Apparatus, method, and computer program for providing chat service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016330146-A1
Application number	US-201615145297-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	May 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 10, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of facilitating electronic communication of a message between a plurality of accounts including a first account and a plurality of outside accounts may include determining if a number of the plurality of accounts or a ratio of the plurality accounts that approve an anonymous mode is greater than or equal to a first reference value based on first voting information received from the plurality of accounts, converting the mode of a chat room to the anonymous mode by matching each of a plurality of temporary accounts with a respective one of the plurality of accounts, if the determining determines that the number of the plurality of accounts or the ratio of the plurality accounts is greater than or equal to the first reference value; and displaying the message from an account in the chat room with an indication of the temporary account associated with the account.

First claim

1 . A method of facilitating electronic communication of at least a first message between a plurality of accounts including a first account and a plurality of outside accounts, the method comprising:
receiving a request to convert a mode of a chat room to an anonymous mode; receiving first voting information from the plurality of accounts, the first voting information indicating whether a user associated with a respective one of the plurality of accounts approves the anonymous mode; determining if a number of the plurality of accounts or a ratio of the plurality accounts that approve the anonymous mode is greater than or equal to a first reference value based on the first voting information; converting the mode of the chat room to the anonymous mode by matching each of a plurality of temporary accounts with a respective one of the plurality of accounts, if the determining determines that the number of the plurality of accounts or the ratio of the plurality accounts is greater than or equal to the first reference value; and displaying the first message from an account in the chat room with an indication of the temporary account associated with the account, if the first message is received from one of the plurality of accounts.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating the chat room such that the chat room facilitates the communication of the first message between the plurality of accounts.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
redistributing the plurality of temporary accounts, if a new account joins the chat room.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the redistributing comprises:
releasing a correspondence relationship between the plurality of accounts and the plurality of temporary accounts; increasing a number of the plurality of temporary accounts; and matching each of the new account and the plurality of accounts with respective ones of the plurality of temporary accounts.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether one of the plurality of accounts exits the chat room; and setting a new correspondence relationship between each of the plurality of accounts remaining in the chat room and the plurality of temporary accounts, if one of the plurality accounts exits the chat room.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to terminate the anonymous mode from any one of the plurality accounts; and converting the mode of the chat room to a general mode, if the receiving receives the request to terminate the anonymous mode such that, in the general mode, when the chat service providing apparatus receives a second message from a transmitting accounting of the plurality of accounts, the chat service providing apparatus displays the second message along with an indication of the transmitting account in the chat room.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the converting comprises:
receiving second voting information from the plurality of accounts, the second voting information indicating whether a user associated with a respective one of the plurality accounts approves terminating the anonymous mode; determining if a number of the plurality of accounts or a ratio of the plurality accounts that approve termination of the anonymous mode is greater than or equal to a second reference value based on the second voting information; and terminating the anonymous mode, if the determining determines that the number of the plurality of accounts or the ratio of the plurality accounts is greater than or equal to a second reference value.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the terminating comprises:
terminating the anonymous mode after a first reference time period elapses after receiving the request to terminate the anonymous mode.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving one or more parameters from the one of the plurality accounts requesting termination of the anonymous mode, the one or more parameters including at least one of a duration time of the anonymous mode and whether to disclose which of the plurality of users generated the first message in the anonymous mode when the anonymous mode is terminated.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, the determining comprises:
incrementing the number of the plurality of accounts that approve the anonymous mode based on the plurality of accounts that do not provide the first voting information within a second reference time.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, the determining comprises:
incrementing a number of the number of the plurality of accounts that disapprove the anonymous mode based on the plurality of accounts that do not provide the first voting information within a second reference time.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the converting comprises:
at least one of generating and receiving the plurality of temporary accounts and an indication of which of the plurality of temporary accounts correspond to the plurality of accounts.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein,
the converting converts the plurality of accounts to the plurality of temporary accounts such that each of the plurality of temporary accounts is in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the plurality of outside accounts and the first account, and the displaying displays the first message in the chat room such that an indication of the temporary account associated with the account that transmitted the first message is displayed in the chat room.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying displays the first message in the chat room such that the first message and subsequent messages created by other ones of the plurality of accounts are aligned in the same direction on each of user terminals associated with the plurality of accounts.

15 . A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program, which when executed by a computer, performs the method defined in claim 1 .

16 .- 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method of communicating messages in an instant messaging environment, the method comprising:
anonymizing the instant messaging environment by,
generating a number of unique temporary accounts,
assigning each of a plurality of users within the instant messaging environment with one of the unique temporary accounts, and
associating the messages from each of the plurality of users with respective ones of the unique temporary accounts; and
displaying the messages in the instant messaging environment such that a source of each of the messages is indicated with the respective ones of the unique temporary accounts.

22 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the anonymizing anonymizes the instant messaging environment in response to a request to switch the instant messaging environment to an anonymous mode from one of the plurality of users.

23 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
tallying a first approval rate amongst the users to switch to the anonymous mode; determining if the first approval rate is above a threshold; anonymizing the instant messaging environment, if the first approval rate is greater than or equal to the threshold; and maintaining an identified mode in which the source of each of the messages is indicated as a respective one of the plurality of users, if the first approval rate is less than the threshold.

24 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
re-anonymizing the instant messaging environment, if a new user joins the instant messaging environment operating in the anonymous mode, the re-anony

Assignees

• Naver Corp

Inventors

• Yoo Doo Sun
• Hwang Hyun Ah

Classifications

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04L63/00

  Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00) · CPC title

• H04L51/04 Primary

  Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] · CPC title

• H04L12/1827

  Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation · CPC title

• H04L63/0421

  Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer · CPC title