Display device for preventing spoiler and control method thereof

Abstract

A display device is disclosed. This display device includes: a display; a communication unit for communicating with at least one external device; a memory; and a processor. The processor when a search word is input, determines whether to execute a spoiler prevention mode on the basis of the search word, when the spoiler prevention mode is executed, searches for information corresponding to the search word from at least one external device through the communication unit to store a search result in the memory, identifies at least a portion corresponding to spoiler information in at least one of an image and text included in the stored search result, and controls the display to display the search result in which the identified portion is covered.

Description

Display device for preventing spoilers and method for controlling the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a display device capable of preventing spoilers and a control method thereof.

[0002] When searching for specific content, search algorithms display a variety of results. However, these results may contain spoiler information that users may not want.

[0003] For example, if a user searches for a national soccer match held the day before, text or images announcing the match results may appear in the search results. If the user were to watch a rebroadcast of the match, these search results could potentially serve as spoilers. The same applies to multimedia content, such as dramas and movies. If a user searches for a drama title to check its schedule, images or text about a character's death or other key events may appear in the search results.

[0004] Therefore, there has been a growing need for a display device that can provide spoiler information blocking functionality tailored to the user's intent.

[0005] A display device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a display, a communication unit for communicating with at least one external device, a memory, and a processor for determining whether to execute a spoiler prevention mode based on a search word when the search word is input, searching for information corresponding to the search word from the at least one external device through the communication unit when the spoiler prevention mode is executed, storing the search result in the memory, identifying at least one portion corresponding to spoil information among at least one of an image and text included in the stored search result, and controlling the display to display the search result with the identified portion covered.

[0006] A method for controlling a display device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: when a search word is input, determining whether to execute a spoiler prevention mode based on the search word; when the spoiler prevention mode is executed, searching for information corresponding to the search word and storing a search result; identifying at least one portion corresponding to spoil information from at least one of an image and text included in the stored search result; and displaying the search result with the identified portion covered.

[0007] A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a method for controlling a display device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the method for controlling the display device comprises the steps of: when a search word is input, determining whether to execute a spoiler prevention mode based on the search word; when the spoiler prevention mode is executed, searching for information corresponding to the search word and identifying at least a portion corresponding to spoil information from at least one of an image and text included in the search result; and displaying the search result with the identified portion covered.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a display device operating in a normal mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a display device operating in a spoiler prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a spoil information identification method of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for identifying spoil information of a display device based on the display ratio of objects according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a knowledge graph that can be stored in a memory according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a spoil prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the operation of a spoil prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a method for changing a graphic object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a spoil prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a spoil prevention mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0020] The terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected from widely used, current terms, taking into account the functions of this 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, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant disclosure. 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 this disclosure.

[0021] In this specification, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0022] The expression "at least one of A and / or B" should be understood to mean either "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0023] As used herein, the expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” etc., may describe various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the components.

[0024] When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to the other component, or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component).

[0025] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "consist of" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0026] In the present disclosure, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, multiple "modules" or multiple "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented as at least one processor (not shown), excluding any "modules" or "parts" that need to be implemented as specific hardware.

[0027] In this specification, the term user may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device).

[0028] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings below.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] According to FIG. 1, the display device (100) includes a communication unit (110), a display (120), a memory (130), and a processor (140).

[0031] The communication unit (110) is a component provided for communicating with an external device. The communication unit (110) can search for a search term entered by a user from an external device, such as a web server, cloud server, external hard drive, USB memory stick, or other user terminal device, and receive search results from the external device.

[0032] The communication unit (110) can transmit and receive various signals and data to and from external devices through communication methods such as Bluetooth, AP-based Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN network), Zigbee, wired / wireless LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), Ethernet, IEEE 1394, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), USB (Universal Serial Bus), MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), AES / EBU (Audio Engineering Society / European Broadcasting Union), optical, and coaxial.

[0033] The display (120) refers to a configuration for displaying various screens.

[0034] The display (120) may be implemented as a display including a self-luminous element or a display including a non-luminous element and a backlight. For example, it may be implemented as various types of displays such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, a micro LED display, a mini LED display, a plasma display panel (PDP) display, a quantum dot (QD) display, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) display, etc. The display (120) may also include a driving circuit, a backlight unit, etc., which may be implemented in a form such as an a-si TFT, a low temperature poly silicon (LTPS) TFT, an organic TFT (OTFT), etc. Meanwhile, the display (120) may be implemented as a touch screen combined with a touch sensor, a flexible display, a rollable display, a 3D display, a display in which a plurality of display modules are physically connected, etc.

[0035] The memory (130) can store various programs, data, commands, etc. used in the display device (100). The memory (130) can also store search results received via the communication unit (110). In addition, the memory (130) can store various pieces of information according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] A memory (130) according to an example of the present disclosure may be implemented as an internal memory such as a ROM (e.g., an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) or a RAM included in one or more processors (140), or may be implemented as a separate memory from one or more processors (140). In this case, the memory (130) may be implemented as a memory embedded in the display device (100) or as a memory detachable from the display device (100) depending on the purpose of data storage. For example, data for driving the display device (100) may be stored in a memory embedded in the display device (100), and data for an extended function of the display device (100) may be stored in a memory detachable from the display device (100).

[0037] Meanwhile, in the case of the memory embedded in the display device (100), it may be implemented as at least one of volatile memory (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., one time programmable ROM (OTPROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD)), and in the case of the memory that can be detachably attached to the display device (100), it may be implemented as a memory card (e.g., compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (Micro-SD), mini secure digital (Mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), multi-media card (MMC), etc.), external memory that can be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory), etc. there is.

[0038] The processor (140) controls the overall operation of the display device (100). Specifically, the processor (140) is connected to the communication unit (110), the display (120), and the memory (130), and can control the overall operation of the display device (100) by executing at least one command or program stored in the memory (130).

[0039] The processor (140) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a timing controller (TCON) that processes digital signals. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, or an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or may be defined by the relevant terminology. In addition, the processor (140) may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) or large scale integration (LSI) having a processing algorithm built in, or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor (140) may perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in a memory.

[0040] When a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor or by multiple processors. The processor (140) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicores or heterogeneous multicores).

[0041] When a user inputs a search term, the processor (140) can search for information corresponding to the search term from various external devices via the communication unit (110). The processor (140) can store the search results in the memory (130).

[0042] For example, if a user enters the search term "Team A vs. Team B highlights," the processor (140) transmits the search term to an external device via the communication unit (110). The external device can perform a search using its own search engine and then transmit the search results. For example, the external device can search for and transmit materials containing all or part of the search term within an index obtained by crawling news articles, videos, images, papers, and other Internet materials in advance.

[0043] When the communication unit (110) receives search results including posts such as “Team A vs. Team B, (2-1) Team A wins, highlight” from an external device, the processor (140) stores the received search results in the memory (130).

[0044] In general, the processor (140) can control the display (120) to configure a search results screen that organizes search results according to a preset layout and then display the search results screen. That is, the processor (140) can identify whether spoiler information is included or display the search results to the user as is without covering up spoiler information. In the present disclosure, this operating mode is referred to as a general mode.

[0045] Meanwhile, if the processor (140) determines that spoiler prevention is necessary, it may control the display (120) to configure the search results screen by covering at least a portion of the search results and display the search results screen. In this disclosure, the operating mode that covers and displays the portion corresponding to spoiler information among the search results is referred to as a spoiler prevention mode.

[0046] Although the present disclosure describes the general mode and the spoil prevention mode, these terms are defined for convenience of explanation, and these terms may be modified in various ways. For example, the spoil prevention mode may be described as a special mode, a non-standard mode, a spoil block mode, a filter mode, etc., and the general mode may be described as a standard mode, a non-filter mode, etc. In addition, it may be described as a function rather than a mode. Hereinafter, the general mode and the spoil prevention mode will be described respectively.

[0047] When transmitting search results from an external device, unless information regarding whether the search results contain spoiler information and the portion corresponding to the spoiler information is transmitted together, the processor (140) cannot identify whether the search results contain spoiler information without analyzing the search results. Therefore, the search results that are the subject of image and text analysis are stored in the memory (130), and whether spoiler information exists in the stored search results is identified.

[0048] Whether anti-spoil mode is enabled can be determined in a variety of ways. For example, a user can preset the operating mode to either normal mode or anti-spoil mode.

[0049] As another example, the processor (140) may determine whether to enable spoiler prevention mode based on a search term entered by the user. In this case, spoiler prevention mode may be automatically enabled based on the search term, even if the user does not arbitrarily set the mode in advance.

[0050] Specifically, the processor (140) can identify whether the search term includes a term for determining whether to activate spoiler prevention mode. The term for determining whether to activate spoiler prevention mode may include various terms that reflect the user's intent to block spoiler information, such as "without spoilers" and "without match results." A database of terms for determining whether to activate spoiler prevention mode may be stored in advance in the memory (130) and updated periodically.

[0051] Specifically, if a user enters a search term such as “Team A vs. Team B highlights without knowing the game result,” the processor (140) can recognize that the search term includes the term “without knowing the game result.” The processor (140) can determine whether the term “without knowing the game result” is stored in the memory (130) as a term for determining whether to execute the spoiler prevention mode, and if the term “without knowing the game result” is stored in the memory (130), the spoiler prevention mode is executed.

[0052] Even if the term "without knowing the result of the game" is not stored in the memory (130), the processor (140) can recognize that the term "without knowing the result of the game" has the same meaning as the term "without the result of the game" through NLP (Natural Language Processing), etc., and can recognize that the term for determining the execution of the spoil prevention mode is included in the search word and execute the spoil prevention mode. In this way, when terms with similar meanings are confirmed, the processor (140) can periodically update the terms stored in the memory (130). In addition, in the case of a term composed of a combination of several words, such as the above-described "without knowing the result of the game," the processor (140) can divide each word constituting the combination into semantic units and store at least one of them as a term. In the above-described example, the processor (140) can store "without knowing" as a term among "game," "result," and "without knowing."

[0053] The processor (140) may determine that the spoiler prevention mode is to be executed if the search word includes a term for determining execution of the spoiler prevention mode, and may determine that the general mode is to be executed if the term is not included.

[0054] As another example, the processor (140) may determine whether to activate spoiler prevention mode after identifying the user's search patterns based on the user's search history. In this case, even if the search term entered by the user does not include a term related to spoiler prevention mode, the processor (140) may identify the user's intent based on the user's search pattern and activate spoiler prevention mode. Information regarding search history or search patterns may be stored in the memory (130).

[0055] For example, a record of a user searching for “Team A game highlights without spoilers”, “Team A game highlights without knowing the game result”, or “Team A game highlights” with the spoiler prevention mode enabled may be stored in the memory (130). The processor (140) can learn the stored search histories to identify the user’s search pattern, such as “when searching for a Team A game, activate the spoiler prevention mode.” The processor (140) can also store information about the search pattern identified based on the search histories in the memory (130). Alternatively, the processor (140) may match the term “Team A” or “Team A game” itself to the spoiler prevention mode and store it in the memory (130).

[0056] Therefore, even if the user does not enable spoiler prevention mode or the search term does not include a term that determines the execution of spoiler prevention mode, the processor (140) can enable spoiler prevention mode whenever the user searches for a Team A game.

[0057] If the user does not have a search history or a clear search pattern is not identified, the processor (140) performs a search in the general mode if the term corresponding to the spoiler prevention mode itself is not included in the search term. In the above example, if the user inputs the search term “Team B game highlights,” the search results can be shown to the user in the general mode because the processor (140) does not have a search pattern for “Team B game.” The processor (140) can identify the content that the user wants to search for based on the search term and then configure the search results screen according to the determined operation mode. For example, if the user inputs the search term “XXX drama episode 13 replay,” the processor (140) can identify that the content “XXX drama episode 13” is the content that the user wants to search for through the search term.

[0058] Specifically, the processor (140) can separate the search term "XXX drama episode 13 replay" into individual words of "XXX drama" / "episode 13" / "replay" through NLP (Natural Language Processing) and analyze the meaning of each word. Through this, the processor (140) can recognize the entity "XXX drama episode 13", determine the user's intention to "replay" it, and identify that the content the user wants to receive through the search is "XXX drama episode 13."

[0059] Although the above embodiment exemplifies a method of analyzing a user's search words through NLP (Natural Language Processing), one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include methods of analyzing a user's search words through various methods such as BM25 and TF-IDF algorithms.

[0060] According to another example, the processor (140) may determine whether to execute spoiler prevention mode based on the time at which the search was performed.

[0061] Generally, if a significant amount of time has passed since the content was released, users are likely to already know the outcome or content. Conversely, if not much time has passed, users may prefer not to be exposed to spoilers. Content release can occur when a sports match has concluded, a drama has finished airing its latest or final episode, or a movie has been released or is no longer in theaters.

[0062] The processor (140) can determine whether to execute spoiler prevention mode by comparing the time of content disclosure with the time of user's search term input. For example, if a user inputs the search term "Team A vs. Team B soccer match highlights" at 10:00 PM on June 8, 2023, and the "Team A vs. Team B soccer match" ends or is disclosed at 5:00 PM on June 8, 2023, the difference between the time of search term input and the time of content disclosure is 5 hours. In this case, if the preset value is 10 hours, the difference between the two times is less than or equal to the preset value, and thus the processor (140) can determine to execute spoiler prevention mode.

[0063] On the other hand, if the difference between the two views exceeds a preset value, the processor (140) may determine to execute the normal mode rather than the spoil prevention mode.

[0064] The above explanation exemplifies a preset value of 10 hours, but this is merely an example and can be set to various values ​​depending on the user's settings or by default. Alternatively, different values ​​may be set depending on the type of content. For example, for a sports match, the time period can be set to a point in time when most users are likely to encounter the results during their daily lives (e.g., two weeks). Conversely, for dramas or movies, the time period may be extended to a point in time when they are available through VOD services or other sources. Therefore, the time period can be set very long (approximately one year), or the spoiler prevention mode can be enabled regardless of the time period.

[0065] The processor (140) can use various methods to check the time at which "XXX Drama Episode 13" was published on a portal site or application through search results. For example, since the video posted in the search results displays its source, posting date, and time, the posting time of "XXX Drama Episode 13" can be calculated through this. As another example, the posting date and time can be checked in the video description or metadata included in the video posted in the search results to calculate the posting time of "XXX Drama Episode 13."

[0066] The processor (140) can confirm the publication time of the content to be searched through the above-described method, etc., and calculate the difference between the publication time of the content and the time the user inputs the search term. The processor (140) determines whether to execute spoiler prevention mode based on whether the difference exceeds a preset value.

[0067] When determining the operating mode based on time, the processor (140) can determine the operating mode without using the terms stored in the memory (130). However, this is merely an example, and the above-described embodiments may be implemented in combination with each other. For example, the processor (140) may determine the operating mode by considering the inclusion of terms stored in the memory (130), the search time, the content release time, etc.

[0068] Another example is that if a search result includes an image, the image itself or a portion of the image may contain spoiler information. For example, if an image includes a scene of a player from a specific team celebrating after scoring a goal, or an image of multiple players from the same team celebrating a goal, the match result can be immediately identified without having to look at any additional text. The processor (140) can analyze the number and ratio of objects contained within the image to determine whether the image, in whole or in part, contains spoiler information. This will be further detailed in the following section.

[0069] Once the operating mode is determined, the processor (140) can control the display (120) to generate a search results screen by configuring search results according to the operating mode, and then display the search results screen. When the spoiler prevention mode is activated, the processor (140) can generate a search results screen so that the portion corresponding to spoiler information is obscured. Examples of search results screens according to each operating mode will be described in detail below.

[0070] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a display device operating in a normal mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] When a user enters the search term “Team A vs. Team B highlights,” the processor (140) can control the display (120) to configure a search results screen as shown in FIG. 2 and display it.

[0072] According to FIG. 2, the search result screen (200) may include n search results (210-1, 210-2, 쪋, 210-n) composed of images (211-1, 211-2, 쪋, 211-n) and texts (212-1, 212-2, 쪋, 212-n). In FIG. 2, a case in which texts are implemented as content titles is illustrated, but this is only an example, and not only the content title but also a summary of some content may be displayed together as text.

[0073] Since the user entered the search term "Team A vs. Team B highlights" and the search term does not include terms such as "without match results," the processor (140) can determine that the user does not intend to activate spoiler prevention mode unless there are special circumstances. Accordingly, the processor (140) provides the search results (200) in the normal mode.

[0074] In normal mode, spoiler information is provided to the user as it is without being covered up, so images (211-1, 211-2, 쪋, 211-n) and texts (212-1, 212-2, 쪋, 212-n) are displayed as is. The user can immediately find out which team won, what the score difference is, which player scored, etc. on the search results screen (200).

[0075] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a display device operating in a spoiler prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] When the display device (100) operates in spoiler prevention mode, the processor (140) configures a search results screen (201) that covers a portion identified as spoiler information within an image or text with a graphic object.

[0077] According to FIG. 3, a user can input a search term “Team A vs. Team B highlights without match results” and check a search result screen (201) including graphic objects (213-1, 213-2, 213-n) that cover part of an image and graphic objects (214-1, 214-2, 214-n) that cover part of a text.

[0078] The processor (140) can analyze the images and texts included in the search results (200) of FIG. 2 to identify whether a portion corresponding to spoiler information exists. First, a method for analyzing images will be described.

[0079] The image (211-1) included in the first search result (210-1) of Fig. 2 is an image of a player from Team A holding a trophy. The processor (140) can recognize that the uniform of the player in the image is that of Team A through analysis of the knowledge graph, and can also recognize that the player is holding a trophy. Here, the knowledge graph refers to data that is structurally connected and organized based on the relationship between information, and this will be described in detail in the following section. The processor (140) can identify this as spoil information based on the fact that there is no player from Team B in the image (211-1), only a player from Team A, and that the player from Team A is holding a trophy.

[0080] The image (211-2) included in the second search result (210-2) of FIG. 2 is an image in which one player from Team A and one player from Team B are present, and the texts “(Team A 2-1 Team B)” and “HIGHLIGHT” are written. The processor (140) does not determine this as spoiler information because only one player from Team A and one player from Team B are displayed, and only one player from one team is not displayed at a high rate. In addition, the processor (140) can recognize texts present in the image through OCR (Optical Character Recognition), and can understand the meaning of the text through NLP (Natural Language Processing) on ​​the recognized text. The processor (140) can determine that among the texts “(Team A 2-1 Team B)” and “HIGHLIGHT”, “(Team A 2-1 Team B)” is spoil information because it displays the game score, while “HIGHLIGHT” is a text that simply means “main scene” and therefore does not correspond to spoil information.

[0081] The image (211-n) included in the search result (210-n) displayed at the bottom of Fig. 2 has 8 players from Team A and 2 players from Team B, and the text “(Team A 2-1 Team B)”. The processor (140) can recognize, based on the knowledge graph, that there are 8 players wearing the uniform of Team A and 2 players wearing the uniform of Team B. Since the display ratio of the players from Team A is greater than the display ratio of the players from Team B, the user can infer that Team A won. Therefore, the processor (140) can identify this as spoil information and cover the players from each team with the graphic object (213-n) of Fig. 3 so that the user cannot see the display ratios of the players from Teams A and B.

[0082] The processor (140) recognizes and analyzes text such as a content title to identify whether it contains spoiler information.

[0083] The text (212-1) included in the first search result (210-1) of FIG. 2 includes the text "(2-1)". The processor (140) can identify, by considering the context with other texts included in the text (212-1), that the text "(2-1)" included in the text (212-1) corresponds to spoiler information indicating that Team A defeated Team B by (2-1).

[0084] The text (212-2) included in the second search result (210-2) of FIG. 2 includes the text "Team A wins," and the text (212-n) of the third search result (210-n) includes the text "Player C scores the winning goal." The processor (140) can identify the above texts as spoiler information by considering the words, context, etc. included in the text.

[0085] In spoiler prevention mode, the processor (140) can identify spoiler information existing in images and text included in the search results through the above-described method, and display a graphic object (213-1, 213-2, 213-n, 214-1, 214-2, 214-n) that covers the portion identified as spoiler information.

[0086] Although Fig. 3 shows search results in which a portion identified as spoiler information is covered with a graphic object, the present invention is not limited thereto, and depending on the user's settings, if spoiler information exists in a portion of a post, the portion identified as spoiler information may be covered in various ways, such as covering the entire post with a graphic object.

[0087] Although FIG. 3 only illustrates a method of identifying spoiler information and covering the identified portion with a graphic object when sports content is searched, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the presence of spoiler information can be identified and the identified portion can be covered with a graphic object not only for sports content but also for various other contents such as dramas, movies, and entertainment shows.

[0088] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a spoil information identification method of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] When the display device (100) operates in spoiler prevention mode, the processor (140) can identify texts other than keywords stored in the memory (130) as spoiler information and cover the identified portions with graphic objects.

[0090] According to FIG. 4, a user can be provided with a post (310-1) corresponding to the search term “XXX Episode 13 Replay” when the display device (100) is operating in normal mode. The image (310-2) of the post (310-1) contains the texts “XXX,” “Episode 13,” and “Shock, Death of A,” and the text (310-3) of the post (310-1) includes the title “Y Broadcasting Station, XXX Episode 13 Replay” and a text summarizing the content.

[0091] On the other hand, when the display device (100) operates in spoiler prevention mode, the user may be provided with a post (320-1) containing an image (320-2) and text (320-3) with a portion identified as spoiler information covered by a graphic object.

[0092] The memory (130) can store keywords that do not contain spoiler information for each content. For example, in the case of drama content, keywords that do not contain spoiler information may include the drama title, the name of the broadcasting station airing the drama, the name of the OTT platform, information about the drama episode, and the names of characters.

[0093] Accordingly, the processor (140) can identify texts other than keywords stored in the memory (130) as spoil information without analyzing the meaning of the images or texts.

[0094] Specifically, when the search term "XXX drama episode 13 replay" is entered, the processor (140) can recognize that the content the user wants to search for is "XXX drama", and store the broadcasting station name (Y broadcasting station), character name (A), episode information (episode 13), etc. of the "XXX drama" in the memory (130), and identify all other texts as spoiler information. That is, "XXX", "episode 13", and "A" in the image (310-2) are recognized as keywords stored in the memory (130) and are not identified as spoiler information, and words such as "shock" and "death" excluding "XXX", "episode 13", and "A" are all identified as spoiler information and can be covered up using a graphic object.

[0095] Additionally, the processor (140) can update keywords for each content in the memory (130) through analysis of the user's search history, analysis results of search results, etc.

[0096] Although FIG. 4 illustrates a method for identifying spoiler information using keywords stored in memory (130) for drama content, the method is not limited thereto, and spoiler information can be identified for various contents such as movies, sports, and entertainment by using keywords stored for each content.

[0097] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for identifying spoil information of a display device based on the display ratio of objects according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] According to FIG. 5, eight Team A players (410-1) and two Team B players (410-2) are included in the image (400).

[0099] The processor (140) can extract visual features such as shape and color from the image (400) to detect an object present in the image (400). For example, the processor (140) matches a plurality of windows, each having n*m pixel sizes, to the image (400). The processor (140) calculates a representative value (e.g., an average pixel value) of pixel values ​​of pixels included in each window, and then finds and connects windows in which representative values ​​in a similar range are continuously connected to detect an edge portion. When an area surrounded by the detected edge is identified, the processor (140) can identify an object expressed by the edge based on the representative value of each window within the area and the shape of the edge. However, this is only an example, and the processor (140) can detect an object using a learned artificial intelligence model, and can detect an object in various other ways.

[0100] When an object is detected, the processor (140) can identify attributes of the detected object. For example, the processor (140) can detect 10 players in the image (400) who have visual characteristics such as different shapes and colors from the background, and can identify the colors of the uniforms worn by each of the 10 players.

[0101] If the color of the uniform worn by the players is identified, the processor (140) can identify which team each player in the image (400) belongs to based on the knowledge graph. The processor (140) can extract information related to the properties of the detected object by mapping the properties of the object detected in the image (400) to the related nodes of the knowledge graph. For example, if the object "a soccer player wearing a red uniform" is identified, the processor (140) can extract information such as which league the object "a soccer player wearing a red uniform" belongs to, which team it belongs to, and what the team's ranking is, by mapping several related nodes existing in the "soccer" category of the knowledge graph.

[0102] In the above description, information related to the properties of an object is extracted based on the color of the uniform, but it is not limited to this, and information related to the properties of an object can be extracted based on various features such as the appearance of the object, the number of the object, and the phrase written on the uniform.

[0103] Using the above-described analysis method, the processor (140) can extract information related to each object present in the image. Using the extracted information, the processor (140) can classify the objects into multiple groups based on the relationship between the objects. For example, the processor (140) can classify eight players (410-1) wearing red uniforms as Team A players, and two players (410-2) wearing blue uniforms as Team B players.

[0104] The processor (140) can compare the display ratios between multiple groups within the image (400) and identify the image (400) as spoil information if the difference in the display ratios is greater than or equal to a preset ratio. For example, since there are 8 players from Team A and 2 players from Team B in the image (400), the display ratio of the players from Team A is 0.8 and the display ratio of the players from Team B is 0.2. If the preset ratio is 0.1, the processor (140) can identify the image (400) as spoil information since the difference between the display ratios of Team A and Team B exceeds the preset ratio of 0.1.

[0105] In the above explanation, the preset ratio is 0.1, but this can be set to a value between 0 and 1 depending on the user's settings.

[0106] In addition, although the above explanation exemplifies that the display ratio of a specific group is calculated as the ratio of the number of objects of a specific group to the total number of objects existing in the image, the display ratio of a specific group is not limited thereto, and the display ratio of a specific group can be determined by considering various factors such as the area in which objects of a specific group are displayed on the display and the position in which they are displayed on the display.

[0107] In addition, although the above explanation exemplifies that the difference in display ratio between two groups is taken into account, it is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to identify whether or not it corresponds to spoil information based on the difference in display ratio between two or more groups.

[0108] If the processor (140) identifies spoil information based on a difference in display ratios between multiple groups, it may display at least one group in the image (400) in a covered state. For example, if the display ratio of Team A players (410-1) in the image (400) is higher than that of Team B players (410-2), and thus there is a possibility that spoiler information indicating that Team A has won may be provided to the user, the processor (140) may provide the user with an image in which both Team A and Team B players are covered by graphic objects. This prevents the user from noticing that a specific team has a higher display ratio, and thus spoilers for the user may be prevented.

[0109] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a knowledge graph that can be stored in a memory according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0110] A knowledge graph is a database that structurally organizes multiple pieces of information using nodes and edges, based on their relevance. Each node in a knowledge graph contains multiple pieces of information, and edges represent the relationships between nodes.

[0111] According to Figure 6, there exists a node called "Team A" within the "Soccer" category, and various nodes connected to "Team A" via edges. For example, a node containing the information "red top" is connected to a node containing the information "Team A" via an edge, and that edge contains the relationship "uniform." Furthermore, a node containing the name "Park" is connected to a node containing the name "9th place" via an edge, and that edge contains the relationship "scoring ranking."

[0112] In a knowledge graph, multiple pieces of information are structurally organized by relationships between the pieces of information. Therefore, the processor (140) can extract information about an object from images and text, and then map the information to a specific node in the knowledge graph, thereby extracting various pieces of information related to the object. For example, if the processor (140) detects a soccer player wearing a "red top" with "Park" marked on it in an image, the detected object can be mapped to a node belonging to the "soccer" category, where the information "Park" and "red top" are input. By extracting information (Team A, 9th place, Tom) from various nodes connected to the above node through edges, it is possible to identify that the detected object is "a player of Team A, ranked 9th in the league."

[0113] The above description only explains how to extract information about the team affiliation of an object included in an image through a knowledge graph, but it is not limited to this, and various fields and methods can be used to extract related information, such as extracting information about an actor from a scene of a drama and mapping the extracted information to a specific node in the knowledge graph to extract various information related to the drama.

[0114] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a spoil prevention mode according to one of various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] According to FIG. 7, the processor (140) can determine whether an object corresponding to some content of a text is included in the image through image analysis and text analysis based on a knowledge graph. For example, the processor (140) can analyze the image (510-1) to identify that one player from Team A and one player from Team B are included in the image, and can identify that the text "Team A vs. Team B" exists in the text (510-2). Through this, the text "Team A" included in the text (510-2) can be matched with the object "Team A player" included in the image (510-1), and in the same manner, the text "Team B" can be matched with the object "Team B player."

[0116] At this time, if the number of objects detected in the text (510-2) and the number of objects included in the image (510-1) match, the processor (140) can determine that it does not correspond to spoil information. On the other hand, if the number of objects detected in the text (510-2) and the number of objects included in the image (510-1) do not match, the processor (140) can determine that it corresponds to spoil information.

[0117] For example, the processor (140) can analyze the image (520-1) of the bottom post of FIG. 7 to identify that only one player from Team A is included in the image, and that the text "Team A vs. Team B" exists in the text (520-2). Through this, the processor (140) can determine that the text (520-2) includes "Team B," but the image (520-1) does not have an object called a Team B player corresponding to it, and only includes a Team A player corresponding to the text "Team A." Since the user can easily determine that Team B lost the game because it is included in the text (520-2) but not in the image (520-1), the processor (140) can identify this as spoiler information and control the display to display the image while covering the Team A player.

[0118] The above description only describes a method for identifying the presence of spoiler information based on whether there is corresponding information by comparing an image and text, but it is not limited to this, and whether there is corresponding object information can be determined through various methods, such as identifying whether there is corresponding object information based on existing text in the image.

[0119] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a spoil prevention mode according to one of various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] According to FIG. 8, the processor (140) can identify the presence of a person included in the image (530) and control the display (120) to display the image while covering the remaining portions except for any one of the identified people.

[0121] Since most content features multiple events occurring between characters, if events between multiple characters are included in an image, the user may be aware of the events that will occur between the characters before even viewing the content. Therefore, to prevent this situation, the processor (140) may cover all parts except for one character with graphic objects (540-1, 540-2).

[0122] If an image (530) of a character holding a gun shooting at one of two other characters, as in Fig. 8, is displayed as is, the user can easily infer whether there is a conflict between the characters, who is the villain, etc., just from the image (530). Accordingly, the processor (140) can block spoiler information from being provided to the user by covering the other two characters, except for one of the characters, with graphic objects (540-1, 540-2).

[0123] Although Figure 8 shows two characters excluding the character holding the gun being obscured by graphic objects, the characters obscured by graphic objects can be randomly determined in various ways, such as the character holding the gun being obscured by the graphic object.

[0124] Although Fig. 8 illustrates that only the part where the character is displayed is covered by a graphic object, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be implemented so that only one character is displayed in the image and the remaining part (including the background and other characters) is covered.

[0125] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a method for changing a graphic object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0126] The processor (140) may display a graphic object (600) to obscure spoiler information contained in images and text of search results. The processor (140) may change the position, size, shape, color, type, etc. of the graphic object (600) according to user operation. Types of the graphic object (600) may include shapes, mosaics, blurs, etc.

[0127] According to FIG. 9, in the absence of user manipulation, the processor (140) controls the display (120) to display a rectangular graphic object (600) that can cover only the portion identified as spoiler information.

[0128] If the display (120) includes a panel capable of receiving touch input, the user can change the size, position, shape, color, type, etc. of the graphic object by touching the graphic object (600) portion. When the user touches the graphic object (600) portion, the processor (140) can detect the graphic object touched by the user and provide a setting menu that allows the user to freely manipulate the detected graphic object.

[0129] Specifically, if the image of the content is covered by a graphic object (600), the user can only see a part of the image, and the user may be curious to see the part covered by the graphic object (600). In this case, the user can gradually check the content of the image by gradually reducing the size of the graphic object (600). The user can touch the part where the graphic object (600) whose size he wants to change is located, then touch the tab called 'Size' in the settings menu, and then reduce the size of the graphic object (600) through touch operation. By displaying the reduced graphic object (600), the user can check the content of the image that was covered.

[0130] Additionally, the user can remove a graphic object (600) by touching the 'Remove' tab in the settings menu, and can move the graphic object (600) by touching the 'Move' tab and touching the location to which the graphic object should be moved. Through the above actions, the user can freely manipulate the graphic object (600) and check the contents of the image.

[0131] Additionally, users can change the type of graphic object (600) in the settings menu. The graphic object (600) can be implemented in various types, such as various geometric shapes, mosaic shapes, and blur shapes. Users can change the color and type of the graphic object (600) in various ways.

[0132] For example, the user can change the type of the graphic object (600) by selecting a tab such as 'Change Color', 'Blur Processing', or 'Mosaic Processing' from the settings menu. For example, if the graphic object was black, the user can change it to a color such as white or yellow by selecting the 'Change Color' tab. If the user selects the 'Blur Processing' tab, the processor (140) can blur an image or text portion corresponding to spoil information instead of a rectangular graphic object. If the 'Mosaic Processing' tab is touched, the processor (140) can express the graphic object in a mosaic form.

[0133] Although Figure 9 illustrates only a rectangular graphic object, it is not limited thereto, and various shapes that can obscure spoil information, such as ellipses, diamonds, and triangles, can be implemented as graphic objects.

[0134] In the above description, it was said that the position, size, shape, and type of a graphic object can be changed by the user's touch input, but it is not limited to touch input, and at least one of the position, size, shape, and type of a graphic object can be changed through various methods capable of receiving a user's signal, such as a remote control or a user's voice signal.

[0135] In the above, the case of performing spoiler prevention mode by overlapping and covering a graphic object on an image or text has been described, but the processor (140) may also change the image or text itself. For example, if the processor (140) determines that at least a portion of an image in the search results corresponds to spoil information, the processor (140) may change the pixel values ​​to be displayed in that portion to mosaic-process or blur the corresponding image. Alternatively, the processor (140) may reconstruct the image by changing the color value of the portion corresponding to spoil information in the image to be identical to the surrounding color values ​​so that it can be displayed as if a graphic object is overlaid. The processor (140) may also replace the portion corresponding to spoil information in the text with question marks, exclamation marks, or other symbols so that the user cannot identify the spoil information.

[0136] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a spoil prevention mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] According to FIG. 10, the display device determines whether to execute spoiler prevention mode based on the entered search term (S1010). In this case, the display device can determine whether to execute spoiler prevention mode by identifying whether the entered search term includes terms that determine the execution of spoiler prevention mode, such as "without game results" or "without spoilers."

[0138] Next, when the spoiler prevention mode is executed, information corresponding to the search word is searched and the search result is saved (S1020).

[0139] Next, spoiler information is identified from images and text within the search results (S1030). In this case, the display device can identify the remaining portions of the images and text within the search results, excluding keywords disclosed for each content, such as the drama title or character names, as spoiler information.

[0140] Next, the search results are displayed with the part identified as spoiler information covered (S1040).

[0141] For example, if a person is included in an image included in a search result, the display device may display the search result by covering the remaining portion except for the person, thereby preventing the user from understanding the content of the image.

[0142] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a spoil prevention mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] According to FIG. 11, the display device classifies objects of images in search results into multiple groups based on a knowledge graph, which is a database that structurally links and organizes content-specific information based on the relevance between the information (S1110).

[0144] Next, the display ratios of multiple groups within the image are compared (S1120).

[0145] Next, it is identified whether the difference in display ratios of multiple groups is greater than or equal to a reference value (S1130).

[0146] If the display ratio difference exceeds the threshold, the search results are displayed with at least one group hidden (S1140). In this case, if the display ratio difference is less than the threshold, the search results are displayed as is without being hidden.

[0147] According to one example, the display device can identify text corresponding to content to be searched for within text included in the search results, identify object information related to the identified text based on a knowledge graph, and display the search results while covering an object corresponding to the identified object information within an image included in the search results.

[0148] While various embodiments have been described individually or in combination above, each embodiment is not necessarily implemented independently. That is, the various embodiments described above may be implemented together in whole or in part with at least one other embodiment in a single product.

[0149] Meanwhile, the methods according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be implemented in the form of an application that can be installed on an existing display device.

[0150] Additionally, the methods according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented only with a software upgrade or a hardware upgrade for an existing display device.

[0151] Additionally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may also be performed through an embedded server provided in a display device, or at least one external server.

[0152] Meanwhile, according to a temporary example of the present disclosure, the various embodiments described above can be implemented as software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium that can be read by a machine (e.g., a computer). The device is a device that can call instructions stored in the storage medium and operate according to the called instructions, and may include an electronic device according to the disclosed embodiments. When an instruction is executed by a processor, the processor can perform a function corresponding to the instruction directly or under the control of the processor by using other components. The instruction may include code generated or executed by a compiler or interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' means that the storage medium does not contain a signal and is tangible, but does not distinguish between whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily in the storage medium.

[0153] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method according to the various embodiments described above may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an application store (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0154] In addition, each of the components (e.g., modules or programs) according to the various embodiments described above may be composed of a single or multiple entities, and some of the corresponding sub-components described above may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in various embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single entity, which may perform the same or similar functions as those performed by each of the corresponding components prior to integration. Operations performed by modules, programs or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively or heuristically, or at least some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

[0155] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In the display device, display; A communication unit for performing communication with at least one external device; memory; and Processor; including; The above processor, When a search term is entered, it determines whether to activate spoiler prevention mode based on the search term. When the above spoiler prevention mode is executed, information corresponding to the search word is searched from at least one external device through the communication unit and the search result is stored in the memory. Identifying at least a portion corresponding to spoiler information in at least one of the images and texts included in the stored search results; A display device that controls the display to display the search results with the identified portion obscured.

2. In paragraph 1, The above memory stores terms for determining the execution of the above spoiler prevention mode, The above processor, A display device that executes the spoiler prevention mode if the search term includes a term stored in the memory.

3. In paragraph 1, The above processor, Based on the above search term, the content that the user wants to search is identified, and the time of publication of the content is compared with the time of input of the search term. If the difference between the release time of the above content and the input time is less than the preset value, the spoiler prevention mode is executed. A display device that runs in normal mode, displaying the search results as they are, if the above difference exceeds the above preset value.

4. In paragraph 1, The above memory stores information about the user's search history, The above processor, Based on the above search history, the search pattern of the user is identified, A display device that determines whether to execute the spoiler prevention mode based on the search word and the search pattern when the search word is entered.

5. In paragraph 1, The above memory stores at least one keyword disclosed for each content, The above processor, A display device that identifies the remaining portion of at least one of the images and texts included in the search results, excluding the at least one keyword, as the spoil information.

6. In paragraph 1, The above memory is, It stores data that is organized by structurally linking content-specific information based on the relevance between the information. The above processor, Based on the data stored in the above memory, objects in the image included in the search results are divided into multiple groups according to the relevance between each object, A display device that controls the display to display at least one of the plurality of groups in the image in a hidden state when the display ratios between the plurality of groups are compared and there is a difference exceeding a preset ratio.

7. In paragraph 6, The above memory is, It stores data that is organized by structurally linking content-specific information based on the relevance between the information. The above processor, Identifying text corresponding to the content within the text included in the search results, and identifying object information related to the identified text based on data stored in the memory, A display device that controls the display to display an object corresponding to the identified object information in an image included in the search results in a covered state.

8. In paragraph 1, The above processor, A display device that controls the display so that, if a person is included in an image included in the search results, the remaining portions except for the person are hidden.

9. In paragraph 1, The above processor, On the search results, the display is controlled to display a graphic object for covering the identified portion, and when a user operation is input, the display is controlled to change at least one of the position, size, shape, color, and type of the graphic object according to the user operation. A display device, wherein the type of the graphic object includes at least one of a shape, a mosaic, and a blur.

10. In a method for controlling a display device, A step for determining whether to run spoiler prevention mode based on a search term; When the above spoiler prevention mode is executed, a step of searching for information corresponding to the search word and saving the search result; A step of identifying at least a portion corresponding to spoil information in at least one of the images and texts included in the stored search results; and A control method comprising: a step of displaying the search results with the identified portion obscured; 11. In paragraph 10, The step of determining whether to run spoiler prevention mode based on the above search term is as follows: A step of identifying whether the above search term contains a term for determining the execution of spoiler prevention mode; and A control method comprising: a step of executing the spoiler prevention mode if the above search word contains the above term; 12. In paragraph 10, The step of determining whether to run spoiler prevention mode based on the above search term is as follows: A step of identifying a user's search pattern based on previously stored search history; and A control method, comprising: a step of determining whether to execute the spoiler prevention mode based on the search word and the search pattern when the search word is entered.

13. In paragraph 10, The step of identifying at least a portion corresponding to the above spoiler information is: A control method comprising: a step of identifying a portion remaining in at least one of the images and texts included in the search results, excluding at least one keyword disclosed for each content, as spoil information; 14. In paragraph 10, A step of dividing objects in an image included in the search results into multiple groups based on the relevance between each object, based on data that is structurally linked and organized based on the relevance between the content-specific information; and A control method further comprising: a step of displaying the search results while covering at least one of the plurality of groups in the image when comparing the display ratios between the plurality of groups and finding a difference greater than a preset ratio; 15. In paragraph 14, A step of identifying text corresponding to the content within the text included in the search results; A step of identifying object information related to the identified text based on the above data; and A control method further comprising: a step of displaying the search results in a state in which an object corresponding to the identified object information is obscured within an image included in the search results.

Images