Apparatus and method for managing phone number-based SNS account

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449066-B2
Application number	US-201314117644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2013
Priority date	Aug 29, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A Social Network Service (SNS) account management server transmits, when phone number change schedule information is received from a user terminal, a phone number change schedule message to user terminals respectively corresponding to friend accounts included in a friend list of the corresponding account; confirms, when authentication of the new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information; transmits, if the account is of the changed phone number, a phone number change notification message to user terminals corresponding to friend accounts included in a friend list of the account of the changed phone number; and updates the changed phone number of the user terminal in a database of each friend account.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An Social Network Service (SNS) account management server comprising:
a phone number change account confirmation unit for receiving, if a phone number is changed while a phone number-based SNS account is used, phone number change schedule information from a user terminal, and confirming, when authentication of a new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information;
a phone number change message transmission unit for transmitting, when the phone number change schedule information is received, a phone number change schedule message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the corresponding account, and transmitting a phone number change notification message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the account of the changed phone number;
a phone number update unit for updating the phone number of the user terminal of the changed phone number in a database of each friend account included in the friend list of the account of the changed phone number; and
a dialog window processing unit for backing up, when the phone number change
schedule information is received from the user terminal, content of a dialog window activated on the user terminal and setting the dialog window to a frozen state, and linking, when authentication of a new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, content of a dialog window existed before the change of the phone number to the new account; and providing a seamless dialog window by releasing the frozen state,
wherein, when the authentication of the new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, the phone number change message transmission unit selects user terminals for receiving the phone number change notification message among the user terminals respectively corresponding to each of the friend accounts included in the friend list of the corresponding account.

2. The server according to claim 1 , wherein when authentication of a new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, the phone number change account confirmation unit acquires information on possession of a previous account, information on a previous phone number and information on a password in association with the user terminal and confirms whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number referring to the acquired information on possession of a previous account, information on a previous phone number and information on a password and the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information.

3. An Social Network Service (SNS) account management system comprising:
a user terminal for transmitting, if a phone number is changed while a phone number based SNS account is used, phone number change schedule information and requesting authentication of a new SNS account for an acquired new phone number; and
an SNS account management server for transmitting, when the phone number change schedule information is received from the user terminal, a phone number change schedule message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the corresponding account, confirming, when authentication of the new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information, transmitting, if the account is an account of the changed phone number, a phone number change notification message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the account of the changed phone number, and updating the phone number of the user terminal of the changed phone number in a database of each friend account included in the friend list of the account of the changed phone number,
wherein, when the authentication of the new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, the SNS account management server selects user terminals for receiving the phone number change notification message among the user terminals respectively corresponding to each of the friend accounts included in the friend list of the corresponding account, and
wherein the SNS account management server backs up, when the phone number change schedule information is received, content of a dialog window activated on the user terminal and sets the dialog window to a frozen state, confirms, when authentication of a new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information, links, if the account is an account of the changed phone number, content of a dialog window existed before the change of the phone number to the new account and provides a seamless dialog window by releasing the frozen state.

4. A phone number-based Social Network Service (SNS) account management method performed by an SNS management server, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving, if a phone number is changed while a phone number-based SNS account is used, phone number change schedule information from a user terminal;
transmitting, when the phone number change schedule information is received, a phone number change schedule message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the corresponding account;
confirming, when authentication of a new SNS account is requested for a new phone number from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information;
transmitting, if the account is an account of the changed phone number as a result of the confirmation, a phone number change notification message to user terminals respectively corresponding to each of friend accounts included in a friend list of the account of the changed phone number;
updating the phone number of the user terminal of the changed phone number in a database of each friend account included in the friend list of the account of the changed phone number,
wherein the transmitting the phone number change notification message comprises:
selecting user terminals for receiving the phone number change notification message among the user terminals respectively corresponding to each of the friend accounts included in the friend list of the account of the changed phone number in association with the user terminal of the changed phone number; and
transmitting the phone number change notification message including information on the new phone number of the account of the changed phone number only to the user terminals corresponding to selected the friend accounts;

backing up, when the phone number change schedule information is received, content of a dialog window activated on the user terminal and setting the dialog window to a frozen state;
linking, if the account is an account of the changed phone number as a result of the confirmation, content of a dialog window existed before the change of the phone number to the new account; and
providing a seamless dialog window by releasing the frozen state.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein when authentication of a new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, the step of confirming whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number acquires information on possession of a previous account, information on

Assignees

• Sk Planet Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sang Yool

Classifications

• G06Q10/40 Primary

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• H04W4/21

  for social networking applications · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04L51/52

  for supporting social networking services · CPC title

• G06Q50/60

  Business processes related to postal services (shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00) · CPC title