METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING NETWORK BETWEEN USERS IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120143719A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Seong-Woon, Ko, Jae-Woo
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method and apparatus configure a network between users in a communication system. In a server, the method includes receiving user information from a terminal for purchasing contents, storing information on a purchaser for each of a plurality of contents, and configuring the network including users who purchase identical contents. Accordingly, the network can be automatically configured between user terminals on the basis of a contents purchase history of the user terminal in the communication system.

Claims

1. For use by a server, a method for configuring a network between users in a communication system, the method comprising:

receiving user information from a terminal for purchasing contents;

storing information on a purchaser for each of the contents; and

configuring the network including users who purchase identical contents.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the network comprises configuring the users who purchase one identical content as one network group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the network comprises configuring users who purchase at least two identical contents as one network group.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the terminal that purchases the contents, a signal indicating that the use of the network service is not agreed between users; and

excluding the terminal which transmits the signal indicating that the use of the network service is not agreed between users for the purchase of contents from a network configuration target.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the configuring of the network, providing a communication service to terminals that belong to the same network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing of the communication service comprises, upon receiving an opinion on specific contents from the terminal, transmitting the opinion to other terminals which belong to a network configured based on the specific contents.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing of the communication service comprises transmitting information of terminals that belong to the same network to a terminal that belongs to a specific network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon detection of an access of the terminal, evaluating the configured network on the basis of the contents purchased by the terminal;

determining recommended contents on the basis of the contents purchased by other terminals that belong to the evaluated network; and

transmitting a list including the recommended contents to the accessed terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the recommended contents comprises:

determining a purchase ratio for each of the contents purchased by the other terminals; and

determining the recommended contents on the basis of the purchase ratio,

wherein the purchase ratio represents a ratio of terminals that purchase corresponding contents to all terminals which belong to the network group.

10. An apparatus of a server for configuring a network between users in a communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to receive user information from a terminal configured to purchase contents;

a storage unit configured to store information on a purchaser for each of the contents; and

a controller configured to configure the network including users who purchase identical contents.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller configures the users who purchase one identical content as one network group.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller configures users who purchase at least two identical contents as one network group.

13. The apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the communication module receives, from the terminal that purchases the contents, a signal indicating that the use of the network service is not agreed between users, and

wherein the controller excludes the terminal that transmits the signal indicating that the use of the network service is not agreed between users for the purchase of contents from a network configuration target.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein after the configuring of the network, the controller provides a communication service to terminals that belong to the same network.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein upon receiving an opinion on specific contents from the terminal, the controller transmits the opinion to other terminals that belong to a network configured based on the specific contents.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller transmits information of terminals that belong to the same network to a terminal that belongs to a specific network.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein upon detection of an access of the terminal, the controller evaluates the configured network on the basis of the contents purchased by the terminal, determines recommended contents on the basis of the contents purchased by other terminals which belong to the evaluated network, and transmits a list including the recommended contents to the accessed terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the controller determines a purchase ratio for each of the contents purchased by the other terminals, and determines the recommended contents on the basis of the purchase ratio, and

wherein the purchase ratio represents a rate of terminals that purchase corresponding contents to all terminals which belong to the network group.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller comprises a contents purchase manager, a Social Network Service (SNS) creator, and a contents recommender.

20. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the storage unit comprises a contents purchase information storage unit and a Social Network Service (SNS) storage unit.