User profile management method and device

Abstract

To provide a user profile management method and apparatus.SOLUTION: A user profile management method performed by a server includes the steps of: generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to a first user account; receiving an editing request for matching information on a profile selected among the plurality of profiles; providing an interface for editing the matching information including at least one of a list of accounts in a predetermined relationship with the first user account and a list of chat rooms in which the first user account is participating on the basis of the editing request; receiving an input for selecting a second user account to be matched with the selected profile through the interface for editing the matching information; and matching the selected second user account with the selected profile.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following embodiments relate to a method and device for managing user profiles, and more particularly to a server and device that perform operations for managing multiple profiles corresponding to user accounts. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, with the development of mobile smart devices, the use of online platform services for interacting with other users over a network is increasing. Representative examples of online platform services for interacting with other users include social networking services (SNS), which are online platforms that create and strengthen social relationships through communication, information sharing, and networking between users, and instant messaging services (IMS), which are online platforms for real-time content communication between two or more users.

[0003] In services such as SNS and IMS, profiles can be used to share personal information such as a user's name and photo with other users. Profiles can be used in a variety of ways to express oneself, but because they contain a user's personal information, it is necessary to prevent it from being indiscriminately exposed to others. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the embodiment is to provide a technique for users of an online platform service that provides profiles to use various types of profiles depending on their relationships with other users. However, the technical issues are not limited to those mentioned above, and further technical issues exist. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A user profile management method according to one aspect is a user profile management method performed by a server, and includes the steps of generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to a user account, receiving a query request for a profile of another user account that has a certain relationship with the user account from a user terminal logged in to the user account, providing a UI of the profile of the other user account to the user terminal, including an interfacing object related to the profile of the user account, receiving an input to select a profile from the plurality of profiles corresponding to the user account via the interfacing object to be displayed on the other user terminal logged in to the other user account, and matching the other user account with the selected profile.

[0006] The user profile management method may further include providing the matched profile to the other user terminal as a profile corresponding to the user account.

[0007] The profile of the other user account may correspond to a profile matched with the user account among a plurality of profiles corresponding to the other user account.

[0008] The interfacing objects may be displayed differently depending on the profile matched with the other user account.

[0009] A user profile management method according to one aspect is a user profile management method performed on a server, and includes the steps of generating multiple profiles corresponding to user accounts, matching the multiple profiles with other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, providing matching information between participant accounts participating in the chat room and the multiple profiles to a user terminal logged in to the user account via a chat room in which the user account is participating, and providing, corresponding to each of the participant accounts, the profile of the user account matched with the corresponding participant account via the chat room to a participant terminal logged in to the corresponding participant account.

[0010] The step of matching the other user accounts with the plurality of profiles may include a step of receiving, from the user terminal, information about the other user accounts to be matched with the corresponding profile, corresponding to each of the plurality of profiles; and a step of matching and storing the other user accounts with the plurality of profiles based on the received information.

[0011] The step of providing the matching information may include a step of providing, for each of the plurality of profiles, a list of participant accounts matched with the corresponding profile via a UI of the chat room.

[0012] The user profile management method may further include providing the user terminal with a profile of each of the participant accounts matched with the user account via the chat room.

[0013] A user profile management method according to one aspect is a user profile management method executed on a user terminal logged in to a user account, and includes the steps of requesting the generation of multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, requesting an inquiry regarding the profiles of other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, receiving a UI of the profile of the other user account including an interfacing object related to the profile of the user account, and selecting, via the interfacing object, a profile from the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account to be displayed on the other user terminal logged in to the other user account.

[0014] The selected profile can be matched with the other user accounts.

[0015] A user profile management method according to one aspect is a user profile management method executed on a user terminal logged in to a user account, and includes the steps of requesting the creation of multiple profiles corresponding to the user account (the multiple profiles are matched with other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account), receiving matching information between participant accounts participating in the chat room and the multiple profiles via a chat room in which the user account is participating, and receiving profiles of each of the participant accounts matched with the user account via the chat room.

[0016] The user profile management method may further include generating, for each of the plurality of profiles, information about the other user accounts matched with the corresponding profile.

[0017] The plurality of profiles may be provided to each participant terminal logged into each of the participant accounts based on the matching information.

[0018] A server according to one aspect includes at least one processor that generates a plurality of profiles corresponding to a user account, receives a query request for a profile of another user account that has a certain relationship with the user account from a user terminal logged in to the user account, provides a UI of the profile of the other user account to the user terminal, including an interfacing object related to the profile of the user account, receives an input via the interfacing object to select a profile from the plurality of profiles corresponding to the user account to be displayed on the other user terminal logged in to the other user account, and matches the other user account with the selected profile.

[0019] The processor may provide the matched profile to the other user account as a profile corresponding to the user account.

[0020] In one aspect, the server includes at least one processor that generates multiple profiles corresponding to user accounts, matches the multiple profiles with other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, provides matching information between participant accounts participating in the chat room and the multiple profiles to a user terminal logged in to the user account via a chat room in which the user account is participating, and provides, corresponding to each of the participant accounts, a profile of the user account matched with the corresponding participant account via the chat room to a participant terminal logged in to the corresponding participant account.

[0021] In matching the other user accounts with the multiple profiles, the processor can receive information from the user terminal regarding the other user accounts that are to be matched with the corresponding profile, corresponding to each of the multiple profiles, and match the other user accounts with the multiple profiles based on the received information.

[0022] The processor may provide the user terminal with a profile of each of the participant accounts matched with the user account via the chat room.

[0023] A user terminal according to one aspect includes at least one processor that, in a user terminal logged in to a user account, requests the generation of multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, requests inquiries regarding profiles of other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, receives UIs of profiles of the other user accounts that include interfacing objects related to the profile of the user account, and selects, via the interfacing objects, a profile from the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account to be displayed on other user terminals logged in to the other user accounts.

[0024] A user terminal according to one aspect includes at least one processor that, in a user terminal logged in to a user account, requests the generation of multiple profiles corresponding to the user account (the multiple profiles are matched with other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account), receives matching information between participant accounts participating in the chat room and the multiple profiles via a chat room in which the user account is participating, and receives profiles of each of the participant accounts matched with the user account via the chat room. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to one embodiment of the service, by providing various profiles corresponding to a user, the utilization of the profile used to display the user's identification information can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a user profile management method related to profile matching according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of users, user accounts, and profiles according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for profile creation according to one embodiment. [Figure 4A] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface for setting a profile of a user account that is displayed on another user terminal via a UI of the profile of another user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 4B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface for setting a profile of a user account that is displayed on another user terminal via a UI of the profile of another user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 5A] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interfacing object that displays profile information of a user account that has been matched with another user account. [Figure 5B] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interfacing object that displays profile information of a user account that has been matched with another user account. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates matching information between multiple profiles corresponding to a user account and friend accounts of the user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a user profile management method related to a profile inquiry according to an embodiment; [Figure 8]FIG. 10 illustrates matching information between participant accounts and multiple profiles provided via a chat room according to one embodiment. [Figure 9A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI of a chat room provided to a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 9B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI of a chat room provided to a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 9C] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI of a chat room provided to a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example UI of a chat room with profiles of participant accounts and matched user accounts. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example UI of a chat room with profiles of participant accounts and matched user accounts. [Figure 11A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 11C] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 11D] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 11E] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 11F] FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment. [Figure 12A] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an embodiment in which a friend list is sorted by profile. [Figure 12B]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an embodiment in which a friend list is sorted by profile. [Figure 12C] 10 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a list of chat rooms is sorted by profile. [Figure 12D] 10 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a list of chat rooms is sorted by profile. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Specific structural and functional descriptions of the embodiments are merely provided for illustrative purposes, and the embodiments may be implemented in various different forms. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and the scope of the present invention includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives that fall within the technical concept described in the embodiments.

[0028] Although terms such as "first" or "second" may be used to describe multiple components, such terms should be construed only to distinguish one component from the other components. For example, a first component may be designated as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be designated as a first component.

[0029] When a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that although it is directly coupled or connected to the other component, there may be other components in between.

[0030] The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the words "comprise" or "have" and the like indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to denote the same elements.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a user profile management method related to profile matching according to an embodiment.

[0033] The user terminal 102 refers to any device capable of installing and executing a service application related to the server 101, such as a computer, a portable computer, a wireless phone, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a web tablet. Here, the user terminal 102 can perform general service operations such as configuring a service screen, inputting data, transmitting and receiving data, and storing data under the control of the application. For example, the user terminal 102 can connect to the server 101 through the application.

[0034] The server 101 according to an embodiment includes a server that provides an instant messaging service or a social networking service, and serves as a service platform for communication between user terminals coupled or connected to the server 101.

[0035] A user can subscribe to a service provided by the server 101, create a user account, and use the service by logging in to the user account on the user terminal 102. The server 101 can provide a service corresponding to the user account to the user terminal 102 logged in to the user account.

[0036] A service provided by the server 101 according to an embodiment can improve the utilization of profiles within the service by providing various profiles corresponding to user accounts. The server 101 providing the service and the user terminal 102 logged in with a user account subscribing to the service can perform a profile management method for providing multiple profiles.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, a user profile management method executed by a server 101 according to one embodiment includes step S120 of generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to a user account, step S130 of receiving a query request for profiles of other user accounts having a certain relationship with the user account from a user terminal 102 logged in to the user account, step S140 of providing the user terminal 102 with profiles of the other user accounts including interfacing objects related to the profiles of the user account, step S150 of receiving an input to select a profile from the plurality of profiles corresponding to the user account via the interfacing object related to the profiles of the user account to be displayed on other user terminals logged in to the other user accounts, and step S160 of matching the selected profile with the other user account.

[0038] A user profile management method executed in a user terminal 102 according to one embodiment includes step S110 of requesting the generation of multiple profiles corresponding to a user account, step S130 of requesting an inquiry regarding the profiles of other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, step S140 of receiving a UI of the profile of the other user account including an interfacing object related to the profile of the user account, and step S150 of selecting, via the interfacing object related to the profile of the user account, a profile from the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account to be displayed on other user terminals logged in to the other user accounts.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the user terminal 102 requests the server 101 to generate a profile including identification information related to the logged-in user account (S110), and the server generates a profile corresponding to the user account in response to the received request (S120). The profile corresponding to the user account may include identification information set by the user, such as a profile name, a profile photo, and an introduction message. The profile corresponding to the user account may be provided to other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account, and the user account may receive profiles of other user accounts that have a certain relationship with the user account (e.g., friend relationship, subscription relationship, etc.). For example, a user account can establish a certain relationship with another user account by registering the contact information, account ID, etc. of the other user account. Hereinafter, the other user account that has a certain relationship with the user account will be referred to as a "friend account."

[0040] According to one embodiment, a profile corresponding to a single user account may include two or more profiles. As an example, step S110 according to one embodiment includes requesting the creation of multiple profiles, and step S120 according to one embodiment includes generating multiple profiles in response to the request for the creation of multiple profiles. As a further example, steps S110 and S120 may be performed multiple times.

[0041] The multiple profiles may have at least some of the identification information included in each profile that is different from each other. For example, among multiple profiles corresponding to the same account, the profile name included in the first profile may be different from the profile name included in the second profile, and among multiple profiles corresponding to the same account, the profile photo included in the first profile may be different from the profile photo included in the third profile.

[0042] 2, a user 200 may create at least one user account 210, 220 corresponding to a service, and may create multiple profiles 211, 212, 213, 221 corresponding to each account 210, 220. As an example, the profiles corresponding to the first account 210 may include a first profile 211, a second profile 212, and a third profile 213, and the profiles corresponding to the second account 220 may include at least one profile, such as a fourth profile 221.

[0043] According to one embodiment, a profile corresponding to a user account may include a basic profile as a default. For example, a basic profile may be generated and provided as a default for a user account that subscribes to a service, and additional profiles may be generated for the user account in response to a user's profile generation request. For example, in FIG. 2 , a first profile 211 corresponding to a first account 210 and a second profile 221 corresponding to a second account 220 are basic profiles. A second profile 212 and a third profile 213 corresponding to the first account 210 are additional profiles generated in response to a request from the user corresponding to the first account 210.

[0044] 1 again, the server 101 according to one embodiment provides a user interface (UI) for a service to the user terminal 102, and the user terminal 102 requests the server 101 to generate a profile via the UI for the service (S110). For example, referring to FIG. 3, the server provides a UI 300 for a service to the user terminal 102, and the user requests the server to generate a profile via a button 310 for profile generation included in the UI 300. When requesting profile generation, the user terminal 102 sets identification information, such as a profile name and a profile photo, included in the profile, and the server 101 can generate a profile including the identification information according to the setting.

[0045] Referring again to FIG. 1 , the user terminal 102 requests the server 101 to inquire about the profile of another user account that has a certain relationship with the user account (S130). For example, if the user account that requested the inquiry is referred to as a first user account and the other user account whose profile is requested by the first user account is referred to as a second user account, the user terminal 102 corresponds to the first user terminal that is logged in to the first user account. In this case, the server 101 receives a request for an inquiry about the profile of the second user account from the first user terminal 102 (S130) and provides a UI for the profile of the second user account to the first user terminal 102 (S140). In one embodiment, the UI for the profile of the second user account provided to the first user terminal 102 is a user interface that displays one profile matched with the first user account from among multiple profiles corresponding to the second user account. Matching between user accounts and profiles will be described in detail as follows.

[0046] The UI of the profile of the second user account provided to the first user terminal 102 includes interfacing objects related to the profile of the first user account. The interfacing objects are configured to interact with the user within the interface, and may include, for example, buttons implemented to transition to another screen in response to a user click input received from the user terminal.

[0047] The interfacing object related to the profile of the first user account included in the UI of the profile of the second user account corresponds to an interfacing object that provides a setting function for the profile of the first user account to be displayed on the second user terminal logged in to the second user account in response to an input from the first user received from the first user terminal 102. The first user may select one of multiple profiles corresponding to the first user account to be displayed on the second user terminal via the interfacing object provided through the first user terminal 102. Furthermore, the first user may change the selected profile to be displayed on the second user terminal to a different profile corresponding to the first user account via the interfacing object. As will be described in detail below, when one of multiple profiles corresponding to the first user account is selected to be displayed on the second user terminal, the profile corresponding to the selected first user account may be matched with the second user account. In other words, the operation of selecting one of multiple profiles corresponding to the first user account to be displayed on the second user terminal corresponds to the operation of selecting one of multiple profiles corresponding to the first user account to be matched with the second user account.

[0048] For example, FIG. 4A shows a UI for a profile of a second user account provided to a first user terminal. Referring to FIG. 4A, the UI for the profile of the second user account provided to the first user account includes an interfacing object 410 related to the profile of the first user account. The first user can select the interfacing object 410 to enter an interface for setting the profile of the first user account displayed on the second user terminal shown in FIG. 4B. Referring to FIG. 4B, the first user can view a profile 404 corresponding to the first user account matched with the second user account via the interface. Also, the first user can select one of multiple profiles 401 to 404 corresponding to the first user account to be displayed on the second user terminal via the interface. The multiple profiles corresponding to the first user account include a basic profile 401 provided as a default and additionally generated profiles 402, 403, and 404. Hereinafter, at least one additional profile generated in addition to the basic profile will be referred to as a "multiple profile." Through the interface, the first user can change the profile matched with the second user account to another profile corresponding to the first user account.

[0049] In one embodiment, an interfacing object related to the profile of a first user account included in the UI of the profile of a second user account may display information about the profile of the first user account matched with the second user account. For example, referring to Figures 5A and 5B, interfacing objects 510 and 520 may be displayed in different colors depending on the profile of the first user account matched with the second user account. The interfacing object 510 shown in Figure 5A indicates that the profile matched with the second user account is a basic profile, and the interfacing object 520 shown in Figure 5B indicates that the profile matched with the second user account is a multi-profile.

[0050] According to one embodiment, various embodiments may be included for displaying profile information of a first user account matched with a second user account, such as displaying the color of the interfacing object differently and displaying the shape of the interfacing object as the photo or name of the profile matched with the second user account.

[0051] 1 , when the server 101 receives an input from the first user terminal 102 to select a profile to be displayed on the second user terminal, the server 101 may match the second user account with the selected profile (S160) and store matching information between the second user account and the selected profile corresponding to the first user account. According to one embodiment, the server 101 may provide the profile of the first user account matched with the second user account to the second user terminal. For example, if the server 101 corresponds to an instant messaging server providing an instant messaging service, the first user account and the second user account correspond to accounts subscribed to the instant messaging service, and the instant messaging server 101 may store matching information between the second user account and the selected profile corresponding to the first user account and provide the profile of the first user account matched with the second user account to the second user terminal.

[0052] The server 101 according to an embodiment stores a plurality of profiles corresponding to a first user account and matching information between the first user account and a friend account, and can provide a profile matched with the friend account among the profiles of the first user account to a terminal logged in to a specific friend account based on the matching information. In other words, a profile corresponding to the first user account to be provided to a terminal logged in to a specific friend account can be determined based on the matching information.

[0053] 6, profiles corresponding to a first user account include a first profile 610, a second profile 620, and a third profile 630. The first user account can set profiles to be displayed on a device logged in to each friend account ("Friend #1" to "Friend #12") via the UI of each friend account's profile. As an example, the first user account can select the first profile 610 as the profile to be displayed on a device logged in to the first friend account (Friend #1) via the UI of the first friend account's profile, and the second profile 620 as the profile to be displayed on a device logged in to the third friend account (Friend #3) via the UI of the third friend account's profile.

[0054] Matching information between multiple profiles 610-630 and friend accounts ("Friend #1"-"Friend #12") may be stored on the server 101. As an example, the matching information may include matching information between a first friend account (Friend #1) and the first profile 610, and matching information between a third friend account (Friend #3) and the second profile 620.

[0055] Based on the matching information, a profile among the multiple profiles 610-630 that is matched with the corresponding friend account may be displayed as a profile for the first user account on a device logged in to each of the friend accounts ("Friend #1" to "Friend #12") based on the matching information. As an example, a device logged in to the first friend account (Friend #1) may be provided with a first profile 610 as a profile corresponding to the first user account, and a device logged in to the third friend account (Friend #3) may be provided with a second profile 620 as a profile corresponding to the first user account.

[0056] According to an embodiment, a friend account of a first user account that does not have a matching profile set may be determined to be matched with the basic profile. For example, in FIG. 6, if the profile displayed on the device logged in to the seventh friend account (Friend #7) is not separately selected by the first user, the seventh friend account (Friend #7) may be automatically matched with the basic profile, i.e., the first profile 610, and the basic profile 610 may be provided to the device logged in to the seventh friend account as a profile corresponding to the first user account.

[0057] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a user profile management method related to a profile inquiry according to an embodiment.

[0058] The server 701 and the user terminal 702 according to one embodiment correspond to the server 101 and the user terminal 102 described with reference to Fig. 1. The participant terminal 703 according to one embodiment is a terminal different from the user terminal 702 that receives services from the server 701, and refers to a terminal logged in with a participant account of a chat room in which the user account is participating. The participant account refers to an account other than the user account participating in the chat room in which the user account is participating.

[0059] 7, a profile management method executed by a server 701 according to one embodiment includes step S720 of generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to a user account, step S740 of matching the plurality of profiles with other user accounts having a certain relationship with the user account, step S750 of providing, to a user terminal 702 logged in to the user account, via a chat room in which the user account is participating, matching information between a participant account participating in the chat room and the plurality of profiles, and step S760 of providing, to a participant terminal 703 via the chat room, a profile of the user account matched with the participant account. Step S760 according to one embodiment includes a step of providing, for each participant account participating in the chat room, a profile of the user account matched with the participant account to a participant terminal 703 logged in to the participant account via the chat room.

[0060] According to one embodiment, a user profile management method executed by a user terminal 702 logged in to a user account includes step S710 of requesting the creation of multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, step S750 of receiving, via a chat room in which the user account is participating, matching information between a participant account participating in the chat room and the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, and step S770 of receiving, via the chat room, profiles of each participant account matched with the user account. Here, the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account may be matched with other user accounts (or friend accounts) that have a certain relationship with the user account.

[0061] Steps S710 and S720 according to one embodiment correspond to steps S110 and S120 described above with reference to Fig. 1. The server 701 may match the multiple profiles generated in step S720 with friend accounts (S740) and generate matching information between the multiple profiles and friend accounts.

[0062] Step S740 according to one embodiment includes step S730 of receiving, from a user terminal 702 logged in to the user account, information about friend accounts matched with multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, and matching and storing the friend accounts with the multiple profiles based on the received information. In step S730, the information about friend accounts matched with the multiple profiles may include, for each of the multiple profiles, information about friend accounts matched with the corresponding profile, for example, a list of friend accounts matched with each profile. The information about friend accounts matched with the multiple profiles may be generated by the user terminal 702 and transmitted to the server 701. According to one embodiment, one of the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account may be set to be matched with a specific friend account via an interface provided on the user terminal 702, and information about the friend account set to be matched with the corresponding profile may be generated for each profile corresponding to the user account according to the setting.

[0063] 6, for example, if the multiple profiles corresponding to a user account include a first profile 610, a second profile 620, and a third profile 630, information about friend accounts matched with each of the multiple profiles may be generated. The information about friend accounts matched with the multiple profiles includes a list 611 of friend accounts matched with the first profile 610, a list 621 of friend accounts matched with the second profile 620, and a list 631 of friend accounts matched with the third profile 630. The list of friend accounts may include ID information of the friend accounts for identifying each friend account included in the list.

[0064] The server 701 according to an embodiment may provide matching information between a participant account of a chat room in which the user account is participating and a plurality of profiles corresponding to the user account, via the chat room, based on the generated matching information. The chat room is a chat room in which the user account and one or more participant accounts are participating, and the participant accounts of the chat room may include at least one other user account participating in the chat room in which the user account is participating.

[0065] The matching information provided in step S740 according to one embodiment indicates which profile each participant account in the chat room is matched with among multiple profiles corresponding to the user account. For example, FIG. 8 shows matching information between participant accounts and multiple profiles provided through a chat room in which some of the friend accounts ("Friend #1" to "Friend #12") of the user account shown in FIG. 6 participate. Referring to FIG. 8, the matching information provided through a chat room in which the user account and participant accounts Friend #1, Friend #4, Friend #6, and Friend #12 participate may include information on participant accounts matched with each of the multiple profiles. More specifically, information on participant accounts (Friend #1 and Friend #4) matched with the first profile (Profile #1), information on participant account (Friend #12) matched with the second profile (Profile #2), and information on participant account (Friend #6) matched with the third profile (Profile #3) may be provided to the user account through the chat room.

[0066] In one embodiment, step S740 includes providing, for each of the plurality of profiles, a list of participant accounts matched with the corresponding profile via a chat room UI. An example of a chat room UI for providing matching information between a participant account and the plurality of profiles is described in detail below with reference to Figures 9A-9C.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the server 701 provides a profile of a user account matched with a participant account to each participant terminal logged in to each participant account via a chat room (S760). For example, if a user account, a first participant account, and a second participant account are participating in a first chat room and the profile of the user account matched with the first participant account is a first profile, the first profile in the profile corresponding to the user account may be provided to the first participant terminal logged in to the first participant account via the first chat room. On the other hand, if the profile of the user account matched with the second participant account is a second profile, the second profile in the profile corresponding to the user account may be provided to the second participant terminal logged in to the second participant account via the first chat room.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the server 701 provides the user terminal 702 with a profile of each participant account matched with the user account via a chat room (S770). For example, one profile matched with the user account among multiple profiles corresponding to a first participant account may be provided to the user terminal 702 via a chat room as the profile of the first participant. Also, one profile matched with the user account among multiple profiles corresponding to a second participant account may be provided to the user terminal 702 via a chat room as the profile of the second participant.

[0069] From the perspective of the server 701, the operation of providing the profile of the user account matched with the participant account to the participant terminal 703 (S760) and the operation of providing the profile of the participant account matched with the user account to the user terminal 702 (S770) are the same operation, except that the recipient is different, as they provide the profile of another participant account matched with the participant account to a specific participant account participating in a chat room.

[0070] According to one embodiment, providing a profile of a participant account of a chat room to the user terminal 702 through a chat room in which the user account is participating means that the participant account is displayed in the profile of the participant account on the UI of the chat room provided to the user terminal 702. For example, when a message is sent from a participant account through a chat room, the UI of the chat room provided to the user terminal 702 may display both the message and the profile of the participant account to indicate that the message was sent from the participant account. Alternatively, the UI of the chat room provided to the user terminal 702 may provide a list of participants of the chat room including the participant account, and the participant account in the participant list may be displayed in the profile of the participant account.

[0071] A user terminal 702 according to one embodiment can receive matching information between a participant account participating in a chat room and multiple profiles corresponding to a user account from the server 701 via the chat room, and can receive profiles of other participant accounts matched with the user account. The matching information received from the server 701 via the chat room and the profiles of the other participant accounts can be displayed on the user terminal 702 via the UI of the chat room.

[0072] 9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating an example of a UI of a chat room provided to a user terminal according to an embodiment.

[0073] 9A, the chat room UI provided by the server may display messages sent from participant accounts in the chat room in the order they were sent along with the profile of the corresponding participant account. The profile of the participant account displayed on the chat room UI is the profile of the participant account matched with the user account logged in on the user terminal on which the chat room UI is displayed. Examples of chat room UIs displayed differently depending on the profile of the participant account matched with the user account will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

[0074] In the chat room of Fig. 9A, a UI displaying a list of participant accounts of the chat room shown in Fig. 9B can be accessed via a side menu 901, etc. Referring to Fig. 9B, a participant list 902 of the corresponding chat room displayed on the chat room UI includes multiple profiles 903 of user accounts and multiple profiles of multiple participant accounts. The profile of a participant account included in the participant list 902 includes any one profile matched with the user account among multiple profiles corresponding to the participant account. According to one embodiment, the participant list 902 of the chat room may include multiple profiles 903 of user accounts matched with the participant account of the corresponding chat room.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the participant list 902 may include any one of a plurality of profiles corresponding to a user account. For example, a basic profile of the user account may be included in the participant list and displayed via the UI of the chat room. Alternatively, the profile that most frequently matches a participant account in the chat room among the plurality of profiles corresponding to the user account, or any one profile preset by the user, may be included in the participant list 902 and displayed via the UI of the chat room.

[0076] 9B, a UI that provides matching information between a participant account participating in a chat room and multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, as shown in FIG. 9C, can be accessed via the user account profile 903. The UI that provides the matching information may display information about participant accounts in the chat room that are matched with each of the multiple profiles corresponding to the user account. For example, referring to FIG. 9C, a list 905 of participant accounts that are matched with a first profile 904 corresponding to the user account may be displayed via the UI.

[0077] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a chat room UI with profiles of user accounts matched with participant accounts.

[0078] 10A shows a case where a message sent through the chat room and a profile 1010 of the third participant account that sent the message are displayed on the UI of a chat room provided to a first participant terminal logged in to a first participant account. On the other hand, FIG. 10B shows a case where the same message as in FIG. 10A and a profile 1020 of the third participant account that sent the message are displayed on the UI of a chat room provided to a second participant terminal logged in to a second participant account.

[0079] 10A and 10B, depending on the profile of the third participant account matched with the first participant account and the profile of the third participant account matched with the second participant account, the profile 1010 of the third participant account displayed on the first participant terminal may differ from the profile 1020 of the third participant account displayed on the second participant terminal. For example, referring to FIG. 10A, the profile of the third participant account displayed on the first participant terminal may include a profile name and a profile photo corresponding to the first profile as a first profile 1010. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 10B, the profile of the third participant account displayed on the second participant terminal may include a profile name and a profile photo corresponding to the second profile as a second profile 1020.

[0080] In other words, the profiles of specific participant accounts matched with each participant account in the same chat room may be different, and the profiles of specific participant accounts matched with each participant account may be displayed differently on different terminals logged in to different participant accounts.

[0081] 11A to 11F are diagrams illustrating user interfaces for setting a profile corresponding to a user account according to one embodiment.

[0082] In one embodiment, the user interface for setting up a profile may include various user interfaces that provide functionality for managing multiple profiles corresponding to a user account, such as creating a profile, setting up matching for a profile, editing identifying information included in a profile, and deleting a profile.

[0083] According to an embodiment, the user interface for profile matching settings may include various user interfaces that provide a function for editing matching information between multiple profiles and friend accounts corresponding to a user account, including an operation for removing a match between a profile and a friend account or creating a match between a profile and a friend account.

[0084] A server according to an embodiment may provide an interface for setting a profile of a user account displayed on a device logged in to a friend account through a profile UI of the friend account as described above. A server according to an embodiment may provide an interface for setting a profile of a user account displayed on a device logged in to a friend account through a profile UI of the user account.

[0085] For example, referring to Fig. 11A, a user may request a profile UI corresponding to a user account from a server via an interfacing object 1101 related to a profile corresponding to the user account, and referring to Fig. 11B, the server may provide the profile UI corresponding to the user account in response to the request. The user may enter an interface shown in Fig. 11C for editing a friend account whose profile is displayed via an interfacing object 1102 related to friend management included in the profile UI corresponding to the user account.

[0086] Through the interface for editing friend accounts shown in FIG. 11C, a user can check a list of friend accounts matched with the corresponding profile, and through the interface, the user can request to remove a match between the corresponding profile and a friend account or request to create a match between the corresponding profile and a new friend account.

[0087] According to one embodiment, an interface for selecting a friend account shown in FIG. 11D can be accessed via an interfacing object 1103 included in the interface shown in FIG. 11C. Referring to FIG. 11D, a request for creating a new match can be made to the server by selecting a new friend account to be matched with the corresponding profile via the interface for selecting a friend account. According to one embodiment, at least one friend account to be matched with the corresponding profile may be selected based on a list of friend accounts of the user account. For example, the interface for selecting a friend account may provide a list of friend accounts and a picker, and the user may use the picker to select at least one friend account to be matched with the corresponding profile from the list of friend accounts.

[0088] According to one embodiment, a friend account whose profile is to be displayed may be selected based on a list of chat rooms in which the user account is participating. For example, referring to FIG. 11E, an interface for selecting a friend account may provide a list of chat rooms in which the user account is participating and a picker, and the user may select at least one chat room from the list of chat rooms via the picker. Referring to FIG. 11F, when a chat room is selected, an interface for selecting a friend account may provide a list of participant accounts participating in the selected chat room and a picker, and the user may select at least one participant account that matches the profile from the list of participant accounts via the picker.

[0089] 12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating an embodiment in which a friend list is sorted by profile.

[0090] In one embodiment, the list of friend accounts corresponding to a user account may be sorted by matched profile. For example, the friend accounts matched with each profile may be sorted according to a predetermined order among multiple profiles corresponding to the user account, and friend accounts matched with the same profile may be sorted according to a predetermined order (e.g., alphabetical order).

[0091] According to an embodiment, the list of friend accounts corresponding to the user account may be filtered for each matched profile. For example, a list of friend accounts that match a specific profile may be filtered and displayed from the entire list of friend accounts corresponding to the user account.

[0092] For example, referring to FIG. 12A, a user may set a list of friend accounts to be sorted by matched profile through a provided user interface. Referring to FIG. 12B, the entire list of friend accounts may be sorted according to the order between the matched profiles. For example, according to the order of the first profile and the second profile, the entire list of friend accounts may be sorted such that the friend accounts matched with the first profile are sorted first, followed by the friend accounts matched with the second profile.

[0093] 12B , in an interface displaying a list of friend accounts, when a profile tab 1201 or 1202 is selected, friend accounts matched with the corresponding profile may be filtered and displayed. For example, when the first profile tab 1201 is selected, a list of friend accounts matched with the first profile among the friend accounts corresponding to the user account may be displayed, and when the second profile tab 1202 is selected, a list of friend accounts matched with the second profile among the friend accounts corresponding to the user account may be displayed.

[0094] 12C-12D are diagrams illustrating an embodiment in which a list of chat rooms is sorted by profile.

[0095] According to an embodiment, a list of chat rooms in which a user account is participating may be sorted according to a predetermined order among multiple profiles based on profiles matched with participant accounts included in the chat room. When multiple participant accounts included in a chat room are matched with multiple profiles, the sort order of the chat rooms may be determined based on the profile with the highest priority among the matched profiles. The priority among multiple profiles is determined according to a predetermined order for sorting multiple profiles. For example, when multiple profiles are sorted in ascending order of the spelling of the profile name, the faster the spelling of the profile name, the higher the priority of the corresponding profile. For example, when a participant account of a chat room is matched with a first profile and a second profile and the first profile and the second profile are sorted in ascending order of the spelling of the profile name, the chat rooms may be sorted according to the first profile with the faster spelling of the profile name.

[0096] According to one embodiment, a list of chat rooms in which a user account is participating may be filtered by profile based on profiles matched with participant accounts included in the chat room. If multiple participant accounts included in a chat room are matched with multiple profiles, the chat room may be filtered corresponding to each of the matched profiles. For example, if a participant account in a chat room is matched with a first profile and a second profile, the chat room may be filtered by the first profile and / or the second profile.

[0097] For example, referring to Figure 12C, a user can set, via a provided user interface, that a list of chat rooms in which the user account is participating be sorted based on profiles matched with participant accounts included in the chat rooms. Referring to Figure 12D, the overall list of chat rooms may be sorted according to the order between profiles based on the profiles matched with participant accounts. For example, the overall list of chat rooms may be sorted according to the order of the first profile and the second profile, so that chat rooms including participant accounts matched with the first profile are sorted first, followed by chat rooms including participant accounts matched with the second profile.

[0098] 12D , when a profile tab 1203 or 1204 is selected in an interface displaying a list of chat rooms, chat rooms including participant accounts matched with the profile may be filtered and displayed. For example, when the first profile tab 1203 is selected, a list of chat rooms including participant accounts matched with the first profile among chat rooms in which the user account is participating may be displayed, and when the second profile tab 1204 is selected, a list of chat rooms including participant accounts matched with the second profile among chat rooms in which the user account is participating may be displayed.

[0099] An apparatus according to an embodiment performs the above-described profile management method and may include a server and a terminal. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory, and an input / output device.

[0100] A processor of an apparatus according to an embodiment may perform at least one of the methods described above with reference to Figures 1 to 12D. The memory may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory and may store information related to a profile management method. According to an embodiment, the memory may store a program that embodies the profile management method described above, and the processor may execute the program stored in the memory to control the apparatus.

[0101] An embodiment of the device can interact with a user, such as receiving input from a user and providing output data via an input / output device, and can be connected to and exchange data with external devices (e.g., other terminals or networks).

[0102] The above-described embodiments may be implemented using hardware components, software components, or a combination of hardware and software components. For example, the devices and components described herein may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as a processor, controller, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), digital signal processor, microcomputer, field programmable array (FPA), programmable logic unit (PLU), microprocessor, or other device that executes and responds to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications that run on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For convenience of understanding, a processing device may be described as being a single device, but those skilled in the art will recognize that a processing device may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, a processing device may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0103] Software includes computer programs, codes, instructions, or a combination of one or more thereof, which can configure a processing device to operate as desired or can independently or in combination instruct the processing device. The software and / or data can be permanently or temporarily embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual device, computer storage medium or device, or transmitted signal wave to be interpreted by the processing device or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. The software can be distributed across computer systems coupled to a network and stored and executed in a distributed manner. The software and data can be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

[0104] The methods of the present invention may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The storage medium and program instructions may be specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be well-known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable storage media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, for example.

[0105] The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations described in the present invention, and vice versa.

[0106] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than described, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different manner than described, or may be replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents, and still achieve suitable results.

[0107] Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but should be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for managing user profiles performed on a server, comprising: generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to the first user account; receiving a request to edit matching information for a selected profile from the plurality of profiles; providing an interface for editing matching information including a list of chat rooms in which the first user account is participating based on the editing request; receiving an input for selecting a second user account to be matched with the selected profile via an interface for editing the matching information; matching the selected second user account with the selected profile; Including, The step of receiving an input selecting the second user account includes: A method for managing a user profile, comprising receiving an input selecting at least some of the participant accounts of at least one chat room included in the list of chat rooms as the second user account.

2. The input for selecting at least some of the participant accounts of the at least one chat room as the second user accounts includes: an input for selecting the at least one chat room in the list of chat rooms; The user profile management method according to claim 1 , wherein a participant account currently participating in the selected chat room is determined as the second user account.

3. The step of receiving an input selecting at least some of the participant accounts of the at least one chat room as the second user accounts includes: The user profile management method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an input to select at least some of the participant accounts as the second user account via a list of participant accounts participating in the at least one chat room.

4. 2. The user profile management method of claim 1, wherein receiving input to select the second user account further comprises receiving input to select at least one account from a list of accounts that have a relationship with the first user account.

5. receiving a request to edit matching information for the selected profile, providing an interface for the selected profile based on an input selecting one of the plurality of profiles; receiving a request to edit matching information for the selected profile via an interface of the selected profile; The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a list of pre-matched accounts to the selected profile based on the edit request.

7. receiving an input to select an account to be unmatched from among the accounts pre-matched to the selected profile via a list of accounts pre-matched to the selected profile; unmatching the selected profile and the selected unmatched account; The user profile management method of claim 6 further comprising:

8. A user profile management method performed on a user terminal logged in to a first user account, comprising: requesting the creation of a plurality of profiles corresponding to the first user account; requesting editing of matching information for a selected profile from the plurality of profiles; displaying an interface for editing matching information, including a list of chat rooms in which the first user account is participating, based on a request to edit the matching information; selecting a second user account to be matched with the selected profile via an interface for editing the matching information; requesting a match between the selected second user account and the selected profile; Including, The step of selecting the second user account includes: A user profile management method comprising the step of selecting at least some of the participant accounts of at least one chat room included in the list of chat rooms as the second user account.

9. A computer program stored on a medium for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 in combination with hardware.

10. generating a plurality of profiles corresponding to the first user account; receiving a request to edit matching information for a selected profile from the plurality of profiles; providing an interface for editing matching information including a list of chat rooms in which the first user account is participating based on the editing request; receiving an input for selecting a second user account to be matched with the selected profile via an interface for editing the matching information; matching the selected second user account with the selected profile; a processor; The processor receives an input selecting the second user account, A server that receives an input selecting at least some of the participant accounts of at least one chat room included in the list of chat rooms as the second user account.

11. A user terminal logged in to a first user account, requesting the creation of a plurality of profiles corresponding to the first user account; requesting editing of matching information of a selected profile from the plurality of profiles; displaying an interface for editing matching information, including a list of chat rooms in which the first user account is participating, based on a request to edit the matching information; selecting a second user account to be matched with the selected profile through an interface for editing the matching information; requesting a match between the selected second user account and the selected profile; a processor; In selecting the second user account, the processor A user terminal that selects at least some of the participant accounts of at least one chat room included in the list of chat rooms as the second user account.

Images