Device for determining suitability of match between users and method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for processing information in an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a first user as a target to be provided with a matching function; identifying one or more users satisfying a set condition in relation to the first user; and determining, for each of the one or more users, whether matching with the first user is suitable.

Description

Device and method for determining whether matching between users is appropriate

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device and method for determining whether a user is a suitable match. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an electronic device and method for identifying one or more users who satisfy established conditions in their relationship with a first user, who is the target of a matching function, and determining whether each of the users is a suitable match with the first user.

[0002] With the advancement of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a distinct form of shopping. First-time users can purchase items online without having to visit a physical shopping mall or market. Items purchased online are then delivered to the delivery address requested by the first-time user.

[0003] Shipping costs can act as a barrier to first-time users' purchases, so various methods can be explored to reduce shipping costs. For items like manufactured goods, where expiration dates and freshness are less important, shipping costs can be significantly reduced by having a single courier handle multiple items. However, for items like food or plants, where expiration dates and freshness are more important, it's difficult to have a single courier handle multiple items.

[0004] In this regard, reference can be made to prior literature such as KR101735018B1 and KR102346739B1.

[0005] The problem that the present embodiment seeks to solve is to provide an electronic device and method thereof that, in order to solve the above-described problem, identifies a first user as a target for provision of a matching function, identifies one or more users that satisfy a set condition in a relationship with the first user, and determines whether or not a match with the first user is appropriate for each of the one or more users.

[0006] The technical tasks to be achieved by this embodiment are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the following embodiments.

[0007] A method for processing information in an electronic device according to an embodiment, comprising: a step of identifying a first user as a target for provision of a matching function; a step of identifying one or more users who satisfy a set condition in a relationship with the first user; and a step of determining whether a match with the first user is appropriate for each of the one or more users.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the step of determining whether a match is suitable for the first user may include a step of obtaining, for each of the one or more users, matching suitability information for matching with the first user.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the step of obtaining the matching suitability information may include the step of obtaining first vector information associated with the first user; the step of obtaining second vector information associated with a second user included in the one or more users; and the step of obtaining cosine similarity information between the first vector information and the second vector information.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the step of obtaining the first vector information may include a step of quantifying the degree of fit between the first user and the store for each of a plurality of stores.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the step of determining whether a match with the first user is appropriate may include the step of obtaining one or more user information associated with the one or more users and the first user; and the step of determining whether a match between the one or more users and the first user is appropriate based on the one or more user information.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the one or more user information may include history information of ordering items using the item ordering service.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the history information may include one or more of information on the time period when the item was ordered, information on the number of times the item was ordered, and information on the store that processed the order for the item.

[0014] In one embodiment, the one or more user information may include preference information regarding interactions with other users.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the one or more user information may include usage history information of the matching function.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the usage history information of the matching function may include at least one of history information in which a match was made between the first user and a second user included in the at least one user, and history information in which at least one of the first user and the second user rejected a match between the first user and the second user.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the usage history information of the above matching function may include history information of group ordering of items in a user group formed through matching.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the one or more pieces of user information may include preference information related to service use.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the step of verifying one or more users includes: verifying a plurality of users for matching, including the first user; and verifying a user belonging to a first area among the plurality of users, wherein the first area may correspond to an area to which the first user belongs among the plurality of set areas.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the step of verifying the plurality of users may include a step of verifying, among the plurality of candidate users, candidate users who have permitted matching with other users.

[0021] According to one embodiment, when it is determined that a second user included in the one or more users is to be matched with the first user, the method for processing the information may further include a step of providing an item group ordering service for a user group including the first user and the second user.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the step of providing the item group ordering service may include one or more of the steps of recommending one or more stores for the user group; and the step of recommending one or more items for the user group.

[0023] An electronic device for processing information according to an embodiment includes a memory for storing instructions and a processor, wherein the processor is connected to the memory and identifies a first user as a target for provision of a matching function, identifies one or more users that satisfy a set condition in a relationship with the first user, and determines whether or not a match with the first user is appropriate for each of the one or more users.

[0024] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0025] According to the present disclosure, an electronic device and method for determining whether a user-to-user match is suitable can provide an opportunity for conversation between users by matching users who are determined to be suitable for each other, thereby increasing the availability of a service that can increase convenience when used together.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device and method for determining whether a user-to-user match is suitable can provide an item group ordering service for a user group including users who are determined to be suitable for matching with each other, thereby reducing the overall service operation cost and increasing the number of item orders.

[0027] The effects of the invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for matching between users.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention to process information to determine whether a match is suitable.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a drawing for exemplarily explaining a method for identifying one or more users that satisfy set conditions in a relationship with a first user according to one embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining a method for obtaining vector information related to a user according to one embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for recommending a store or item for a user group according to one embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a drawing for exemplarily explaining a method for providing a chat room for a user group according to one embodiment.

[0034] Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram of the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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’.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0041] 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 it more clearly.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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).

[0045] 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.

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for matching between users.

[0047] According to various embodiments, a system for matching between users includes an electronic device (110). According to one embodiment, the system for matching between users may further include at least some of a first user's device (120) and a plurality of users' devices (130). According to one embodiment, the system for matching between users may further include a network that supports information transmission and reception among the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), the plurality of users' devices (130), and at least some of an external device.

[0048] The electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) may include a memory and a processor, and may further include a transceiver. In addition, each of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0049] Meanwhile, throughout the embodiments, the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) are each referred to as separate devices or servers, but this may be a logically divided structure, and at least some of them may be implemented by separate functions in one device or server. For example, throughout the present disclosure, at least some of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) may be implemented by one device, and in this case, at least some of the processes of transmitting and receiving information between the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) may actually be understood as processes in which data is exchanged within one device.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may include a plurality of computer systems or computer software implemented as network servers. For example, at least some of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may be connected to a lower device that can communicate with another network server via a computer network such as an intranet or the Internet, and may refer to a computer system and computer software that receives a task execution request, performs the task accordingly, and provides the execution result. In addition, at least some of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may be understood as a broad concept that includes a series of application programs that can operate on a network server, and various databases built on other internal or connected nodes. For example, at least some of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) may be implemented using a network server program provided in various ways according to an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, or MacOS.

[0051] Meanwhile, for the convenience of explanation, each operating entity is referred to as an electronic device (110), a first user's device (120), and multiple users' devices (130), but these should be understood as comprehensive devices that correspond to various types of devices such as computer devices and mobile communication terminals, include various types of devices, or can be included in various types of devices.

[0052] The electronic device (110) is a device that acquires and processes various information. The electronic device (110) can perform various tasks to determine whether a user is suitable for matching. Specifically, the electronic device (110) identifies a first user as a target for providing a matching function, identifies one or more users who satisfy established conditions in their relationship with the first user, and determines whether a user is suitable for matching with the first user for each of the users. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) can determine whether a user is suitable for matching with the first user by acquiring matching suitability information for matching with the first user for each of the users. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0053] A primary user may include various entities to which the matching function is provided. For example, a primary user may be a user who wishes to join a user group with other users through matching, or more specifically, a user who wishes to group-order items through such a user group. However, a user's intention (e.g., a desire to join a user group with other users through matching or a desire to group-order items) is sufficiently latent and does not necessarily require the primary user's definitive intention. For example, even if a specific user does not explicitly express a desire to group-order items through matching, if their service usage history suggests a preference for group ordering, they may be included as a primary user.

[0054] The first user's device (120) may be a device operated and managed by the first user. The first user's device (120) may interact with the first user or with a device such as an electronic device (110) and perform further operations related thereto. For example, the first user's device (120) may obtain information of the first user (e.g., receive input from the first user) and transmit it to the electronic device (110). In addition, the first user's device (120) may receive a result of determining whether a match is appropriate from the electronic device (110) and provide it to the first user (e.g., display it on a screen). In some embodiments, the first user's device (120) may receive an input from the first user agreeing to the match and transmit a request for matching to the electronic device (110) based on the input.

[0055] The multiple users may include various entities that are candidates for matching with the first user. For example, the multiple users may include candidate users who permit matching with other users among the multiple candidate users. More specifically, the multiple users may include one or more candidate users currently using the service who permit matching with other users while using the service, or one or more candidate users who are not currently using the service who permit matching with other users while not using the service.

[0056] The device (130) of multiple users may be a device operated and managed by multiple users. The device (130) of multiple users may interact with multiple users or interact with devices such as the electronic device (110) and the first user's device (120), and may further perform operations related thereto. For example, the device (130) of multiple users may obtain information including the locations of multiple users (e.g., receive inputs from multiple users) and transmit the information to the electronic device (110). In addition, the device (130) of multiple users may receive a result of determining whether a match is appropriate from the electronic device (110) and provide the result to the multiple users (e.g., display it on a screen).

[0057] For convenience of explanation, the devices (130) of multiple users are depicted as if they were a single device. However, the devices (130) of multiple users may include multiple devices, such as using different devices for each of the multiple users or using different devices for each of the multiple detailed user groups included in the multiple users. (In fact, it may be a more common embodiment for the devices (130) of multiple users to include multiple devices.)

[0058] More detailed information regarding the operation of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the multiple users' devices (130) will be described later in FIGS. 2 to 6, etc.

[0059] The electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may include computer devices, mobile communication terminals, servers, etc. The electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may include input devices such as a touchpad, a mouse, and a keyboard for receiving input, or may be connected to the input devices. In addition, the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may include output devices such as a screen, a speaker, and an interface device for matching between users, or may be connected to the output devices. Furthermore, the input devices and output devices of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130) may be configured integrally or may be interrelated. For example, an interface for receiving input may be displayed on at least one of the electronic device (110), the first user's device (120), and the plurality of users' devices (130).

[0060] The operations related to a series of information provision methods according to various embodiments may be implemented by a single physical device, or may be implemented in a manner in which multiple physical devices are organically combined. For example, some of the components included in the system for user-to-user matching may be implemented by a single physical device, and the remaining parts may be implemented by other physical devices. For example, one physical device may be implemented as a part of the electronic device (110), and the other physical devices may be implemented as a part of the device (120) of the first user, a part of the devices (130) of multiple users, or a part of other external devices. In some cases, each component included in the system for user-to-user matching may be distributed and arranged in different physical devices, and the distributed components may be organically combined to perform the functions and operations of the system for user-to-user matching. For example, the electronic device (110) of this specification includes at least one sub-device, and some operations described as being performed by the electronic device (110) may be performed by the first sub-device, and other operations may be performed by the second sub-device.

[0061] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment to determine whether a user-to-user match is appropriate.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic device (110) according to one embodiment identifies a first user as a target for provision of a matching function (210). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may receive a request for provision of a matching function from the first user and, in response, identify the first user as a target for provision of the matching function. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various embodiments may exist, such as identifying the first user as a target for provision of the matching function if it is determined that the first user intends to use the matching function based on information about the first user. (As previously mentioned in FIG. 1, the user's intention is sufficiently provisional.)

[0063] The electronic device (110) identifies one or more users who satisfy the established conditions in their relationship with the first user (220). The electronic device (110) may identify one or more users among the "multiple users for matching" who utilize the devices (130) of multiple users. As described above in FIG. 1 , the electronic device (110) according to one embodiment may identify candidate users who have permitted matching with other users among the multiple candidate users, and the candidate users who have permitted matching may be included in the multiple users. The multiple candidate users may be understood as a broad concept that includes users who have subscribed to or have a history of using the service provided by the electronic device (110).

[0064] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) can identify one or more users located at a location that satisfies a set condition in relation to the location of the first user. More specifically, the electronic device (110) according to one embodiment can identify a plurality of users for matching, and identify a user belonging to a first area among the plurality of users. In this regard, the plurality of users for matching may include the first user, and the first area may correspond to an area to which the first user belongs among the plurality of set areas. That is, the electronic device (110) according to one embodiment can identify one or more users located in the same area as the first user among the plurality of users for matching.

[0065] In some embodiments, the operation of "verifying multiple users for matching" may be omitted. For example, if all users who have subscribed to or used the service belong to the "multiple users," and the information of such users is immediately available on the electronic device (110) without the need for a separate acquisition process, the operation of verifying multiple users for matching may be omitted.

[0066] With further reference to FIG. 3 in relation to the operation of drawing number 220 for identifying one or more users satisfying set conditions in a relationship with a first user, examples of a plurality of set areas are illustrated as drawing numbers 301 and 302. As can be seen from drawing numbers 301 and 302, the area is not limited to a fixed shape and the shape may include various polygons. Furthermore, the area may include shapes that are not expressed as polygons, such as circles, and as long as it is a closed shape surrounded by an outline, the area may be expressed in various ways without being restricted by a specific shape.

[0067] As an example, information for each area can be expressed as geofencing data as shown in Table 1 below.

[0068] Area ID Area Name Geofencing Data 1 Area APOLYGON ((127.00391647009724 37.50190121259534, 127.00393007949822 37.50140555836879, 127.00416104728959 37.499940178944996, 127.00451422563856 37.49865801248957, 127.00503033587881 37.49803310473877,127.00531555189531 37.49761291321088, 127.0060353461102 37.49758059094482, 127.0062798004650537.49788226628378, 127.00596741872408 37.498819628025785, 127.00570935788545 37.49951996896368,127.00646991994256 37.49963848931567, 127.00668722256029 37.49996172828459, 127.0069860176739137.500080249841616, 127.00689094586039 37.50044659124576, 127.00666005380651 37.50098533421502,127.0063884101624 37.501631834597106, 127.00625258275852 37.50222091793548, 127.0065513888831137.50235377139114, 127.00640197906068 37.502924864218244, 127.00621182649729 37.502924864218244,127.00470421130967 37.50236454665816, 127.00391647009724 37.50190121259534))2Area BPOLYGON ((127.01342459352793 37.49955346216835, 127.01397295143795 37.497845098404284, 127.01414682101864 37.4969219290479, 127.01587214224764 37.49714476407537, 127.01781145680582 37.49804670858414,127.01711597848066 37.499171471178784, 127.01631350349095 37.50023255243562, 127.0153237843376237.50090102588565, 127.01342459352793 37.49955346216835)).

[0069] Area A corresponds to an example of area number 301 in FIG. 3, and Area B corresponds to an example of area number 302 in FIG. 3. Meanwhile, expressing area information with geofencing data as in Table 1 described above is only an example for expressing areas, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] The electronic device (110) may identify a user belonging to the first area among a plurality of users based on the aforementioned geofencing data, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device (110) may determine whether a plurality of users belong to the first area based on a ray casting algorithm. As another example, the electronic device (110) may identify a plurality of bounding boxes corresponding to each of the plurality of set areas, and may determine whether the locations of the plurality of users belong to the first bounding box included in the first area. Thereafter, the electronic device (110) may further determine (for example, using a ray casting algorithm) whether a user belonging to the first bounding box belongs to the first area. In this regard, the plurality of bounding boxes may include one or more boxes having a rectangular shape including a corresponding area and having sides parallel to the x-axis or the y-axis.

[0071] In relation to the above description, in determining whether it belongs to the first area and the first bounding box, there may be various embodiments, such as determining whether it is included within the first area or the first bounding box, or further determining whether it is included within the boundary of the first area or the first bounding box.

[0072] The ray casting algorithm can be understood as a type of inside-polygon test, which determines whether a point is inside a polygon given a point and a polygon. An example ray casting algorithm can be expressed in pseudocode, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0073] count ← 0foreach side in polygon:if ray_intersects_segment(P,side) thencount ← count + 1if is_odd(count) thenreturn insideelsereturn outside

[0074] ray_intersects_segment can be understood as a function that returns true if a horizontal ray starting from point P intersects the segment, and false otherwise. For a more detailed understanding of ray_intersects_segment, you can refer to the pseudocode in Table 3 below.

[0075] count ← 0ray_intersects_segment:P : the point from which the ray startsA : the end-point of the segment with the smallest y coordinate(A must be "below" B)B : the end-point of the segment with the greatest y coordinate(B must be "above" A)if Py = Ay or Py = By thenPy ← Py + εend ifif Py < Ay or Py > By thenreturn falseelse if Px >= max(Ax, Bx) thenreturn falseelseif Px < min(Ax, Bx) thenreturn trueelseif Ax ≠ Bx thenm_red ← (By - Ay) / (Bx - Ax)elsem_red ← ∞end ifif Ax ≠ Px thenm_blue ← (Py - Ay) / (Px - Ax)elsem_blue ← ∞end ifif m_blue ≥ m_red thenreturn trueelsereturn falseend ifend ifend if

[0076] Returning to FIG. 2, the embodiment of identifying one or more users at a location that satisfies a set condition in relation to the location of the first user in relation to the operation of drawing number 220 has been described in detail, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device (110) may perform one or more of the following operations: identifying one or more candidate users who have a history of being matched with the first user; and identifying one or more candidate users among a plurality of candidate users who have a history of rejecting a match with the first user; and may identify one or more users based on the results thereof. As another example, the electronic device (110) may perform one or more of the following operations: identifying one or more users who are friends with the first user; and identifying one or more users who have blocked the first user or have been blocked by the first user; and may identify one or more users based on the results thereof. In addition, various embodiments related to the operation of drawing number 220 may fall within the scope of the present disclosure. For each identified one or more users, the electronic device (110) determines whether the user is suitable for matching with the first user (230). For convenience of explanation, the term "matching" will be used throughout this disclosure. However, this term "matching" should be interpreted broadly to encompass various methods of grouping multiple users together, and should not be limited to the meaning of connecting two users. (See "User Group Including First User and Second User" below.)

[0077] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (110) may obtain matching suitability information for matching with a first user for each of one or more users. Based on the obtained matching suitability information, the electronic device (110) may determine whether a matching with the first user is appropriate. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may obtain first information related to the first user, obtain second information related to a second user included in the one or more users, and obtain matching suitability information by comparing the first information and the second information.

[0078] As a more specific example, the electronic device (110) may obtain first vector information associated with a first user, obtain second vector information associated with a second user included in one or more users, and obtain cosine similarity information between the first vector information and the second vector information. According to one example, the cosine similarity information may be expressed as in the following mathematical expression 1.

[0079]

[0080] similarity corresponds to cosine similarity information, A corresponds to the first vector information, B corresponds to the second vector information, corresponds to the i-th element of the first vector information, It can be understood that it corresponds to the ith component of the second vector information.

[0081] In one example, the electronic device (110) can obtain first vector information by quantifying the degree of fit between a first user and a store for each of a plurality of stores (e.g., if the item includes food, the store may include a restaurant). Similarly, the electronic device (110) can obtain second vector information by quantifying the degree of fit between a second user and a store for each of a plurality of stores.

[0082] An example related to obtaining first vector information and second vector information is illustrated in FIG. 4. Referring further to the example of FIG. 4 (400), the results can be confirmed in the form of a table by quantifying the fit between each user and each store. For example, the fit between user A and store A is 0.1, and the fit between user A and store B is 0.3. In the table, a case indicated as "-" may mean that the fit was not quantified, which may include, but is not necessarily limited to, a case where the fit could not be quantified because there is not enough history to determine the fit for a combination of a specific user and a specific store.

[0083] In some embodiments, the fit may be numerically expressed as a negative number. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the fit between user A and store L may be numerically expressed as -0.1, considering the history of user A leaving a negative review due to dissatisfaction with an item in store L.

[0084] For the first user, the suitability for each store can be integrated to obtain the first vector information, and for the second user, the suitability for each store can be integrated to obtain the second vector information. For example, in the example of Fig. 4, the vector information for user A can be expressed as {0.1, 0.3, 0.2, ..., -0.1}.

[0085] Based on the above, if we look again at the cosine similarity of the aforementioned mathematical expression 1, we can understand that the cosine similarity between the vector information of user pairs whose suitability for each store is generally similar will generally be high, whereas the cosine similarity between the vector information of user pairs whose suitability for each store is generally different will generally be low.

[0086] Returning to FIG. 2, an electronic device (110) according to one embodiment may acquire one or more user information associated with one or more users and a first user, and, based on the acquired one or more user information, determine whether the one or more users are appropriately matched with the first user. The "one or more user information" may include a single piece of information that integrates information from multiple users, or may include multiple pieces of information that exist separately for each individual user.

[0087] According to one embodiment, one or more pieces of user information may include history information regarding items ordered using the item ordering service. The history information may include one or more of the following: the time period when the item was ordered, the number of times the item was ordered, and information about the store that processed the order. Additionally, various embodiments may exist regarding the history information. For example, the history information may include one or more of the following: the time the user used the service and the period during which the user subscribed to the service.

[0088] According to one embodiment, one or more pieces of user information may include preference information regarding interactions with other users. The electronic device (110) may determine the preference for interaction and directly obtain the preference information, or may receive preset information. The preference information may be understood to include information indicating the user's willingness to communicate with other users. To determine the preference for interaction, information such as the number of times and duration of interaction with other users may be considered, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0089] According to one embodiment, one or more pieces of user information may include usage history information of the matching function. In one example, the usage history information of the matching function may include history information of matches between a first user and a second user included in one or more users, or may include history information of matches between the first user and the second user being rejected by at least one of the first user and the second user. In another example, the usage history information of the matching function may include history information of group orders of items within a user group formed through matching.

[0090] According to one embodiment, one or more pieces of user information may include preference information related to service use. The preference may include one or more of the following: a user's preferred item type (e.g., a specific type of food), a user's preferred service usage time (e.g., a tendency to order dinner around 6:00 PM), and a user's preferred price range (e.g., a tendency to order within a price range of 15,000 won). However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0091] The various embodiments described above are described separately for convenience of explanation, but are not mutually exclusive or incompatible. For example, preference information related to service use and history information on ordering items using an item ordering service may be information that involves one party or influences the acquisition of another party (e.g., serves as the basis for acquisition), and both pieces of information may be included in "one or more pieces of information." Furthermore, one or more pieces of information may be used to obtain "matching suitability information." A more specific example is that matching suitability information may be obtained based on history information on ordering items using an item ordering service.

[0092] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (110) may determine the cosine similarity between the first vector information associated with the first user and the second vector information associated with the second user, determine preference information regarding interactions with other users, and obtain final score information for determining the appropriateness of matching between users based on a combination of the cosine similarity and preference information. The final score information according to one example may be expressed as in Mathematical Expression 2 below.

[0093]

[0094] score1 corresponds to score information corresponding to cosine similarity information, score2 corresponds to score information corresponding to preference information, and w1 and w2 may correspond to weight information for determining how much score1 and score2 are reflected, respectively.

[0095] In addition to these examples, various embodiments in which the contents described above coexist or are combined may fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] Meanwhile, in relation to the operation of drawing number 230, the electronic device (110) that determines whether a match is suitable for one or more users with the first user may immediately match a pair of users for which a match is determined to be suitable, or may further inquire whether one or more of the two users agrees to the match.

[0097] In some embodiments, user pairs that satisfy the set conditions can be matched immediately, while user pairs that do not satisfy the set conditions can be further inquired about whether they agree to the match. For example, if a user pair has a history of matching, they can be considered to satisfy the set conditions and matched immediately (in some embodiments, resource-saving measures such as reusing existing chat rooms can be adopted). However, if a user pair does not have such a history, they can be further inquired about whether they agree to the match.

[0098] According to one embodiment, when a second user, included in one or more users, is determined to be matched with a first user, the electronic device (110) may provide an item group ordering service for a user group including the first user and the second user. Items subject to group ordering may include items requiring significant consideration of expiration date or freshness, such as food or plants, but the scope of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0099] According to an embodiment, an operation of an electronic device (110) providing an item group ordering service may include one or more of an operation of recommending one or more stores for a user group and an operation of recommending one or more items for the user group. Referring further to the example of FIG. 5, when the electronic device (110) recommends one or more stores and one or more items, recommendation information such as those shown in drawings 501 and 502 may be provided to the device (120) of the first user. More specifically, “Order the items below with the second user” of drawing 501 may be understood as an example of a phrase suggesting an item group order, and “Store E: Soy Sauce Bulgogi”, “Store G: Sushi Set, Gyudon, Cold Buckwheat Noodles”, and “Store H: Bossam, Jokbal” of drawing 502 may be understood as examples of information recommending specific stores and items for group ordering.

[0100] According to one embodiment, when it is determined that a second user included in one or more users is to be matched with the first user, the electronic device (110) may provide information about a group including the first user and the second user, and may also provide a function for communication between the groups. Referring further to the example of FIG. 6, according to one example, a chat room (601) in which a user group participates may be displayed on the user's device (120), and the chat room may provide information (602) about participants including the first user and the second user. The users may engage in various conversations, such as discussing items to be ordered by the group, through the displayed chat room (601).

[0101] Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram of the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 7, the electronic device (110) includes a processor (710) and a memory (720), and may further include a transceiver (730) depending on the embodiment. The electronic device (110) may be connected to a first user's device (120), multiple users' devices (130), and external devices through the transceiver (730), and may exchange data with them.

[0103] The processor (710) may include at least one of the devices described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, or may perform at least one method described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The memory (720) may store information for performing at least one method described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The memory (720) may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

[0104] The processor (710) can control an electronic device (110) that executes a program and determines whether a match between users is appropriate. The code of the program executed by the processor (710) can be stored in the memory (720).

[0105] Additionally, the electronic device (110) of the embodiment may further include an interface capable of providing information to a user (e.g., a first user).

[0106] 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.

[0107] The server 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 executable 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 may be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium may be readable by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed by a processor.

[0108] 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 like "mechanism," "element," "means," and "composition" can be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical components. These terms can also encompass a series of software routines, such as those associated with a processor.

[0109] 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 a method of processing information in an electronic device, A step of confirming the first user as a target for provision of the matching function; A step of identifying one or more users that satisfy the set conditions in the relationship with the first user; and A method for processing information, comprising a step of determining whether a match with the first user is appropriate for each of the above one or more users.

2. In paragraph 1, The step of determining whether the above-mentioned first user is suitable for matching is A method for processing information, characterized in that it comprises a step of obtaining matching suitability information for matching with the first user, for each of the above one or more users.

3. In paragraph 2, The step of obtaining the above matching suitability information is A step of obtaining first vector information associated with the first user; A step of obtaining second vector information associated with a second user included in the one or more users; and A method for processing information, characterized by comprising a step of obtaining cosine similarity information between the first vector information and the second vector information.

4. In paragraph 3, The step of obtaining the above first vector information is A method for processing information, characterized in that it comprises a step of quantifying the degree of fit between the first user and the store for each of a plurality of stores.

5. In paragraph 1, The step of determining whether the above-mentioned first user is suitable for matching is A step of obtaining one or more user information associated with the one or more users and the first user; and A method for processing information, characterized in that it comprises a step of determining whether a match between the one or more users and the first user is appropriate based on the one or more user information.

6. In paragraph 5, A method for processing information, characterized in that the one or more user information includes history information of ordering items using an item ordering service.

7. In paragraph 6, The above history information Information about the time zone in which the item was ordered, Information on the number of times an item was ordered, and Information about the store that processed the order for the item A method for processing information, characterized in that it includes one or more of:

8. In paragraph 5, A method for processing information, characterized in that the one or more user information includes preference information for interactions with other users.

9. In paragraph 5, A method for processing information, characterized in that the one or more user information includes usage history information of a matching function.

10. In paragraph 9, The usage history information of the above matching function History information on matching between the first user and a second user included in the one or more users; and History information in which at least one of the first user and the second user rejected the matching between the first user and the second user A method for processing information, characterized in that it includes one or more of:

11. In paragraph 9, The usage history information of the above matching function A method for processing information, characterized in that it includes history information on group ordering of items in a user group formed through matching.

12. In paragraph 5, A method for processing information, characterized in that the one or more user information includes preference information related to service use.

13. In paragraph 1, The step of verifying one or more of the above users is A step of verifying a plurality of users for matching, including the first user; and Including a step of identifying a user belonging to a first area among the plurality of users, A method for processing information, characterized in that the first area corresponds to an area to which the first user belongs among a plurality of set areas.

14. In paragraph 13, The step of verifying the above multiple users is A method for processing information, characterized by including a step of checking, among a plurality of candidate users, candidate users who have permitted matching with other users.

15. In paragraph 1, A method for processing information, characterized in that it further comprises a step of providing an item group ordering service for a user group including the first user and the second user when it is determined that a second user included in the one or more users is to be matched with the first user.

16. In paragraph 15, The steps for providing the above item group order service are: a step of recommending one or more stores for the above user group; and A step of recommending one or more items for the above user group. A method for processing information, characterized in that it includes one or more of:

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of paragraph 1 on a computer.

18. In an electronic device that processes information, Includes a memory and a processor that stores instructions, The above processor is connected to the above memory, Confirm the first user as the target of the matching function, Identify one or more users that satisfy the conditions set in the relationship with the first user above, An electronic device that determines whether a match with the first user is appropriate for each of the above one or more users.

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