Method, system, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for picking content creators in chat rooms

Abstract

To provide a method, system and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium capable of picking a content creator in a chat room.SOLUTION: A method capable of picking a content creator in a chat room comprises: picking at least one content creator specified by a user, from conversation partners included in the chat room; and providing an interface for retrieving messages of the picked content creator from messages included in the chat room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The following description relates to techniques for managing messages in chat rooms. [Background technology]

[0002] Instant messenger, a common communication tool, is software that allows users to send and receive messages and data in real time. When a user registers a conversation partner on the messenger, they can exchange messages with the person registered in the conversation list in real time.

[0003] Such messenger functions have become commonplace not only on PCs but also in the mobile environment of mobile communication devices.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 (Publication date: September 30, 2002) discloses a mobile messenger service system and method for a mobile terminal using a wireless communication network, which enables a messenger service to be provided between mobile messengers installed on the mobile terminal.

[0005] As instant messenger use becomes more widespread, the functions offered by instant messengers have become increasingly diverse, and it is now possible to use open chatting, which allows users to communicate with users who are not their friends via links using phone numbers or IDs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2002-0074304 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system that allows picking content creators in chat rooms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A method is provided that is executed by a computer system, the computer system including at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory, the method including: picking, by the at least one processor, at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in a chat room; and providing, by the at least one processor, an interface for searching for messages of the content creator from among messages included in the chat room.

[0009] According to one aspect, the providing step may include a step of, when at least one specific content creator is selected from among the content creators, displaying messages of the selected specific content creator in the chat room distinct from other messages.

[0010] According to another aspect, the providing step may include displaying a list of content creators picked by the user on a screen of the chat room in accordance with a request of the user in the chat room.

[0011] According to another aspect, the providing step may further include a step of displaying messages of the selected particular content creator while jumping to previous or subsequent message positions within the chat room screen in accordance with a request from the user.

[0012] According to another aspect, the picking step may include providing an interface in the chat room that allows a user to pick a particular content creator using a conversation partner profile or conversation partner list.

[0013] According to yet another aspect, providing the interface may include providing, along with the interface, a number of times each content creator has been picked by other users.

[0014] According to another aspect, the method may further include providing, by the at least one processor, an interface for setting message notifications for the chat room as well as an interface for setting message notifications for the content creator.

[0015] According to another aspect, the method may provide a notification for a received message when a message from the content creator is received, even if message receipt notifications for the chat room are set to off.

[0016] According to yet another aspect, the method may further include archiving, by the at least one processor, messages of the content creator among messages received in the chat room and providing the archived messages in a separate page upon request by the user.

[0017] According to yet another aspect, the method may further include recommending, by the at least one processor, other chat rooms in which the content creator is included or which the content creator manages.

[0018] According to yet another aspect, the method may further include recommending, by the at least one processor, other content creators that have been picked a certain number of times or more by other users in chat rooms in which the user is included.

[0019] A computer program is provided, recorded on a non-transitory computer readable recording medium, for causing the computer system to execute the method.

[0020] A computer system is provided, comprising at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory, the at least one processor comprising a content creator selection unit that picks at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in a chat room, and a message providing unit that provides an interface for searching for messages of the content creator from among messages included in the chat room. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an electronic device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates example components that may be included in a processor of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method that can be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process for picking a content creator in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process for picking a content creator in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process of searching for messages of a content creator selected by a user in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process of searching for messages of a content creator selected by a user in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process for providing a receipt notification for a message of a content creator picked by a user in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process of collectively displaying messages of content creators selected by a user in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process of collectively displaying messages of content creators selected by a user in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present invention relate to techniques for managing messages in chat rooms.

[0024] Embodiments including those specifically disclosed in this specification may provide a function for picking favorite content creators from among conversation partners included in a chat room, thereby efficiently providing notification of receipt, display function at once, and search function by selecting messages generated by the content creators picked by the user.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network environment in one embodiment of the present invention. The network environment in Fig. 1 shows an example including a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140, a plurality of servers 150, 160, and a network 170. Fig. 1 is merely an example for explaining the invention, and the number of electronic devices and the number of servers are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1.

[0026] The electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 may be fixed terminals or mobile terminals realized by computer systems. Examples of the electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 include smartphones, mobile phones, navigation systems, personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, digital broadcasting terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), tablets, game consoles, wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, and augmented reality (AR) devices. As an example, FIG. 1 shows a smartphone as an example of the electronic device 110, but in the embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device 110 may mean one of various physical computer systems that can communicate with other electronic devices 120, 130, and 140 and / or servers 150 and 160 via a network 170 using a substantially wireless or wired communication method.

[0027] The communication method is not limited, and may include not only a communication method using a communication network (such as a mobile communication network, a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, a broadcast network, a satellite network, etc.) that the network 170 can include, but also short-range wireless communication between devices. For example, the network 170 may include any one or more of a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a broadband network (BBN), the Internet, etc. Furthermore, the network 170 may include any one or more of a network topology including, but not limited to, a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star-bus network, a tree or a hierarchical network, etc.

[0028] Each of the servers 150 and 160 may be realized by one or more computer devices that communicate with the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 via the network 170 to provide instructions, codes, files, content, services, and the like. For example, the server 150 may be a system that provides a first service to the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected via the network 170, and the server 160 may be a system that provides a second service to the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected via the network 170. As a more specific example, the server 150 may provide a service (e.g., a messaging service, for example) targeted by an application, which is a computer program installed and executed in the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140, as a first service to the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140. As another example, the server 160 may provide, as a second service, a service of distributing files for installing and executing the above-mentioned application to the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of an electronic device and a server in an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 2, the internal configuration of electronic device 110 and the internal configuration of server 150 are explained as examples of electronic devices. In addition, other electronic devices 120, 130, 140 and server 160 may have the same or similar internal configuration as electronic device 110 or server 150 described above.

[0030] The electronic device 110 and the server 150 may include memories 211 and 221, processors 212 and 222, communication modules 213 and 223, and input / output interfaces 214 and 224. The memories 211 and 221 may be non-transitory computer-readable recording media and may include persistent mass storage devices such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), disk drives, solid state drives (SSD), flash memories, and the like. Here, persistent mass storage devices such as ROM, SSD, flash memories, and disk drives may be included in the electronic device 110 and the server 150 as persistent storage devices separate from the memories 211 and 221. In addition, the memories 211 and 221 may store an operating system and at least one program code (for example, a browser installed and executed in the electronic device 110, or a code for an application installed in the electronic device 110 to provide a specific service, etc.). Such software components may be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium separate from the memories 211 and 221. Such another computer-readable recording medium may include a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy drive, a disk, a tape, a DVD / CD-ROM drive, a memory card, etc. In another embodiment, the software components may be loaded into the memory 211, 221 through a communication module 213, 223 that is not a computer-readable recording medium. For example, at least one program may be loaded into the memory 211, 221 based on a computer program (for example, the above-mentioned application) that is installed by a file provided via the network 170 by a developer or a file distribution system that distributes an installation file of the application (for example, the above-mentioned server 160).

[0031] The processors 212, 222 may be configured to process instructions of a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. The instructions may be provided to the processors 212, 222 by the memory 211, 221 or the communication modules 213, 223. For example, the processors 212, 222 may be configured to execute instructions received according to program code stored in a storage device such as the memory 211, 221.

[0032] The communication modules 213 and 223 may provide a function for the electronic device 110 and the server 150 to communicate with each other via the network 170, or may provide a function for the electronic device 110 and / or the server 150 to communicate with other electronic devices (for example, the electronic device 120) or other servers (for example, the server 160). For example, a request generated by the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 according to a program code recorded in a recording device such as the memory 211 may be transmitted to the server 150 via the network 170 under the control of the communication module 213. Conversely, a control signal, an instruction, a content, a file, etc. provided under the control of the processor 222 of the server 150 may be received by the electronic device 110 through the communication module 213 of the electronic device 110 via the communication module 223 and the network 170. For example, control signals, instructions, content, files, etc. from the server 150 received through the communication module 213 may be transmitted to the processor 212 or memory 211, and the content, files, etc. may be recorded on a recording medium (the above-mentioned permanent recording device) that the electronic device 110 may further include.

[0033] The input / output interface 214 may be a means for interfacing with the input / output device 215. For example, the input device may include a device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, or a camera, and the output device may include a device such as a display, a speaker, or a haptic feedback device. As another example, the input / output interface 214 may be a means for interfacing with a device in which functions for input and output are integrated into one, such as a touch screen. The input / output device 215 may be configured as one device together with the electronic device 110. Also, the input / output interface 224 of the server 150 may be a means for interfacing with a device for input or output (not shown) that may be connected to the server 150 or included in the server 150. As a more specific example, when the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 processes the instructions of the computer program loaded in the memory 211, a service screen or content configured using data provided by the server 150 or the electronic device 120 may be displayed on a display through the input / output interface 214.

[0034] Also, in other embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the server 150 may include more components than those in FIG. 2. However, it is not necessary to clearly show most of the conventional technical components in the figure. For example, the electronic device 110 may be realized to include at least some of the above-mentioned input / output devices 215, and may further include other components such as a transceiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, etc. As a more specific example, if the electronic device 110 is a smartphone, various components such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a camera module, various physical buttons, a button using a touch panel, an input / output port, a vibrator for vibration, etc., which are generally included in a smartphone, may be realized to be further included in the electronic device 110.

[0035] Specific embodiments of a method and system that can pick content creators in chat rooms are described below.

[0036] In this specification, a chat room may refer to an interface screen of a chat function that allows users to exchange messages with each other in a messenger or SNS (social network service), and may particularly refer to a chat room having an open chat function that allows users to chat immediately via a link such as a URL without adding friends using a phone number or ID, etc. The open chat link may include a function that automatically executes a messenger and executes the chat room of the link so that chat can be started immediately when the link is clicked.

[0037] In the following, an open chat room of Messenger will be described as a specific embodiment, however, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any conversation-based interface of a service in which multiple users can participate based on a link, a user's account, a phone number, etc., and new participants can be added at any time.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of components that may be included in a processor of an electronic device in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method that may be performed by an electronic device in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] A message management system implemented by a computer may be configured in the electronic device 110 according to the present embodiment. For example, the message management system may be implemented in the form of an independently operating program, or may be configured in the form of an in-app of a specific application so as to be operable on the specific application, and in some cases, a messaging service may be provided in conjunction with the server 150.

[0040] Based on instructions provided by an application installed on electronic device 110, the message management system implemented in electronic device 110 may perform the message management method illustrated in FIG.

[0041] To execute the message management method according to Fig. 4, the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 may include, as components, a content creator selection unit 310, a message providing unit 320, and a recommendation unit 330, as shown in Fig. 3. Depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor 212 may be selectively included or excluded in the processor 212. Also, depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor 212 may be separated or combined to express the functions of the processor 212.

[0042] Such processor 212 and components of processor 212 may control electronic device 110 to execute steps 410 to 440 included in the message management method of Fig. 4. For example, processor 212 and components of processor 212 may be realized to execute instructions from operating system code and at least one program code included in memory 211.

[0043] Here, the components of the processor 212 may represent different functions of the processor 212 that are executed by the processor 212 according to instructions provided by a program code stored in the electronic device 110 (for example, instructions provided by an application executed by the electronic device 110). For example, the content creator selection unit 310 may be used as a functional representation of the processor 212 that controls the electronic device 110 according to the above-mentioned instructions so that the electronic device 110 picks a content creator specified by a user.

[0044] In step 410, the processor 212 may read necessary instructions from the memory 211 in which instructions related to the control of the electronic device 110 are loaded. In this case, the read instructions may include instructions for controlling the processor 212 to execute steps 420 to 440 described below.

[0045] In step 420, the content creator selection unit 310 may pick a content creator specified by the user of the electronic device 110 in a chat room of the messenger installed in the electronic device 110. Here, the content creator means a conversation partner included in the chat room, and may mean an entity exchanging various contents such as text, image, video, etc. as a type of message through the chat room. Each chat room included in the messenger installed in the electronic device 110 by the user includes a function for picking one or more content creators among the content creators exchanging messages in the corresponding chat room. In other words, the user can pick a specific content creator who mainly provides content that is meaningful or that the user likes among the content creators included in the chat room. In this case, the content creator selection unit 310 may record and maintain information on a specific content creator picked by the user for each chat room in association with the corresponding chat room.

[0046] In step 430, the message providing unit 320 may manage messages included in the chat rooms based on information about content creators picked by the user in association with each chat room, and may provide messages generated by a specific content creator picked by the user in the chat room in response to a request from the user of the electronic device 110 among messages included in the chat rooms. The message providing unit 320 may provide a reception notification, a collective display function, and a search function only for messages of a specific content creator picked by the user in the chat room among messages included in the chat rooms. As an example, the message providing unit 320 may provide a reception notification only for messages of a specific content creator among messages received in the chat room. For example, if the message reception notification of a chat room is set to an off state, a reception notification is not output even if a message is received in the chat room, but a reception notification may be output as an exception for a message of a content creator picked by the user. As another example, the message providing unit 320 may archive messages of a specific content creator picked by the user from among messages received in the chat room, and provide the archived messages on an individual page by a collective display function upon request from the user. In other words, the message providing unit 320 may provide messages of a specific content creator from among messages received in the chat room on an individual collective display page. As yet another example, the message providing unit 320 may provide a search function targeting messages of a specific content creator picked by the user from among messages received in the chat room.In this case, the message providing unit 320 may display the profile of a specific content creator picked by the user in the corresponding chat room on the chat room screen, and when the user selects at least one profile from the displayed profiles, may display the message of the content creator corresponding to the selected profile separately from other messages, and may move the message displayed separately from other messages to a previous or subsequent message position in the chat room. Thus, the message providing unit 320 may provide a reception notification, a collective display function, and a search function only for the messages of the specific content creator picked by the user among the messages included in the chat room.

[0047] In step 440, the recommendation unit 330 may recommend other chat rooms or other content creators to the user of the electronic device 110. As an example, the recommendation unit 330 may recommend other chat rooms in which the content creator is included or directly managed, to the user of the electronic device 110, based on information about a particular content creator picked by the user of the electronic device 110. In the case of an open chat room, the user who opens the chat room becomes an administrator who operates the chat room, and such administrative authority can be transferred to or received from others. The recommendation unit 330 may recommend chat rooms in which the content creator picked by the user acts as a simple participant, or chat rooms in which the user has administrative authority. As another example, the recommendation unit 330 may recommend content creators that have been picked a certain number of times or more by others in a chat room including the user of the electronic device 110. For example, when the user is trying to pick a particular content creator in a chat room, the recommendation unit 330 may recommend content creators that have been picked by many other users. Therefore, the recommendation unit 330 can provide reliable recommendation information related to public chats by recommending other chat rooms that include or are directly managed by the content creator picked by the user, or by recommending content creators picked by many others.

[0048] 5 and 6 are illustrative diagrams for explaining an example of a process for picking a content creator in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] The processor 212 may provide a UI in each chat room that allows the user to pick a particular favorite conversation partner, i.e., a particular content creator, from among the conversation partners included in that chat room.

[0050] 5, when a user selects a particular profile 501 in a chat room 500, the processor 212 may provide a content creator introduction screen 510 including information about the content creator of the profile. In this case, the content creator introduction screen 510 may include a "pick" menu 511 that allows the user to pick a particular content creator who mainly provides content that is meaningful or favorite to the user, along with profile information including a name designated by the content creator. In particular, the content creator introduction screen 510 may include a pick count 512 that indicates how many other users have picked the content creator. The pick count 512 may mean the number of times the content creator has been picked by users included in the chat room 500, and in some embodiments, may mean the number of times the content creator has been picked by users in all open chat rooms.

[0051] 6, the processor 212 may provide a conversation partner screen 620 including a conversation partner list 621 participating in the chat room 500 in response to a user request in the chat room 500. In this case, the conversation partner screen 620 may include a "pick" menu 622 that allows the user to pick a particular content creator who mainly provides content that is meaningful or favorite to the user, along with profile information including a name designated by the content creator for each conversation partner included in the conversation partner list 621, i.e., each content creator. In addition, the number of times each content creator has been picked by others may be provided for each content creator included in the conversation partner list 621.

[0052] A user may pick one or more content creators that he or she desires in the chat room 500 by the process described above.

[0053] Thus, the processor 212 may provide UIs 511, 622 that allow a user to pick a particular content creator within the chat room 500 using the profile 501 or conversation partner list 621. In addition to the profile 501 or conversation partner list 621, any interface that allows a user to identify a content creator within the chat room 500 may be applicable.

[0054] In some embodiments, at least some of the content creators included in the chat room may be excluded from being picked or may be rejected from being picked by users, depending on settings made by an administrator managing the chat room or settings made by individuals participating in the chat room.

[0055] 7 and 8 are illustrative diagrams for explaining an example of a process for searching for messages of a content creator selected by a user in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] The processor 212 may provide functionality to search for messages contained in a chat room that are from a particular content creator picked by the user.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, the chat room 500 may include a search button 703 for searching messages within the chat room 500, and when a user enters the search button 703 in the chat room 500, a first search interface 730 may be activated to search for messages containing the keywords entered by the user, and a second search interface 740 may be activated to search for messages of a particular content creator picked by the user.

[0058] The second search interface 740 may include a list 741 of content creators picked by the user in the chat room 500. In this case, the list 741 of content creators may be configured with a profile image of each content creator, and may be configured with an interface that allows single or multiple selection.

[0059] 8, the processor 212 may display a content creator list 741 as a second search interface 740 on the screen of the chat room 500, and when a user selects at least one content creator from the content creator list 741, a profile 851 of the selected content creator may be highlighted and displayed to distinguish it from other content creators. Furthermore, the processor 212 may display display elements such as a text color, a text size, a background color of a speech bubble, etc., differently so that a message 861 of a content creator selected from the content creator list 741 among messages included in the chat room 500 is distinguished from other messages.

[0060] Processor 212 may display messages 861 of a content creator selected in content creator list 741 from among the messages contained in chat room 500, jumping to previous or subsequent message positions on the screen of chat room 500 in response to a user request.

[0061] Therefore, the processor 212 may provide a function for searching messages by content creators, who are conversation partners, as well as a function for searching messages by keyword, among messages included in the chat room 500. In the process of searching for necessary information within a chat room, the use of the message search function by content creators can eliminate the problems of indiscreet conversations and unnecessary information searches.

[0062] FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a process of providing a receipt notification for a message of a content creator picked by a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] The processor 212 may provide acknowledgement only for messages received in the chat room that are from content creators picked by the user.

[0064] 9, the processor 212 may provide a notification setting screen 970 on the screen of the chat room 500 in accordance with a request from a user in the chat room 500. The notification setting screen 970 may include an interface 971 for setting a message reception notification (hereinafter referred to as a "chat room notification") for the chat room 500, and when the chat room notification is set to an off state, an interface 972 may be additionally provided that allows the user to set on / off a reception notification (hereinafter referred to as a "pick notification") for a message from a content creator picked by the user.

[0065] When a user sets chat room notifications to an off state and pick notifications to an on state, the processor 212 may provide receipt notifications only for messages received in the chat room 500 that are from content creators picked by the user.

[0066] The chat room notifications and pick notifications mentioned above can be set not only individually for each chat room, but also for all chat rooms at once.

[0067] Instead of providing a separate on / off setting interface 972 for pick notifications, the act of a user picking a specific content creator in the chat room 500 can be considered to be the same as setting pick notifications to on, so that even if chat room notifications are set to off, if there is a content creator picked by the user, a receipt notification can be provided for messages from that content creator.

[0068] Therefore, the processor 212 may provide a notification of receipt only for messages from the content creators selected by the user among messages received in the chat room, which has the effect of blocking unnecessary information and allowing the user to selectively subscribe to only the information that he or she requires.

[0069] 10 and 11 are exemplary diagrams illustrating an example of a process of collectively displaying messages of content creators selected by a user in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] The processor 212 may archive messages received in a chat room that are from a particular content creator selected by the user, and upon request from the user, provide the archived messages on individual pages as an all-at-once display function.

[0071] 10, for example, when a content creator picked by a user through a profile, a conversation partner list, or the like is selected in chat room 500, the processor 212 may provide a content creator introduction screen 1080. In this case, the content creator introduction screen 1080 may include a "display all" menu 1081 for providing only messages of the content creator in an individual collectively displayed page together with profile information including a name designated by the content creator.

[0072] When the user selects the "all messages" menu 1081, the processor 212 may provide an all messages page 1000 consisting of only the messages of the content creator selected by the user. When a specific message is selected on the all messages page 1000, the user may be directed to the chat room containing the message and automatically scrolled to the position of the selected message.

[0073] When the user picks multiple content creators, the processor 212 may archive the messages of the corresponding content creators for each content creator, and may divide the all-at-once display page 1100 into multiple tab pages as shown in FIG. 11, and display the messages of each content creator in each tab.

[0074] Thus, the processor 212 may collect and present on a separate page only the messages of the content creators picked by the user.

[0075] Thus, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a particular content creator can be picked within a chat room who primarily provides content that is meaningful to the user or that the user likes, and receipt notifications, a display function for all messages from the content creator picked by the user, and a search function can be provided.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user can pick a favorite content creator from among the content creators included in a chat room.

[0077] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a notification can be provided only for messages of content creators selected by a user among messages received in a chat room.

[0078] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, messages of content creators selected by a user from among messages received in a chat room can be displayed together.

[0079] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to search for only messages of content creators selected by a user among messages included in a chat room.

[0080] Additionally, embodiments of the present invention may recommend other chat rooms to a user based on information related to the content creators the user picks.

[0081] Additionally, embodiments of the present invention may recommend other content creators to a user based on the number of times they have been picked by others.

[0082] The above-mentioned devices may be realized by hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware and software components. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments may be realized using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or various devices capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications that run on the OS. The processing device may also respond to the execution of the software to access, record, manipulate, process, and generate data. For convenience of understanding, a single processing device may be described as being used, but those skilled in the art will understand that the processing device may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, the processing device may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0083] The software may include computer programs, codes, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing device to operate as desired or instruct the processing device, either independently or collectively. The software and / or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, computer storage medium, or device to be interpreted by the processing device or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. The software may be distributed and stored or executed in a distributed manner on computer systems connected by a network. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0084] The method according to the embodiment may be realized in the form of program instructions executable by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. Here, the medium may be one that continuously records a computer-executable program or one that temporarily records the program for execution or download. The medium may be one of various recording means or storage means in the form of a single or multiple hardware devices combined, and may not be limited to a medium directly connected to a certain computer system, but may be one that is distributed over a network. Examples of the medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, etc., configured to record program instructions. Other examples of the medium include recording media or storage media managed by application stores that distribute applications, or sites, servers, etc. that supply or distribute various other software.

[0085] Although the embodiments have been described based on the limited embodiments and drawings as above, those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications and variations from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in an order different from that described, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a manner different from that described, or may be counterbalanced or replaced by other components or equivalents, and still achieve suitable results.

[0086] Therefore, different embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims provided they are equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 212: Processor 310: Content creator selection section 320: Message provider 330: Recommendation section

Claims

1. 1. A method executed by a computer system, comprising: The computer system includes at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory; The method comprises: picking, by the at least one processor, at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in a chat room; and providing, by the at least one processor, an interface for searching messages of the content creator among messages contained in the chat room. Including, The picking step includes: providing a number of times the at least one content creator has been picked by other users. A method comprising:

2. providing an interface for searching messages of the content creators, and when at least one specific content creator is selected from the content creators, displaying messages of the selected specific content creator in the chat room in a manner distinguished from other messages. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

3. providing an interface for searching messages of the content creators, displaying a list of content creators selected by the user on a screen of the chat room in accordance with a request from the user in the chat room; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

4. providing an interface for searching messages of the content creators, displaying messages of the selected specific content creator while jumping to previous or subsequent message positions within the chat room screen according to the user's request; The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

5. The picking step includes: providing an interface for selecting a particular content creator using a conversation partner profile or conversation partner list in the chat room; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

6. providing an interface through which the particular content creator can be selected, providing each content creator with the interface a number of times the content creator has been picked by other users; The method according to claim 5.

7. The method comprises: providing, by the at least one processor, an interface for setting message notifications for the chat room and an interface for setting message notifications for the content creators. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. The method comprises: When a message of the content creator is received, even if message reception notification for the chat room is set to an off state, a notification is provided for the received message. The method of claim 1.

9. The method comprises: archiving, by the at least one processor, messages of the content creator among messages received in the chat room and providing the archived messages in separate pages upon request by the user. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

10. The method comprises: recommending, by the at least one processor, other chat rooms that the content creator is included in or that the content creator manages. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

11. A method executed by a computer system, comprising: The computer system includes at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory; The method comprises: picking, by the at least one processor, at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in a chat room; and providing, by the at least one processor, an interface for searching messages of the content creator among messages contained in the chat room. Including, The method comprises: recommending, by the at least one processor, other content creators who have been picked a certain number of times by other users in chat rooms in which the user is included. The method further comprising:

12. A computer program product adapted to cause said computer system to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. 1. A computer system comprising: At least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in the memory. Including, The at least one processor a content creator selection unit for selecting at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in the chat room; and a message providing unit for providing an interface for searching for messages of the content creator among messages included in the chat room; Including, The content creator selection unit: The computer system provides a number of times the at least one content creator has been picked by other users.

14. The message providing unit includes: displaying a list of content creators selected by the user on a screen of the chat room in response to a request from the user in the chat room; when at least one particular content creator is selected from the list of content creators, messages of the selected particular content creator are displayed in the chat room in a differentiated manner from other messages; 14. The computer system of claim 13.

15. The message providing unit includes: displaying messages of the selected particular content creator while jumping to previous or subsequent message positions within the chat room screen in accordance with a request from the user; 15. The computer system of claim 14.

16. The content creator selection unit: providing an interface in said chat room for picking a particular content creator using a conversation partner profile or conversation partner list; 14. The computer system of claim 13.

17. The content creator selection unit: providing each content creator with the interface a number of times the content creator has been picked by other users; 17. The computer system of claim 16.

18. The message providing unit includes: providing an interface for setting message notifications for the chat room and an interface for setting message notifications for the content creator; 14. The computer system of claim 13.

19. The message providing unit includes: archiving messages of said content creators among messages received in said chat rooms, and providing said archived messages on individual pages upon request from said users; 14. The computer system of claim 13.

20. A computer system comprising: At least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in the memory. Including, The at least one processor a content creator selection unit for selecting at least one content creator identified by a user of the computer system from among conversation partners included in a chat room; a message providing unit that provides an interface for searching for messages of the content creator among messages included in the chat room; A recommendation section that recommends other content creators who have been picked a certain number of times or more by other users in a chat room to which the user belongs.

2. A computer system comprising:

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