A method for assigning account tiers based on application usage.

Abstract

One objective of the embodiments of this disclosure is to enable reasonable pricing based on the actual usage of each account for applications, including cloud infrastructure. To this end, a method for assigning an account tier based on application usage according to one embodiment of this disclosure includes the steps of: calculating the application usage of the account in a first period by receiving usage analysis data for a first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account for one or more pre-specified monitored applications; and determining whether to assign the account to a paid account or a free account in a second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account in the first period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for assigning a grade to an account based on application usage, and more specifically, to a method for assigning a grade to each account based on data related to the application usage of an account belonging to an institution and the number of devices associated with the account, and charging a fee based on the assigned grade.

Background Art

[0002] A cloud service provider (CSP) provides a cloud infrastructure to users, enabling them to utilize desired application services via the cloud infrastructure without directly installing applications on their user devices.

[0003] A cloud managed service provider (MSP) forms a partnership with a CSP and is responsible for not only optimizing and providing the CSP's cloud services according to the environment of each organization to various users such as enterprises, public institutions, schools, and individuals, but also providing maintenance. For example, an MSP can form partnerships with multiple CSPs and recommend the most suitable service combination for a specific organization (e.g., in addition to recommendations for cloud products provided by each CSP, hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, etc.) from the services provided by the CSP partners.

[0004] To use cloud services, users typically create an account and receive the services through that account. For example, users may subscribe to cloud services under a specific fee structure. In the case of institutions such as schools and companies, an account must be created for each member of the institution, and a paid subscription must be assigned to every account. This presents a problem because members who do not actually use cloud services, or use them very little, are also assigned a paid subscription, resulting in the institution incurring unnecessary expenses. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Therefore, one of the purposes of this disclosure is to enable reasonable pricing based on the actual usage of each account for applications, including cloud infrastructure.

[0006] However, the problems that this disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to those stated above, and may include purposes that are not mentioned but can be clearly understood from the following statements by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method for assigning an account a tier based on application usage according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: calculating the application usage of the account in a first period by receiving usage analysis data for a first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account for one or more pre-specified monitored applications; and determining, based on the application usage of the account in the first period, whether to assign the account a paid account or a free account in a second period following the first period.

[0008] In the method described above, the step of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account during the second period is further based on the number of user devices using the one or more monitored applications.

[0009] In the method described above, the step of calculating the application usage of the account during the first period includes determining whether or not the account used the application, and the step of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account in the second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account during the first period, includes deciding to assign a free account to the account based on the determination that the account did not use the application.

[0010] The method described above further includes the step of assigning one of several predetermined tiers to the account based on detailed analytical data regarding the application usage, in response to the decision to assign a paid account to the account.

[0011] In the method described above, the detailed analysis data includes usage analysis data collected based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device by a usage analysis application running on each of the one or more devices associated with the account.

[0012] In the method described above, at the stage of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account in a second period following the first period, the application usage of the account in the first period with respect to one or more pre-specified monitored applications includes the frequency of the account's usage days.

[0013] The method described above further includes a step of charging a service fee to the account based on the tier assigned to the account, wherein the service fee is charged differently for each of the multiple tiers.

[0014] The method described above further includes, after assigning one of a predetermined number of grades to the account based on detailed analysis data regarding the application usage, a step of temporarily making a higher grade than the one assigned to the account available when the application usage exceeds a predetermined threshold, or a step of using a lower grade than the one assigned to the account when the application usage falls below a predetermined threshold.

[0015] In the method described above, collecting usage analysis data based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of a user device by the usage analysis application includes running the usage analysis application on the device, initiating session monitoring for the device by the usage analysis application, determining a monitoring target application from among multiple applications on the device by the usage analysis application, wherein the determination of the monitoring target application includes sequentially determining whether each application currently running on the user device is included in a pre-configured monitoring application list, and generating usage analysis data by executing a collection process for the monitoring target application by the usage analysis application.

[0016] In the method described above, the usage analysis application performs a collection process for the monitored applications to generate usage analysis data, which includes assigning different status identifiers depending on whether the graphical user interface (GUI) of each monitored application is displayed on the device screen, and assigning different status identifiers depending on whether it is placed in the foreground even if it is displayed on the screen.

[0017] A management server for implementing a method for assigning differential tiers to accounts based on the application usage of an account according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a processor and memory including computer executable instructions, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement an application usage calculation module for calculating the application usage of the account in a first period by receiving usage analysis data for a first period for one or more pre-specified monitored applications from one or more user devices associated with the account, and an account tier assignment module for determining whether to assign the account to a paid account or a free account in a second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account in the first period.

[0018] A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer-executable instruction for implementing a method of assigning differential grades to an account based on the application usage of the account according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein when the computer-executable instruction is executed by a processor, the processor is caused to perform operations including: calculating the application usage of the account in a first period by receiving usage analysis data for a first period for one or more pre-specified monitored applications from each of one or more user devices associated with the account; and determining, based on the application usage of the account in the first period, whether to assign the account to a paid account or a free account in a second period following the first period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, by assigning paid and free accounts to each account based on the actual application usage of each account, and assigning a tier to paid accounts, it becomes possible to reasonably calculate the application usage fees that each account or the organization to which the account belongs should pay. Furthermore, it has the significant effect of providing a basis for protection against indiscriminate threats of copyright infringement.

[0020] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, it is possible to understand the application usage patterns and habits of each account and the institution to which the account belongs, thereby enabling effective management of the types and number of applications used by each account or institution.

[0021] However, the effects obtained by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present disclosure together with the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited only to the matters described in the drawings.

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system for analyzing application usage according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and assigning a grade to an account based on this. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a management server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method for assigning a grade to an account based on application usage according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method for collecting usage analysis data for an application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of a process for collecting usage analysis data based on a graphical user interface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, referring to the attached drawings, embodiments will be described in detail in which those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be realized in various different forms and is not limited to the examples described herein. Further, in the detailed description of the operating principle of the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0025] <0000Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and operations. Throughout this specification, when a particular part is described as being connected to or located above or below another part, this includes not only cases where it is directly connected or located above or below another part, but also cases where it is indirectly connected or located above or below another part through other components in between.

[0026] Furthermore, throughout this specification, where a part is described as "containing" a component, unless otherwise stated, it means that it may contain other components rather than excluding them.

[0027] Terms such as “First,” “Second,” etc., may be used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by such terms. That is, the terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, to the extent that it does not deviate from the scope of rights of this disclosure, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component. The term “and / or” includes combinations of multiple related described items, or any one of multiple related described items.

[0028] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the term "singular" in this specification refers to one or more objects. Finally, unless otherwise specified, "or" in this specification means a non-exclusive "or".

[0029] Furthermore, the terminology used in this disclosure has been selected to the greatest extent possible from commonly used terms, taking into account the function of this disclosure, although this may differ depending on the intent of engineers in the field, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant has arbitrarily selected some terms, in which case their meaning will be described in detail in the description of the relevant invention. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure are not merely names, but should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0030] A system for assigning account tiers based on application usage.

[0031] Figure 1 shows an example of a system for analyzing application usage and assigning a rating to an account based on this analysis, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Referring to the system shown in Figure 1, multiple user devices 10 belonging to an organization may be connected to the management server 20 via the network 15. The example in Figure 1 only shows the case where one organization connects to the management server 20, but this is for illustrative purposes only. The management server 20 receives and maintains application usage analysis data for multiple organizations and can assign a rank to each organization's account based on this data. Administrators can manage applications for multiple organizations via the management server 20 and / or administrator devices 30.

[0033] On the other hand, in some cases, multiple user devices 10 may be connected to an institutional server (not shown) operated by various institutions such as companies, schools, public institutions, and research institutes, and the institutional server (not shown) can play a role in managing the multiple user devices 10 and data within the institution.

[0034] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a user device (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...) of an officer or member of an organization may be running multiple applications (App A, B, C, D, ...). Here, multiple applications running on a user device are not necessarily limited to those whose installation files are installed on the user device, but may also include applications that are provided in a cloud-based manner and can be run on the user device.

[0035] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a usage analysis application (usage analysis app) may be run on each of the multiple user devices 10 belonging to the organization. The usage analysis application may be installed on the user device, or it may be run on the user device using external resources in a cloud format. Such a usage analysis application can collect usage analysis data for at least one application (App A, B, C, D…) that has been determined to be a monitored application from among the applications (App A, B, C, D…) running on individual user devices (UE1, UE2, UE3,…) and transmit the collected usage analysis data to the management server 20.

[0036] The applications to be monitored may be those selected by the usage analysis application from among multiple applications running on each of the multiple user devices belonging to the organization. The applications to be monitored may be those designated by the administrator via the management server 20 or administrator device 30, or applications selected by the usage analysis application from among the monitorable applications that can be added and removed.

[0037] The user device 10 and the administrator device 30 are any device equipped with a display capable of showing the graphical user interface of an application, such as a personal computer (PC), laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or wearable device, and may be devices that can connect to the management server 20.

[0038] Network 15 may be a wired or wireless network, and the user device 10 may be connected to network 15 via a wired LAN cable, or to the wireless internet at a location where a wireless access point (AP) is installed via Wi-Fi®, 3G / 4G / 5G data network, or it may be connected to network 15 by wirelessly transmitting / receiving wireless signals with peripheral devices. The specific connection method is not limited.

[0039] Management server

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a management server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Referring to Figure 2, a management server 20 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a processor 22 and memory 24 containing computer executable instructions. When executed by the processor 22, the computer executable instructions can be operated to cause the processor to implement an account information management module 210, an application usage calculation module 220, an account tier assignment module 230, and a pricing module 240. However, these modules 210, 220, 230, and 240 are not limited to software, but may also be implemented in hardware form, or a combination of both forms may be implemented, and are not limited thereto.

[0042] The account information management module 210 can register one or more user devices associated with a user to an account. If a user has multiple devices using a single account, or if two or more users are associated with a single account, multiple user devices and multiple users may be registered to the account.

[0043] The account information for each account may be generated based on user information entered by the user, the name of the device authenticated by the user, the MAC address, etc., and as a result, the account information may include at least one of the following: username, ID, email address, department, owned device, and IP address.

[0044] The application usage calculation module 220 receives usage analysis data regarding the usage of monitored applications via usage analysis applications installed on each user device (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...), and can calculate the application usage for each account based on the usage analysis data received from each user device. In other words, the application usage calculation module 220 can calculate the application usage of an account in the first period by receiving usage analysis data for the first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account, for one or more pre-specified monitored applications. Here, calculating the application usage of an account in the first period includes determining whether or not the account used applications.

[0045] Furthermore, as will be explained in more detail later, the usage analysis data generated by the usage analysis application installed on each user device may be collected based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the individual user device (UE1, UE2, UE3, ...).

[0046] The account tier assignment module 230 can determine whether to assign a paid or free account to an account in a second period (e.g., February) following the first period (e.g., February), based on the account's application usage in the first period (e.g., January). For example, if an account's application usage is below a certain threshold or there is no application usage, a free account can be assigned; if the application usage is above the threshold, a paid account can be assigned.

[0047] In one embodiment, the application usage of each account considered in the decision for assigning a paid or free account may include the frequency of use for each account. In another embodiment, the management server 20 can assign a paid or free account for the following period based on a variety of factors, including not only the application usage of the account but also the number of devices registered to the account and the number of applications or application product sets (e.g., MS product sets, Adobe® product sets, etc.) used by the account.

[0048] Furthermore, in response to a decision to assign a paid account to an account, the account tier assignment module 230 can assign the account one of several predetermined tiers to that account based on detailed analytical data regarding the account's application usage.

[0049] On the other hand, the account tier assignment module 230 of the management server 20 can, even after assigning one of several predetermined tiers to a specific paid account, temporarily and on a trial basis to an account with a higher tier than the one assigned to that account if the application usage of that account exceeds a predetermined threshold value, based on received usage analysis data in real time or at predetermined intervals such as one week. This allows for flexible adjustment of account tiers for account users, resulting in the effect of allowing application use without being restricted by account tier. Furthermore, if application usage falls below a predetermined threshold value, it is also possible to use a lower tier than the one assigned to that account.

[0050] Furthermore, the pricing module 240 can set different rates for different tiers that are assigned uniformly to paid accounts.

[0051] As explained above, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, by assigning paid and free accounts to each account based on the actual application usage for each account, and assigning a tier to paid accounts, it becomes possible to reasonably calculate the application usage fees that each account or the organization to which the account belongs should pay, and a significant effect is obtained in that it provides a basis for protection against indiscriminate threats of copyright infringement.

[0052] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, it is possible to understand the application usage patterns and habits of each account and the institution to which the account belongs, thereby enabling effective management of the types and number of applications used by each account or institution.

[0053] A method for assigning account tiers based on application usage.

[0054] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assigning account tiers based on application usage according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Referring to Figure 3, in step S1, one or more user devices associated with a user can be registered to the account. If a user has multiple devices using a single account, or if two or more users are associated with a single account, multiple user devices and multiple users may be registered to the account.

[0056] In stage S2, the application usage of an account during the first period can be calculated by receiving usage analysis data for one or more pre-specified monitored applications from each of the one or more user devices associated with the account during the first period. In other words, if one or more user devices are associated with a particular account, the application usage of that account can be calculated by aggregating the usage analysis data from each user device.

[0057] In stage S3, based on the account's application usage during the first period (e.g., January), it can be determined whether to assign a paid or free account to that account in the second period following the first period (e.g., February).

[0058] In one embodiment, the application usage of each account considered in the decision for assigning a paid or free account may include the frequency of usage days for each account. In another embodiment, a paid or free account may be assigned to the following period based on a variety of factors, including not only the application usage of the account, but also the number of user devices registered to the account and the number of applications or application product sets (e.g., MS product sets, Adobe product sets, etc.) used by the account.

[0059] In stage S4, in response to the decision to assign a paid account to an account, the system can assign one of several predetermined tiers to that paid account based on detailed analytical data regarding the application usage of that paid account. For example, the paid account can be assigned a higher-tier paid account that provides access to higher-tier paid subscription services, or a lower-tier paid account that provides access to lower-tier paid subscription services.

[0060] On the other hand, detailed analytical data on application usage, which is considered for assigning tiers to paid accounts, can be collected by a usage analysis application (usage analysis app) running on each user device, based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of each user device. According to one embodiment, the usage analysis application can collect detailed analytical data based on whether or not the graphical user interface corresponding to the application being monitored is displayed on the device screen, and if so, whether it is displayed in the foreground or background.

[0061] Stage S5 may be configured to set different fees for different tiers that are assigned to paid accounts in an equal manner.

[0062] Method for collecting usage analysis data for applications

[0063] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting usage analysis data for an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] Referring to Figure 4, in step S10, a usage analysis application may be run on the account and associated devices. The usage analysis application running on each device may operate in the background without a separate user interface. Alternatively, it may be possible to check whether the usage analysis application is currently running in the background via a simple user interface. Once installed, such a usage analysis application may be configured by default to run automatically every time the device is turned on.

[0065] In step S11, the usage analysis application may initiate session monitoring of the device. Such session monitoring corresponds to the process by which the usage analysis application determines whether or not to initiate a data collection process to collect data on the usage of multiple applications on the device.

[0066] According to one embodiment, when session monitoring by the usage analysis application is started, it is determined whether or not the user is logged on to the operating system (OS) (step S112). If it is determined that the user is logged on to the OS, it may be determined whether or not the OS is locked (step S114). Here, the OS logon state refers to a state in which the user needs to enter a password previously set for the OS or perform an operation such as clicking to enter the OS into a normal operating state (i.e., a state in which the user can use applications on the OS). The OS being locked refers to a state in which, for example, if the device is a laptop, the user does not use the laptop for a predetermined period after logging on or closes the laptop cover (including the display part), and the user needs to log in again or perform an operation such as clicking to return the OS to a normal operating state. If the OS is not logged on or the OS is locked, the OS is not in a state to operate normally, so even if the device's OS is running, there is no need to perform usage analysis, and it is not necessary to proceed to the stage of collecting usage analysis data.

[0067] In stage S12, if the OS is logged on and the OS is not locked, the usage analysis application can determine which application to monitor from among the device's multiple applications and perform the collection process to collect usage analysis data.

[0068] In one unrestrictive example, determining which applications to monitor may include, sequentially, the steps of determining whether each application (i.e., process) currently running on the device is included in a pre-configured list of monitoring applications (S122), and determining whether the application has a graphical user interface (GUI) (S124). Step S122 is for confirming whether the currently running application is a target for monitoring, and step S124 is for confirming whether the application has a graphical user interface and is actually usable by the user. In other words, applications with a GUI can be extracted from the applications to be monitored and determined to be the actual targets for monitoring.

[0069] In step S13, the usage analysis application may generate usage analysis data by performing a collection process on the monitored applications determined in step S12. The collection process may include determining whether a user actually performed work on the application based on the state of the graphical user interface corresponding to that application. Such determinations may be made according to predetermined time intervals or rules. This will be described in more detail later with reference to Figure 5.

[0070] In step S14, usage analysis data, including the results of the collection process, may be sent to the management server. According to one embodiment, such usage analysis data may be converted to XML format and sent to the management server, but the format of the data to be sent is not limited.

[0071] Data collection process for usage analysis based on a graphical user interface

[0072] Figure 5 illustrates a specific example of a usage analysis data collection process based on a graphical user interface according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0073] Referring to Figure 5, as mentioned above, in the collection process, the usage analysis application analyzes the usage of each of the multiple monitored applications 205, 213, 214, and 216 based on the state of each application's graphical user interface (GUI).

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a usage analysis application may assign different state identifiers (e.g., GUI_ON or GUI_OFF) to each application's graphical user interface (GUI) depending on whether it is displayed on the device screen, and may also assign different state identifiers (e.g., Focus_ON or Focus_OFF) depending on whether it is in the foreground, even if it is displayed on the screen. Furthermore, if a particular application includes multiple tabs, usage can be analyzed based on distinguishing between the tab currently in the foreground and the other tabs and assigning them different state identifiers (e.g., Focus_ON or Focus_OFF).

[0075] For the sake of explanation, the example in Figure 5 will be specifically described, showing a state in which a user is actually using the Chrome® web browser application 205 on the screen 200 of their device. According to one embodiment, since the graphical user interface of the Chrome web browser application 205 is displayed in the foreground, a state identifier GUI_ON can be assigned to it, which means that the graphical user interface (GUI) is activated.

[0076] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 5, there are multiple tabs within the Chrome web browser application 205. The tab 210 currently displayed in the foreground of the graphical user interface of the Chrome web browser application 205 may be assigned the detailed status identifier Focus_ON, while the tab 212 not displayed in the foreground may be assigned the detailed status identifier Focus_OFF. This is based on the assumption that the user is focusing on the tab currently displayed in the foreground.

[0077] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 5, it can be seen that, in addition to the Chrome web browser 205, a graphical user interface (i.e., a window) corresponding to Adobe's Acrobat® application 213 is displayed as a background to the Chrome web browser application 205 displayed in the foreground of the user device's screen. Thus, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, an application such as the Acrobat application 213 displayed in the background of the screen is assigned GUI_ON because a GUI is displayed on the screen, but may be assigned Focus_OFF because it is presumed that the user is not currently working on it.

[0078] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 5, if application 214 is running as a monitored application but is hidden in the window taskbar and its GUI is not displayed, the usage analysis application may assign GUI_OFF. Similarly, if application 216 is running as a startup program or similar and is included in the window taskbar as a tray icon, but the user is not actively working on it, the usage analysis application may assign GUI_OFF.

[0079] On the other hand, even if a user is not currently displaying a GUI on their screen, they may be using it in parallel with other applications. Therefore, a usage analysis application can periodically check the graphical user interface (GUI) of each application, or determine whether a particular application is actually being used based on the duration of GUI_ON and / or Focus_ON, the interval between state changes, etc. In other words, a usage analysis application can analyze application usage by checking the state of the graphical user interface of each application according to predetermined time intervals or rules.

[0080] Thus, according to the method for collecting usage analysis data based on a graphical user interface according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the usage analysis application can execute the collection process for a monitored application that has a user interface (UI) that the user can actually use when the OS is functioning normally. In particular, since such a collection process performs usage analysis based on the state of the graphical user interface corresponding to the monitored application, it has the remarkable effect of providing more accurate and practical usage analysis data compared to conventional usage analysis methods that are based solely on whether or not the application is running.

[0081] Computer-readable recording media

[0082] It is obvious that each step and operation of the method according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be performed by a computer including one or more processors by executing a computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium.

[0083] The computer-executable instructions stored on the aforementioned recording medium can be implemented by a computer program programmed to execute each corresponding step. Such a computer program can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium and executed by a processor. The computer-readable recording medium may be a non-transitory readable medium. Here, a non-transitory readable medium refers to a medium that retains data semi-permanently and is readable by a device, rather than a medium that holds data for a very short time, such as a register, cache, or memory. Specifically, programs for executing the various methods described above may be stored and provided on non-transitory readable media such as semiconductor memory devices including erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and portable disks; optical-magnetic disks; and non-volatile memory including CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs.

[0084] The various examples of methods disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online via an application store (e.g., Play Store®). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0085] As explained above, a person ordinary in the art to which this disclosure belongs will understand that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without altering its technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and should not be understood as limiting. The scope of this disclosure is indicated not by the detailed description but by the claims set forth below, and all modified or altered forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included within the scope of this disclosure.

[0086] Not all features and advantages described herein are included, and many additional features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by considering the drawings, specification and claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that the language used herein has been selected primarily for readability and teaching purposes and may not have been selected to describe or limit the subject matter of this disclosure.

[0087] The above description relating to embodiments of the Disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only. It is not intended to limit the Disclosure to or be exhaustive in the exact form disclosed. Those skilled in the art will understand that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

[0088] Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited by the detailed description, but rather by any claims of an application based thereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of this disclosure is illustrative and does not limit the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for assigning account tiers based on application usage, A step of calculating the application usage of the account during the first period by receiving usage analysis data based on the graphical user interface for one or more pre-specified monitored applications during the first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account, A step of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account in a second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account in the first period, A method for assigning account tiers based on application usage, including the method described above.

2. The method for assigning an account grade based on application usage according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account during the second period is further based on the number of user devices using the one or more monitored applications.

3. The step of calculating the application usage of the account during the first period includes determining whether or not the account has used the application, The method for assigning an account grade based on application usage according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account in a second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account in the first period, includes deciding to assign a free account to the account based on the determination that the account did not use the application.

4. The aforementioned method, The application usage-based account grading method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning one of a predetermined number of grading levels to the account based on detailed analysis data regarding the application usage, in response to a decision to assign a paid account to the account.

5. The method for assigning an account grade based on application usage, according to claim 4, wherein the detailed analysis data includes usage analysis data collected based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device by a usage analysis application running on each of the one or more devices associated with the account.

6. In the second period following the first period, at the stage of deciding whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account, The method for assigning an account grade based on application usage according to claim 1, wherein the application usage of the account during the first period with respect to one or more pre-specified monitored applications includes the frequency of the usage days of the account.

7. The aforementioned method, The application usage-based account grading method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of charging a service fee to the account based on the grading assigned to the account, wherein the service fee is charged differently for each of the plurality of gradings.

8. The aforementioned method, Based on the detailed analysis data regarding the aforementioned application usage, after the step of assigning one of several predetermined grades to the account, When the aforementioned application usage exceeds a predetermined threshold, a step is taken to temporarily enable the use of a higher grade than the grade assigned to the account, or When the aforementioned application usage falls below a predetermined threshold, the system switches to using a lower grade than the one assigned to the account. The method for assigning an account grade based on application usage according to claim 4, further comprising:

9. The aforementioned usage analysis application collects usage analysis data based on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the user device. Running the aforementioned usage analysis application on the device, The aforementioned usage analysis application initiates session monitoring for the device. The usage analysis application determines, from among multiple applications on the device, which is to be monitored and which will perform the collection process, and the determination of the monitored application includes sequentially determining whether each application currently running on the user device is included in a pre-configured list of monitored applications, and The aforementioned usage analysis application performs a collection process for the monitored application to generate usage analysis data. A method for assigning account grades based on application usage, as described in claim 5, including the method described in claim 5.

10. The aforementioned usage analysis application performs a collection process for the monitored application to generate usage analysis data, Assigning different status identifiers depending on whether the graphical user interface (GUI) of each monitored application is displayed on the device screen, and The method for assigning an account rank based on application usage according to claim 9, further comprising assigning different state identifiers depending on whether or not the application is placed in the foreground, even if it is displayed on the screen.

11. A management server for implementing a method of assigning differential ranks to accounts based on the application usage of the account, Includes a processor and memory containing computer executable instructions, When the aforementioned computer executable instruction is executed by the processor, the processor will: An application usage calculation module for calculating the application usage of an account during a first period by receiving usage analysis data based on the graphical user interface for one or more pre-specified monitored applications during a first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account, and An account tier assignment module for determining whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account in a second period following the first period, based on the application usage of the account in the first period. The management server that implements it.

12. A computer-readable recording medium that stores computer-executable instructions, When the aforementioned computer executable instruction is executed by the processor, the processor will: The application usage of the account during the first period is calculated by receiving usage analysis data based on the graphical user interface for one or more pre-specified monitored applications during the first period from each of one or more user devices associated with the account, and Based on the application usage of the account during the first period, it is determined whether to assign a paid account or a free account to the account during the second period following the first period. A computer-readable recording medium that enables the execution of operations including those mentioned above.

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