Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6978292?dq=5,941,947
Timestamp: 2014-03-16 13:26:42
Document Index: 88837758

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 23', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 23', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24']

Patent US6978292 - Communication support method and system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA communication support method system to ease make selection of a virtual space in a chat system. Category DB 22, which accumulates URLs and URL categories, is prepared. A URL said in a channel, its category, and the channel name are written to a URL table. The total sum of categories of URLs said in...http://www.google.com/patents/US6978292?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6978292 - Communication support method and systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6978292 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/666,859Publication dateDec 20, 2005Filing dateSep 21, 2000Priority dateNov 22, 1999Fee statusPaidPublication number09666859, 666859, US 6978292 B1, US 6978292B1, US-B1-6978292, US6978292 B1, US6978292B1InventorsMasahiko Murakami, Yasuhide Matsumoto, Hideto KiharaOriginal AssigneeFujitsu LimitedExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (8), Referenced by (30), Classifications (11), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetCommunication support method and systemUS 6978292 B1Abstract A communication support method system to ease make selection of a virtual space in a chat system. Category DB 22, which accumulates URLs and URL categories, is prepared. A URL said in a channel, its category, and the channel name are written to a URL table. The total sum of categories of URLs said in a channel becomes the channel characteristics. Channel characteristics are displayed in a window, etc. at an IRC client. After finding the total sum of URL categories, the weighting of URLs that conform to the chat contents should be immediately increased so that the channel characteristics better reflect the chat contents. For example, this includes increasing the weighting of URLs said by users who spend a long time in the channel or users who are active in sending messages. This also includes increasing the weighting of URLs which result in active chatting after the URL is said.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As described above, attribute-defining information is provided for a keyword such as a URL. When a keyword is included in a message said in a certain virtual space, one can say there is a high possibility that the chat contents in that virtual space are related to that keyword's attributes. The present inventor focused on the point that if this were so, it should be possible to infer the contents of chat taking place in a virtual space, without utilizing a complicated natural language analysis system and the like.
A. Associating and preparing specific keywords with specific categories, B. Specifying the category of the keyword wherein at least one of the keywords are included in messages sent or received in a virtual space, C. Associating and storing keywords and the categories of the keyword with virtual space identifiers of said virtual spaces in which messages are sent or received, D. Calculating the characteristics of the virtual spaces based on the keyword categories associated with the virtual spaces, and E. Reporting the virtual space characteristics to users. Using an example in which a URL is used as the keyword, a category table in which a URL is associated with a specific category is prepared in advance. An existing database (hereinafter simply �DB�) can be used as the category table. When a URL is included in a message said in a virtual space, that URL category is read from the category table. Next, the virtual space identifier corresponding to the virtual space where the URL was said, the URL and the URL category are correlatively stored. In addition, the total of all URL categories corresponding to the virtual space is found, and the characteristics of the virtual space are calculated. The calculated virtual space characteristics are displayed on a PC or the like, thereby enabling a user to select a virtual space based on the chat contents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1: An overall structural view of a communication support system related to the first embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment [Configuration]
A server terminal 2 is provided with an IRC server 21, a category DB 22, a storage part 23, and a decision part 24. However, the category DB 22 does not have to be in the server terminal 2 as long as it can be read by the decision part 24. FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing illustrating the properties of the category DB 22. The category DB 22 accumulates URL characteristics, specifically points for each URL category, for each URL. URL points are shown for each of five categories��computers,� �education,� �economy,� �politics,� and �sports��in the category DB 22 shown in FIG. 2. For example, �URL1� has the most points for �computers,� followed by the points for �economy.�
Furthermore, how URLs are classified depends on the category DB; it is not particularly restricted. Also, keywords do not have to be URLs. Specific vocabulary terms such as �Internet� or �chat� may also be used in the category DB. A directory service database or existing database such as PICS can be used as the category DB.
The storage part 23 holds the user table and URL table created by the decision part 24. FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing explaining the user table. The user table associates and accumulates channel name, user name, channel entry time, and message volume. User name lists the nickname of a user who has entered a channel specified by a channel name. In FIG. 3, user �MUL� and user pine, have entered channel �#CHOCOA�. Channel entry time lists the date and time each user entered a channel. In FIG. 3, user �MUL� is shown as having entered a channel at 10:54:50 on Oct. 26, 1999. Message volume shows the number of massages a user sent since entering the channel. For example, user �MUL� has made 14 messages since entering channel �#CHOCOA�.
�URL� lists URLs said in a channel specified by a channel name. FIG. 4 shows that �URL1� and �URL2� have been said on channel #CHOCOA.
�Message sender� lists the nicknames of users stating the URL. FIG. 3 shows that user �MUL� said URL1, and user �pine� said URL2.
�Message time� lists the time and date a URL was said. FIG. 4 shows that URL1's message time was 17:21:24 on Oct. 26, 1999.
�Number of messages� lists the number of messages in a channel within a specific time after a URL was said. In this embodiment the specified time is set at five minutes. FIG. 4 shows that in the five minutes since URL1 was said, there were at least 6 messages.
�Characteristics� lists the URL characteristics written from the aforementioned category DB 22. In this example points are listed in each category of the originating URLs.
In step S1 the decision part 24 decides whether or not a URL is included in the said message. If it decides �Yes�, the flow shifts to step S2. If it decides �No�, the flow shifts to step S7, to be described later.
For example, suppose user �MUL� says �URL1�. Also, suppose the user table is in the state shown in FIG. 3, and the URL table is in the state shown in FIG. 4. The number of messages by user �MUL� is 14, so �URL1� is given 2*5=10 points for �computers� and 2*2=4 points for �economy.�
For example, suppose user �MUL� said �URL�. Also, suppose the URL table is in the state shown in FIG. 4, and user �MUL� is in the channel for 20 minutes. In this case, the points added to �computers� for �URL1� are 1*5=5, and the points added to �economy� are 1*2=2.
For example, suppose user �MUL� said �URL1�. Also, suppose the URL table is in the state shown in FIG. 4. If user �MUL� is the channel operator, the points for �URL1� are increased: 1*5=5 for �computers,� and 1*2=2 for �economy.�
For example, suppose �URL1� was said in channel #CHOCOA, and the URL table is in the state shown in FIG. 4. URL1's points are weighted as in the example in the aforementioned steps S5 through S7. URL1 has 25 points for �computers� (5+10+5+5=25) and 10 points for �economy� (2+4+2+2=10). If the points for URL1 and URL2 are added in each category, channel #CHOCOA has 26 points for �computers,� 15 points for �economy,� and 1 point for �sports.�
In step S10 the decision part 24 refers to the URL table and decides whether or not the URL was said in the previous five minutes before the message was said. This decision is conducted for the channel in which the message was said. Next, the decision part 24 increments the number of URL said in the last five minutes. For example, if the message time was 17:24:24 on Oct. 26, 1999, �URL1� is found and its number of messages is incremented.
In step S11 the decision part 24 weighs the characteristics of the URL whose number was incremented based on the incremented number. For example, suppose the URL table is in the state shown in FIG. 4, and the number of �URL1� is increased. The number of �URL1� is 6. Thus, the points for �computers� increase by 1*5=5 and the points for �economy� increase by 1*2=2. Subsequently, the flow returns to the aforementioned step S8, and the channel characteristics are calculated using newly weighted URL characteristics. The updated channel characteristics are reported from the decision part 24 to the IRC server 21 in the same manner as before, and output in the format shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6.
Other Embodiments (A) In the processing as illustrated in the aforementioned FIG. 7, the decision part 24 can also delete an entry for a URL when a specific valid time has elapsed since the URL was said. This is desired because rather old URLs are felt not to reflect previous chat contents. Time constraints can be set in advance at the system side or by the user.
In step S81 the decision part 24 decides whether or not a message sender is included on the blacklist. Here the blacklist is a list created by the decision part 24; in it are written user identifiers who said URLs that are not suitable for the contents of the channel, for each channel. If the decision is �Yes�, the flow shifts to step S82. If the decision is �No�, the flow shifts to step S83, to be described later.
In step S83 the decision part 24 decides whether or not a URL is included in the message. If it decides �Yes�, the flow shifts to step S84. If it decides �No�, the flow shifts to step S87, to be described later.
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