U.S. patent application number 15/380268 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-06 for method of providing service for user search, and apparatus, server, and system for the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Young-ho RHEE, Kiran Pal SAGOO.
Application Number | 20170097998 15/380268 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38662377 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170097998 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SAGOO; Kiran Pal ; et
al. |
April 6, 2017 |
METHOD OF PROVIDING SERVICE FOR USER SEARCH, AND APPARATUS, SERVER,
AND SYSTEM FOR THE SAME
Abstract
A service provision method is provided for user search, and an
apparatus, a server, and a system for the same. A service provision
method includes transmitting a terminal search request message
including a contents information element to a service provision
server, receiving positional information of a terminal, which is
playing first contents related to the contents information element,
from the service provision server, and displaying the received
positional information.
Inventors: |
SAGOO; Kiran Pal;
(Seongnam-si, KR) ; RHEE; Young-ho; (Seoul,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. |
Suwon-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
38662377 |
Appl. No.: |
15/380268 |
Filed: |
December 15, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14308203 |
Jun 18, 2014 |
9547688 |
|
|
15380268 |
|
|
|
|
11743887 |
May 3, 2007 |
8788588 |
|
|
14308203 |
|
|
|
|
60796870 |
May 3, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 29/0836 20130101;
H04L 67/1053 20130101; H04L 67/306 20130101; G06F 16/245 20190101;
H04L 65/00 20130101; H04L 29/08657 20130101; H04L 29/08333
20130101; H04L 67/18 20130101; G06F 16/9537 20190101; G06F 16/29
20190101; H04L 65/403 20130101; G06F 16/9038 20190101; H04L 67/1046
20130101; G06F 16/951 20190101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 16, 2007 |
KR |
10-2007-0026064 |
Claims
1. A service provision server comprising: a contents management
device configured to provide a first content requested from a first
terminal; and a service processing device configured to provide a
search result that identifies a second terminal reproducing a
second content related to the first content in response to a search
request to search for another terminal reproducing content related
to the first content.
2. The service provision server of claim 1, wherein the first
terminal transmits the search request while reproducing the first
content.
3. The service provision server of claim 1, wherein the search
request comprises a contents information element included in
metadata of the first content.
4. The service provision server of claim 3, wherein the contents
management device searches at least one terminal that is receiving
contents having metadata including the contents information element
in a streaming method.
5. The service provision server of claim 3, wherein the contents
management device searches at least one terminal which transmits
reply message including the contents information element.
6. The service provision server of claim 1, further comprising a
communication relay device configured to relay a communication
service between the first terminal and the second terminal.
7. The service provision server of claim 6, wherein the
communication service is one of an instant messenger (IM) service,
a short message service (SMS), a voice call, and an image call.
8. A service provision method comprising: providing a first content
requested from a first terminal; and providing a search result that
identifies a second terminal reproducing a second content related
to the first content in response to a search request to search for
another terminal reproducing content related to the first
content.
9. The service provision method of claim 8, wherein the first
terminal transmits the search request while reproducing the first
content.
10. The service provision method of claim 8, wherein the search
request comprises a contents information element included in
metadata of the first content.
11. The service provision method of claim 10, further comprising:
searching at least one terminal that is receiving contents having
metadata including the contents information element in a streaming
method.
12. The service provision method of claim 10, further comprising:
searching at least one terminal which transmits reply message
including the contents information element.
13. The service provision method of claim 8, further comprising:
relaying a communication service between the first terminal and the
second terminal.
14. The service provision method of claim 13, wherein the
communication service is one of an instant messenger (IM) service,
a short message service (SMS), a voice call, and an image call.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation application of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/308,203 filed on Jun. 18, 2014, in the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office, which is a continuation application of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/743,887 filed on May 3, 2007,
now U.S. Pat. No. 8,788,588, which claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/796,870 filed on May 3, 2006,
in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which claims priority from
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0026064 filed on Mar. 16,
2007, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures
of which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Methods, apparatuses and systems consistent with the present
invention relate to a service for user search, and in particular,
to providing a service that searches users having similar taste in
use of contents.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] With the development of digital technology, demands for
various kinds of digital contents, such as music, movies, and
games, are increasing. A user may make contact with people having
similar tastes in order to search and use contents according to
his/her taste and to exchange other kinds of information. For
example, the user may join a club on a Web site so as to share
various kinds and a large amount of information.
[0006] However, in the related art, in order for the user to obtain
information related to the contents, which is being played, from
another user, the user needs to upload an inquiry about the
contents to the Web site or request to chat with other users, who
are currently connected to the Web site, through IMs (Instant
Messages). That is, in the related art, real-time information
exchange is rarely performed.
[0007] In recent years, there are many users who store tens or
hundreds of contents in a portable terminal, such as a cellular
phone or a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) and play desired
contents without regard to time constraint or specific locations.
The user who is using such a portable terminal rarely exchanges
information with a user having similar taste in real time.
Accordingly, there is an unmet need for a technology that allows a
user to exchange information related to contents, which the user is
using, with other users having similar taste in real time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides a service that searches
users, who use similar contents, in real time, and allows
information exchange with the searched users.
[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a service provision method, the service provision method
including transmitting a terminal search request message including
a contents information component to a service provision server,
receiving positional information of a terminal, which is playing
first contents related to the contents information element, from
the service provision server, and displaying the received
positional information.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a service provision method, the service provision
method including receiving a terminal search request message from a
first terminal, collecting positional information of a second
terminal, which is playing contents related to a contents
information element included in the received terminal search
request message, and transmitting the collected positional
information to the first terminal.
[0011] According to still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a digital device, the digital device including a
control unit generating a terminal search request message including
a contents information element, a network interface unit
transmitting the generated terminal search request message to a
service provision server and receiving positional information of a
terminal, which is playing first contents related to the contents
information element, from the service provision server, and a
display unit displaying the received positional information.
[0012] According to yet still another aspect of the present
invention, a service provision server, the service provision server
including a positional information management device collecting
positional information of a second terminal, which is playing
contents related to a contents information element included in a
terminal search request message, and a service processing device
receiving the terminal search request message from a first terminal
and transmitting the collected positional information to the first
terminal.
[0013] According to yet still another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a service provision system, the
service provision system including a first service provision
server, when a terminal search request message is received from a
first terminal, collecting positional information of a second
terminal, which is playing contents related to a contents
information element included in the terminal search request message
in a first local area, and transmitting the contents information
element to a relay server, a second service provision server
collecting positional information of a third terminal, which is
playing contents related to the contents information element in a
second local area, and the relay server transmitting the contents
information element transmitted from the first service provision
server to the second service provision server and transmitting the
positional information of the third terminal collected by the
second service provision server to the first service provision
server. The first service provision server transmits the positional
information of the second terminal and the positional information
of the third terminal to the first terminal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above and other aspects and features of the present
invention will become more apparent by describing in detail
exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached
drawings in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a service system according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a contents provision process
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a service management process
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state where a terminal is
playing movie contents according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a metadata type selection
screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a positional information
collection process according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention positional information;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a positional information
collection process according to another exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where a terminal
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
displaying positional information;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a communication service use
process between terminals according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an IM service use screen
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a service system according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a service provision process
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 12A is a diagram showing a state where a terminal is
playing movie contents according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0028] FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a search area selection screen
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a state where a terminal
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
displaying positional information;
[0030] FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a state where a terminal
according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention
is displaying positional information;
[0031] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of a service
provision server 1400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0032] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of a relay
server 1040 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0033] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the configuration of a terminal
1600 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0034] Aspects and features of the present invention and methods of
accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference
to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and
the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be
embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as
being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.
Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the
concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the
present invention will only be defined by the appended claims. Like
reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the
specification.
[0035] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention
will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a service system according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, three
terminals 112, 114, and 116 are shown, but this is just an example,
and other numbers of terminals as would be understood by those
skilled in the art may be envisioned. Further, the individual
terminals 112, 114, and 116 can be the same or have similar
functions. Accordingly, a description for a specified terminal can
be applied to other terminals. However, users of the individual
terminals 112, 114, and 116 are different. Hereinafter, for
convenience of explanation, the users of the individual terminals
112, 114, and 116 are referred to as "user A", "user B", and "user
C", respectively.
[0037] In FIG. 1, a network 10 may be wired, wireless, or a
combination thereof. The network 10 is a communication path between
the terminal 112 and a service provision server 120. The network 10
may include a relay station (for example, a base station or an AP
(Access Point)) that relays communication between the terminal 112
and the service provision server 120.
[0038] The terminal 112 can perform communication with the service
provision server 120 through the network 10. In order to
communicate with the service provision server 120, the terminal 112
can use a communication protocol based on, for example but not by
way of limitation, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband
Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or Global System for Mobile
communication (GSM). For example, the terminal 112 may use a
communication protocol based on the IEEE 802.11 standard or the
IEEE 802.15.3 standard or other types of protocols.
[0039] The terminal 112 can play contents that includes a digital
object including at least one of video information, audio
information, and text information. Specific examples of the
contents include movies, music, photographs, Java games, electronic
books, and various digital broadcasting (Digital Multimedia
Broadcasting (DMB), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), and Digital
Audio Broadcasting (DAB)). According to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, the terminal 112 can operate one of a
streaming mode and a general mode to play the contents.
[0040] In the streaming mode, the terminal 112 can receive the
contents from the service provision server 120 in a streaming
method. In this case, the terminal 112 can play the contents while
buffering by an amount. In the general mode, the terminal 112 can
play contents stored therein or contents stored in a storage medium
connected thereto. The contents stored in the terminal 112 or the
contents stored in the storage medium connected to the terminal 112
may be downloaded from the service provision server 120 or acquired
through a different path.
[0041] The terminal 112 may be a portable digital device, such as a
cellular phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a notebook
computer, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the terminal
112 may be a fixed digital device, such as a set-top box, a desktop
computer, or a digital TV.
[0042] The service provision server 120 can provide contents and
metadata of the contents to the terminal 112. The metadata includes
one or more contents information elements representing the features
of the contents. The kinds of contents information elements can
vary according to the types of contents. For example, if the type
of contents is music, the metadata of the contents can include
contents information elements, such as genre, artist, album, and
melody. If the type of contents is a movie, the metadata can
include contents information elements, such as genre, leading
actor, and director. If the type of contents is digital
broadcasting, the metadata can include contents information
elements, such as channel and program.
[0043] The metadata can be constructed as a separate data object
from the contents. However, the metadata may also be included in
the contents, such that the metadata and the contents are
constructed as a single data object.
[0044] Meanwhile, the service provision server 120 can search a
terminal, which is playing contents related to a specified contents
information element, among other terminals 114 and 116 according to
the request of the terminal 112 and can provide positional
information of the searched terminal to the terminal 112.
[0045] To receive a service from the service provision server 120,
the terminal 112 needs to be connected to the service provision
server 120. The connection of the terminal 112 to the service
provision server 120 can mean that a communication channel is
established therebetween to allow the terminal 112 to transmit a
message to request a service to the service provision server 120
and allow the service provision server 120 to provide a service
according to the request of the terminal 112.
[0046] The service provision server 120 may perform an
authentication processing to permit or reject the connection of the
terminal 112. To this end, the service provision server 120 can
compare authentication information to be transmitted from the
terminal 112 with previous registration information. For example,
the user A can register his/her ID and password in the service
provision server 120 using the terminal 112 in advance. Thereafter,
the terminal 112 that is to be connected to the service provision
server 120 according to the request of the user A transmits the ID
and password of the user A to the service provision server 120, and
the service provision server 120 compares the ID and password of
the user A received from the terminal 112 with the previously
registered ID and password, so as to decide whether to permit the
connection of the terminal 112. This authentication system can be
understood in the similar manner to a log-in system or a sign-in
system. As an example, the service provision server 120 may perform
the authentication processing based on a different authentication
system.
[0047] Hereinafter, a service provision process according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in
detail. In the following embodiments, it is assumed that the
terminals 112, 114, and 116 are connected to the service provision
server 120 (for example, the service provision server 120 has
permitted the connection of the terminals 112, 114, and 116). FIG.
2 is a flowchart showing a contents provision process according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0048] The user A who wants to receive contents from the service
provision server 120 inputs a contents search request to the
terminal 112 together with a keyword to be used to search contents
(hereinafter, referred to as "search keyword"). If the contents
search request is input from the user A (Operation S210), the
terminal 112 generates contents search request message including
the input keyword (Operation S215) and transmits the generated
contents search request message to the service provision server 120
(Operation S220). The contents search request message may include a
plurality of search keywords, but is not limited thereto.
[0049] The service provision server 120 extracts the search keyword
from the contents search request message received from the terminal
112 (Operation S225) and searches contents related to the extracted
search keyword (Operation S230). For example, if the search keyword
is the name of a singer, the service provision server 120 can
search music contents of the corresponding singer.
[0050] If a plurality of search keywords are extracted from the
contents search request message, the service provision server 120
can search contents related to the plurality of search
keywords.
[0051] If the search processing at Operation S230 is completed, the
service provision server 120 generates a list of contents, which
are found as the search result (Operation S235), and transmits the
generated contents list to the terminal 112 (Operation S240). The
contents list can include information regarding contents, such as
the title, type, and identifier of the contents.
[0052] The terminal 112 that receives the contents list from the
service provision server 120 displays the contents list (Operation
S245). At this time, the user A can select a desired item from the
contents list using the terminal 112 and request transmission of
contents corresponding to the selected item. Further, the user A
can determine one of a streaming method and a download method as a
contents transmission method using the terminal 112.
[0053] If a contents transmission request is input from the user A
(Operation S250), the terminal 112 generates a contents
transmission request message including an identifier of the
contents (Operation S255) and transmits the generated contents
transmission request message to the service provision server 120
(Operation S260). The contents transmission request message that is
generated at Operation S255 can also include information regarding
the contents transmission method determined by the user A.
[0054] The service provision server 120 extracts the contents
identifier from the contents transmission request message
transmitted from the terminal 112 and transmits contents to be
identified by the extracted contents identifier to the terminal 112
(Operation S265). At Operation S265, the metadata of the contents
can also be transmitted to the terminal 112. As described above,
the metadata may be included in the contents or may be transmitted
to the terminal 112 as a separate data object from the
contents.
[0055] At Operation S265, the content transmission method from the
service provision server 120 to the terminal 112 may be either the
streaming method or the download method. What contents transmission
method is to be used may be set in the service provision server 120
in advance. As described above, if the contents transmission
request message transmitted from the terminal 112 includes the
information regarding the contents transmission method, the
contents transmission method may be determined at Operation S265
accordingly.
[0056] When the contents transmission method is the streaming
method, a play mode of the terminal 112 becomes a streaming
mode.
[0057] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a service management process
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In
this exemplary embodiment, a case where the terminal 112 searches
other terminals 114 and 116 will be described. This can be
understood that, the "user A" as the user of the terminal 112
searches the "user B" and the "user C" as the users of other
terminals 114 and 116.
[0058] First, according to a request of the user A, the terminal
112 plays contents (Operation S310). The play mode of the terminal
112 may be the streaming mode or the general mode.
[0059] If a terminal search request is input from the user A while
the contents is being played (Operation S315), the terminal 112
displays the type of metadata related to the type of the contents
that is being played (Operation S320). For example, as shown in
FIG. 4A, if a terminal search request is input from the user A
while the terminal 112 is playing movie contents 410, the terminal
112 can display a metadata type selection screen 420 that shows the
type of metadata ("genre", "leading actor", or "director") related
to the movie contents, as shown in FIG. 4B.
[0060] When the terminal search request is input, the terminal 112
can temporarily stop playing of the contents, or can continue
playing the contents.
[0061] The user A can select one or more types of metadata as a
search reference among the types of metadata displayed by the
terminal 112.
[0062] If the user A selects the type of metadata (Operation S325),
the terminal 112 extracts a contents information element
corresponding to the type of metadata selected by the user A from
metadata of the contents that is being played (Operation S330). For
example, if the terminal 112 is playing movie contents of "The Lord
of the Rings" and the user selects "director" among the types of
metadata, at Operation S330, the terminal 112 can extract "Peter
Jackson" as a contents information element corresponding to the
type "director" from metadata of the movie contents ("The Lord of
the Rings") that is being played.
[0063] Thereafter, the terminal 112 generates a terminal search
request message including the extracted contents information
element (Operation S335) and transmits the generated terminal
search request message to the service provision server 120
(Operation S340).
[0064] The service provision server 120 that receives the terminal
search request message from the terminal 112 searches a terminal,
which is playing contents related to the contents information
element included in the terminal search request message, from other
terminals 114 and 116 connected thereto and collects positional
information of the searched terminal (Operation S345). Operation
S345, at which a terminal is searched and positional information is
collected, may vary according to whether the terminals 114 and 116
are receiving contents in the streaming method. More specifically,
the service provision server 120 can judge whether or not the
terminals 114 and 116 connected thereto are receiving contents in
the streaming method and can perform a process of FIG. 5 or a
process of FIG. 6 according to the judgment result. Since Operation
S345 can be performed on all of the terminals connected to the
service provision server 120, the service provision server 120 can
perform the process of FIG. 5 and the process of FIG. 6
sequentially or in parallel according to the play mode of each of
the terminals connected thereto. For convenience of explanation, it
is assumed that the terminal 114 is receiving contents from the
service provision server 120 in the streaming method, whereas the
terminal 116 is not receiving contents in the streaming method. In
this case, the terminal 114 may be playing contents in the
streaming mode, while the terminal 116 may not be playing contents
or may be playing contents in the general mode.
[0065] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a positional information
collection process according to an exemplary embodiment. This
process is performed on the terminal 114 that is receiving contents
in the streaming method.
[0066] The service provision server 120 extracts a contents
information element from the terminal search request message
received at Operation S340 of FIG. 3 (Operation S510). Next, the
service provision server 120 judges whether the metadata of the
contents that is being received by the terminal 114 in the
streaming method matches with the contents information element
extracted at Operation S510 (Operation S520).
[0067] As the judgment result at Operation S520, if the contents
information element extracted from the terminal search request
message matches with the metadata of the contents that is being
transmitting to the terminal 114 (more specifically, if the
metadata includes the same contents information element), the
service provision server 120 collects positional information of the
terminal 114 (Operation S530).
[0068] However, as the judgment result at Operation S520, if the
metadata of the contents that is being transmitted to the terminal
114 does not include the contents information element extracted at
Operation S510, the positional information of the terminal 114 is
not collected.
[0069] The process of FIG. 5 can be performed on all of the
terminals that are receiving contents from the service provision
server 120 in the streaming method when the terminal search request
message is received from the terminal 112.
[0070] Meanwhile, the service provision server 120 can perform the
process of FIG. 6 on the terminal 116, which is not receiving
contents in the streaming method, among the terminals connected to
the service provision server 120.
[0071] If the terminal search request message is received from the
terminal 112 (Operation S340 of FIG. 3), the service provision
server 120 extracts the contents information element from the
terminal search request message (Operation S610). Thereafter, the
service provision server 120 generates a metadata request message
(Operation S620) and transmits the generated metadata request
message to the terminal 116 (Operation S630).
[0072] If the terminal 116 receives the metadata request message
while playing contents, the terminal 116 generates a reply message
including metadata of the contents that is being played (Operation
S640) and transmits the generated reply message to the service
provision server 120 (Operation S650).
[0073] If the reply message is received from the terminal 116, the
service provision server 120 extracts the metadata from the reply
message (Operation S660) and compares the extracted metadata with
the contents information element extracted at Operation S610
(Operation S670).
[0074] As the comparison result at Operation S670, if the contents
information element extracted at Operation S610 is included in the
metadata extracted at Operation S660, the service provision server
120 collects positional information of the terminal 116 (Operation
S680). However, as the comparison result at Operation S670, if the
contents information element extracted at Operation S610 is not
included in the metadata extracted at Operation S660, the
positional information of the terminal 116 is not collected.
[0075] Though not shown in FIG. 6, if the terminal 116 receives the
metadata request message while not playing contents, Operation S640
can be substituted with an operation of generating a reply message
including information that the terminal 116 is not playing
contents. In this case, since the metadata is not included in the
reply message, Operations S660 to S680 of FIG. 6 cannot be
performed.
[0076] Meanwhile, Operation S630 of FIG. 6 can be automatically
performed without needing the involvement of the user C. For
example, the user C may set the terminal 116 whether or not to
reply to the metadata request message of the service provision
server 120. If the terminal 116 is set to reply the metadata
request message, Operation S630 of FIG. 6 can be automatically
performed. If the terminal 116 is set not to reply to the metadata
request message, Operation S630 of FIG. 6 can be substituted with
an operation of generating a reply message including information
that the metadata cannot be noticed.
[0077] Operation S630 can be performed with the involvement of the
user C in real time. For example, if the metadata request message
is received from the service provision server 120, the terminal 116
can display the content of a request to decide whether to reply to
the metadata request message. At this time, the user C can decide
whether to reply to the request of the service provision server
120. If the user C decides to reply to the metadata request
message, the terminal 116 can perform Operation S630. However, if
the user C decides not to reply to the metadata request message,
Operation S630 of FIG. 6 can be substituted with an operation of
generating a reply message including information indicating that
the metadata cannot be noticed. The involvement of the user C can
be previously set in the terminal 116 by the user C.
[0078] The process of FIG. 6 can be performed on all of the
terminals, which are connected to the service provision server 120
but are not receiving contents in the streaming method when the
terminal search request message is received from the terminal
112.
[0079] Returning to FIG. 3, the service provision server 120 can
map the collected positional information to identification
information of the terminal (for example, the identifier of the
terminal and the ID of a user of the terminal) (Operation S350).
Thereafter, the service provision server 120 transmits the
collected positional information to the terminal 112 (Operation
S355). At this time, the identification information of the terminal
mapped to the positional information at Operation S350 can also be
transmitted to the terminal 112. Accordingly, the terminal 112 can
notice the identification information of the terminal corresponding
to the positional information. The terminal 112 that receives the
positional information from the service provision server 120
displays the received positional information (Operation S360). At
Operation S360, the terminal 112 can display positional information
as a list or a table in a text format. However, the terminal 112
may display the positional information as a map. For example, at
Operation S355, the service provision server 120 can transmit an
electronic map including the positional information to the terminal
112. Further, the terminal 112 may receive an electronic map from
the service provision server 120 in advance and display the
positional information transmitted at Operation S355 together with
a previously acquired electronic map. The terminal 112 may acquire
an electronic map through a different path in advance.
[0080] The positional information can include coordinate
information based on the electronic map. The positional information
may include information regarding latitude and longitude and
convert the positional information according to a coordinate system
suitable for an electronic map provided in the terminal 112.
[0081] An example of the positional information that is displayed
by the terminal 112 at Operation S360 is shown in FIG. 7. In FIG.
7, hatched circles 710 to 750 are spots that are indicated by the
positional information from the service provision server 120. These
spots represent the positions of other terminals (for example, the
terminal 114 and the terminal 116), which are playing contents
related to the metadata of the contents that the terminal 112 is
playing. That is, the positional information can represent the
positions of other users (for example, the user B and the user C)
having similar taste to the user A. Accordingly, the user A can
determine the presence/absence of other users having similar taste
and the positions of them. A map shown in FIG. 7 includes
information 760 representing the position of the terminal 112, that
is, the position of the user A. At Operation S360, the positional
information of the terminal 112 can be provided from the service
provision server 120 together with the positional information of
other terminals. When the terminal 112 has a function of managing
its own positional information (for example, a GPS function), the
terminal 112 itself may provide its own positional information.
[0082] If the number of searched terminals is large, it is
inefficient for the terminal 112 to display all positional
information of the terminals. Accordingly, according to an
exemplary embodiment, the number of positional information to be
provided from the service provision server 120 may be limited to
the critical number of positional information. That is, when the
number of positional information collected by the service provision
server 120 exceeds the critical number of positional information,
the service provision server 120 can select only positional
information that is as much as the critical number of positional
information and provide the selected positional information to the
terminal 112. Here, the critical number of positional information
may be previously set by an operator of the service provision
server 120 or may be directly set through the terminal 112 when the
user A inputs the terminal search request. If the user A directly
sets the critical number of positional information, the set
critical number of positional information can be included in the
terminal search request message generated at Operation S335 of FIG.
3. Then, the service provision server 120 that receives the
terminal search request message can provide positional information
according to the critical number of positional information.
Moreover, the method that the service provision server 120 selects
the critical number of positional information among a plurality of
positional information is not intended to limit the present
invention. The service provision server 120 may randomly select
positional information among a plurality of positional information
or may select the required number of positional information in
proportion to a distribution density of positional information
according to sub-areas of an area to be handled by the service
provision server 120.
[0083] The user A can select positional information to be displayed
by the terminal 112 and perform communication with a user of a
terminal corresponding to the selected positional information. This
will be described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0084] If one of the positional information to be displayed through
the process of FIG. 3 is selected by the user A (Operation S810),
the terminal 112 generates a communication request message to
request communication with a terminal corresponding to the selected
positional information (Operation S815) and transmits the generated
communication request message to the service provision server 120
(Operation S820). The communication request message can include at
least one of the positional information selected at Operation S810
and the identification information regarding the terminal
corresponding to the selected positional information. Information
included in the communication request message allows the service
provision server 120 to notice which terminal the terminal 112
wants to communicate with. Accordingly, any information that
corresponds to this end may be included in the communication
request message. Further, the communication request message may
also include the identification information of the terminal 112
(for example, the identifier of the terminal 112 or the ID of the
user A).
[0085] The service provision server 120 judges, on the basis of the
communication request message received from the terminal 112, which
terminal the terminal 112 wants to communicate with (Operation
S825). As the judgment result at Operation S825, it is assumed that
the terminal 114 is confirmed as a communication party of the
terminal 112.
[0086] The service provision server 120 generates an
acceptance/rejection confirmation message including the
identification information of the terminal 112 (Operation S830) and
transmits the generated acceptance/rejection confirmation message
to the terminal 114 (Operation S835).
[0087] If the acceptance/rejection confirmation message is received
from the service provision server 120, the terminal 114 displays
information indicating that the terminal 112 requests communication
(Operation S840). At Operation S840, the identification information
of the terminal 112 that requests the communication may also be
displayed.
[0088] The user B can confirm information displayed by the terminal
114 and determine whether to accept the communication request of
the terminal 112. If the information that the communication request
of the terminal 112 is accepted is input from the user B (Operation
S845), the terminal 114 generates a communication acceptance
message (Operation S850) and transmits the generated communication
acceptance message to the service provision server 120 (Operation
S855).
[0089] At this time, the service provision server 120 generates a
reply message including information that the communication with the
terminal 114 can be performed (Operation S860) and transmits the
generated reply message to the terminal 112 (Operation S865).
[0090] Thereafter, the service provision server 120 relays
communication between the terminal 112 and the terminal 114
(Operation S870).
[0091] Accordingly, a communication service can be provided between
the terminal 112 and the terminal 114. That is, the user A can use
the communication service with the user B having similar taste.
Examples of the communication service include an Instant Messenger
(IM) service, an Short Message Service (SMS), a voice call, and an
image call. However, the communication service is not limited
thereto. FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen that is displayed by
the terminal 112 when the terminal 112 uses an IM service with the
terminal 114. Though not shown in FIG. 8, if information that the
user B rejects communication is input at Operation S845, the
terminal 114 can generate a communication rejection message and
then transmit the generated communication rejection message to the
service provision server 120. At this time, the service provision
server 120 can generate a reply message including information that
the communication is rejected and transmit the generated reply
message to the terminal 112. In this case, the communication
service is not provided between the terminal 112 and the terminal
114.
[0092] According to the request of the user A, the terminal 112 can
store the positional information of the terminal 114 that has
performed the communication with the terminal 112. Then, if the
user A requests afterwards, the terminal 112 can display the stored
positional information again. Accordingly, the user A can find the
user B having similar taste in the use of contents on a map. As
time elapses, the actual position of the user B may not be
consistent with the positional information displayed by the
terminal 112 again. However, since the radius of action of people
is generally limited, it is not difficult for the user A to confirm
the position of the user B on the map. Further, since the
identification information of the terminal 114 that is mapped to
the positional information may also be stored together with the
positional information, the terminal 112 can reuse the
communication service with the terminal 114. According to the
exemplary embodiments, when the terminal 112 reuses the
communication service with the terminal 114, the service provision
server 120 may provide new positional information of the terminal
114 to the terminal 112. In this case, the terminal 112 can store
the new positional information of the terminal 114. This can be
similarly applied to the terminal 114 that has performed the
communication with the terminal 112.
[0093] In FIGS. 1 to 9, the service system that has a single
service provision server 120 has been described. However, a
physical area that the single service provision server 120 can
provide a service to the terminals may be limited. Accordingly, a
service provision server may be provided for each area and a relay
server that can connect the individual service provision servers to
each other may be provided, such that a service provision area can
be expanded. This will be described with reference to FIG. 10.
[0094] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a service system according to
an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a service system that has
two service provision servers 1020 and 1030 and a relay server
1040, which connects the service provision servers 1020 and 1030 to
each other. Alternatively, three or more service provision servers
may be provided. The service provision servers 1020 and 1030 handle
a first local area and a second local area, respectively. It should
be understood that networks 20, 30, 40, and 50 shown in FIG. 10 are
the same as the network 10 shown in FIG. 1. Terminals 1011, 1012,
and 1013 in the first local area can be connected to the first
service provision server 1020 to receive a service, and terminals
1014, 1015, and 1016 in the second local area can be connected to
the second service provision server 1030 to receive a service. This
construction is a service environment that provides a service
between cities, localities, and countries. It should be understood
that the construction of the first local area or the second local
area is the same as the service system shown in FIG. 1. In this
exemplary embodiment, the service area is not limited to the same
local area but can be expanded to another local area. This will be
described in detail with reference to FIG. 11.
[0095] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a service provision process
according to an exemplary embodiment, which will be described with
respect to the terminal 1011.
[0096] According to the user's request, the terminal 1011 can play
contents (Operation S1101). The play mode of the terminal 1011 may
be the streaming mode or the general mode.
[0097] If a terminal search request is input from the user while
the contents is being played (Operation S1102), the terminal 1011
displays a search area selection screen (Operation S1103). For
example, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the terminal search request of
the user is input while the contents is being played, the terminal
1011 can display a search area selection screen shown in FIG. 12B.
As shown in FIG. 12B, a search area can include a local area and a
global area. Here, the global area includes a plurality of local
areas. In the service system shown in FIG. 10, the global area
includes the first local area and the second local area.
[0098] The user can select either the global area or the local
area. If the user selects the search area (Operation S1104), the
terminal 1011 displays the type of metadata related to the contents
that is being played (Operation S1105).
[0099] The user can select the type of metadata as a search
reference among the types of metadata that are displayed by the
terminal 1011. If the user selects the type of metadata (Operation
S1106), the terminal 1011 extracts a contents information element
corresponding to the type of metadata selected by the user from the
metadata of the contents that is being played (Operation S1107). It
should be understood that Operations S1105 to S1107 of FIG. 11 are
substantially the same as Operation S320 to S330 of FIG. 3.
[0100] Thereafter, the terminal 1011 generates a terminal search
request message including information regarding the search area
selected at Operation S1104 (hereinafter, referred to as "search
area information") and the contents information element extracted
at Operation S1107 (Operation S1108), and transmits the generated
terminal search request message to the first service provision
server 1020 (Operation S1109).
[0101] The first service provision server 1020 that receives the
terminal search request message from the terminal 1011 judges, on
the basis of the search area information included in the terminal
search request message, which of the local area and the global area
a service is provided to (Operation S1110). If the search area
information represents the local area, a terminal search process is
performed on the first local area that is handled by the first
service provision server 1020. This processing is the substantially
same as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. Accordingly,
description of an operation when the search area is set to the
local area will be omitted.
[0102] As the judgment result at Operation S1110, if the search
area information included in the terminal search request message
represents the global area, the first service provision server 1020
transmits the terminal search request message to the relay server
1040 (Operation S1111). At this time, the terminal search request
message to be transmitted may be received from the terminal 1011 or
newly generated by the first service provision server 1020.
[0103] When receiving the terminal search request message
transmitted from the first service provision server 1020, the relay
server 1040 relays the terminal search request message to the
second service provision server 1030 (Operation S1112).
[0104] The second service provision server 1030 searches a
terminal, which is playing contents related to the contents
information element included in the terminal search request
message, among the terminals 1014, 1015, and 1016 connected thereto
in the second local area, and collects positional information of
the searched terminal (Operation S1113). It should be understood
that Operation S1113 is substantially the same as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0105] The second service provision server 1030 can map the
collected positional information to identification information of
the corresponding terminal (Operation S1114). Thereafter, the
second service provision server 1030 generates a reply message
including the collected positional information (Operation S1115)
and transmits the generated reply message to the relay server 1040
(Operation S1116). The reply message that is generated at Operation
S1115 can include the identification information of the terminal
mapped to the positional information.
[0106] The relay server 1040 relays the user search reply message
received from the second service provision server 1030 to the first
service provision server 1020 (Operation S1117).
[0107] The first service provision server 1020 searches a terminal,
which is playing contents related to contents information element
included in the terminal search request message, from the terminals
1012 and 1013 connected thereto in the first local area, and
collects positional information of the searched terminal (Operation
S1118). It should be understood that Operation S1118 is
substantially the same as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and
6.
[0108] The first service provision server 1020 can map the
collected positional information to identification information of
the corresponding terminal (Operation S1119).
[0109] Thereafter, the first service provision server 1020 extracts
the positional information from the reply message transmitted from
the relay server 1040 (Operation S1120) and transmits the collected
positional information and the positional information extracted at
Operation S1120 to the terminal 1011 (Operation S1121). At
Operation S1121, the identification information of the terminal
mapped to the positional information may also be transmitted
together with the positional information.
[0110] The terminal 1011 that receives the positional information
from the first service provision server 1020 displays the received
positional information (Operation S1122). It should be understood
that Operation S1122 is substantially the same as Operation S360 of
FIG. 3. Since the positions of the terminals are searched in the
global area, if the positional information is displayed in a map
format at Operation S1122, a map displayed at Operation S1122 can
include the first local area and the second local area.
[0111] FIG. 13A shows an example of positional information
displayed at Operation S1122 according to an exemplary embodiment,
but is not limited to this example. For example, positional
information may be displayed on the basis of each local area. That
is, at Operation S1122 of FIG. 11, in respect to the positional
information, the search result of the first local area and the
search result of the second local area can be displayed alternately
according to the user's request. This is exemplified in FIG. 13B.
In this case, when the user selects "next local area", the terminal
1011 that is displaying the first local area 1320 can display the
second local area 1330. The reverse processing can also be
performed.
[0112] At Operation S1117 of FIG. 11, the relay server 1040 can
temporarily store the positional information transmitted from the
second service provision server 1030. If a terminal search request
message including the same contents information element as that
transmitted at Operation S1111 is received from the first service
provision server 1020 before a critical time elapses from when the
positional information is temporarily stored, the temporarily
stored positional information can be transmitted to the first
service provision server 1020. This is because, when the same
request is received within a predetermined time, the substantially
same effect can be obtained even if the previous processing result
is provided without repeating the same processing. In this case,
the relay server 1040 may not transmit the terminal search request
message to the second service provision server 1030. With this
processing, the processing time and load of the relay server 1040
can be reduced. This can be similarly applied to the first service
provision server 1020. That is, the first service provision server
1020 may temporarily store the positional information that is
transmitted to the terminal 1011 at Operation S1121 of FIG. 11 and,
if the same terminal search request message as that transmitted
from the terminal 1011 at Operation S1109 within a critical time
from when the positional information is temporarily stored, may
provide the temporarily stored positional information to the
terminal 1011.
[0113] Hereinafter, the configuration of the terminals 112, 114,
116, 1011, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015, or 1015, the configuration of
the service provision servers 120, 1020, or 1030, and the
configuration of the relay server 1040 will be described. The
operations between them can be understood in detail with reference
to FIGS. 1 to 12.
[0114] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
service provision server 1400 according to an exemplary embodiment.
The service provision server 1400 has the same configuration as the
service provision servers 120, 1020, and 1030 shown in FIGS. 1 and
10.
[0115] The service provision server 1400 includes a contents
management device 1410, a connection management device 1420, a
positional information management device 1430, a service processing
device 1440, and a communication relay device 1450.
[0116] When receiving a contents request message from the terminal,
the contents management device 1410 can provide the requested
contents. A contents provision method may be a streaming method or
a download method. Accordingly, the contents management device 1410
can confirm which terminal is receiving contents in the streaming
method. Further, when receiving the contents search request
message, the contents management device 1410 can search contents
corresponding to the search keyword included in the contents search
request message and create a list of the searched contents. To this
end, the contents management device 1410 can store a plurality of
contents and metadata of the contents. The contents management
device 1410 may access an external contents provider and search and
receive required contents and metadata.
[0117] The connection management device 1420 performs an
authentication processing of the terminal that requests connection.
To this end, the connection management device 1420 can receive
predetermined registration information from the terminal, register
the registration information, and, if authentication information is
received from the terminal afterwards, compare the authentication
information with the registration information to determine whether
or not to admit the connection of the terminal. Further, the
connection management device 1420 manages a list of terminals,
which are currently connected to the service provision server 1400,
and updates the list whenever connection/disconnection.
[0118] The positional information management device 1430 manages
positional information of the terminals that are being connected to
the service provision server 1400. As an example to manage the
positional information of the terminal, the positional information
management device 1430 can include at least one of a home location
register and a visited location register. This is just
illustrative. An additional device (for example, a GPS processing
device) that can acquire the positional information of the terminal
can be provided. The positional information management device 1430
may also manage an electronic map that is to be provided to the
terminal.
[0119] As another example, the positional information management
device 1430 may receive the positional information of the terminal
regularly or irregularly from the terminal connected to the service
provision server 1400 and manage the received positional
information. For example but not by way of limitation, if the
terminal connected to the service provision server 1400 transmits
its own positional information to the service provision server
1400, the positional information management device 1430 can store
and manage the transmitted positional information. Alternatively,
the positional information management device 1430 may inquire of
the terminal connected to the service provision server 1400 the
positional information and acquire the positional information of
the terminal from the terminal.
[0120] The service processing device 1440 serves as a gate for
communication with the terminal or the relay server 1040. Further,
the service processing device 1440 instructs the individual devices
1410, 1420, and 1430 of the service provision server 1400 to
perform the required operations to provide a required service to
the terminal. To this end, the service processing device 1440 can
generate or analyze various messages required for communication
with the terminal or the relay server. The message refers to an
information transfer medium for various requests or replies, and it
should not be limited to only the meaning of the term "message"
itself. For example, the term "message" can be substituted with
"frame" or "packet", or other term as would be understood by one
skilled in the art.
[0121] The communication relay device 1450 relays communication
between the terminals. Here, the communication can include an IM
service, an SMS, a voice call, and an image call. To support
various communication services, the communication relay device 1450
can include a plurality of communication service processing devices
(not shown). For example, the communication relay device 1450 can
include a short message processing device, an exchange, and the
like.
[0122] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of the relay
server 1040 according to an exemplary embodiment. The relay server
1040 includes a proxy device 1510 that delivers a message to be
transmitted from the service provision server to a different
service provision server, and a management device 1520 that stores
positional information transmitted from the service provision
server. The management device 1520 may delete the stored positional
information when a predetermined time elapses. Further, when the
same terminal search request message is received from a specified
service provision server again, the management device 1520
determines whether to reuse the temporarily stored positional
information. For example, if a first terminal search request
message is received from the first service provision server 1020,
the proxy device 1510 transmits the received first terminal search
request message to the second service provision server 1030.
Thereafter, if a reply message including positional information is
received from the second service provision server 1030, the proxy
device 1510 transmits the received reply message to the first
service provision server 1020. At this time, the management device
1520 can store the positional information included in the reply
message. If a second terminal search request message including the
same contents information element as the first terminal search
request message is received from the first service provision server
1020 before a critical time elapses from when the positional
information is stored, the management device 1520 can transmit the
stored positional information to the first service provision server
1020. At this time, the management device 1520 can control the
proxy device 1510 not to transmit the second terminal search
request message to the second service provision server 1030.
[0123] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the configuration of a terminal
1600 according to an exemplary embodiment. The terminals 112, 114,
116, 1011, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015, and 1016 shown in FIGS. 1 and 10
may have the substantially same configuration as the terminal 1600
shown in FIG. 16.
[0124] The terminal 1600 includes a network interface unit 1610, a
user input unit 1620, a play unit 1630, a storage unit 1640, a user
interface providing unit 1650, a communication service processing
unit 1660, and a control unit 1670.
[0125] The network interface unit 1610 performs communication with
the service provision server 1400. That is, the network interface
unit 1610 transmits and receives various messages, contents,
positional information, and other data or information described
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. The network interface unit 1610
can use a protocol based on CDMA, WCDMA, or GSM; however, the
present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the network
interface unit 1610 may use a communication protocol based on the
IEEE 802.11 standard or the IEEE 802.15.3 standard or other
different communication protocols.
[0126] The user input unit 1620 receives various requests or
commands from the user. To this end, the user input unit 1620 can
include an input unit, such as a keypad, a touch pad, or a touch
screen. The play unit 1630 plays various contents or a map
including positional information. The play unit 1630 can include
various kinds of codec or application processing units in order to
play the contents or the map. For example, the play unit 1630 can
include a video decoder based on moving picture decoding
technology, such as Moving Picture Experts Group 2 (MPEG2), MPEG4,
or H.264, or an audio decoder based on audio decoding technology,
such as MPEG Audio Layer-3 (MP3) or Window Media Audio (WMA).
[0127] The storage unit 1640 stores contents, positional
information, and other data. The storage unit 1640 can include
various kinds of memories, such as a hard disk, a flash memory, a
Read Only Memory (ROM), and a Random Access Memory (RAM).
[0128] The user interface providing unit 1650 provides various
kinds of user interfaces in order to guide the use of the service.
For example, the user interface providing unit 1650 can provide a
metadata type selection screen shown in FIG. 4B, a search area
selection screen shown in FIG. 12B, and the like.
[0129] The communication service processing unit 1660 supports
various kinds of communication services, such as an IM service, an
SMS, a voice call, and an image call.
[0130] The control unit 1670 controls the operations of the
components constituting the terminal 1600. Further, the control
unit 1670 can generate various kinds of messages to be transmitted
to the service provision server 1400 and analyze various kinds of
messages to be received from the service provision server 1400.
[0131] In addition, though not specifically described in the
description of the terminal 1600 with reference to FIG. 16, the
control unit 1670 can perform a processing necessary for providing
the service with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 13B.
[0132] Though not shown, the terminal 1600 may further include a
positional information management unit that manages its own
positional information. According to an exemplary embodiment, the
positional information management unit may include a GPS processing
unit that receives and stores the positional information of the
terminal 1600 through a GPS satellite.
[0133] The individual components of the terminal 1600 that has been
described with reference to FIG. 16 can be implemented by a module.
The term "module", as used herein, means, but is not limited to, a
software or hardware component, such as a Field Programmable Gate
Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC),
which performs certain tasks. A module may be configured to reside
on the addressable storage medium and configured to be executed on
one or more processors. Thus, a module may include, by way of
example, components, such as software components, object-oriented
software components, class components and task components,
processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments
of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data,
databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The
functionality provided for in the components and modules may be
combined into fewer components and modules or further separated
into additional components and modules. Although the present
invention has been described in connection with the exemplary
embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be
made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the above
embodiments are not limitative, but illustrative in all
aspects.
[0134] According to the service provision method for user search,
and the apparatus, the server, and the system for the same of the
present invention, it is possible to provide a service that can
search users, who use similar contents, in real time and allows
information exchange with the searched users.
* * * * *