom of the display. Thereafter, the second cut area 72 may be displayed at the center of the vertical length of the display. Thereafter, whenever a cut area switching event occurs, the third cut area 73, the fourth cut area 74, and the fifth cut area 75 may be displayed at the center of the vertical length of the display, as shown in (A), (B), and (C) of FIG. 10, respectively. When a cut area switching event occurs in a state where the fifth cut area 75 is displayed as in (C) of FIG. 10, the sixth cut area 76 is displayed. At this time, since the sixth cut area 76 is the cut area assigned the last sequential number, it can be placed at the bottom end of the display, rather than at the center of the vertical length of the display, as in FIG. 10(D).

[0109] Meanwhile, a cut area switching event may occur when a user inputs a cut area switching command, when a reference time has passed since the current cut area was displayed, or when a specific point of the cut area reaches a specific point on the display as the position of the cut area is moved by the cut area switching command. The cut area switching command may include a voice command and a gesture command. The gesture command corresponding to the cut area switching command may be set to be different from the gesture command corresponding to the page image switching command.

[0110] According to the display method described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the cut area is enlarged at a certain ratio, so that the readability of the cut area can be improved.

[0111] 9 and 10 illustrate a case where the positions of the divided cutting areas are rearranged vertically according to sequential numbers. In another embodiment, the divided cutting areas may be moved horizontally or diagonally. When the divided cutting areas are rearranged horizontally, the rearranged cutting areas may start appearing from the left side of the display and disappearing to the right side, or start appearing from the right side of the display and disappearing to the left side, due to the occurrence of a cutting area switching event.

[0112] 9 and 10 are examples of cases in which the rearranged cutout area is enlarged after being displayed, but in another embodiment, the rearranged cutout area may be enlarged at a certain ratio and then displayed on the display.

[0113] 11 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment of a method for displaying a page image, in which an image effect is applied only to a sequence area when a reference area is a sequence area.

[0114] When a command to execute a digital comic is input, first, as shown in Fig. 11(A), an original image of the first page image 60 is displayed on the display of the user terminal 100. Then, as shown in Fig. 10(B), the sequence area of ​​the first page image 60 is enlarged and displayed so that the horizontal length of the sequence area of ​​the first page image 60 is the same as the horizontal length of the display.

[0115] When a page image switching event occurs in the state of FIG. 10(B), the image effect (magnification) applied to the sequence area of ​​the first page image 60 disappears, and the original image of the first page image 60 is displayed again as shown in FIG. 11(A). Then, the original image of the second page image 70 is displayed as shown in FIG. 11(C). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11(D), the sequence area of ​​the second page image 70 is enlarged and displayed so that the horizontal length of the sequence area of ​​the second page image 70 becomes the same as the horizontal length of the display. In FIG. 11, the screen switching from (A) to (B), from (B) to (A), from (A) to (C), and from (C) to (D) can be smoothly performed. That is, the current screen and the next screen are not displayed discontinuously, but the process of the change from the current screen to the next screen can be displayed gradually.

[0116] Meanwhile, a page image switching event may occur when a user inputs a page image switching command or when a reference time is reached after the first page image 60 is displayed. The page image switching command may include a voice command and a gesture command. A gesture command corresponding to a page image switching command may be set to be distinguished from a gesture command corresponding to a cut area switching command.

[0117] Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the step of displaying the original image of the first page image 60 as shown in (A) of FIG. 11 and the step of displaying the original image of the second page image 70 as shown in (C) of FIG. 11 may be omitted.

[0118] According to the display method described with reference to FIG. 11, the sequence area is enlarged by a certain ratio by the amount of white space removed from the original image of the page image, so that the readability of the sequence area can be improved.

[0119] Meanwhile, in the description with reference to FIG. 11, a case has been described in which the sequence area of ​​the second page image 70 is enlarged so that the horizontal length of the sequence area of ​​the second page image 70 is the same as the horizontal length of the display. According to another embodiment, the sequence image may be enlarged so that the vertical length of the sequence area is the same as the vertical length of the display. Specifically, referring to (A) of FIG. 11, it can be seen that the left and right margins of the second page image 70 are smaller than the top and bottom margins. In such a case, the sequence area is enlarged so that the horizontal length of the sequence area is the same as the horizontal length of the display. Conversely, although not shown in the drawing, if the top and bottom margins of the second page image 70 are smaller than the left and right margins, the sequence area may be enlarged so that the vertical length of the second page image 70 is the same as the vertical length of the display.

[0120] Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. Specifically, Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a case where a reference area is a sequence area, and a video effect is applied to the sequence area and the cut area while maintaining the position of the cut area. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to Fig. 12, but the description overlapping with Fig. 11 will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences.

[0121] Before going into a detailed explanation, let us assume that the state is as shown in (D) of Figure 11, i.e., the sequence area of ​​the second page image 70 is enlarged and displayed so that the horizontal length of the sequence area of ​​the second page area 70 is the same as the horizontal length of the display.

[0122] In this state, when a cut area switching event occurs, a visual effect (e.g., enlargement) is applied to the cut areas of the second page image 70 in sequence each time a cut area switching event occurs, and a visual effect (e.g., blurring) is also applied to the sequence areas excluding the cut area to which the visual effect has been applied.

[0123] Specifically, when a cut area switching event occurs in the state of Figure 11 (D), the size of the first cut area 71 of the second page image 70 is enlarged at a certain ratio. At this time, the portion of the outline of the first cut area 71 that is included in the outline of the sequence area maintains its position as it is, and the size of the first cut area 71 is enlarged. At the same time, the remaining sequence area except for the enlarged first cut area 71 is blurred. As a result, a screen such as that shown in Figure 12 (A) is displayed on the display.

[0124] When a cut area switching event occurs in the state of Figure 12 (A), the enlarged first cut area 71 returns to its original size. Then, the size of the second cut area 72 is enlarged at a certain ratio. At this time, the outline of the second cut area 71 that is included in the outline of the sequence area is maintained in its position, and the size of the second cut area 72 is enlarged. At the same time, the remaining sequence area except for the enlarged second cut area 72 is blurred. As a result, a screen such as that shown in Figure 12 (B) is displayed on the display.

[0125] In the state of Fig. 12(B), each time a cut area switching event occurs, the third cut area 73, the fourth cut area 74, the fifth cut area 75, and the sixth cut area 76 are enlarged in order while maintaining their existing positions. As a result, the screens of Fig. 12(C), (D), (E), and (F) are displayed in order.

[0126] Referring to (C) of Figure 12, it can be seen that the size of the third cut area 73 has been expanded while maintaining the position of the left side edge since the left side of the edges that form the outline of the third cut area 73 is included in the outline of the sequence area.

[0127] 12D, the right side and bottom side of the fourth cut area 74 are all included in the boundary line of the sequence area, and the positions of the right side and bottom side of the fourth cut area 74 are fixed, while the size of the fourth cut area 74 is expanded.

[0128] Referring to (E) of Figure 12, since the lower edge of the fifth cut region 75 is included in the outer edge of the sequence area among the edges that form the outer edge of the fifth cut region 75, the size of the fifth cut region 57 is expanded while maintaining the position of the lower edge of the fifth cut region 75.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 12(F), it can be seen that the sixth cut region 76 has been expanded while maintaining the positions of its right side and bottom side, since the right side and bottom sides of the edges that form the outline of the sixth cut region 76 are all included in the outline of the sequence area.

[0130] Meanwhile, a cut switching event occurs when a reference time is reached after a cut area to which a video effect is applied is displayed, or when a user inputs a cut area switching command. At this time, the cut area switching command may be distinguished from a page image switching command. For example, assume that gestures that a user can use on a display include a single tap, a double tap, a press, a deep press, a pan, a swipe, a flick, a scroll, and a drag. If a gesture for inputting a page image switching command is set to a single tap, a gesture for inputting a cut switching command may be set to a double tap. A command to be input and a corresponding gesture may be specified in advance, and the type of the pre-specified gesture may be embodied so as to be changeable by a user.

[0131] Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, in addition to enlarging the cut areas to be displayed in sequence according to the sequential numbers, other image effects, for example, a shaking effect, may be additionally applied or may be applied alone without the enlarging effect. In addition to blurring, other image effects, for example, one of a transparency adjustment and a concealment processing effect, may be applied or may be applied in combination with blurring to the areas other than the cut areas to be displayed.

[0132] Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining a fourth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. Specifically, Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining a case where a reference area is a sequence area, a video effect is applied to the sequence area and the cut area, and the video effect is applied with the cut area being moved to the center. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to Fig. 13, but the description overlapping with Fig. 12 will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the differences.

[0133] The method illustrated in Fig. 13 may be compared to the method illustrated in Fig. 12. In Fig. 12, the cut regions 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 of the second page image 70 are enlarged in sequence while maintaining their existing positions. In contrast, Fig. 13 differs in that the cut regions 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 of the second page image 70 are enlarged in sequence while being moved to the center of the display or sequence area.

[0134] When a cut area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 11(D), the first cut area 71 of the second page image 70 is moved to the center of the display and then its size is enlarged at a certain ratio. At the same time, the remaining sequence area except for the enlarged first cut area 71 is blurred. As a result, a screen such as Fig. 13(A) is displayed on the display.

[0135] When a cut area switching event occurs in the state of Figure 13 (A), the moved and enlarged first cut area 71 returns to its original position and size. Then, the second cut area 72 is moved to the center of the display and its size is enlarged at a certain ratio. At the same time, the remaining sequence area except for the enlarged second cut area 72 is blurred. As a result, a screen such as Figure 13 (B) is displayed on the display.

[0136] In the state of Fig. 13(B), whenever a cut area switching event occurs, the third cut area 73, the fourth cut area 74, the fifth cut area 75, and the sixth cut area 76 are moved to the center of the display in order and then enlarged. The remaining sequence areas except for the enlarged cut areas are blurred. As a result, the screens of Fig. 13(C), (D), (E), and (F) are displayed in order on the display of the user terminal 100.

[0137] Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, in addition to moving and enlarging the cut areas to be displayed in sequence according to the sequential numbers, other image effects, for example, a shaking effect, may be applied in addition to or instead of the enlarging effect. Also, in addition to blurring, other image effects, for example, one of transparency adjustment and concealment processing effects, or a combination of blurring, may be applied to the areas other than the cut areas to be displayed.

[0138] 14 is a diagram for explaining a fifth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image, in which, when a reference area is a cutting area, the cutting area is not divided and an image effect (e.g., a position shift) is applied to the page image.

[0139] The method illustrated in Fig. 14 may be compared with the display method described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 divide the cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 of the second page image 70, rearrange the divided cut areas vertically according to the sequential numbers, and then enlarge the rearranged cut areas in sequence. In comparison, Fig. 14 differs in that when the reference area is a cut area, the entire second page area 70 or the entire sequence area is moved so that the center of the cut area corresponding to the sequential number is located at the center of the display without dividing and rearranging the cut areas 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 of the second page image 70.

[0140] When a page image switching event (e.g., scrolling) occurs while the first page image 60 is enlarged and displayed, the first page image 60 is reduced to its original size and then disappears upward. Then, as shown in Fig. 14(A), the second page image 70 begins to appear from the bottom of the display, and is enlarged so that the horizontal length of the sequence area is the same as the horizontal length of the display. As a result, Fig. 14(B) is displayed.

[0141] When a cut area switching event occurs in the state of Figure 14(B), the screen of Figure 14(C) is displayed. Figure 14(C) shows the state in which the position of the page area is moved and then enlarged so that the center of the first cut area 71 in the second page image 70 is located at the center of the display.

[0142] When a cutting area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 14(C), the screen of Fig. 14(D) is displayed. Fig. 14(D) shows the state in which the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the second cutting area 72 is located at the center of the display and then enlarged.

[0143] When a cutting area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 14(D), the screen of Fig. 14(E) is displayed. Fig. 14(E) shows the state in which the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the third cutting area 73 is located at the center of the display and then enlarged.

[0144] When a cutting area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 14(E), the screen of Fig. 14(F) is displayed. Fig. 14(F) illustrates the state in which the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the fourth cutting area 74 is located at the center of the display and then enlarged.

[0145] When a cutting area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 14(F), the screen of Fig. 14(G) is displayed. Fig. 14(G) illustrates the state in which the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the fifth cutting area 75 is located at the center of the display and then enlarged.

[0146] When a cutting area switching event occurs in the state of Fig. 14(G), the screen of Fig. 14(H) is displayed. Fig. 14(H) illustrates the state in which the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the fifth cutting area 75 is located at the center of the display and then enlarged.

[0147] In the above description, an example has been given in which the cut area to be displayed is enlarged while being moved to the center of the display whenever a cut area switching event occurs. Here, the remaining cut area switching events may be omitted except for the first cut area switching event. Also, the cut area to be displayed may be moved to a pre-specified position among the top, bottom, left, or right end of the display, instead of the center of the display.

[0148] Also, in the description with reference to Fig. 14, a case has been described in which the horizontal length of the sequence area is enlarged to match the horizontal length of the display, and then the cut area to be displayed is moved and enlarged to be located at the center of the display. In another embodiment, instead of the screen of Fig. 14(B), the entire page area or the entire sequence area may be enlarged at a pre-specified ratio regardless of the horizontal length or vertical length of the display. In this manner, with the entire page area or sequence area enlarged, the position of the page area or sequence area may be moved so that the cut area to be displayed is located at a specific position on the display.

[0149] 15 is a diagram for explaining a sixth embodiment of a method for displaying a page image. Specifically, when a reference area is a cut area, the cut area is not divided, and image effects are applied to the cut area to be displayed and an area excluding the cut area to be displayed.

[0150] The method illustrated in Fig. 15 can be compared with the method illustrated in Fig. 14. In Fig. 14, the position of the page area is moved so that the center of the cut area to be displayed is located at the center of the display, and then the cut area located at the center is enlarged. Fig. 15 is the same as Fig. 14, but differs in that the area other than the cut area located at the center of the display is blurred.

[0151] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing digital comics according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0152] The digital comic providing device 200 stores a digital comic (S501). The digital comic includes one or more page regions corresponding to one or more pages of a printed comic.

[0153] Thereafter, the digital comic providing device 200 detects one or more cut areas for each page image (S503). The step S5030 includes the steps of detecting a first area divided by a continuous outline, detecting a second area in the detected first area in which the ratio of straight lines constituting the outline is equal to or greater than a reference value, and detecting a third area including content among the areas in the page image excluding the second area, as cut areas of each page image, and assigning sequential numbers corresponding to the reader's line of sight to the detected cut areas. In the step of assigning sequential numbers, sequential numbers may be assigned to cut areas and scene areas.

[0154] Thereafter, the digital comic providing device 200 detects sequential areas for each page image based on the one or more detected cut areas (S505). In step S505, the sequential areas may be detected in various ways. As one example, the sequential areas may be detected while maintaining the position of the detected cut areas. As another example, the sequential areas may be detected while moving the detected cut areas horizontally within the page image and aligning them at the center. As yet another example, the sequential areas may be detected while moving the detected cut areas horizontally within the page image and aligning them at the center, and enlarging the sizes of the cut areas except for the largest cut area at a certain ratio.

[0155] Thereafter, the digital cartoon providing device 200 receives a request for a digital cartoon from the user terminal 100 (S507).

[0156] Thereafter, the digital comic book providing device 200 refers to the information of the user terminal 100 and the setting information of the digital comic book, and sequentially displays the images of each page on the display of the user terminal 100 by reference area (S509).

[0157] The reference area may be set to one of a cut area, a sequence area, and a page area. The information of the user terminal 100 may include information on the size of the display of the user terminal 100. The setting information of the digital comic refers to setting information related to a method of displaying page images of the digital comic. Examples of the setting information include information on the reference area, and the number and type of image effects to be applied to the reference area. The reference area may refer to one of a cut area, a sequence area, and a page area.

[0158] Thereafter, the digital cartoon providing device 200 applies a visual effect to the displayed reference area (S511). Visual effects include, for example, enlargement, reduction, position shift, appearance direction, shaking, blurring, transparency adjustment, hiding, unhiding, and overlay. Visual effects may be applied singly or two or more may be applied simultaneously.

[0159] As above, a method for providing a digital comic book according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 16. In FIG. 16, some steps may be omitted or their order may be changed depending on the embodiment. As an example, when the reference area is set to a page area, step S505 may be omitted. As another example, the order of steps S509 and S511 may be changed. That is, after applying a visual effect to the reference area of ​​the page image, the reference area to which the visual effect has been applied may be displayed according to an assigned sequential number.

[0160] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. In the above description, components constituting the user terminal 100 of FIG. 5 and the digital comic book providing device 200 of FIG. 6 may be embodied as modules. The module refers to software or hardware components such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and the module performs a certain function. However, the module is not limited to software or hardware. The module may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and configured to execute one or more processors.

[0161] Thus, by way of example, modules include components such as software components, object oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided for in the components and modules may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules.

[0162] In addition to the embodiments described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied through a medium, such as a computer readable medium, that includes computer readable code / instructions for controlling at least one processing element of the embodiments described above. The medium may correspond to a medium / media that allows for the storage and / or transmission of the computer readable code.

[0163] The computer readable code may be recorded on a medium or transmitted through the Internet. The medium may include, for example, a recording medium such as a magnetic storage medium (e.g., ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and an optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM, Blu-Ray, DVD), a transmission medium such as a carrier wave. The medium may also be a distributed network, so that the computer readable code may be stored / transmitted and executed in a distributed manner. Also, and further, merely by way of example, a processing element may include a processor or a computer processor, and the processing element may be distributed and / or included within one device.

[0164] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood to be illustrative and not limiting in all respects. [Industrial Applicability]

[0165] The above-described digital cartoon providing apparatus and control method thereof can be applied to the field of digital cartoon services that provide digital cartoons based on printed cartoons on a display device.

Claims

1. storing the digital comic including one or more page images each corresponding to one or more pages included in the printed comic; detecting one or more cut regions for each of the one or more page images; When a request for the digital cartoon is received from a user terminal, displaying images of each page of the digital cartoon in sequence on a display of the user terminal by reference area with reference to information of the user terminal; and applying a visual effect to the displayed reference area; Including, the reference area is one of the detected one or more cut areas, a sequence area including all content in the page image, and a page area corresponding to the page image; How to provide digital manga.

2. the one or more cut regions include one or more scene regions; The digital comic provision method of claim 1, wherein the scene area includes a single cut area containing an amount of information equal to or greater than a reference value, a single cut area containing a cut area therein, and two or more single cut areas connected by speech bubble areas or content.

3. The step of detecting one or more cut regions for each of the one or more page images includes: detecting a first region defined by a continuous outline for each of the one or more page images; detecting a second region in the first region, the ratio of straight lines constituting the outline of the second region being equal to or greater than a reference value, and a third region including content in the page image, the third region being equal to or smaller than the second region, as cut regions of each page image; and The method for providing digital comics according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of: assigning sequential numbers to the detected cut regions corresponding to the flow of gaze.

4. The step of detecting the first region includes: detecting the first region from a first page image and a second page image that are consecutive among the one or more page images; The method for providing digital comics according to claim 3 , wherein the first page image and the second page image respectively correspond to two pages that are visible when the printed comic is opened.

5. maintaining an arrangement of the one or more cut regions detected for each of the one or more page images; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting the sequence area based on the edge that is closest to the edge of each page image among the edges that constitute the edge of the one or more cut areas whose arrangement is maintained.

6. horizontally shifting the one or more cut areas detected for each of the one or more page images within each of the page images to center the one or more cut areas; and 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting the sequence area based on an edge that is closest to the outline of each of the page images among edges that constitute the outline of the one or more center-aligned cut areas.

7. 7. The method for providing digital comics according to claim 6, further comprising: when a first cut region that has no overlapping portion with an outline of the sequence region is present within the detected sequence region, expanding the first cut region so that a horizontal length of the first cut region matches a horizontal length of the detected sequence region.

8. The step of applying a visual effect to the displayed reference area includes: The method for providing digital comics as described in claim 1, comprising a step of: expanding the size of the sequence area so that the horizontal length of the sequence area matches the horizontal length of the display, or expanding the size of the sequence area so that the vertical length of the sequence area matches the vertical length of the display.

9. applying a first video effect to one or more cut regions included in the enlarged sequence area in sequence according to sequential numbers assigned to the one or more cut regions included in the enlarged sequence area while maintaining a position of the enlarged sequence area; The first visual effect is: The method for providing digital comics according to claim 8, further comprising one or more of the following: moving, enlarging, hiding, unhiding, and shaking.

10. The step of applying the first visual effect includes: maintaining a position of at least one of the edges constituting the boundary of the first scene region to which the first video effect is applied, when the at least one edge is included in the boundary of the sequence region; and The method of claim 9 , further comprising: enlarging the size of the first cut area at a constant rate while maintaining the position of the at least one side.

11. The step of applying the first visual effect includes: moving a position of the first cut area to which the first visual effect is applied so that the center of the first cut area is positioned at the center of the sequence area; and The method of claim 9, further comprising: enlarging the size of the first cut area whose position has been moved at a constant rate.

12. The method for providing digital comics as described in claim 8, further comprising the step of sequentially moving the position of the sequence area so that a first cut area to be displayed among one or more cut areas contained in the enlarged sequence area is positioned at a specified position on the display.

13. applying a second visual effect to an area other than the first cut area to which the first visual effect is applied; The method of claim 9, wherein the second image effect includes at least one of blurring, transparency adjustment, and hiding.

14. The step of applying a visual effect to the displayed reference area includes: if the reference area is the one or more cut areas, enlarging the size of the page area by a pre-specified ratio independent of the horizontal length of the display; and The method for providing digital comics as described in claim 1, further comprising the step of: moving the position of the enlarged sequence area so that the center of a first cut area to be displayed among one or more cut areas contained in the enlarged page area is located at the center of the display.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: blurring an area of ​​the display other than the first cut area located at the center of the display.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: canceling the image effect applied to the reference area when a display switching event occurs.

17. The display switching event is 17. The method for providing digital comics according to claim 16, which occurs when a user of the user terminal inputs a display switching command, when a reference time is reached after the reference area is displayed on the display, or when the reference area moves due to the display switching command such that a specific point of the reference area reaches a specific point on the display.

18. the display switching command includes a voice command or a gesture command; The digital comic providing method according to claim 17, wherein the gesture commands include a single tap, a double tap, a press, a deep press, a pan, a swipe, a flick, a scroll, and a drag.

19. storing the digital comic including one or more page images each corresponding to one or more pages included in the printed comic; detecting one or more cut regions for each of the one or more page images; detecting a sequence region for each of the one or more page images based on the one or more cut regions detected for each of the one or more page images; When a request for the digital cartoon is received from a user terminal, processing each page image of the digital cartoon by reference area with reference to information of the user terminal; and displaying the processed reference area through a display of the user terminal; A method for providing digital comics, wherein the reference area is one of the detected one or more cut areas, a sequence area including all content within the page image, and a page area corresponding to the page image.

20. The step of processing each page image by reference region includes: if the reference region is the one or more cut regions, dividing the one or more cut regions; and 20. The method for providing digital comics as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: a step of moving the one or more divided cut areas in sequence along a reference direction in accordance with sequential numbers assigned to the one or more divided cut areas, thereby generating cut intervals between the one or more divided cut areas that are equal to or greater than a reference value.

21. The one or more divided cut regions are 21. The method for providing digital comics according to claim 20, wherein the cut areas are moved vertically, horizontally, or diagonally along an imaginary vertical line, an imaginary horizontal line, or an imaginary diagonal line passing through a center point of each cut area.

22. one or more processors; and one or more memories configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform tasks; The one or more processors: storing a digital comic including one or more page images each corresponding to one or more pages included in a printed comic; Detecting one or more cut regions for each of the one or more page images; When a request for the digital cartoon is received from a user terminal, the page images of the digital cartoon are sequentially displayed on a display of the user terminal by a reference area by referring to information of the user terminal; configured to apply a visual effect to the displayed reference area; The reference area is one of the detected one or more cut areas, a sequence area including all content within the page image, and a page area corresponding to the page image.

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