Instant messaging service method and apparatus

Abstract

To disclose an instant messaging service method and a device.SOLUTION: An operation method for providing an instant messaging service according to an embodiment, includes: a step of receiving a request related to a local chat page via an instant messager; a step of transmitting a query based on meta information of a local chat page to a map server; a step of creating a map view on the basis of local map information received in response to the query from the map server; a step of creating a chat view on the basis of the chat information related to the local chat page; and a step of providing the local chat page containing the map view and the chat view to a terminal on which the instant messenger was executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following embodiments relate to an instant messaging service method and apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, with the development of mobile smart devices, the use of online platform services for interacting with other users over networks has increased. 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. As communication via mobile devices increases, online platform services are required to develop technologies that enable not only one-on-one communication with other users but also various other forms of communication. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The following embodiment provides a location-based instant messaging service that allows chatting about a specific area along with information about maps and place objects related to the specific area.

[0004] However, the technical issues are not limited to those described above, and further technical issues may exist. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, a method for operating a server providing an instant messaging service includes receiving a request for a local chat page via an instant messenger, sending a query based on meta information of the local chat page to a map server, generating a map view based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query, generating a chat view based on chat information related to the local chat page, and providing the local chat page including the map view and the chat view to a terminal running the instant messenger.

[0006] The step of sending the query to the map server may include generating a query to request the local map information corresponding to at least one of area information, area level information, place type information, and place ranking criteria information based on the meta information.

[0007] The step of generating the map view may include a step of generating the map view including at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to the local chat page, information on place objects located in the area, and ranking information on place objects located in the area.

[0008] The step of generating the chat view may include determining a target chat room based on chat information related to the local chat page, and generating the chat view including information related to the target chat room.

[0009] The step of determining the target chat room may include at least one of the steps of determining the target chat room further based on the chat room participation history of the user account, determining a chat room mapped to the local chat page as the target chat room, and determining a chat room including regional information corresponding to the local chat page as a keyword as the target chat room.

[0010] Generating the chat view can include generating the chat view including messages sent via a chat room associated with the local chat page.

[0011] The step of generating the chat view may include at least one of the steps of: generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms related to the local chat page are arranged in order of most recently sent; and generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms related to the local chat page are arranged in order of importance.

[0012] According to an embodiment, a method for operating a terminal that runs an instant messenger includes requesting a local chat page from a server via an instant messenger, and displaying the local chat page including a chat view and a map view received in response to the request, wherein the map view is generated based on local map information corresponding to a query based on meta information of the local chat page, and the chat view is generated based on chat information related to the local chat page.

[0013] Requesting the local chat page may include requesting the local chat page in response to an input selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page within the instant messenger.

[0014] The step of requesting the local chat page may include a step of requesting the local chat page through an interfacing object provided based on whether the location of the terminal is a location corresponding to the local chat page.

[0015] In one embodiment, a server providing an instant messaging service includes a processor that receives a request for a local chat page via an instant messenger, sends a query based on meta information of the local chat page to a map server, generates a map view based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query, generates a chat view based on chat information related to the local chat page, and provides the local chat page including the map view and the chat view to a terminal running the instant messenger.

[0016] In sending the query to a map server, the processor may generate a query to request the local map information corresponding to at least one of regional information, regional level information, place type information, and place ranking criteria information based on the meta information.

[0017] In generating the map view, the processor may generate the map view including at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to the local chat page, information about location objects located in the area, and ranking information about location objects located in the area.

[0018] In generating the chat view, the processor may determine a target chat room based on chat information related to the local chat page, and generate the chat view including information related to the target chat room.

[0019] In determining the target chat room, the processor can perform at least one of the following operations: determining a chat room mapped to the local chat page as the target chat room; and determining a chat room that includes regional information corresponding to the local chat page as a keyword as the target chat room.

[0020] In determining the target chat room, the processor may determine the target chat room further based on a chat room participation history of the user account.

[0021] In generating the chat view, the processor may generate the chat view including messages sent via a chat room associated with the local chat page.

[0022] In generating the chat view, the processor may perform at least one of an operation of generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms related to the local chat page are arranged in order of most recently sent, and an operation of generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms related to the local chat page are arranged in order of importance.

[0023] The processor, in receiving the request for the local chat page, can receive input selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page within the instant messenger. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, a location-based instant messaging service that allows chatting about a specific area along with information about a map and place objects related to the specific area can be provided through the following embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of a system for an instant messaging service according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a server that provides an instant messaging service according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a terminal on which a local chat page is displayed according to an embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a terminal on which a local chat page is displayed according to an embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a terminal on which a local chat page is displayed according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example chat window screen of a chat room on a local chat page according to one embodiment. [Figure 5A] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of screens of a map application linked with an instant messaging service according to an embodiment. [Figure 5B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of screens of a map application linked with an instant messaging service according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a system for an instant messaging service according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments are disclosed for illustrative purposes only and may be modified in various forms. Therefore, the embodiments are not limited to the specific disclosed forms, and the scope of the present specification includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives within the technical spirit.

[0027] 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 named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be named a first component.

[0028] When any component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it is directly linked or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that there may be other components in between.

[0029] 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 features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations 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.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Commonly used predefined terms should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined herein.

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing with reference to the drawings, the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same elements, regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a system for an instant messaging service according to one embodiment.

[0033] 1, a system 100 for an instant messaging service according to an embodiment includes a terminal 110, a server 120, and a network 130. Specific hardware configurations of the server 120 and the terminal 110 will be described in detail below.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the server 120 includes a server that provides an instant messaging service via the network 130. The instant messaging service may include services that allow multiple users to chat in real time by transmitting instant messages such as text messages, voice messages, media files, etc. in real time via the network 130, such as the wireless Internet or a wireless communication network, and related services. As an example, the server 120 may include a server that provides an instant messaging service related to a local chat page, which is a page that includes chat information related to a local area. The instant messaging service related to the local chat page will be described in detail below.

[0035] Server 120 according to one embodiment includes a server that provides location-based services via network 130. Location-based services are services that provide various functions related to location and map-based location or route provision. One or more place objects for the location-based services may be registered in server 120. A place object is a data unit for identifying a place registered in server 120. For example, a place object may include at least one of a type or category of a place (e.g., a restaurant, a cafe, a hair salon, a park, etc.), a name, an address, a telephone number, user rating information for the place, and description information for the place.

[0036] For example, server 120 may include an instant messaging service that provides instant messaging services and a map server that provides location-based services. In other words, server 120 may include two or more servers that are separate from each other and provide the instant messaging service and the location-based service, respectively. For example, server 120 may be a single server that provides the instant messaging service and the location-based service. In other words, the instant messaging server may be the same server as the map server that provides location-based services, or may be a separate server. If the instant messaging server and the map server that provides location-based services are the same server, server 120 refers to the server that provides the instant messaging service and the location-based service. If the instant messaging server and the map server that provides location-based services are not the same server, server 120 refers to the instant messaging server and / or the map server.

[0037] The server 120 may be linked to an application (hereinafter, referred to as an app) related to an instant messaging service or a web related to an instant messaging service executed on the terminal 110 for a user interface (UI), a function, an operation, a service, etc. Hereinafter, an app related to an instant messaging service or a web related to an instant messaging service will be referred to as an instant messenger.

[0038] The server 120 may be linked to an application (hereinafter, referred to as an app) for a location-based service or a web for a location-based service executed on the terminal 110 for a user interface (UI), a function, an operation, a service, or the like. Hereinafter, an app for a location-based service or a web for a location-based service may be referred to as a map app. For example, the map app may be linked to an instant messaging service.

[0039] The terminal 110 refers to any device capable of installing and running an app or running a web application, such as a computer, a portable computer, a wireless phone, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a web tablet, or a wearable device. Here, the terminal 110 is provided with services and / or content via an app or the web. For example, the terminal 110 may perform general service operations, such as configuring a service screen, inputting data, transmitting and receiving data, and storing data, under the control of the app or the web. For example, the terminal 110 may process a user interface or user interactions via a processor and output or transmit the processing results via an output device of the terminal 110.

[0040] The terminal 110 is operated by an instant messenger provided by the server 120. A user can run the instant messenger on the terminal 110 and use the instant messaging service provided by the server 120. A user can subscribe to the instant messaging service through the instant messenger and create a user account. A user can use the instant messaging service through the terminal 110 of the user account that subscribed to the instant messaging service. The terminal 110 of the user account refers to a terminal logged in with a user account that was created by subscribing to the instant messaging service.

[0041] According to one embodiment, a chat interface may be provided to the terminal 110 via an app for a messaging service. The chat interface is an interface for sending and receiving messages related to the messaging service, and may include, for example, an interface that provides a function for sending messages and displaying received messages via a chat room in which at least one user account participates. The chat interface corresponds to a chat room, which is a virtual space in which at least one user account participates and in which chats take place between participants.

[0042] The terminal 110 may be operated by a map application provided by the server 120. A user may run the map application on the terminal 110 to use location-based services provided by the server 120. A user may subscribe to a location-based service through the map application and create a user account. A user may use the location-based service through the terminal 110 of a user account that has subscribed to the location-based service. The terminal 110 of a user account refers to a terminal logged in with a user account that has been created by subscribing to the location-based service.

[0043] According to an embodiment, an account subscribed to an instant messaging service and an account subscribed to a location-based service of the same user may be the same or may be linked to each other. For example, a user may use the location-based service using a user account subscribed to an instant messaging service. Alternatively, a user may use the instant messaging service using a user account subscribed to a location-based service. For example, the server 120 may identify an account subscribed to an instant messaging service of a specific user from the account subscribed to a location-based service of the same user. Alternatively, the server 120 may identify an account subscribed to a location-based service of the same user from the account subscribed to an instant messaging service of the specific user.

[0044] Hereinafter, the map server and the instant messaging server are separated from each other, and the operation of the instant messaging server that provides the instant messaging service will be described.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server that provides an instant messaging service according to an embodiment.

[0046] The server providing the instant messaging service corresponds to the server 120 described with reference to Figure 1. In the following, the server providing the instant messaging service will be simply referred to as the server.

[0047] 2, a method of operating a server according to an embodiment includes receiving a request for a local chat page via an instant messenger in step S210. The request for the local chat page is received from a terminal running the instant messenger, and the instant messenger is logged in with a user account subscribed to the instant messaging service.

[0048] A local chat page corresponds to a page including a chat view and a map view related to a local or specific region. Local chat views and map views will be described in more detail below. A local chat page may be mapped to a specific region. A local chat page may include different information depending on the mapped region. For example, the information included in a local chat page mapped to the "Seoul" region may be different from the information included in a local chat page mapped to the "Jeju Island" region. A local chat page is determined such that the chat view and map view differ depending on the mapped region. For example, the chat view and map view of a local chat page mapped to the "Seoul" region are different from the chat view and map view of a local chat page mapped to the "Jeju Island" region.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the request for a local chat page may or may not include information for identifying a region. If the request for a local chat page includes information for identifying a region, a local chat page corresponding to the region identified in the request may be generated and provided as a response to the request. If the request for a local chat page does not include information for identifying a region, the server may determine the region corresponding to the request according to predetermined criteria, and a local chat page corresponding to the region determined by the server may be generated and provided as a response to the request.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the request for the local chat page may be generated in response to a user input received via an instant messenger. As an example, receiving a request for the local chat page in step S210 includes receiving an input for selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page in the instant messenger. In other words, the request for the local chat page may be sent to the server in response to an input for selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page provided via the instant messenger. The interfacing object for the local chat page will be described in detail below. As an example, when a local keyword is input via an input window (e.g., a search window or a chat window) in the instant messenger, a request for a local chat page mapped to a region corresponding to the input local keyword may be sent to the server. For example, the local keyword may include at least one of a region name, a region landmark name, a specific location name, and an address. When the name of a specific region, "Seoul," is input via an input window in the instant messenger, a request for a local chat page mapped to the region of the input name may be sent to the server.

[0051] According to one embodiment, a request for a local chat page may be generated based on the state of a device running an instant messenger or information collected by the device. For example, if the location of the device is recognized as a location corresponding to a local chat page, a request for a local chat page corresponding to the device's location may be sent to the server. The location corresponding to the local chat page corresponds to a location within a region mapped to the local chat page. For example, if the local chat pages provided by the server include a local chat page mapped to "Seoul" and a local chat page mapped to "Jeju Island," if the location of the device is recognized as being in the "Seoul" region or the "Jeju Island" region, a request for a local chat page corresponding to the device's location may be sent to the server.

[0052] According to an embodiment, a method of operating a server includes providing an interfacing object for a request regarding a local chat page to a terminal based on whether the terminal is located in a location corresponding to the local chat page. If the terminal is located in a location corresponding to the local chat page, the interfacing object for the request regarding the local chat page may be provided to the terminal via an instant messenger. If the terminal is not located in a location corresponding to the local chat page, the interfacing object for the request regarding the local chat page is not provided. For example, if the local chat pages provided by the server include a local chat page mapped to "Seoul" and a local chat page mapped to "Jeju Island," if the terminal's location is recognized as being in the "Seoul" area or the "Jeju Island" area, the interfacing object for the request regarding the local chat page is provided to the terminal via the instant messenger. On the other hand, if the terminal's location is recognized as not being in the "Seoul" area or the "Jeju Island" area, the interfacing object for the request regarding the local chat page is not provided. In other words, if the location of the terminal is a location corresponding to the local chat page, an input selecting an interfacing object provided on the terminal may cause a request for the local chat page to be sent to the server, whereas if the location of the terminal is not a location corresponding to the local chat page, no request for the local chat page is generated.

[0053] In one embodiment, the method of operating the server includes sending a query to the map server in step S220 based on meta information of the local chat page. The meta information of the local chat page is information about information or content included in the local chat page, and may include, for example, area information (e.g., area name, area identification information) mapped to the local chat page.

[0054] The map server includes ranking information for the location objects. The ranking information for the location objects corresponds to a ranking chart among location objects belonging to the same or similar categories. The ranking among the location objects can be determined based on data collected about the location objects. The ranking among the location objects can include one or more rankings determined according to one or more criteria. For example, the ranking of the location objects can be determined in order of favorites, i.e., the number of users who have favorited the location objects. For example, the ranking of the location objects can be determined in order of wayfinding, i.e., the number of times a location object has been requested for wayfinding. For example, the ranking of the location objects can be determined in order of sharing, i.e., the number of times the location object has been shared. For example, the ranking of the location objects can be determined in order of search, i.e., the number of times the location object has been searched.

[0055] The map server may provide the server with map charts and / or information about registered location objects (e.g., type, name, address, phone number, user rating information, description information, ranking information) corresponding to the query.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the step S220 of sending the query to the map server includes a step of generating a query for requesting local map information corresponding to at least one of region information, region level information, place type information, and place ranking criteria information based on the meta information. The local map information may include information for generating a map view and / or information included in the map view, such as at least one of a map chart corresponding to the region, information on place objects located in the region, and ranking information on place objects located in the region.

[0057] For example, the query may include a query for requesting a map chart corresponding to area information mapped to the local chat page. For example, the query may include a query for requesting a map chart including areas corresponding to any one of a first area level (e.g., nationwide), a second area level (e.g., city / province), a third area level (e.g., city / county / gu), and a fourth area level (e.g., town / village / dong). For example, the query may include a query for requesting information on location objects of a specific location type (e.g., restaurant, cafe, hair salon, park, etc.) located in the area mapped to the local chat page. For example, the query may include a query for requesting ranking information of location objects located in the area mapped to the local chat page determined according to location ranking criteria (e.g., favorite order, search order, share order, wayfinding order).

[0058] According to an embodiment, the method of operating the server includes generating a map view (S230) based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query. For example, the local map information may be information corresponding to the query received from the map server, and may include at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to a local chat page, information about place objects located in the area, and ranking information about the place objects located in the area. In other words, generating a map view (S230) may include generating a map view including at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to the local chat page, information about place objects located in the area, and ranking information about the place objects located in the area. The map view will be described in more detail below.

[0059] According to an embodiment, the method of operating the server includes step S240 of generating a chat view based on chat information related to the local chat page. The chat information related to the local chat page includes information related to a chat room related to the local chat page and / or information related to messages related to the local chat page. The chat room related to the local chat page corresponds to a chat room related to a region mapped to the local chat page. The messages related to the local chat page include messages related to the region mapped to the local chat page and / or messages sent via the chat room related to the local chat page.

[0060] According to one embodiment, generating a chat view in step S240 includes determining a target chat room based on chat information related to the local chat page and generating a chat view including information related to the target chat room. The target chat room includes chat rooms related to a region mapped to the local chat page. The target chat room may be a specific type of chat room. For example, the target chat room may be a group chat room type that can be connected via a link.

[0061] For example, the step of determining the target chat room may include a step of determining, as the target chat room, a chat room including, as a keyword, area information corresponding to the local chat page. A chat room including, as at least one of the chat room name (or title), chat room introduction information, chat room theme information, and chat room tag information, the name of the area mapped to the local chat page may be determined as the target chat room.

[0062] As an example, determining the target chat room may include determining a chat room mapped to a local chat page as the target chat room. The local chat page may have one or more chat rooms mapped thereto. The chat room mapped to the local chat page may be determined as the target chat room.

[0063] For example, a target chat room may be determined based on information about chat room participants. If the area where a chat room participant lives, lives, is interested in, or works corresponds to an area mapped to the local chat page, the chat room may be determined as the target chat room. Alternatively, if the location of a terminal of a chat room participant corresponds to an area mapped to the local chat page, the chat room may be determined as the target chat room. Alternatively, if a chat room is created and the location of a terminal that requested the creation of the chat room corresponds to an area mapped to the local chat page, the chat room may be determined as the target chat room.

[0064] According to one embodiment, determining the target chat room further includes determining the target chat room based on the user account's chat room participation history. The user account refers to a user account logged in to a terminal that has sent the request for the local chat page via an instant messenger. Among the chat rooms related to the local chat page, a chat room that the user account has participated in and / or a chat room in which the user account is currently participating may be determined as the target chat room.

[0065] The chat view includes information about the target chat room. The information about the target chat room may include at least one of link information for entering the target chat room, an interfacing object for requesting participation in the target chat room, the name of the target chat room, and introduction information about the target chat room. The information about the target chat room may include information about a message sent through the target chat room. The information about the target chat room may include the content of the message or the content included in the message.

[0066] According to one embodiment, generating a chat view (S240) may include generating a chat view including messages sent through a chat room associated with the local chat page. As an example, generating a chat view (S240) may include generating a chat view in which messages sent from a chat room associated with the local chat page are arranged in order of most recently sent. The chat view may display n messages (n is any natural number) recently sent from a chat room associated with the local chat page. All or part of the content of a message may be displayed through the chat view. For example, text of a certain size or a certain number of characters included in a message may be displayed through the chat view. All or part of the content included in a message may be displayed through the chat view.

[0067] For example, generating a chat view (S240) includes generating a chat view in which messages sent from a chat room related to a local chat page are sorted in order of importance. The importance of a message corresponds to a quantitative indicator of the importance of a message determined according to a predetermined criterion. For example, the importance of a message may be determined based on the relevance of the message to local information mapped to the local chat page. If a message includes local information or the content of the message is related to local information, the importance of the message may be determined to be higher than a message that does not include local information. For example, the importance of a message may be determined based on the level of response of participants in the chat room to the message. The higher the number of times a message is viewed, the number of times an interest in the message is expressed, the number of times a message is saved, or the number of times a message is shared, the higher the level of response of participants to the message. The higher the level of response of participants to the message, the higher the importance of the message may be determined. For example, the importance of a message may be determined based on the activity intensity of the user account that created the message. The activity intensity of a user account that created a message is determined to be higher the more times the user account has sent messages through a chat room of the user account, or the more responses to messages sent through a chat room or the more responses to messages sent through a chat room. The higher the activity intensity of the user account that created the message, the higher the importance of the message may be determined. For example, the importance of the message may be determined based on the time when the message was sent. The more recently the message was sent, the higher the importance of the message may be determined.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the method of operating the server includes providing a local chat page (S250) including a map view and a chat view to a terminal running an instant messenger. The local chat page is displayed on the terminal running the instant messenger. A map view corresponding to a specific area and a chat view corresponding to the area may be displayed on the terminal via the local chat page. The local chat page will be described in detail below.

[0069] If the map server and the instant messaging server are not distinguished, the instant messenger described with reference to Fig. 2 corresponds to an instant messenger and / or a map application. Steps S220 and S230 in Fig. 2 correspond to obtaining local map information corresponding to a query based on meta information of a local chat page, and generating a map view based on the obtained local map information.

[0070] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating examples of screens of a terminal on which a local chat page is displayed according to an embodiment.

[0071] Referring to screen 301 of FIG. 3A , local chat page 311 is displayed as a tab 312 in an instant messenger. As an example, local chat page 311 may be displayed on a terminal in response to an input for selecting an interfacing object 313 for requesting local chat page 311. Interfacing object 313 may include a region name (e.g., "Jeju Island"). When an input for selecting interfacing object 313 is received, local chat page 311 mapped to the region (e.g., "Jeju Island") corresponding to the interfacing object is provided. Local chat page 311 includes a map view 314 and a chat view 315 corresponding to the mapped region. Hereinafter, the region mapped to local chat page 311 will be referred to as a target region.

[0072] The map view 314 may include a map chart corresponding to the area of ​​interest. The map chart displays the locations of place objects located in the area of ​​interest. For example, when a location 316 of a first place object displayed on the map chart is selected, information about the first place object is displayed on the map chart. For example, an icon 317 including a name or an image of the first place object may be displayed on the map chart. Additionally, information about the first place object may be displayed on the map chart, including at least one of the type, address, and description information of the first place object.

[0073] A place object ranking chart 318 is provided together with the map chart via the map view 314. The place object ranking chart 318 may include information about the place objects (e.g., place names and types) along with ranking information about the place objects located in the target area. The place object ranking chart 318 may include a list of place objects that lists information about the top-ranked place objects (e.g., top 10) among the place objects located in the target area in order of ranking.

[0074] When an input for selecting one of the location object lists is received in the ranking chart 318, the position of the location object corresponding to the selected list is focused on in the map chart. For example, when an input for selecting the first location object list 319 is received in the ranking chart 318, the position of the location object corresponding to the selected list is focused on in the map chart. For example, an icon 317 including information about the first location object may be added to the position of the first location object corresponding to the selected list 319 in the map chart. For example, in the map chart, the position of the top-ranked location object may be displayed as a first shape, and the position of the first location object corresponding to the selected list 319 may be displayed as a second shape. The second shape is used to distinguish the position of the first location object corresponding to the selected list 319 from the positions of other top-ranked location objects that have not been selected. The second shape may be larger in size than the first shape, have a different color, be a different shape, or have a special effect (e.g., an animation effect) added to it. For example, when the first location object list is selected, the shape added to the position of the first location object may be changed from the first shape to the second shape. As an example, the map chart may be moved so that the location of the first location object corresponding to the selected listing 319 is centered.

[0075] The chat view 315 includes information about chat rooms associated with the local chat page 311. The chat rooms associated with the local chat page 311 may be local chat rooms, such as chat rooms for sharing information about restaurants in a particular area. As an example, the chat view 315 may include a name 320 of the chat room associated with the local chat page 311 and a list 321 of messages sent through the chat room associated with the local chat page 311.

[0076] Messages in the chat room related to the local chat page 311 may be displayed in order of most recently sent via the message list 321 of the chat view 315. The messages displayed in the message list 321 of the chat view 315 may be updated each time a new message is sent via the chat room related to the local chat page 311. Meanwhile, as described above, messages in the chat room related to the local chat page 311 may be displayed in order of importance via the message list 321 of the chat view 315.

[0077] Referring to screen 302 of FIG. 3B , local chat page 331 includes a map view 332 corresponding to a target area. Map view 332 can display the locations of one or more place of interest objects located in the target area. As an example, the place of interest objects may include at least one of a top-ranked (e.g., top 10) place object in the target area, a place object corresponding to a landmark in the target area, and a place object designated as a place of interest by a user account of the terminal. As described with reference to FIG. 3A , when a location of a place object displayed on the map chart (e.g., location 333 of a second place object) is selected, information about the corresponding place object is displayed on the map chart.

[0078] The local chat page 331 includes a chat view 334 corresponding to the target region. The chat view 334 includes a list of chat rooms related to the local chat page 331. The list of chat rooms may include a list of one or more target chat rooms determined based on chat information related to the local chat page. As described above, the target chat rooms include at least one of chat rooms mapped to the local chat page 331, chat rooms that include information about the target region (e.g., the name of the target region) as a keyword, and chat rooms that include participants related to the target region. As an example, the list of chat rooms may include a selected portion of the target chat rooms. Target chat rooms may be selected for inclusion in the list of chat rooms based on at least one of the number of times messages in the target chat room have been sent, the number of recently sent messages in the target chat room, and the number of participants in the target chat room.

[0079] Referring to screen 303 of FIG. 3C , local chat page 351 includes map view 352 corresponding to the target area. Map view 352 displays the location of chat rooms on local chat page 351. For example, the location of a chat room may be determined as the location of a device that recently sent a message to the chat room. For example, the location of a chat room may be determined as the location of a device that requested the creation of the chat room when the chat room was created. For example, selecting location 353 of a first chat room displayed in map view 352 may display information about the first chat room. For example, selecting location 353 of the first chat room may display an icon 354 including the name of the first chat room, the number of messages sent through the first chat room, and theme information of the first chat room. In addition, at least one of the number of participants in the first chat room and tag information included in the first chat room may be displayed via map view 352.

[0080] For example, if the location 353 of the first chat room and the location 353 of the second chat room are the same, selecting the location 353 of the first chat room may display an icon 354 corresponding to the first chat room, along with an icon 355 including the name of the second chat room, the number of messages sent through the second chat room, and theme information of the second chat room.

[0081] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a chat window screen of a chat room related to a local chat page according to one embodiment.

[0082] For example, in response to an input to select a list of chat rooms displayed in chat view 315 of FIG. 3A or icon 354 containing theme information for the first chat room or icon 355 containing theme information for the second chat room of FIG. 3C, a chat window screen 401 of the chat room for the local chat page shown in FIG. 4 is displayed.

[0083] Referring to the chat window screen 401 shown in FIG. 4, messages sent via a chat room on a local chat page can be displayed in the chat window.

[0084] For example, a chat room related to a local chat page may include one or more sub-chat rooms. A sub-chat room corresponds to a separate chat space within one chat room. For example, when the "Restaurant Sharing Room" tab 411 on the chat window screen 401 is selected, a chat window for a sub-chat room for sharing restaurant information is displayed. For example, when the "Accommodation Information" tab 412 on the chat window screen 401 is selected, a chat window for a sub-chat room for sharing accommodation information may be displayed. The sub-chat room for sharing restaurant information and the sub-chat room for sharing accommodation information within the chat room related to the local chat page correspond to separate chat spaces.

[0085] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating examples of screens related to a location-based service linked with an instant messaging service according to an embodiment.

[0086] For example, a map application linked to an instant messaging service may be executed on a device through a map view of an instant messenger. The map application linked to an instant messaging service corresponds to an application related to a location-based service provided by a map server. For example, a webpage related to the location-based service may be displayed through the map view of an instant messenger.

[0087] For example, in response to an input to select icon 317 that displays information about the first location object displayed in map view 314 shown in FIG. 3A, the map application is executed, and screen 501 shown in FIG. 5A is displayed.

[0088] Referring to screen 501 shown in FIG. 5A, a ranking chart 511 of location objects located in a target area is displayed via a map app. Ranking chart 511 includes a list of location objects arranged in order of ranking. Ranking chart 511 corresponds to a ranking chart provided via a map view of an instant messenger (e.g., ranking chart 318 in FIG. 3A). For example, screen 501 shown in FIG. 5A, which is displayed in response to an input selecting icon 317 displaying information about a first location object, is a screen of ranking chart 511 in which list 512 of first location objects is located.

[0089] For example, when a first location object listing 512 included in the ranking chart 511 is selected, the screen 501 is transformed into a screen 502 shown in FIG. 5B. The screen 502 shown in FIG. 5B includes a details page of the first location object corresponding to the selected listing 512. The details page of the first location object includes information about the first location object. As an example, the details page of the first location object may include at least one of the type, name, address, phone number, user rating information, and description information of the location object.

[0090] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a system for an instant messaging service according to an embodiment.

[0091] 6, a system according to one embodiment (e.g., system 100 of FIG. 1) includes a terminal 110 and a server 620 connected via a network 130. The system according to one embodiment includes a map server 640 connected to the terminal 110 and the server 620 via the network 130. As described above, the server 620 and the map server 640 correspond to the server 120 shown in FIG. 1.

[0092] The terminal 110 according to an embodiment may be a mobile terminal implemented by a computer device. For example, the terminal 110 may communicate with the server 620 and the map server 640 via the network 130 using a wireless or wired communication method, and may also communicate with other electronic devices not shown in FIG. 6 .

[0093] The server 620 according to one embodiment may be implemented as a computer device or multiple computers that communicate with the terminal 110 and / or other servers, including the map server 640, via the network 130 and provide instructions, code, files, content, services, and the like. The communication method is not limited to the network 130 and may include a communication method utilizing a communication network (e.g., a mobile communication network, a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, or a broadcast network) or a short-range wireless communication method between devices. For example, the network 130 may include 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, and the like.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the server 620 may provide a file for installing an application to the connected terminal 110 via the network 130. In this case, the terminal 110 may install an application (e.g., an instant messenger) using the file provided by the server 620. The terminal 110 may also connect to the server 620 under the control of an operating system (OS) and at least one program (e.g., a browser or an installed application) included in the terminal 110, and services or content provided by the server 620 may be provided. For example, when the terminal 110 transmits a service request message to the server 620 via the network 130 under the control of an application, the server 620 transmits a response message corresponding to the service request message to the terminal 110, and the terminal 110 may provide content to the user by configuring and displaying a screen based on the response message under the control of the application.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the terminal 110 and the server 620 include memories 611, 621, processors 613, 623, communication modules 615, 625 and input / output interfaces 617, 627.

[0096] Processors 613 and 623 according to an embodiment may perform at least one of the operations described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Processor 613 may perform at least one of the operations performed by the instant messenger installed in terminal 110 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. For example, processor 613 may request a local chat page from server 620 and display the local chat page including a chat view and a map view received from server 620. Processor 623 may perform at least one of the operations related to the instant messaging service described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. For example, processor 623 may perform at least one of the following operations: receiving a request for a local chat page via the instant messenger; sending a query based on meta information of the local chat page to a map server; generating a map view based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query; generating a chat view based on chat information related to the local chat page; and providing the local chat page including the map view and the chat view to a terminal running the instant messenger.

[0097] The processors 613, 623 may be configured to process computer program instructions by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. The instructions may be provided to the processors 613, 623 by the memory 611, 621 or the communication modules 615, 625.

[0098] The memories 611 and 621 may be computer-readable recording media, and may be volatile or non-volatile memories. The memories 611 and 621 according to an embodiment may store information for operating the instant messenger described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. For example, the memory 621 may store account information and chat room information for users who have subscribed to the instant messaging service.

[0099] In one embodiment, the memory 611 may include code for an instant messenger that is installed and run on the terminal 110 by a file provided by the server 620 over the network 130 .

[0100] The memory 621 according to an embodiment may store a program that implements the operations for the instant messaging service described above with reference to FIGS.

[0101] In one embodiment, the communication modules 615, 625 provide functionality for the terminal 110 and the server 620 to communicate with each other via the network 130, and can also provide functionality for communication with other electronic devices or other servers (e.g., the map server 640).

[0102] As an example, a request generated by the processor 613 of the terminal 110 in response to program code relating to an instant messenger stored in a storage device such as the memory 611 may be transmitted to the server 620 via the network 130 in response to control of the communication module 615.

[0103] As an example, control signals, instructions, content, files, etc. provided in response to the control of the processor 623 of the server 620 may be received by the terminal 110 via the communication module 615 of the terminal 110 via the communication module 625 and the network 130.

[0104] The input / output interfaces 617 and 627 may be means for interfacing with the input / output device 619. For example, the input device may include a device such as a keyboard or a mouse, and the output device may include a device such as a display for displaying a communication session of an application. As another example, the input / output interface 617 may be means for interfacing with a device that combines input and output functions, such as a touch screen. As a more specific example, the processor 613 of the terminal 110 may process instructions of a computer program loaded in the memory 611 to display service screens and content configured using data provided by the server 620 on the display via the input / output interface 617. Input received from a user via the input / output device 619 may be provided to the processor 613 of the terminal 110 in a form processable by the processor 613 via the input / output interface 617.

[0105] According to one embodiment, the system further includes a database interfaced with server 620 and / or map server 640. The database includes information for generating a map view or map chart, such as local map information. Server 620 and / or map server 640 may retrieve information for generating a map view or map chart from the database.

[0106] According to an embodiment, the terminal 110, the server 620, and the map server 640 may include other components not shown in Fig. 6. For example, the terminal 110 may be implemented to include at least some of the input / output devices 619 described above, or may further include other components such as a transceiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, etc.

[0107] 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 executes an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications that run on the operating system. The processing device also accesses, stores, manipulates, processes, and generates data in response to the execution of the software. For ease of understanding, a single processing device may be described; however, 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] The method according to the present invention may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The recording medium and program instructions may be specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or may be well-known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording 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 generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that is executed by a computer using an interpreter, for example.

[0110] The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations described in this invention, and vice versa.

[0111] 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, and may be replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents, while still achieving suitable results.

[0112] Accordingly, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a server that provides an instant messaging service, comprising: receiving a request for a local chat page via an instant messenger; sending a query to a map server based on the meta information of the local chat page; generating a map view based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query; generating a chat view based on chat information about the local chat page; providing the local chat page including the map view and the chat view to a terminal running the instant messenger; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the query to a map server includes generating a query to request the local map information corresponding to at least one of area information, area level information, place type information, and place ranking criteria information based on the meta information.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the map view includes generating the map view including at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to the local chat page, information about place objects located in the area, and ranking information about place objects located in the area.

4. The step of generating a chat view includes: determining a target chat room based on chat information on the local chat page; generating the chat view including information about the target chat room; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

5. The step of determining a target chat room includes: determining the target chat room further based on a chat room participation history of a user account; determining a chat room mapped to the local chat page as the target chat room; determining a chat room containing area information corresponding to the local chat page as a keyword as the target chat room; The method of claim 4 , comprising at least one of:

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the chat view comprises generating the chat view including messages sent through a chat room associated with the local chat page.

7. The step of generating a chat view includes: generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms associated with the local chat page are sorted by most recently sent; generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms associated with the local chat page are sorted in order of importance; The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

8. A method of operating a terminal that runs an instant messenger, comprising: requesting a local chat page from a server via an instant messenger; displaying a local chat page including a chat view and a map view received in response to the request; Including, the map view is generated based on local map information responsive to a query based on meta information of the local chat page; The method, wherein the chat view is generated based on chat information related to the local chat page.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein requesting the local chat page comprises requesting the local chat page in response to an input selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page within the instant messenger.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of requesting the local chat page includes the step of requesting the local chat page through an interfacing object provided based on whether the location of the terminal is a location corresponding to a local chat page.

11. A computer program stored on a medium for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 in combination with hardware.

12. A server providing an instant messaging service, receiving a request for a local chat page via instant messenger; sending a query to a map server based on meta information of the local chat page; generating a map view based on local map information received from the map server in response to the query; generating a chat view based on chat information about the local chat page; providing the local chat page including the map view and the chat view to a terminal running the instant messenger; A server, including a processor.

13. The processor: In transmitting the query to a map server, The server of claim 12 , further comprising: generating a query to request the local map information corresponding to at least one of area information, area level information, place type information, and place ranking criteria information based on the meta information.

14. The processor: In generating the map view, The server of claim 12, wherein the map view is generated to include at least one of a map chart of an area corresponding to the local chat page, information about place objects located in the area, and ranking information about place objects located in the area.

15. The processor: In generating the chat view, determining a target chat room based on chat information related to the local chat page; The server of claim 12 , wherein the server generates the chat view including information about the target chat room.

16. The processor: In determining the target chat room, determining a chat room mapped to the local chat page as the target chat room; An operation of determining, as the target chat room, a chat room including area information corresponding to the local chat page as a keyword; The server according to claim 15, which performs at least one of the above.

17. The processor: In determining the target chat room, The server of claim 15 , further comprising: determining the target chat room based on a chat room participation history of a user account.

18. The processor: In generating the chat view, The server of claim 12 , wherein the server generates the chat view including messages sent through a chat room associated with the local chat page.

19. The processor: In generating the chat view, generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms associated with the local chat page are sorted by most recently sent; generating the chat view in which messages sent from chat rooms associated with the local chat page are sorted in order of importance; The server of claim 12 , further comprising:

20. The processor: receiving a request for the local chat page; The server of claim 12 , further comprising: a server configured to receive an input for selecting an interfacing object for the local chat page within the instant messenger.

Images