Electronic device and information provision method thereof

Abstract

An operation method of an electronic device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may comprise the steps of: obtaining a search keyword from a terminal of a user; identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to a first franchise on the basis of the search keyword; generating a first franchise store group by grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise; selecting at least one of the plurality of stores on the basis of information about the plurality of stores; and providing information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the terminal of the user.

Description

Electronic devices and their methods of providing information

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology in which an electronic device provides information, and more particularly, to a technology in which information about multiple franchise stores is filtered and provided to a user's terminal.

[0002] Recent technological advancements have led to a shift in consumer behavior from purchasing bulk items at low prices at large supermarkets to purchasing necessities in small quantities at low prices, regardless of whether online or offline. In particular, advances in e-commerce have led to a surge in food ordering via web pages or delivery apps.

[0003] Users can search and select a store from which they wish to order food through a food delivery app and order food from that store. For example, users can search by store name, food category, or menu name to view information on multiple stores in the search results. Users can then select a store of their choice from the search results and order food from that store.

[0004] A franchise business (franchise business) refers to a transactional relationship in which a headquarters grants multiple franchisees the right to use trademarks, trade names, etc. related to the franchise, in exchange for a certain amount of economic benefits. Typically, a franchise store may include multiple franchisees. When a user searches for a franchise through a delivery app, information about multiple stores corresponding to the franchise may be displayed in the search results, reducing user convenience.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a technical problem is to improve user convenience by grouping and providing multiple stores corresponding to the same franchise.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a technical problem is to improve user convenience by providing at least one store selected based on information about the store (e.g., rating, delivery fee) among a plurality of stores corresponding to the same franchise.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include: obtaining a search keyword from a user's terminal; identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to a first franchise based on the search keyword; creating a first franchise store group by grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise; selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores; and providing information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the information about the store may include at least one of the name of the store, the distance from the location of the user's terminal to the store, a rating, and a delivery fee.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the at least one store may include at least one of a first store with the lowest delivery fee and a second store with the highest rating among the plurality of stores.

[0010] The operating method according to one embodiment may further include, when the at least one store includes the first store and the second store, a step of determining a store to be preferentially displayed among the first store and the second store based on the user's preference information.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the user's preference information may be information about the user received from the user's terminal or information determined by the user's order history.

[0012] The providing step according to one embodiment may be a step of providing information about a plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group to the user's terminal through a format that allows displaying the information in a carousel format.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the information about the at least one store may be information displayed to be distinct from information about the first franchise store group.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the carousel format may be a format in which a list including information about the plurality of stores can be scrolled in a first direction, and a search result list corresponding to the search keyword may be a format in which a list of search results corresponding to the search keyword can be scrolled in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] The method according to one embodiment may further include: a step of identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise and a plurality of stores corresponding to the second franchise based on the search keyword; a step of grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise and the plurality of stores corresponding to the second franchise, thereby creating a first franchise store group and a second franchise store group; and a step of providing information about the plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group and information about the plurality of stores included in the second franchise store group to the user's terminal in a carousel format.

[0016] The step of selecting at least one store according to one embodiment may include the step of selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on the type of the search keyword and information about the plurality of stores.

[0017] According to one embodiment, if the search keyword includes the first menu, stores among the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise that do not sell the first menu may not be included in the first franchise store group.

[0018] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a communication circuit communicatively connected to a user's terminal; one or more processors; and one or more memories storing one or more instructions, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the one or more instructions to: obtain a search keyword from the user's terminal; identify a plurality of stores corresponding to a first franchise based on the search keyword; group the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise to create a first franchise store group; select at least one store among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores; and provide information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing an operating method of an electronic device on a computer may include steps including: obtaining a search keyword from a user's terminal; identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to a first franchise based on the search keyword; creating a first franchise store group by grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise; selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores; and providing information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, user convenience can be improved by grouping and providing multiple stores corresponding to the same franchise.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, user convenience can be improved by providing at least one store selected based on information about the store (e.g., rating, delivery fee) among a plurality of stores corresponding to the same franchise.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c are diagrams illustrating search result screens of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a search result screen of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a search result screen of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a search result screen of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a search results screen of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] The terms used in the embodiments have been selected from widely used and common terms, taking into account the functions of the present disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names of terms, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the present disclosure.

[0031] When a part of the specification is said to "include" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies the inclusion of other components, unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, terms such as "part" and "module" used in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0032] The expression “at least one of a, b, and c” described throughout the specification may encompass “a alone,” “b alone,” “c alone,” “a and b,” “a and c,” “b and c,” or “all of a, b, and c.”

[0033] The "terminal" mentioned below may be implemented as a computer or portable terminal that can connect to a server or other terminal via a network. Here, the computer includes, for example, a notebook, desktop, laptop, etc. equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal may include, for example, a wireless communication device that guarantees portability and mobility, and may include all types of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as communication-based terminals such as IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), smartphones, tablet PCs, etc.

[0034] Below, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0036] In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical details that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to avoid obscuring the gist of the present invention by omitting unnecessary explanations and to convey the gist more clearly.

[0037] For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numbers.

[0038] The advantages and features of the present invention, and the methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided only to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

[0039] At this time, it will be understood that each block of the processing flow diagrams and combinations of the flow diagrams can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce a manufactured item that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, and the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0040] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (10) disclosed in this document may be a system (10) related to an e-commerce service. The e-commerce service may be a delivery platform service that mediates between stores and buyers online, enabling food ordering and delivery. The system (10) according to one embodiment may include an electronic device (100) and a user terminal (200).

[0042] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (100) may be a server for operating an e-commerce service. The electronic device (100) may be a front-end server that provides a GUI environment to a user's terminal (200). The electronic device (100) may be a server that provides web pages or applications that can be visually viewed by the user. The electronic device (100) may operate applications or web pages related to a delivery platform service. The electronic device (100) may manage various programs (software) for operating the delivery platform service. The electronic device (100) may be connected to the user's terminal (200) in communication with the user's terminal and transmit and receive various information. The electronic device (100) may obtain various information related to the delivery application from the terminal and provide the information to other devices.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the user's terminal (200) may be a terminal device of a purchaser ordering food. The user can access a delivery application via the user's terminal (200), search for a desired store or menu, and then order the desired food from the desired store.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electronic device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device (100) according to one embodiment may include a processor (110), a memory (120), and a communication circuit (130). At least one of the components included in the electronic device (100) may be omitted, or another component may be added to the electronic device (100). Additionally or alternatively, some of the components may be implemented in an integrated manner, or may be implemented as a single or multiple entities. At least some of the components within the electronic device (100) may be implemented in an integrated manner, or may be implemented as a single or multiple entities. At least some of the components within the electronic device (100) may be connected to each other via a bus, a general purpose input / output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), and may exchange data and / or signals.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) of the electronic device (100) is a component that can perform calculations or data processing related to control and / or communication of each component of the electronic device (100), and can be operatively connected to the components of the electronic device (100). The processor (110) can load commands or data received from other components of the electronic device (100) into the memory (120), process the commands or data stored in the memory (120), and store the resulting data. Unless there are special circumstances, the processor (110) in the present disclosure may mean a set of one or more processors (110).

[0046] The memory (120) of the electronic device (100) according to one embodiment may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor (110)). The memory (120) may store instructions for the operation of the processor (110) described above. The program may be stored as software in the memory (120) and may include, for example, an operating system, middleware, or an application. Unless otherwise specified, the memory (120) in the present disclosure may mean a set of one or more memories (120).

[0047] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (130) of the electronic device (100) can establish a wired or wireless communication channel with an external device (e.g., a user's terminal (200)) and transmit and receive various data with the external device. The communication circuit (130) of the electronic device (100) can include at least one port for connecting to the external device via a wired cable in order to communicate with the external device via a wire. The communication circuit (130) of the electronic device (100) can be configured to be connected to a cellular network (e.g., 3G, LTE, 5G, Wibro, or Wimax) by including a cellular communication module. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (130) of the electronic device (100) can include a short-range communication module to transmit and receive data with the external device using short-range communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), UWB), but is not limited thereto.

[0048] A user can run a delivery application via their terminal (200). The user can check information about multiple stores within the delivery application. In one embodiment, the user can search by entering a desired menu name, a desired franchise name, or a desired food category name within the delivery application. In another embodiment, the user can search for a desired store using category classification. For example, the user can select "chicken" as the desired food category within the delivery application and select one of multiple franchises within the chicken category. In response to the above-described search, the user's terminal (200) can provide the user with information about multiple franchise stores.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart of an electronic device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Referring to the processing flowchart 300, the processor (110) of the electronic device (100) according to one embodiment may obtain a search keyword from the user's terminal (200) in step 310. The user may access (execute) a delivery application through the user's terminal (200) and input a search keyword. For example, the user may input the search keyword "A Chicken", which is a franchise (or brand) name, the search keyword "Chicken", which is a food category name, or the search keyword "Spicy Seasoned Chicken", which is a menu name. For example, the user may select a specific franchise name or food through a category search function provided by the delivery application. In this case, the selected specific franchise name or food may become a search keyword. The user's terminal (200) may transmit the search keyword entered by the user to the electronic device (100). The processor (110) may obtain the search keyword from the user's terminal (200) through the communication circuit (130).

[0051] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) may, at step 320, identify a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise based on the search keyword. The processor (110) may identify the first franchise corresponding to the search keyword and identify a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise.

[0052] For example, if the search keyword is "A Chicken," which is a franchise name, multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken" can be identified. The multiple stores can be, for example, "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1," "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2," and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3." The processor (110) can identify the multiple stores based on the locations of the stores corresponding to the first franchise and the location of the user's terminal (200). For example, the processor (110) can exclude stores located beyond a predetermined distance from the location of the user's terminal (200) from the multiple stores.

[0053] For example, if the search keyword is the menu name "Chadol Jjamppong," the first franchise can be identified as a franchise selling "Chadol Jjamppong." The processor (110) can identify multiple stores selling "Chadol Jjamppong" while corresponding to the first franchise.

[0054] For example, if the search keyword is "chicken," a food category, the processor (110) may identify multiple franchises selling chicken. The processor (110) may identify multiple stores for each of the multiple franchises. For example, the processor may identify multiple stores corresponding to a first franchise and multiple stores corresponding to a second franchise. An embodiment in which two or more franchises are searched will be described later, and the description of this drawing will be limited to an embodiment in which only the first franchise is searched.

[0055] In one embodiment, the processor (110) may, in step 330, create a first franchise store group by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise. That is, the processor (110) may create a first franchise store group including the plurality of stores identified above. For example, for a plurality of stores corresponding to the franchise name "A Chicken," the processor (110) may create an "A Chicken Store Group" by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken."

[0056] Meanwhile, if the search keyword includes the first menu, among the multiple stores corresponding to the first franchise, stores that do not sell the first menu may not be included in the first franchise store group. For example, if the search keyword includes the menu name "Spicy Seasoned Chicken," the processor (110) may include in the first franchise store group only those stores that sell "Spicy Seasoned Chicken" among the multiple stores corresponding to the first franchise, a franchise that sells spicy seasoned chicken. In other words, stores corresponding to the first franchise but that do not sell "Spicy Seasoned Chicken" for a given reason may not be included in the first franchise store group.

[0057] In one embodiment, the processor (110) may, at step 340, select at least one store from among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores. The information about the plurality of stores may include at least one of the store name, the distance from the location of the user's terminal (200) to the store, a rating, and a delivery fee. Based on the information about the plurality of stores, the processor (110) may select at least one store from among a first store with the lowest delivery fee and a second store with the highest rating. In other words, the processor (110) may select at least one representative store from among the plurality of stores based on the information about the plurality of stores.

[0058] The processor (110) may select at least one store from among the multiple stores in order of highest rating. The processor (110) may select at least one store from among the multiple stores in order of lowest delivery fee. The processor (110) may select at least one store from among the multiple stores in order of shortest distance from the location of the user's terminal (200).

[0059] For example, let's assume that multiple stores corresponding to the franchise name "A Chicken" include "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2", and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3". A Chicken Seoul Branch 1 may have a rating of 4.8 points, a distance of 2 km from the location of the user's terminal (200), and a delivery fee of 3,000 won. A Chicken Seoul Branch 2 may have a rating of 4.5 points, a distance of 1 km from the location of the user's terminal (200), and a delivery fee of 2,000 won. A Chicken Seoul Branch 3 may have a rating of 4.2 points, a distance of 1.5 km from the location of the user's terminal (200), and a delivery fee of 0 won (i.e., free delivery). According to one embodiment, the processor (110) may select "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" with the highest rating based on the ratings of the multiple stores. In one embodiment, the processor (110) may select "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3" with the lowest delivery fee based on the delivery fees of multiple stores. In another embodiment, the processor (110) may also select "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2" that is closest to the location of the user's terminal (200) based on the distance of each of the multiple stores from the location of the user's terminal (200).

[0060] The processor (110) can select at least one store from among a plurality of stores based on the type of search keyword and information about the plurality of stores. The search keyword type may include, for example, a franchise name, a food category name, or a menu name. For example, if the search keyword includes a specific menu name, at least one store selling the specific menu may be selected from among the plurality of stores.

[0061] In one embodiment, the processor (110) may, in step 350, provide information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal (200). The processor (110) may provide information about the first franchise store group including a plurality of stores to the user's terminal (200). The processor (110) may provide information about the first franchise store group to the user's terminal (200) as a search result corresponding to a search keyword received from the user's terminal (200). The user may check information about the first franchise store group, in which a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise are grouped, through the user's terminal (200). The information about the first franchise store group may include at least one of the store name, the distance from the location of the user's terminal (200) to the store, the rating, and the delivery fee for each of the plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group. The information about the plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group may be provided to the user's terminal (200) in a format that allows for display in a carousel format. A carousel format may be a format in which a list containing information about multiple stores can be scrolled in a first direction (i.e., horizontal direction), and a list of search results corresponding to a search keyword can be scrolled in a second direction (i.e., vertical direction) that is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0062] In addition, the processor (110) may provide information about at least one store selected based on information about a plurality of stores to the user's terminal (200). For example, the processor (110) may select at least one of a first store with the lowest delivery fee and a second store with the highest rating among the plurality of stores as the at least one store. The processor (110) may provide information about the at least one store to the user's terminal (200) as a search result corresponding to a search keyword received from the user's terminal (200). For example, the processor (110) may provide information about a first store with the lowest delivery fee among the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise to the user's terminal (200) as a search result corresponding to a search keyword received from the user's terminal (200). For example, the processor (110) may provide information about a second store with the highest rating among the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise to the user's terminal (200) as a search result corresponding to a search keyword received from the user's terminal (200).

[0063] The processor (110) may determine which store among the first and second stores to display first and second based on the user's preference information, if at least one store includes both a first store with the lowest delivery fee and a second store with the highest rating. The user's preference information may be information about the user received from the user's terminal (200) or information determined based on the user's order history.

[0064] For example, a user may input information through the user's terminal (200) indicating that he or she prefers a store with low delivery fees, and the processor (110) may receive information from the user's terminal (200) indicating that the user prefers a store with low delivery fees. In this case, the processor (110) may determine that information regarding the first store with the lowest delivery fee among at least one store is to be displayed first. That is, in the above case, the user's terminal (200) may display information regarding the first store among information regarding the first and second stores at the top of the search results list.

[0065] For example, the processor (110) may determine the user's preference information based on the user's order history. Considering the user's order history, the processor (110) may determine that the user prefers stores with high ratings. In this case, the processor (110) may determine that information regarding the second store with the highest rating among at least one store is to be preferentially displayed. That is, in the above case, the user's terminal (200) may display information regarding the second store at the top of the search results list among the information regarding the first and second stores.

[0066] FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c are diagrams illustrating a search result screen (400) of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] Specifically, FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (400) that displays the store with the highest rating at the top among multiple stores corresponding to a search keyword. Referring to FIG. 4A, a user may run a delivery application through the user's terminal (200) and input the franchise name "A Chicken" as a search keyword. For example, the user may input "A Chicken" in the search word input window (410). The user's terminal (200) may transmit the search keyword "A Chicken" to the electronic device (100). The processor (110) of the electronic device (100) may obtain the search keyword "A Chicken" from the user's terminal (200) through the communication circuit (130). The processor (110) may identify multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken." The multiple stores may include, for example, "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1," "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2," and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3." The processor (110) can create an "A Chicken Store Group" by grouping multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken." Based on information about the multiple stores, the processor (110) can select at least one store from among the multiple stores. For example, the processor (110) can select "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", which has the highest rating among the multiple stores. The processor (110) can provide information about the "A Chicken Store Group" and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" to the user's terminal (200).

[0068] The user's terminal (200) can display a plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken" on the search results screen (400). The user's terminal (200) can display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", which has the highest rating among the plurality of stores, in the upper area (420) of the search results screen (400). The user's terminal (200) can display information about a plurality of stores included in the "A Chicken Store Group" in the lower area (430) of the search results screen (400). That is, the user's terminal (200) can display a plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken," which is the search keyword entered by the user, on the search results screen (400), and display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1," which is the store with the highest rating, in the upper area (420).

[0069] The user's terminal (200) may display information regarding at least one store in a manner distinct from information regarding the first franchise store group. For example, information regarding "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" displayed in the upper area (420) may be displayed in a manner distinct from information regarding "A Chicken Store Group" displayed in the lower area (430). For example, information regarding "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" displayed in the upper area (420) may be displayed in a different color for easy recognition by the user. It should be understood that other methods of differentiation may also be used.

[0070] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (400) that displays the store with the lowest delivery fee at the top among a plurality of stores corresponding to a search keyword. Referring to FIG. 4B, a user may execute a delivery application through a user's terminal (200) and input the franchise name "A Chicken" as a search keyword. The user's terminal (200) may display information about an "A Chicken store group" created by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to the search keyword "A Chicken" on the search results screen (400). The processor (110) may display "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3," which is the store with the lowest delivery fee among the plurality of stores included in the "A Chicken store group," in the upper area (420) of the search results screen (400). The processor (110) may display information about a plurality of stores corresponding to “A Chicken” in the lower area (430) of the search results screen (400), or may display only information about stores other than “A Chicken Seoul Branch 3” among the plurality of stores in the lower area (430) of the search results screen (400).

[0071] FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (400) that displays the store with the highest rating and the store with the lowest delivery fee at the top among a plurality of stores corresponding to a search keyword. Referring to FIG. 4C, a user may execute a delivery application through a user's terminal (200) and input the franchise name "A Chicken" as a search keyword. The user's terminal (200) may display information about an "A Chicken store group" created by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to the search keyword "A Chicken" on the search results screen (400). The processor (110) may display "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1," which is the store with the highest rating and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3," which is the store with the lowest delivery fee, among the plurality of stores included in the "A Chicken store group" together in the upper area (420) of the search results screen (400). The processor (110) may display information about a plurality of stores corresponding to “A Chicken” in the lower area (430) of the search results screen (400), or may display only information about stores other than “A Chicken Seoul Branch 1” and “A Chicken Seoul Branch 3” among the plurality of stores corresponding to “A Chicken” in the lower area (430).

[0072] The processor (110) of the electronic device (100) may determine which store to preferentially display information about between "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", which is the store with the highest rating, and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3", which is the store with the lowest delivery fee, based on the user's preference information. The user's preference information may be information about the user received from the user's terminal (200) or information determined by the user's order history. For example, when referring to the user's preference information, if the user prefers a store with a low delivery fee, the processor (110) may determine to preferentially display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3" and may transmit a command to the user's terminal (200) to preferentially display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3". The user's terminal (200) may display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3", which has the lowest delivery fee, at the top in the upper area (420) of the search results screen (400), and display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" below it.

[0073] Through the above-described method, user convenience can be increased by preferentially displaying at least one store that matches the user's preference information among multiple stores corresponding to the franchise.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (500) of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 5 relates to an embodiment in which multiple stores corresponding to a first franchise are displayed in a carousel format. Any details that overlap with those already described in FIGS. 4a through 4c will be omitted.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 5, a user may execute a delivery application through a user's terminal (200) and input the franchise name "A Chicken" as a search keyword in a search keyword input window (510). The user's terminal (200) may display information about an "A Chicken store group" created by grouping multiple stores corresponding to the search keyword "A Chicken" on a search result screen (500). As described above, the user's terminal (200) may display the store with the highest rating among the multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken" on the upper area (520) of the search result screen (500).

[0076] The user's terminal (200) may display information about multiple stores included in the "A Chicken Store Group" in a carousel format. The carousel format may be a format in which a list including information about multiple stores can be scrolled in a first direction (i.e., horizontally). The search result list displayed on the search result screen may be a format in which the search result list can be scrolled in a second direction (i.e., vertically) perpendicular to the first direction. That is, the user's terminal (200) may display at least one store selected based on information about the multiple stores among the multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken" in the upper area (520) of the search result screen (500), and may display information about all of the multiple stores in a carousel format in the lower area (530). The user may change the displayed stores by sliding left or right on the carousel displayed in the lower area (530). For example, if information about “A Chicken Seoul Branch 2” is currently displayed as the main page, the user can change the display to display information about “A Chicken Seoul Branch 3” as the main page by sliding and touching to the right.

[0077] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (600) of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method by which a user searches for a specific franchise through the franchise filter area (610) of the application.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 6, a user may execute a delivery application via a user's terminal (200), select one of a plurality of food categories displayed in a filter area (610), and select a desired franchise from among a plurality of franchises included in the selected food category. For example, the user may select "chicken" from among a plurality of food categories displayed in the filter area (610), and select an icon (611) for "A Chicken" from among a plurality of franchises included in the "chicken" category. In this case, the user's terminal (200) may view "A Chicken" as a search keyword and transmit "A Chicken" to the electronic device (100).

[0079] The processor (110) of the electronic device (100) can obtain the search keyword "A Chicken" from the user's terminal (200) via the communication circuit (130). The processor (110) can identify a plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken." The plurality of stores may include, for example, "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1," "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2," and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3." The processor (110) can group the plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken" to create an "A Chicken Store Group." The processor (110) can select at least one store from among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores. For example, the processor (110) can select "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" with the highest rating among the plurality of stores. The processor (110) can provide information about the "A Chicken Store Group" and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" to the user's terminal (200). In addition, the processor (110) may select a store with the lowest delivery fee among multiple stores and provide it to the user's terminal (200).

[0080] The user's terminal (200) may display information regarding "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" in the upper area (620) of the search results screen (600), and may display information regarding multiple stores included in the "A Chicken Store Group" in the lower area (630). According to another embodiment, the user's terminal (200) may also display information regarding multiple stores in the lower area (630) in a carousel format.

[0081] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a search results screen (700) of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for searching for a store using a food category name.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 7, a user may execute a delivery application through a user's terminal (200) and input "chicken" as a search keyword in the food category. The user's terminal (200) may transmit the search keyword "chicken" to an electronic device (100) in a search word input window (710). The processor (110) of the electronic device (100) may identify a franchise corresponding to the search keyword "chicken." For example, assume that the processor (110) has identified a first franchise "A Chicken" and a second franchise "B Chicken" corresponding to "chicken." The processor (110) may identify multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken." The processor (110) may identify multiple stores corresponding to "B Chicken." By grouping the multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken," the processor (110) may create an "A Chicken Store Group." The processor (110) can create a “B Chicken store group” by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to “B Chicken.”

[0083] The processor (110) may provide the user's terminal (200) with a format that allows displaying information about a plurality of stores included in the "A chicken store group" and information about a plurality of stores included in the "B chicken store group" in a carousel format. The user's terminal (200) may display a first carousel (721) corresponding to the "A chicken store group" and a second carousel (723) corresponding to the "B chicken store group" in the search result list display area (720) of the search result screen (700). Through this, the user may check at a glance information grouping a plurality of stores belonging to the same franchise in a carousel format.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a search results screen of an application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for searching for a store using a specific menu name.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 8, a user may run a delivery application via his / her terminal (200) and input a specific menu name, "Spicy Seasoned Chicken," as a search keyword into the search input window (810). The user's terminal (200) may transmit the search keyword, "Spicy Seasoned Chicken," to the electronic device (100).

[0086] The processor (110) of the electronic device (100) may obtain the search keyword "spicy seasoned chicken." The processor (110) may identify "A Chicken," a franchise corresponding to "spicy seasoned chicken." Specifically, the processor (110) may identify "A Chicken," a franchise that sells the menu "spicy seasoned chicken," among a plurality of franchises. The processor (110) may identify a plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken," and identify a store that sells the menu "spicy seasoned chicken" among the plurality of stores. The processor (110) may create an "A Chicken store group" by grouping only the stores that do not sell the menu "spicy seasoned chicken" among the plurality of stores corresponding to "A Chicken."

[0087] For example, let's assume that the processor (110) has identified "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2", and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3" as multiple stores corresponding to "A Chicken". "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2" may not sell the menu "Spicy Seasoned Chicken" for a certain reason. In this case, the processor (110) can group only "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1" and "A Chicken Seoul Branch 3", excluding "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2", thereby creating an "A Chicken Store Group" and transmitting information about the "A Chicken Store Group" to the user's terminal (200). In addition, the processor (110) may select at least one store, “A Chicken Seoul 1st Store”, which is the store with the highest rating among “A Chicken Seoul 1st Store” and “A Chicken Seoul 3rd Store” included in the “A Chicken Store Group”, and transmit information about “A Chicken Seoul 1st Store” to the user’s terminal (200).

[0088] The user's terminal (200) may display information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 1", which has the highest rating among "A Chicken" stores that sell "Spicy Seasoned Chicken", in the upper area (820) through the search results screen (800). The user's terminal (200) may display information about multiple stores included in the "A Chicken Store Group", and here, information about "A Chicken Seoul Branch 2", which does not sell "Spicy Seasoned Chicken", may not be displayed.

[0089] Meanwhile, the present specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention. Although specific terms have been used, they are used in a general sense only to easily explain the technical contents of the present invention and to assist in understanding the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modified examples based on the technical concept of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0090] The device or terminal according to the above-described embodiments may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with an external device, a user interface device such as a touch panel, a key, a button, etc. The methods implemented as software modules or algorithms may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable codes or program commands that can be executed on the processor. Here, the computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic storage medium (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and an optical reading medium (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD: Digital Versatile Disc)). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed to computer systems connected to a network, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium is readable by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed by a processor.

[0091] The present embodiment may be represented by functional block configurations and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be implemented by various hardware and / or software configurations that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiment may employ integrated circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., which may perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the present embodiment may be implemented in a programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, assembler, Python, etc., including various algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming configurations. Functional aspects may be implemented as algorithms that execute on one or more processors. Furthermore, the present embodiment may employ conventional techniques for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "composition" can be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical structures. These terms can also encompass a series of software routines, such as those associated with a processor.

[0092] The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the claims set forth below.

Claims

1. In the method of operating an electronic device, A step of obtaining a search keyword from a user's terminal; A step of identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise based on the above search keyword; A step of creating a first franchise store group by grouping a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise; A step of selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores; and An operating method comprising the step of providing information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal.

2. In paragraph 1, An operating method, wherein the information about the store includes at least one of the name of the store, the distance from the location of the user's terminal to the store, a rating, and a delivery fee.

3. In paragraph 1, An operating method, wherein the at least one store includes at least one of a first store having the lowest delivery fee among the plurality of stores and a second store having the highest rating.

4. In paragraph 3, An operating method further comprising a step of determining which of the first store and the second store is to be preferentially displayed based on the user's preference information, when the at least one store includes the first store and the second store.

5. In paragraph 4, An operating method wherein the user's preference information is information about the user received from the user's terminal or information determined by the user's order history.

6. In paragraph 1, The steps provided above are: An operating method, which is a step of providing information about a plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group to the user's terminal through a format that allows displaying information in a carousel format.

7. In paragraph 6, The above carousel format is a format in which a list including information about the plurality of stores can be scrolled in the first direction, A method of operation, wherein the search result list corresponding to the above search keyword is in a format that can be scrolled in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

8. In paragraph 1, A method of operation, wherein the information regarding the at least one store is displayed so as to be distinct from the information regarding the first franchise store group.

9. In paragraph 1, A step of identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise and a plurality of stores corresponding to the second franchise based on the search keyword; A step of creating a first franchise store group and a second franchise store group by grouping each of a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise and a plurality of stores corresponding to the second franchise; and An operating method further comprising a step of providing information about a plurality of stores included in the first franchise store group and information about a plurality of stores included in the second franchise store group to the user's terminal in a carousel format.

10. In paragraph 1, The step of selecting at least one store above is: An operating method comprising a step of selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on the type of the search keyword and information about the plurality of stores.

11. In paragraph 1, An operating method in which, when the search keyword includes the first menu, stores among the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise that do not sell the first menu are not included in the first franchise store group.

12. In electronic devices, A communication circuit connected to the user's terminal; one or more processors; and Contains one or more memories that store one or more instructions, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, Obtain search keywords from the user's terminal, Based on the above search keywords, multiple stores corresponding to the first franchise are identified, By grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise, a first franchise store group is created, Based on the information about the plurality of stores, at least one store is selected from the plurality of stores, An electronic device configured to provide information about the first franchise store group and at least one store to the terminal of the user.

13. In a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing an operation method of an electronic device on a computer, The above method of operation is, A step of obtaining a search keyword from a user's terminal; A step of identifying a plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise based on the above search keyword; A step of creating a first franchise store group by grouping the plurality of stores corresponding to the first franchise; A step of selecting at least one store among the plurality of stores based on information about the plurality of stores; and A non-transitory recording medium comprising a step of providing information about the first franchise store group and the at least one store to the user's terminal.

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