Personal Icon Providing System and Method Thereof

• US 20070266114A1
• Filed: 08/02/2005
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Heo, Soo-Jung
• Application Number:
  US11/573,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266114A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Disclosed is a personal icon providing system and method. When a user is accessed through a network, information on personal icons provided to the user is collected. The information on the collected personal icons is transmitted to the user'"'"'s terminal to be stored therein, and the user'"'"'s personal icon is displayed on the network by using the information stored in the terminal. In this instance, the personal icon may have a single-layer structure. According to the present invention, the user'"'"'s icon can be easily displayed at any position on the network, and in particular, a personal icon for identifying the user in cooperation with the user'"'"'s movement can be quickly and easily provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing a personal icon by using an icon providing server and a service providing server in a system connected to a user terminal through a network, the method comprising:

a) the icon providing server providing personal icons to users according to requests by the users who are accessed through the network, and storing a provided history;

b) the service providing server receiving information on the personal icons received by the user from the icon providing server when the user is accessed;

c) the service providing server transmitting information on collected personal icons to the user terminal to store the information in the user terminal; and

d) the service providing server generating a service page for displaying a personal icon of the user on at least one position by using the information stored in the user terminal and providing the service page.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the personal icon is displayed in cooperation with an identification code assigned to the user when the personal icon is displayed.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein information stored in the user terminal is an identification code of personal icons provided to the user.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein information stored in the user terminal is path information on positions where personal icons provided to the user are stored.

8. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein information stored in the user terminal is a data file of personal icons provided to the user.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the personal icon includes a default personal icon, and a modified personal icon generated by modifying a predetermined component of the default personal icon or adding a new component thereto.

10. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the personal icon has a single-layer structure.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the icon display displays the personal icon in cooperation with the user'"'"'s identification code.

2. A method for providing a personal icon by using an icon providing server and a community server connected to a user terminal through a network, the icon providing server storing and controlling information on personal icons provided to users, the method comprising:

a) the community server receiving information on personal icons received by a first user from the icon providing server when the first user is accessed through the network;

b) the community server transmitting information on collected personal icons to the first user'"'"'s terminal to store the information in the first user'"'"'s terminal;

c) the community server displaying the first user'"'"'s personal icon on the network by using the information stored in the first user terminal; and

d) the community server storing results caused by an action of the second user and personal icon information of the second user corresponding to the first user'"'"'s community when the second user accesses the first user'"'"'s community through the network and performs a predetermined action.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the community server in d) receives a data file on the personal icon of the second user from the icon providing server and stores the data file together with the second user'"'"'s results.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a personal icon selected from among a plurality of personal icons is established to be a representative icon, and the representative icon is displayed in cooperation with the identification code when the plural personal icons are provided to the user.

11. A system for providing a personal icon, the system connected to a user terminal through a network, the system comprising:

a provision history database for storing information on personal icons assigned to respective users;

an icon collector for collecting information on the personal icons assigned to the user from the database when the user is accessed through the network;

an icon transmitter for transmitting information on the collected personal icons to the user terminal to store the information in the user terminal; and

an icon display for displaying a personal icon of the user on the network by using the information stored in the terminal.

13. A service providing server for providing a predetermined service to users accessed through a network, the server being connected to a user terminal and an icon providing server through the network, the service providing server comprising:

a registration database for storing user information;

a certifier for performing a log-in process to the user accessed through the network based on the information stored in the registration database;

an icon collector for collecting information on the personal icons corresponding to an identification code of the logged-in user from the icon providing server;

an icon transmitter for transmitting information on the collected personal icons to the user terminal to store the information in the user terminal;

an icon display for displaying a personal icon corresponding to the user'"'"'s identification code on the network by using the information stored in the terminal; and

a service provider for providing services including a service for posting contents of the logged-in user.

14. The service providing server of claim 13, wherein the service providing server further comprises a database for storing contents generated when the user uses the service, and

the service provider stores the displayed personal icon of the user together with the contents of the user in the database and controls the same.

15. The service providing server of claim 13, wherein the service providing server provides a community service.

16. In a system connected to a user terminal and a service providing server through a network, a system for providing a personal icon, comprising:

an icon database for storing information related to personal icons;

an icon provider for providing information on the personal icons of the icon database to users accessed through the network, and assigning a predetermined personal icon to the user from among the provided personal icons according to the user'"'"'s selection; and

a provision history database for storing information on the personal icon assigned to the user, and

wherein the icon provider transmits information on the personal icon to the user'"'"'s terminal to store the information in the user terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the icon provider transmits information on the personal icon assigned to the user accessed through the network to the service providing server according to a request of the service providing server.