KR100397286B1 - real time chatting system between plural people through computers connected via network and method for the same, and storage medium storing program implementing the same method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system on the Internet and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a multi-party real-time conversational communication method, i.e., a chat system, through a wired or wireless Internet. The chat system according to the present invention is implemented in a chat server connected to a plurality of clients via a network, wherein the chat server and each client communicate with each other via a minimum common protocol; The chat system includes: a receiving process for receiving a message sent from each client; A content generation process for formatting the received message; A transmission process for transmitting the generated process to each client every predetermined update period; The method may further include a management process that adjusts the update period according to the circumstances of the network, the processing load of the server, and the client, and detects and processes abnormal termination of the client.

Description

Real time chatting system between plural people through computers connected via network and method for the same, and storage medium storing program implementing the same method}

The present invention relates to communication on the Internet, and more particularly, to a multi-party real-time conversational communication method through a wired or wireless Internet.

Conversation over text, voice, and video over remote networks can be referred to as multi-party real-time messaging or simply chat. Chat is evolving from HAM radios to conference calls, computer text chat, and video chat.

The HTTP protocol, which is widely used in the wired Internet, is a form in which a client intermittently connects to a server and receives necessary information. This protocol is suitable for accessing the static information listed, but not for applications that talk dynamically, such as chat, while maintaining a constant connection. In other words, since there is no concept of client connection, the chat service is generally implemented by writing a server / client application that does not use the HTTP protocol but uses a lower level communication protocol such as TCP / IP. Such a chat protocol includes a protocol such as IRC, and FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an information flow of a chat protocol implemented in such a wired Internet. As shown in the figure, a process in which a server receives a message originating from one client and delivers it to all other clients is sequentially performed, thereby enabling multilateral conversation.

However, since the protocol used in the wired Internet is based on maintaining the connection between the chat server and the client, it cannot be serviced on the HTTP-based protocol, which is a higher layer protocol introduced in a field where it is difficult to produce such a separate protocol. . In addition, such a wired chat system has a disadvantage that the terminal can communicate only with the same user. That is, since it is based on a specific protocol at the TCP / IP level, only people using the same chat client on the computer can talk, for example, wired Internet users and mobile phone users in a wireless Internet environment cannot communicate with each other. Do.

The wireless Internet transmits and receives information using HTTP communication protocols such as wired Internet, but only very limited functions are currently supported in the content and expression of information. The limited scalability also makes it impossible or at least very difficult to use new protocols or run new client applications. Therefore, there is a need for a new multi-party real-time conversational communication method that can provide maximum functionality over a limited HTTP protocol such as wireless Internet.

On the other hand, the current chat system, whether wired or wireless, is limited to the use of the conversation, and it is impossible to add other contents. Therefore, there is a need for an extended concept chat system into which content can be added to enhance the added value of the chat system in addition to the conventional informal conversation.

The present invention has been made in accordance with such a need, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly compatible multi-party real-time chat communication system and method capable of providing maximum functionality even under a protocol in which limited access is provided.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-party real-time chat communication system and a method for easily inserting new content.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-party real-time chat communication system and a method capable of adaptively optimal service according to the system environment.

Figure 1 schematically shows the information flow of the chat protocol implemented in the wired Internet.

2 shows the overall system configuration of the chat system according to the present invention.

3A is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a client process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3B is an embodiment of a client process processing procedure when the chat server periodically pushes content to each client.

4 is a processing flow diagram according to one embodiment of a message receiving process.

5 is an embodiment of a processing procedure of a content generation process.

6A and 6B illustrate one embodiment of a processing flow of a chat content transmission process.

7 is one embodiment of a processing flow of a system management process.

8 is one embodiment of a processing flow of a user management process.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: chat server 210, 220, 230, 240: client

A chat system according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a chat system implemented in a chat server connected to a plurality of clients via a network, the chat server and each client through a minimum common protocol Communicating with each other; The chat system includes: a receiving process for receiving a message sent from each client; A content generation process for formatting the received message; And a transmission process for transmitting the generated process to each client at predetermined update periods.

That is, according to the present invention, the chat message input to the terminal may be transmitted to the server at that time, but the server stores the received messages in order and transmits the received messages to all terminals at regular update periods. According to this aspect of the present invention, the server and each terminal do not need to maintain a continuous connection, but the server only needs to maintain log rooms by managing log information.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the content generation process is characterized in that for formatting the message received by the client type. According to this advantageous aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a client with different system features, for example, a personal computer on a wired Internet, a mobile phone on a wireless Internet, by serving a suitable type of chat content according to the hardware or system features of the client. It is possible to target a chat service.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the chat system further comprises: a system management process of increasing or decreasing the update period based on a comparison of one or each processing time of each process with the update period. It is characterized by. According to this advantageous aspect of the present invention, even if the number of users increases and the processing load of the server increases, there is an advantage of maintaining a good quality of service to the user within a certain range.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the chat system comprises: a user management process for determining and terminating abnormal termination of the client based on the final connection information for each client; It characterized in that it further comprises. According to this advantageous aspect of the present invention, when a user abnormally terminates the connection due to an unexpected disconnection of a wireless network or a discharge of a battery, an efficient system operation is possible by automatically deleting log information of the corresponding user and other chat rooms. Users can be prevented from being harmed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the content generating process is characterized in that: generating the content by adding the received message of the receiving process and the additional service content provided by the service provider. According to this advantageous aspect of the present invention, the service provider may provide various additional contents such as advertisements, games, and humor along with the chat contents.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily understand and reproduce.

2 shows an overall configuration of a chat system according to the present invention. Although not shown in detail, a base station, a mobile switching center (MSC), a base station controller (BSC), and a WAP gateway may be included between the mobile communication terminals 220 and 240 and the chat server 100, and are proposed by the IETF Mobile IP Working Group. This can be achieved via mobile IP-based mobile communication network equipment.

As shown, the present invention can be serviced through a wired or wireless network, and furthermore, can be simultaneously serviced through a wired or wireless network, and a minimum compatible protocol, for example, a protocol such as HTTP of a wired Internet and WAP of a wireless Internet. Any network can be used. Therefore, the term "network" in the present specification should be interpreted to encompass a network that can be connected with such a minimum compatible protocol. In other words, if the network can exchange information in the upper layer network, not only TCP / IP but also many other packet communication networks can be applied. According to an aspect of the present invention, a user of a mobile communication terminal and a user of a personal computer can connect to the same server and have a multi-party real-time conversation (hereinafter simply referred to as "chat") together. Therefore, the client according to the present invention is interpreted to encompass all terminals capable of exchanging data on the same upper layer protocols including mobile communication terminals, personal computers, PDAs, and the like.

According to a characteristic aspect of the invention the chat system according to the invention is implemented in a process which is a plurality of processing modules. These processes are executed in the chat server 100, and receive processes for receiving messages generated by each client; A message generation process for formatting the received message; And a transmission process for transmitting the formatted chat content to each client. According to this aspect of the present invention, as the chat server 100 maintains the chat contents and leads the transmission and reception, it is possible to provide individual contents for each terminal. Accordingly, contents having other added values besides the contents of the conversation, for example, advertisements Appropriate humor provided by a separate server has the advantage that can be provided. That is, when the message maintained by the chat server 100 is generated, the chat content transmission and reception process between the chat server 100 and the clients 210, 220, 230, and 240 is not immediately transmitted to each client. It is only delivered when executed. According to this aspect of the present invention, a slight message delivery delay time is generated, but communication amount in proportion to the number of users is generated, so that it is easy to calculate the number of users that the server can accommodate, thereby enabling stable service. In addition, since the load of the network is also stable, interference occurs according to the amount of communication for each terminal, which is a very desirable aspect in a mobile communication network in which problems such as system down are frequent. Furthermore, if the number of users is increased, a more flexible service can be balanced between service quality and system cost by changing the transmission / reception cycle of the chat content, that is, the execution cycle of the transmission / reception process.

Next, the client process executed in the client of the chat system according to the present invention will be described in detail. The client process is a process executed in a mobile communication terminal or a personal computer. The client process receives the latest contents from the server and shows them to the user, and receives a message from the user and transmits the message to the server. Such a function can be executed by a browser, for example if the client is based on the HTTP protocol. Such browsers include Microsoft's Internet Explorer for personal computers, and Windows ME (mobile explorer) for mobile communication terminals. Receiving a message can be done in two ways: the client requests every predetermined period or the server pushes every predetermined period.

3A is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a client process according to an embodiment of the present invention. This process is repeated in time. First, a time counter for counting the elapse of a predetermined period is initialized. The counter may be implemented in hardware or software, and generates a timer event indicating the end of the update cycle by counting a certain update cycle. A message input is checked from the user (step s311), when a message is input, it is received (step s314) and transmitted (step s315). The end of the message input is recognized as an end by, for example, the enter key of the personal computer keyboard or the confirmation key of the mobile communication terminal. Messages sent from multiple clients must be managed by chat server 100 in chronological order as soon as they occur. After one message is transmitted, additional message transmission is possible only after one chat content is received (step s317), so that the overall network load or processing capacity of the chat server 100 according to the message transmission can be more appropriately controlled. can do. However, this aspect is not essential, and the message transmission input to the terminal may be repeated at that time irrespective of receiving the chat content from the server. If there is no message input for a predetermined time to elapse (step s313), a chat message is requested to the chat server to receive a new message (s317), and this is displayed (s318).

After inputting the chat message (s314) and sending it to the chat server (s315) or by selecting the additional menu (s312), after the processing of the menu (s316) is finished, the message received by requesting the chat message, that is, , To display messages sent by you. In this case, if there is no message input, a chat message is periodically received, but if the user inputs a message, the message is immediately received and displayed as a chat message.

However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the input message is echoed and displayed on the client itself, and then transmitted to the server. However, the reception of the chat message is periodically performed regardless of the transmission of the input message. It can be done. Furthermore, the message transmission itself may be limited at regular intervals. This can be implemented by choosing between network load, processing load of chat server and quality of service.

In addition, a function may be added for supporting the additional function at an appropriate time during the client processing process. Such a function is possible by selecting a specific key, and when such a specific key is input and an additional menu is selected (s312), a processing module therefor is executed (s316). Such additional functions may be, for example, inviting a specific member outside the chat room, leaving the chat room, or whispering.

3B is an embodiment of a processing procedure in the case where the chat server periodically pushes content to each client. In this case, the input of the message is confirmed (s321) and the message is received (s322) and transmitted (s323), or when there is no message input or menu selection, the display waits for the arrival of new content (s326). That is, in this case, since the server waits for a hardware or software timer event and periodically pushes new content, the client module only needs to repeat message transmission or reception of new content.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a function called "whisper" may be implemented as an example of the additional menu. This function assigns an identifier for each client or identifies a client based on an IP, etc., designates a message transmission counterpart during chat, inputs the message content, and transmits the message to the chat server 100. According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform one-to-one individual communication with each client, so that it is possible to send this message to a designated client.

In the present invention, the update period, which is a request time of new chat content by each client or chat server, is determined by the chat server 100, and the communication environment, processing performance, average message input time, number of service users, and service of the client are determined. Dynamically determined according to the policy, the user does not feel uncomfortable time is within about 5 seconds to 10 seconds.

Hereinafter, the server process executed in the chat server 100 of the chat system according to the present invention will be described in detail. The server includes a receiving process for receiving a message from a client; A content generation process of generating chat content with the received message; A sending process of sending the generated chat content to the client; And management processes for updating the user's connection information and for determining a chat content update cycle of the client according to the state of the terminal and the service. By separating and independently executing the server processes related to chat, the performance of the chat system can be further improved in a server having a symmetric multi-processor (SMP) structure using two or more processors.

4 is a processing flow diagram according to one embodiment of a message receiving process. As shown in the drawing, the receiving process is processed in chat room units, and when a chat room is newly established, a new process is created and execution starts. When a new message event from a client belonging to the chat room occurs (s411), it is received (s413) and stored in the shared memory (s414). The shared memory where conversation contents between chat users are stored is FIFO (first in) having a certain size. first out) que. Thus, the receiving process repeats receiving messages from client computers in the chat room and storing them in shared memory in the form of FIFOs. The new message is pointed to by the pointer to the top address of the FIFO.

5 is an embodiment of a processing procedure of a content generation process. This process combines the contents of the conversation between the users stored in the shared memory and the contents desired by the service provider to generate chat contents that match the characteristics of the terminal. The content desired by the service provider may be in the form of text or an image, and may be advertising, text broadcasting, humor, games, or the like. Advertisement and humorous content inserts content stored in a database between conversation contents every predetermined period. The text broadcast inserts the received text broadcast content between conversation contents at a designated time (e.g., broadcast time) or in a special case, at a request time (e.g., for breaking news or breaking news). In the case of game progress, the progression is inserted between dialogue contents by analyzing the user's response and the response contents according to the type of game. Such content is a means to expand the use of chat rooms and to provide more value-added services. The service provider may store member information for each additional user through membership registration for each user, identify each client, and provide the additional service requested. At this time, the chat content generation process accesses the member database to generate chat content customized for each client.

The chat content generated from the conversation content and the additional content is generated by formatting the content into a form suitable for each user's terminal. In addition, content suitable for each browser is generated according to different browsers existing in various different protocols in the wireless terminal.

Specifically, the content generation process waits for a timer event that occurs periodically in hardware or software because it is preferable to generate chat content every predetermined period. When a timer event occurs, it reads the top or appropriate amount of shared memory accessible, such as the receiving process. In addition, it is determined whether or not the insertion time is for each additional content. This determination may be a determination on a timer event, and in the case of text broadcasting, may depend on the presence of a special request signal, and in the case of content such as a game, whether a special condition is satisfied. When additional content is inserted, the content is added together to generate chat content. As described above, the chat content may be appropriately formatted according to the type, standard, protocol, etc. of the client.

Therefore, in summary, the chat content according to the present invention may be different for each user according to the service subscription history, and further, depending on the protocol supported by the client terminal.

6A and 6B illustrate one embodiment of a processing flow of a chat content transmission process. This process periodically sends the chat content to the client, which is prepared for the client environment, when the content is requested from the chat client or pushed from the server. In FIG. 6A, when a content request event occurs in the chat server according to a client's periodic request, the client transmits content to each client according to the terminal type. Here, only the wired wireless client is distinguished by way of example, but various chat contents generated separately according to the communication protocol or the type of the client terminal with the client may be selectively supported in the wireless terminal. 6B is an example of a case in which the server periodically pushes the generated chat content to the client. Wait for the timer event and send the appropriate chat content for each client.

The management process according to the present invention includes a user management process and a system management process.

The system management process changes the chat content update cycle according to the server and network performance and the number of users. The update cycle can be set differently according to the type of terminal.If the content generation processing time or content transmission / reception processing time is longer than the chat content update cycle because the number of users is large compared to the performance of the system, the user is restricted or the update cycle is increased. To ensure stability. If the total content creation time of the chat system is tp, the total content processing time of the content reception process is tr, the total content processing time of the content sending process is ts, and the content update cycle is t1 and the number of users increases, the terminal update cycle does not increase beyond T. One of the processing procedures of the system management process for not accepting the user further is shown in FIG. The management process calculates tp, tr, and ts at appropriate intervals. Since the content creation process and the content sending or receiving process are executed in parallel (or in separate process concepts), each one-cycle processing time is calculated so that one of these processing times is greater than the update period t1. As long as the update period does not exceed the upper limit T, the update period is continuously increased by a predetermined value [Delta] t. If it exceeds the upper limit, it will be processed. In the case of 10,000 won treatment, a new method of blocking service use is typical. The reason for the upper limit is that if the chat content update cycle is too long, service users become too bored and the dissatisfaction with service quality is heightened.

Figure 8 illustrates one embodiment of a user management process in accordance with the present invention. Some of the carrier's servers provide session information, which is user access information, while others do not. Accordingly, the chat server according to the present invention updates the final access information in the log file every time the content request information or message is received. The user management process uses this final access information to remove the access information from the system when one or several services of the client are abnormally terminated due to communication loss, call interruption, battery discharge, etc. Is started by a timer event. Such a user management process is preferably executed at intervals of 1 to 5 minutes in the case of a mobile communication network which is frequently abnormally terminated, and is longer than the generation / transmission cycle of chat contents. Criteria for abnormal termination are the last connection time and the type of page used. Since the wireless terminal does not support frames and requires a long time to input a message, the abnormal termination determination time is calculated differently according to the type of the last used page. For example, if a page requiring a relatively long input time such as a whisper among the additional menus is a final access page, the abnormal end determination time for this is relatively long. An example of a user management process is shown in FIG. 8 when two kinds of user pages are p1 and p2, and each abnormal termination determination time is t1 and t2, and the final access time is t0 when the current time is t. When the timer event of the aforementioned period occurs (s810), the user last access information is read from the log file (s820), and according to the last access page (s830, s840), the elapsed time (t-t0) after the last access is each page. If it is greater than the reference determination time (t1, t2) set according to the type (s831, s841), it is treated as abnormal termination (s832, s842), and the user is treated as leaving the chat room. By repeating such processing for all clients or all users (s850), the processing for one timer event is terminated (s860).

As described in detail above, the present invention provides an optimal quality in an unstable communication network where insertion of additional services is easy and easy as an update of a chat message is performed according to a predetermined cycle according to a separate and one-to-one connection protocol of a chat client and a chat server. It provides a very useful and excellent chat system that can provide a chat service.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many various obvious modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention from this description. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be construed by the claims described to include many such variations.

Claims (13)

A chat system implemented in a chat server connected to a plurality of clients via a network, the chat system comprising: the chat server and each client communicating with each other via a minimum common protocol; The chat system has: A receiving process for receiving a message sent from each client; A content generation process for formatting the received message; A transmission process for transmitting the generated process to each client every predetermined update period; Chat system implemented on a computer comprising a. In the chat system according to claim 1: And a message received by the content generation process for each type of client. The chat system according to claim 1, wherein the chat system is: A system management process of incrementing or decrementing the update period based on a comparison of one or each processing time of the respective processes with the update period; The chat system implemented on a computer, further comprising. The chat system according to claim 1, wherein the chat system is: A user management process of determining and terminating abnormal termination of the client based on the final connection information for each client; The chat system implemented on a computer, further comprising. In a chat system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4: And wherein the content generation process: generates content by adding the received message of the receiving process and the additional service content provided by the service provider. In a chat system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4: The sending process is: And the content is transmitted in response to a content request signal of each client at every predetermined update period. In a chat system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4: The sending process is: A chat system implemented on a computer, characterized in that the content is pushed and transmitted to each client every predetermined update period. Claim 8 has been abandoned upon payment of a registration fee. In a chat system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4: The receiving process sequentially stores messages received from each client in a first-in, first-out shared memory; And the content generation process reads a message from the first-in, first-out shared memory and formats it for each client type to generate chat content. Claim 9 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. In the chat system according to claim 2: And the supplementary service content is inserted with reference to the supplementary service registration information registered in the member database so that the supplementary service content can be inserted for each client differently. Claim 10 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. In the chat support method that can be executed in the client connected to the chat server through the network: a) checking message input and receiving a message if there is a message and transmitting it when the input is completed; b) checking a submenu selection and if selected, executing the submenu module; c) receiving a chat message from the chat server at every update period and displaying a new chat message received; Chat support method executable in the client computer comprising a. Claim 11 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. The method of claim 10; Step c) Determining the arrival of the update cycle and requesting a new chat message from the chat server to display the received new chat message; Chat support method executable on the client computer, characterized in that. Claim 12 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. The method of claim 10; Step c) Receiving and displaying a new chat message pushed at every update period from the chat server; Chat support method executable on the client computer, characterized in that. Claim 13 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon a program for realizing a chat supporting method according to any one of claims 10, 11 or 12.