Method and apparatus for providing social network service

Abstract

A social network service, which can visualize and express a user's emotions or opinions and can randomly arrange or permanently delete the content of conversations exchanged between the user and counterparts includes: receiving a chat room creation request from at least one user equipment; transmitting information on a user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request, among at least one other user equipment located within a predetermined distance from the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request, to the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request; and creating a chat room for allowing the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request and at least one other user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request to perform messaging communication.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A Social Network Service (SNS)-providing method, comprising:
 a) receiving a chat room creation request from at least one user equipment;   b) transmitting information on a user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request, among at least one other user equipment located within a predetermined distance from the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request, to the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request; and   c) creating a chat room for allowing the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request and at least one other user equipment that has transmitted the chat room participation request to perform messaging communication.   
     
     
         2 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 1 , further comprising: receiving position information from a plurality of user equipments via a network before the step a). 
     
     
         3 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 2 , wherein the position information is received from the plurality of user equipments when the plurality of user equipments drives an Instant Grouping Menu for creating the chat room. 
     
     
         4 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 2 , wherein the position information is measured using a Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi or a mobile communication network. 
     
     
         5 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 1 , further comprising: receiving an emotional signature from one user equipment among user equipments participating in the chat room and transmitting the emotional signature to be displayed on the user equipments participating in the chat room. 
     
     
         6 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if a function of causing a message to disappear after a predetermined time elapses upon transmission of the message from one user equipment among user equipments participating in the chat room is selected, the step of deleting the message from user equipments other than the one user equipment when the predetermined time elapses after the message is confirmed by the user equipments other than the one user equipment. 
     
     
         7 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if a function of reinforcing security of a message upon transmission of the message from one user equipment among user equipments participating in the chat room is selected, the step of encrypting the message and transmitting the encrypted message to user equipments other than the one user equipment, outputting the intact message when the message is confirmed, and re-encrypting the message when a predetermined time elapses after the message is confirmed. 
     
     
         8 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 1 , further comprising: if a live drawing function is selected by one user equipment among user equipments participating in the chat room, the step of receiving information on a trace of a picture when the picture is drawn at the user equipments and transmitting the information on the trace to the user equipments so that the same picture is displayed on the user equipments. 
     
     
         9 . A Social Network Service (SNS)-providing method, comprising:
 a) by a user equipment, requesting creation of a chat room;   b) receiving, from a server, information on at least one other user equipment located within a predetermined distance from the user equipment and displaying the received information on the user equipment; and   c) creating the chat room together with a user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request among the at least one other user equipment, to enable messaging communication with the user equipment.   
     
     
         10 . The SNS-providing method of  claim 9 , wherein the step b) is displaying information on the at least one other user equipment based on a distance from the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request to the at least one other user equipment, or displaying a profile of a user utilizing the at least one other user equipment, regardless of the distance. 
     
     
         11 . A Social Network Service (SNS)-providing apparatus, comprising:
 a reception part for receiving a chat room creation request from at least one user equipment; and   a processor for transmitting information on a user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request, among at least one other user equipment located within a predetermined distance from the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request, to the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request, and for creating the chat room so that the user equipment that has transmitted the chat room creation request and at least one other user equipment that has transmitted a chat room participation request may perform messaging communication.   
     
     
         12 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the reception part receives position information from a plurality of user equipments via a network. 
     
     
         13 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the position information is received from the plurality of user equipments when the plurality of user equipments drives an Instant Grouping Menu for creating the chat room. 
     
     
         14 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the position information is measured using a Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi or a mobile communication network. 
     
     
         15 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processor receives an emotional signature from one user equipment among user equipments participating in the chat room and transmits the emotional signature to be displayed on the user equipments participating in the chat room. 
     
     
         16 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processor performs control to delete a message from user equipments other than one user equipment when the predetermined time elapses after the message is confirmed by the user equipments other than the one user equipment, if a function of causing the message to disappear after a predetermined time elapses upon transmission of the message from the one user equipment among the user equipments participating in the chat room is selected. 
     
     
         17 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processor performs control to encrypt a message and transmit the encrypted message to user equipments other than one user equipment, output the intact message when the message is confirmed, and re-encrypt the message when a predetermined time elapses after the message is confirmed, if a function of reinforcing security of the message upon transmission of the message from the one user equipment among the user equipments participating in the chat room is selected, 
     
     
         18 . The SNS-providing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processor performs control to receive information on a trace of a picture when a picture is drawn at the user equipments and transmit the information on the trace to the user equipments so that the same picture may be displayed on the user equipments, if a live drawing function is selected by one user equipment among the user equipments participating in the chat room.