Method, system and recording medium for communicating and displaying content in a messenger application

• US 10,341,271 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LY Corp. (A Holdings Corp.), Z Intermediate Global Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chang, So Young, Lee, Hyun Jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Abu Roumi, Mahran Y
• Application Number:
  US14/839,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20160149842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

In one example embodiment, a communication method includes identifying a selection instruction for content provided by a content provider, and establishing a communication link between a first account of a user and a second account of a business operator relevant to the content based on the identification of the selection instruction.

Claims

1. An online communication method performed by a computer, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, a selection instruction from at least one user terminal associated with a user, the selection instruction including information related to content provided by a content provider on a website;

determining, by the at least one processor, a business operator relevant to the content based on the received selection instruction from a plurality of business operators;

establishing, by the at least one processor, an online communication link between a first account of the user associated with a messenger service via the at least one user terminal, the first account being previously registered with the messenger service, and a second account associated with the determined business operator;

generating, by the al least one processor, a talk window associated with the messenger service, the talk window configured to permit message transmission and reception between the first account and the second account based on the selection instruction, without a relationship being established between the first and second accounts, and messenger service settings associated with the user, the generating including,

anonymously processing personal information of the user associated with the first account by replacing the personal information of the user with arbitrary information to be displayed at a terminal associated with the second account when no relationship has been established between the first and second accounts and the messenger service settings indicate that the personal information of the user associated with the first account is set to private;

monitoring, by the at least one processor, a reply rate of the business operator to a message sent via the first account in the talk window;

determining, by the at least one processor, the reply rate based on an average reply time taken by the business operator to reply to messages sent via the first account and a total reply rate of the business operator for replying to messages sent by all users;

determining, by the al least one processor, whether to display a user interface along with the content on a service screen provided by the content provider to enable a messenger call based on the reply rate; and

displaying, by the at least one processor, the user interface based on results of the determining whether to display the user interface.

2. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

transmitting the online communication link corresponding to a communication function selected in a selection menu for selecting one of a plurality of communication functions,

the plurality of communication functions including a call function enabling a wireless Internet-based voice communication between the first account and the second account, and a messaging function enabling an exchange of messages between the first account and the second account.

3. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

transmitting the online communication link using a function of initiating a call via the messenger service between the first account and the second account and a function of transmitting the information related to the content to the second account via the messenger service are provided by the selection instruction via a user interface displayed along with the content on a service screen provided by the content provider.

4. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

receiving information associated with the content from the content provider, and automatically linking the information with the talk window at the same time of generating the talk window.

5. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

providing one of a function that uses a software bot for the business operator in the talk window, and a function that uses a message template to reply automatically or selectively to a message sent via the first account.

6. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

determining to activate the talk window set by the business operator based on at least one of a use of the talk window and a use time zone associated with the talk window.

7. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the online communication link comprises:

providing promotional information regarding the content, to the first account through the talk window if a relationship is established between the first account and the second account.

8. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing, by the at least one processor, the talk window.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the managing the talk window comprises:

terminating the online communication link between the first account and the second account when at least one of,

a time lapses after generating the talk window,

a message in not exchanged between the first account and the second account after an exchange of a currently existing final message in the talk window, and

the talk window is terminated via at least one of the first account and the second account.

10. The communication method of claim 9, wherein the managing the talk window comprises:

maintaining a communication record through the talk window without terminating the online communication link between the first account and the second account if a relationship is set between the first account and the second account.

11. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the reply rate of the business operator comprises:

determining as the reply rate, a rate with which the business operator, via the second account, replies over a time period to messages sent by all users.

12. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the reply rate is used as a reference to provide at least one of compensation or a penalty to the business operator.

13. A content display method performed by a computer, the method comprising:

displaying, by at least one processor, at least one content on a service screen provided by a content provider; and

displaying, by the at least one processor, with the at least one content, a user interface associated with the at least one content for enabling a messenger call via a messenger service,

wherein if the user interface is selected by a user, the method further includes,

receiving a selection instruction from at least one user terminal associated with the user, the selection instruction including information related to the at least one content,

determining a business operator relevant to the at least one content based on the received selection instruction from a plurality of business operators,

establishing an online communication link between a user messenger account on the messenger service associated with the user and a business messenger account associated with the determined business operator,

generating a talk window associated with the messenger service, the talk window configured to permit message transmission and reception between the user messenger account and the business messenger account based on the selection instruction, without a relationship being established between the user messenger account and the business messenger account, and messenger service settings associated with the user, the generating including,

anonymously processing personal information of the user associated with the user messenger account by replacing the personal information of the user with arbitrary information to be displayed at a terminal associated with the business messenger account when no relationship has been established between the user messenger account and the business messenger account and the messenger service settings indicate that the personal information of the user associated with the user messenger account is set to private,

monitoring a reply rate of the business messenger account to a message sent via the user messenger account in the talk window,

determining the reply rate based on an average reply time taken by the business messenger account to reply to messages sent via the user messenger account and a total reply rate of the business messenger account for replying to messages sent by all users,

determining whether to continue to display the user interface along with the content on the service screen provided by the content provider to enable the messenger call based on the reply rate; and

displaying or not displaying the user interface based on results of the determining whether to display the user interface.

14. The content display method of claim 13, wherein the establishing the online communication link further comprises:

a messaging function capable of performing a call function capable of performing a wireless Internet-based voice communication between the user messenger account and the business messenger account.

15. The content display method of claim 13, wherein the establishing the online communication link further comprises:

providing a function of initiating a call via the messenger service between the user messenger account and the business messenger account and a function of transmitting the information related to the at least one content to the business messenger account via the messenger service in response to the selection of the user interface.

16. The content display method of claim 15, wherein the establishing the online communication link further comprises:

transmitting information regarding the content to the user messenger account in response to the selection of the user interface.

17. The content display method of claim 13, further comprising:

managing a list of business categories associated with the plurality of business operators, each of the plurality of business operators capable of communicating content with the user messenger account; and

the displaying of the user interface comprises excluding content, associated with a business operator from the plurality of business operators that is not the determined business operator, from being displayed on the user interface.

18. The content display method of claim 13, wherein the establishing the online communication link further comprises:

managing a reply rate of a business operator associated with the business messenger account; and

the displaying of the user interface comprises excluding content associated with the determined business operator based on the reply rate from being displayed on the user interface.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a selection instruction from at least one user terminal associated with a user, the selection instruction including information related to content provided by a content provider on a website;

determine a business operator relevant to the content based on the received selection instruction from a plurality of business operators;

establish an online communication link between a first account of the user associated with a messenger service via the at least one user terminal, the first account being previously registered with the messenger service, and a second account associated with the determined business operator;

generate a talk window associated with the messenger service, the talk window configured to permit message transmission and reception between the first account and the second account based on the selection instruction, without a relationship being established between the first and second accounts, and messenger service privacy settings associated with the user, the generating including,

anonymously processing personal information of the user associated with the first account by replacing the personal information of the user with arbitrary information to be displayed at a terminal associated with the second account when no relationship has been established between the first and second accounts and the messenger service settings indicate that the personal information of the user associated with the first account is set to private;

monitor a reply rate of the business operator to a message sent via the first account in the talk window;

determine the reply rate based on an average reply time taken by the business operator to reply to messages sent via the first account and a total reply rate of the business operator for replying to messages sent by all users;

determine whether to display a user interface along with the content on a service screen provided by the content provider to enable a messenger call based on the reply rate; and

display the user interface based on results of the determining whether to display the user interface.