[DESCRIPTION)

[Invention Title]

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CREATING HOMEPAGE USING MODULE

INSERTION PROGRAM

[Technical Field)

The present invention is directed to a method and system of creating a homepage

using a module insertion program, more specifically to a method and system of creating a

homepage using a module insertion program that enables easy creation and modification

of a homepage without a developer by allowing insertion of the desired individual

modules (e.g., bulletin board, shopping mall, and photo album) on a webpage created

with a commercial web editor program.

[Background Art)

With the rapid growth in popularity of the Internet, corporate or personal

homepages are spreading fast as means of publicity in the cyberspace.

Nevertheless, working a satisfactory homepage is not easy for anyone who is not

professionally trained in homepage creation. A number of commercial web editor

programs (e.g., FrontPage and Namo WebEditor) have been developed and are on the

market to address this issue. However, being able to create a homepage using every

function of these commercial web editor programs takes a separate training or education.

To this end, the structure or appearance of homepages created by the unprofessional

public using these commercial web editors is very similar.

Recently, some websites (e.g., Naver) provide free homepages to the Internet

users, and those who signed up for the website can create a personal homepage through a

homepage creation process provided by the website.

Nonetheless, the structure and appearance of a homepage provided by the

website have a fixed form (e.g., personal profile, bulletin board, visitor log, and counter)

for every member, and modification by the member is restricted to the contents of a

message posted on the bulletin board. In other words, the member is limited from

modifying the structure or appearance of a homepage. For this limitation, the member

technically has a homepage, but full utilization of the homepage by the member is off

limits.

Conventional methods of creating a homepage could not allow the public to

enjoy a satisfactory structure or appearance of the homepage without professional help.

Therefore, creating or modifying a homepage by the public, including web designers, has

never been sufficient, and has always required expert manpower.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problems]

In order to solve aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to

provide a method and system of creating a homepage using a module insertion program

allowing the creation of a webpage having individual modules and the construction of a

desired homepage without a professional who knows how to modify the source code.

The present invention also aims to provide a method and system of creating a

homepage using a module insertion program that maximizes the ease of homepage

creation process by automatically inserting user-selected homepage modules (e.g.,

shopping mall, coupon, bulletin board, etc.) within a unique webpage structure created

with a commercial web editor program (e.g., FrontPage and Namo WebEditor).

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method and system of

creating a homepage using a module insertion program that allows the creation of a

satisfactory homepage with a minimum number of personnel.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a method and system of creating

a homepage using a module insertion program that allows a webpage-creating Internet

user to freely configure the size of an individual module inserted in a homepage to create

a unique homepage.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a method and system of creating

a homepage using a module insertion program that allows an individual module inserted

in a homepage to figure out the screen size of the monitor or web browser of a site visitor

and automatically adjust to the screen size and update the homepage.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method and system of

creating a homepage using a module insertion program that allows the webpage data

conversion and uploading during homepage creation to be processed simultaneously on a

single screen.

[Technical Solution!

In order to achieve aforementioned objectives, an aspect of the present invention

provides a method of creating a webpage through a communication network in a module

insertion server, and a system, device, and recorded medium enabling the method of

creating a webpage, the method comprising: registering a project by receiving project

registration information having webpage creation basic information, operator

information, webpage type information, and assignment information through a

communication network from a first user terminal; searching, if an access request is

received from a second user terminal, for one or more of project information in which a

user of the second user terminal is designated as an operator; sending the searched project

information to the second user terminal; receiving a primitive webpage conversion

request having primitive webpage structure data and module selection information from

the second user terminal according to any of the project information selected among the

one or more of project information, wherein the primitive webpage structure data

comprises at least external image information and module insertion image information;

creating converted webpage structure data, in which module information corresponding

to the module selection information is inserted, using the primitive webpage structure

data according to the module insertion image information; and sending the converted

webpage structure data to the second user terminal through a communication network.

The method can further comprise, if the webpage creation basic information

comprises a homepage URL in which the converted webpage is to be registered:

receiving a request for registration of the converted webpage structure data from the

second user terminal; and registering the converted webpage structure data to the

homepage URL.

The step of creating the converted webpage structure data can further comprise:

extracting module information corresponding to the module selection information,

wherein the module information comprises at least a URL for access to a module

corresponding to the module selection information; detecting the size of a module

insertion image corresponding to the module insertion image information; and creating

the converted webpage structure data, using the primitive webpage structure data, the

module information, and the size of the module insertion image.

The module is inserted according to the size of the module insertion image

included in the primitive webpage; and the size of the module changes accordingly if the

size of the module insertion image changes.

If the primitive webpage conversion request is language selection information,

the step of extracting module information corresponding to the module selection

information extracts module information corresponding to the language selection

information.

The method of creating a webpage based on the present invention can further

comprise: receiving a request to access to the homepage from a third user terminal;

recognizing the size of the converted webpage structure data and the size of the display

unit of the third user terminal; updating the size information of the converted webpage

structure data according to the size information of the display unit of the third user

terminal; and sending the updated converted webpage structure data to the third user

terminal.

The method can further comprise, if the webpage creation basic information

further comprises a URL of an external homepage in which the converted webpage is to

be registered, sending the converted webpage structure data to a web server

corresponding to the URL of the external homepage.

On the second user terminal, sending a request for conversion of the primitive

webpage and requesting to register the converted webpage structure data can be carried

out by use of function buttons included in a single screen.

The step of sending the converted webpage structure data to the second user

terminal through a communication network can comprise: automatically creating an

address in which the converted webpage structure data is to be registered according to the

homepage URL; and sending the automatically-created address and the converted

webpage structure data to the second user terminal.

The primitive webpage structure data can be created using a commercial

webpage creation program, and a single user terminal can be used for the first user

terminal and the second user terminal.

The primitive webpage structure data comprises two or more of module

insertion image information, and converted webpage structure data, in which independent

module information is inserted according to each module insertion image information, is

created.

The module information corresponds to at least one of the bulletin board,

shopping mall, album, coupon, and reference room modules.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention can provide a method of

creating a webpage using a module insertion server accessed by a user terminal through a

communication terminal, and a system, device, and recorded medium enabling the

method of creating a webpage, the method comprising: sending, if access information is

received, the access information to the module insertion server; receiving one or more of

the project information, in which a user corresponding to the access information is

designated as an operator, from the module insertion server, wherein the project

information comprises webpage creation basic information and webpage type

information; receiving selection information on any of the project information among the

one or more of the project information; receiving selection information on primitive

webpage structure data created using the commercial webpage creation program, wherein

the primitive webpage structure data comprises at least external image information and

module insertion image information; sending the primitive webpage structure data and

module selection information to the module insertion server if a request for conversion of

the primitive webpage structure data is received; and receiving converted webpage

structure data, in which module information corresponding to the module selection

information is inserted, from the module insertion server according to the module

insertion image information.

The step of receiving the converted webpage structure data further receives an

address to which the converted webpage structure data created by the module insertion

server is to be registered.

The method of creating a webpage based on the present invention can further

comprise: receiving a request for registration of the converted webpage structure data;

and sending the request for registration of the converted webpage structure data to the

module insertion server such that the converted webpage structure data can be registered

according to the address information.

The method of creating a webpage based on the present invention can further

comprise: receiving project registration information, wherein the project registration

information comprises webpage creation basic information, operator information,

webpage type information, and assignment information; and sending, if project

registration completion information is received, the project registration information to the

module insertion server.

The method can further comprise: checking whether conversion corresponding

to the primitive webpage structure data has been already carried out if a request for

conversion of the primitive webpage structure data is received; and displaying an error

message if the conversion has been already carried out.

[Description of Drawings]

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will

become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and

accompanying drawings where:

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a homepage building system based on a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart for a method of setting homepage creation basic

information based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows an illustration of a project view screen based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows an illustration of a project registration screen based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 shows an illustration of a webpage information input screen based on a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows a flowchart for a process of creating a webpage based on a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 shows an illustration of a project selection screen based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 shows an illustration of a screen display showing the structure of a

primitive webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.9 shows an illustration of the source code of a primitive webpage based on a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 shows an illustration of the structure manager of a primitive webpage

based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 11 shows an illustration of the conversion request screen of a primitive

webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12 shows an illustration of a screen display showing the conversion results

of a webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 shows an illustration of a screen display showing the structure of a

converted webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 14 shows an illustration of the source code of a converted webpage based on

a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 15 shows a flowchart for a process of creating a webpage based on another

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 16 shows a flowchart for a method of restricting the conversion operation of

an identical primitive webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

and

Fig. 17 shows an illustration of the structure of a webpage based on another

preferred embodiment of the present invention.

< Key references of the drawing>

110: Administrator terminal

120: Operator terminal

130: Module insertion server

133: Homepage creation control unit

136: Module information extraction unit

139: Source code conversion unit

143: Communication unit

146: Storage unit

[Mode for Invention]

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described

with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a homepage building system based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, a homepage building system based on the subject invention

comprises an administrator terminal 110, an operator terminal 120, and a module

insertion server 130.

The administrator terminal 110 and operator terminal 120 have commercial web

agent programs 113a, 113b (113, hereinafter) for creating a webpage and module

insertion programs 116a, 116b (116, hereinafter) based on this invention. The

commercial web agent program 113 includes the Notepad (i.e.,

C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPADJSXE) or other web agent programs (e.g., Microsoft

FrontPage, Namo WebEditor, etc.) for creating webpage structure data (e.g., source code).

The type of commercial web agent program 113 can be freely chosen by each

administrator or operator. The module insertion program 116 creates converted webpage

structure data by inserting an appropriate individual module (e.g., bulletin board, coupon

registration area, shopping mall, etc.) into a predesignated location, according to the

primitive webpage structure data created by the administrator or operator, and registers

the completed converted webpage structure data in a personal homepage area of the

module insertion server 130.

The module insertion server 130 comprises a homepage creation control unit

133, a module information extraction unit 136, a source code conversion unit 139, a

communication unit 143, and a storage unit 146. Although the module insertion server

130 of Fig. 1 mostly shows its components for converting a primitive webpage to

converted webpage data, the module insertion server 130 can comprise additional

components for providing a homepage registration service by registering webpage data

updated by an administrator terminal 110 or operator terminal 120. However, since the

method and components for providing a homepage registration service using the created

webpage structure data are widely known by those skilled in the art, the relevant

description will not be included here.

The homepage creation control unit 133 controls the module information

extraction unit 136, source code conversion unit 139, communication unit 143, and

storage unit 146 in order to convert the primitive webpage structure data to the converted

webpage structure data, according to a module insertion request sent from the

administrator terminal 110 or operator terminal 120.

The module information extraction unit 136 extracts appropriate module

information (e.g., URL information accessible to module information) by determining the

type and/or size of the module to be inserted to a webpage created by the administrator or

operator.

The source code conversion unit 139 creates a converted webpage by converting

the source code of a primitive webpage received from the administrator terminal 110 or

operator terminal to a predetermined type, using the module information extracted by the

module information extraction unit 136.

The communication unit 143 receives data (e.g., homepage creation basic

information, primitive webpage, etc.) from the administrator terminal 110 or operator

terminal 120, and sends the converted webpage created by the source code conversion

unit 139 to the administrator terminal 110 and/or operator terminal 120. The

communication unit 143 can, of course, also send the converted webpage structure data to

a designated external web server 150 in case the administrator wishes to register the

converted webpage in the external web server.

The storage unit 146 stores webpage creation basic information (e.g., homepage

type, administrator information, etc.), operator selection information per homepage, and

converted webpage structure data. The storage unit 146 can, of course, be classified

according to the type of data stored in a multiple structure.

Although the method of creating a webpage based on this invention can be

performed independently in an administrator terminal 110 or operator terminal 120,

equipped with a commercial web agent program 113 and a module insertion program 116,

the description hereinafter will focus on a method in which the administrator designates

an operator who will create a homepage using the administrator terminal 110 and the

operator creates the homepage using the operator terminal 120.

Fig.2 is a flowchart for a method of setting homepage creation basic information

based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is an illustration of a

project view screen based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig.4 is an

illustration of a project registration screen based on a preferred embodiment of the present

invention; and Fig. 5 is an illustration of a webpage information input screen based on a

preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In describing the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 2, the illustrations of screen

displays shown in Figs 3 through 5 will be described together to aid the understanding.

Referring to Fig. 2, the administrator terminal 110 (i.e., a module insertion

program 116 installed in the administrator terminal 110) receives, in step 210, the access

information (e.g., ID and password) from the administrator and sends to the module

insertion server 130 through a communication network.

In step 215, the module insertion server 130 determines if the access information

received in step 210 is valid. If the access information is valid, the module insertion

server 130 sends access authorization information to the administrator terminal 100 in

step 220; if the access information is invalid, the module insertion server 130 sends an

error message to the administrator terminal 110 in step 225.

In step 225, the administrator terminal 110 receives the access authorization

information from the module insertion server 130. It is possible, of course, to switch over

to the next screen (refer to Fig. 3) from the log-in screen, without sending the access

authorization information as in steps 220 and 225.

In step 230, the administrator terminal 110 receives new project registration

information from the administrator. The administrator terminal 110 then receives a

webpage type selection and an operator selection from the administrator in steps 235 and

240, respectively.

If the access information of the administrator is determined to be valid in steps

210 through 225. the administrator terminal 110 displays a project view screen as in Fig.

3 on the display unit. The project view screen in Fig. 3 comprises a selection button area

270, including a plurality of buttons such as the Register Project button, Modify Project

button, Modify Store button, and Manager Designer button, a project search area 273, and

a registered project display area 275. If there is a project registered through the use of the

Register Project button, the pertinent information is displayed on the registered project

display area 275. If a plurality of projects are displayed in the registered project display

area 275, the desired project can be easily searched using the project search area 273.

If the administrator wishes to register a new project and clicks the Register

Project button, the display unit of the administrator terminal 110 displays a project

registration screen as in Fig. 4.

The project registration screen comprises a project creation basic information

input area 280 (e.g., webpage name, one or more homepage addresses, and operator

information), a webpage type selection area 283, and designer selection area 286.

The administrator inputs the name of a desired webpage, the homepage address

to register the created webpage, and the operator information, using the project creation

basic information input area 280. Later, the webpage type selection area 283 and designer

selection area 286 can be used to select a webpage type (e.g., store, bulletin board, coupon,

album) corresponding to the webpage and to select an operator to work on the created

webpage. The webpage type selection area 283 and designer selection area 286 are set as

a drop-down type for easy selection of items by the administrator.

When the administrator inputs all the information and clicks the Confirm button

in the lower part of the project registration screen, the next step (refer to Fig. 5) is

performed.

Referring to Fig.2 again, the administrator terminal 110 receives detailed

webpage information (e.g., store name, business registration number, and owner name, in

the case of a store) from the administrator in step 245.

An information input screen is illustrated in Fig. 5. That is, Fig. 5 is a screen for

inputting detailed information (e.g., store name, business registration number, and owner

name) corresponding to the pertinent store if the administrator selects "Store" for the

webpage type using the webpage type selection area of Fig.4 and in step 235. If there are

a plural number of projects pre-registered by the user, a desired project can be chosen by

selecting the Search button 290. The administrator can also choose a proper store

category by selecting the Store Category button 293. As an example, a separate store

category screen can be displayed on the display unit of the administrator terminal 110

when the administrator clicks the store category button 293. Moreover, the store category

screen can comprise major categories, such as Wedding, Learning Center, Cars, and

Clothes, and one or more sub-categories (e.g., Traditional, Shoes, and Children under

Clothes) for each major category. The administrator can complete the project registration

by clicking the Confirm button in the lower part of the detailed information input screen

after inputting all necessary information.

Referring to Fig. 2 again, the administrator terminal 110 determines in step 250

if the input of information by the administrator is completed. For example, it can be

determined that the inputting of information is completed when the administrator clicks

the Confirm button in the lower part of the detailed information input screen. It is also

possible to determine that the input is completed when the Confirm button is clicked after

some information is inputted in the project registration screen illustrated in Fig. 4, in

which case project registration can be continued using the Modify Project button in Fig.

3.

When the information input is completed, the administrator terminal 110 sends

the project registration information inputted by the administrator to the module insertion

server 130 through a communication network in step 255.

In step 260, the module insertion server 130 receives the input information from

the administrator terminal 110 through a communication network and stores the received

input information according to the pertinent administrator.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for a process of creating a webpage based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 is an illustration of a project selection screen

based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is an illustration of a

screen display showing the structure of a primitive webpage based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 is an illustration of the source code of a

primitive webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 10 is

an illustration of the structure manager of a primitive webpage based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 11 is an illustration of the conversion request

screen of a primitive webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is an illustration of a screen display showing the conversion results of a webpage

based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 13 is an illustration of a

screen display showing the structure of a converted webpage based on a preferred

embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 14 is an illustration of the source code of a

converted webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In describing the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 6, the illustrations of Figs. 7

through 14 will be described together to aid the understanding.

Referring to Fig. 6, the operator terminal 120 receives access information from

the operator and sends the access information to the module insertion server 130 through

a communication network in step 310.

In step 315, the module insertion server 130 determines if the access information

received in step 310 is valid. If the information is valid, the module insertion server 130

searches for a project, for which the operator is designated as a designer, among one or

more projects registered by the administrator in step 320, and sends a list of the searched

projects to the operator terminal through a communication terminal in step 325. Take a

case, for example, in which the administrator has registered 3 projects of A, B, and C, and

"a" has been designated as the operator of A and B while "b" has been designated as the

operator of C. If the operator accessed in step 310 is "a", the module insertion server 130

searches for projects A and B in steps 320 and 325, and sends the searched information to

the user terminal of "a".

If the access information is not valid, however, the module insertion server 130

sends an error message to the user terminal 120 in step 330.

In step 335, the user terminal 120 receives the project list, in which the pertinent

operator is registered as a designer, in step 335.

In step 340, the operator chooses a project to work on, using the project selection

screen illustrated in Fig. 7. The operator can select the project that he wishes to work on,

using the project selection window 420 displayed by clicking the Select Work button 410

shown in Fig. 7. By selecting a project, the operator can verify the project information

(e.g., webpage type) registered by the administrator and create a webpage (e.g., webpage

inserted with a bulletin board module, in case the webpage type is a bulletin board)

corresponding to the project registration information.

In step 345, the operator creates a primitive webpage, using a commercial web

agent program 113 installed in the operator terminal 120. The primitive webpage shown

in Fig. 8 comprises text, external images 430, and a module insertion image 440. The

external images 430 refer to all images other than the module insertion image 440 and can

be classified as upper external images and side external images. The module insertion

image 440 is for determining the location to insert the module (e.g., bulletin board,

shopping mall, etc.) and the size of the module, and therefore the type of the image can be

freely chosen by the operator. The source code of the primitive webpage, illustrated in Fig.

8, is shown in Fig.9. The source code in Fig. 9 contains "<img

src="http.7/data.betanews.net/imgdb/ inline/1061738596.jpg" border='0' width-'58O"

height "363 ">" as the information indicating the module insertion image 440. This

information determines the location to insert the module and the size of the module.

Modifying the size of the module insertion image 440 will, of course, change the size of

the inserted module.

In step 350, the operator terminal 120 display a screen display as in Fig. 10 on

the display unit, if the operator activates the webpage structure verification screen (a

feature of a module insertion program).

Referring to Fig. 10, the webpage structure verification screen comprises a

Select Work button 410, a Convert/Upload button 455, a file list display area 460, and a

preview area 465.

If the operator selects a folder in which the file worked on according to a project

is located, the work files contained in the folder are displayed in the file list display area

460. If any file in the file list display area 460 is selected, the preview area 465 displays a

webpage corresponding to the work file. In other words, the operator can verify the work

using the preview area 465 before converting/uploading the work file using the

Convert/Upload button 455. It is also possible to modify a webpage displayed in the

preview area 465. For example, right-clicking in the preview area 465 displays a

pre-selected list of programs (e.g., Notepad, FrontPage, Namo WebEditor, etc.), with

which the webpage can be modified. Later when the operator clicks the Convert/Upload

button 455, a conversion file selection screen, as in Fig. 11, is displayed on the display

unit of the operator terminal 120, step 355 in Fig. 6 is performed.

Referring back to Fig. 6, the operator terminal 120 (i.e., module insertion

program) determines in step 355 if conversion of the primitive webpage is requested by

the operator. For example, this can be about determining if a work file is chosen by the

operator and the Convert button 470 in Fig. 11 is selected.

If a request for conversion of the primitive webpage is received, step 365 is

performed to send the conversion request to the module insertion server 130 through a

communication network. If no conversion request is received, however, the step selected

by the operator is performed.

In step 370, the module insertion server 130 extracts individual module

information (e.g., webpage type information, module access URL, etc.) corresponding to

the conversion request, and creates a converted webpage using the extracted individual

module information.

There can be a variety of ways for the module insertion server 130 to create a

converted webpage corresponding to the conversion request received from the operator

terminal 120. Two of the ways will be described here.

The first way is by including the primitive webpage structure data and webpage

type to a primitive webpage conversion request. In other words, once the operator selects

a work file and enters a primitive webpage conversion request (i.e., clicks the Convert

button 470), the pertinent webpage structure data and webpage type are also sent to the

module insertion server 130. The module insertion server 130 uses the webpage type to

determine which module is to be inserted and extracts the individual module information,

then converts the primitive webpage structure data to correspond to the extracted

individual module information. The source code of a primitive webpage illustrated in Fig.

9 is an example of utilizing this way.

The second way is by including the primitive webpage structure data only to a

primitive webpage conversion request and having the operator include the webpage type

into the primitive webpage structure data. For example, the module insertion image 440

area within the source code of a primitive webpage created by the operator, shown in Fig.

9, can be modified as "<imgsrc="http://data.betanews.net/imgdb/iniine/l 061738596.jpg"

height "363">". Compared to the first way,

this second way is useful in inserting several modules in one homepage. In case there are

a number of design types in each module, any design (e.g., 'designformat'="w001 ") of

course can be chosen. Even for a case of having the operator modify the source code, the

modification is limited to optional items, not technical items, which do not require

technical knowledge on the source code structure.

Later in step 375, the module insertion server 130 sends the converted webpage

created in step 370 to the operator terminal 120 through a communication network.

In step 380, the operator terminal 120 stores the converted webpage received

from the module insertion server 130. The conversion results of the primitive webpage

are shown in Fig. 12.

The conversion result screen shown in Fig. 12 comprises an address (e.g.,

E:\a302\bbsl. htm) in which the converted webpage structure data is stored, an address

(e.g., E:\a302\bbsl.tmp.htm) in which the primitive webpage structure data is newly

stored, and an address (e.g., http://www.urirang.com/store/warehouse/bbsl.htm) in

which the converted webpage is to be registered when the converted webpage structure

data is registered on the homepage through a communication network. In other words, the

converted webpage structure data is changed to the file name of the primitive webpage

structure data and saved, and the primitive webpage structure data is renewed to a

temporary file name and saved. The address of a homepage in which the converted

webpage is registered is automatically set by the module insertion server 130 and is

displayed on the conversion result screen. Moreover, the conversion file selection screen

of Fig. 11 or the conversion result screen of Fig. 12 can additionally comprise a "menu"

item. If the operator clicks the "menu" item followed by the Convert button 470, the

module insertion server 130 can insert a basic menu bar corresponding to a module to be

inserted to the webpage during the process of converting the primitive webpage. For

example, if the webpage is about a store, and the module to be inserted is a shopping mall

module, the basic menu bars inserted together can be Search Products, Order, and

Shopping Cart.

Below is a brief description of details of the conversion of source code, using the

structure and source code of a converted webpage.

The structure of the converted webpage is shown in Fig. 13 while Fig. 14 shows

the source code of the converted webpage shown in Fig. 13. For the converted webpage in

Fig. 13, the administrator set the webpage type as "Store" (refer to Fig. 4), the operator

conducted the work according this setting, and the module insertion server 130 inserted

the shopping mall module 480 in the module insertion image 440 of the webpage. The

source code of the location where the shopping mall module 380 is inserted is <iframe

id='megryan887-7-Z001 ' frameborder=O'

src-/util/expirechk.asp?Link=/mall/shop/shop.asp&master=m egryan887-7-Z001&

... style-left: ; top: ; position ^' : ; width: 580px; height: 363px;' forcate-mall' ...>. In other

words, the size of the module is maintained, but the address through which the actual

shopping mall can be accessed is newly inserted, in the source code "<img

src=="http://data.betanews.net/imgdb/ inline/1061738596.jρg" border='0' width="580"

height "363">" in Fig. 9. The operator information (i.e., megryan887 — refer to Fig. 4)

corresponding to the shopping mall module is also inserted. Thus, if the module is used

during a period for which payment is made, the operator information can be utilized as the

payer information.

Referring to Fig. 6 again, the operator terminal 120 determines in step 385 if

uploading of the converted webpage is requested by the operator. For instance, the

operator terminal 120 checks if any work file (i.e., converted webpage structure data) in

Fig. 12 is selected and then the Upload to Server button 475 is clicked. If the button is

clicked, the selected work file is sent to the module insertion server 130 through a

communication network in step 390. If the button is not clicked, however, the process

moves to the step the operator requests.

In step 395, the module insertion server 130 receives the converted webpage

structure data in step 395, and saves according to the pertinent project (or administrator,

operator, etc.) and the designated URL. That is, the module insertion server 130 can

provide a homepage service. Moreover, as described with reference to Fig. 4, the same

content can be serviced through multiple servers by sending the converted webpage

structure data to a separate web servers 150 in addition to the module insertion server 130,

in case the administrator additionally inputted an external URL address as a homepage.

As such, the cost and time for creating a homepage can be reduced since a

satisfactory webpage can be created by including the desired design in a webpage

although the operator does not have technical understanding in the webpage creation

process based on the present invention. Moreover, a webpage having desired features can

be created by a single web designer. Since the size of individual modules included in a

webpage can be readily modified, the module size can be made to fit the webpage

composition, rather than the webpage being structured according to the module size.

Fig. 15 is a flowchart for a process of creating a webpage based on another

preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Descriptions for steps 510 through 550 will be skipped since these steps are

identical to steps 310 through 350 in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 15, the operator terminal 120 (i.e., module insertion program)

determines in step 355 if conversion of the primitive webpage is requested by the operator.

This can be about, for example, checking if any work file is selected by the operator and

the Convert button 470 in Fig. 11 is clicked.

If the request for conversion of the primitive webpage is received, the individual

module information (e.g., module access URL) to be included in the primitive webpage is

extracted in step 560. The individual module information to be included in the webpage

can be extracted using the webpage type information (e.g., 'ModuleTag -"mall") included

in the source code by the operator or the webpage type information (e.g., 'Store') set by

the administrator during the project registration step. The individual module information

that can be extracted by the module insertion program 116 installed in the operator

terminal 120 is pre-stored in the storage unit of the administrator terminal 110. If

necessary, the individual module information can be updated using the Update button

included in the module insertion program 116.

In step 565, the operator terminal 120 creates a converted webpage using the

individual module information extracted in step 560. In other words, the primitive

webpage is updated (refer to Fig. 14) using the operator information and individual

module information (e.g., access address of 'www.iairang.com/db/mall/ shop/shop.asp')

inputted by the administrator during the project registration.

In step 570, the operator terminal 120 saves the converted webpage and displays

the conversion result on the display unit of the operator terminal 120 (refer to Fig. 12).

Later in Fig. 575, the operator terminal 120 checks if uploading of the converted

webpage is requested by the operator and, if requested, sends the converted webpage

structure data to the module insertion server 130 in step 580.

In step 585, the module insertion server 130 receives the converted webpage and

saves the received converted webpage according to the project.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart for a method of restricting the conversion operation of an

identical primitive webpage based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The flowchart shown in Fig. 16 is for reducing the load caused by the webpage

conversion in case a particular primitive webpage needs to be converted again despite an

earlier conversion of the same primitive webpage. If a conversion request is received on a

primitive webpage while the same primitive webpage is converted according to the

flowchart in Fig. 6 or Fig. 15, the process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 16 can be

performed.

Referring to Fig. 16, the operator terminal 120 extracts the source code of one or

more primary primitive webpage selected by the operator for the conversion operation.

In step 620, the operator terminal 120 determines if the storage unit has a

converted webpage corresponding to the source code identical to the source code

extracted in step 610.

If the converted webpage is not in the storage unit, a converted webpage is

created in step 630. Step 630 can comprise processes of extracting an individual module

and creating a converted webpage by the operator terminal 120 or module insertion server

130. In step 640, the operator terminal 120 saves the converted webpage created by the

operator terminal 120 or module insertion server 140 and displays the conversion result

on the display unit.

If a converted webpage corresponding to the primitive webpage selected in step

620 is in the storage unit, however, a message (e.g., "A converted webpage exists in

c:\a302\bbsl.htm.") is displayed on the display unit of the operator terminal 120 in step

650 and the process ends.

Fig. 16 is an illustration of the structure of a webpage based on another preferred

embodiment of the present invention.

The method of creating a webpage described so far with reference to Figs. 2

through 16 was about inserting one module in one webpage.

However, with the method of creating a webpage based on the present invention,

a plurality of modules can be freely inserted in one webpage by an operator. This is

because each module exists independently and is designed to coexist in one html

document. Fig. 17 illustrates a webpage in which both a shopping mall module and a

bulletin board module are inserted by the operator.

In this case, for the method of extracting proper modules to be inserted to the

webpage from the module insertion server 130 or operator terminal 120, the administrator

can set a plurality of webpage types (e.g., store and bulletin board) in the project

registration screen shown in Fig.4, or the operator can insert a plurality of module

insertion images and set the webpage type to the source code corresponding to each

module insertion image (e.g., 'ModuleTag -"mall" for the first image and

'ModuleTag'="bbs" for the second image).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the

webpage is restructured according to the size of display unit of the user terminal when a

user accesses the homepage through a communication network.

In other words, the user terminal of each user knows the size of its display unit or

the screen size of its web browser, and the module insertion server 130 accordingly

knows the display unit information when the user terminal accesses the module insertion

server 130 through a communication network.

Therefore, the webpage displayed on the display unit can be restructured to

correspond to the display information of the user terminal.

For example, if the webpage created by the operator is sized '1024 x 768' and the

size of the module is '580 x 353', the size of the module can be proportionally shrunk to be

displayed if the display unit of the user terminal is '800 x 600'.

So far, the method of creating a webpage that allows an operator or administrator

to insert a desired module in a webpage created by an operator, it should be apparent that

the operator or administrator can further add special effects (e.g., flash animation, snow,

etc.) to the webpage.

Also, although the description hereinbefore focused on English for the language

of a module inserted in the module insertion image 440, a module of any language can be

inserted if the operator designates a language code (e.g., 'Lang -'KR' or 'Lang'='EN') in

the source code of the primitive webpage.

The accompanying drawings and detailed description are only an example of the

present invention, serve only for describing the present invention, and by no means limit

or restrict the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, any person of ordinary skill

in the art shall understand that a large number of permutations and other embodiments are

possible. The true scope of the present invention must be defined only by the spirit of the

appended claims.

[Industrial Applicability]

As described above, the method and system of creating a homepage using a

module insertion program based on this invention allows creation of a webpage having

the desired homepage structure and individual modules without the help of a professional

who can modify the source code.

Also, this invention can maximize the ease of creating a homepage since

homepage modules (e.g., shopping mall, coupon, bulletin board, etc.) the user selected

are automatically inserted in the unique webpage structure created using a commercial

web editor program (e.g., FrontPage and Namo WebEditor).

Moreover, a satisfactory homepage can be created with a minimum number of

personnel through the use of this invention.

Creation of a personalized homepage is easy with this invention because an

Internet user, who is creating the webpage, can freely set the size of individual modules

inserted in the homepage.

Furthermore, this invention allows an individual module inserted in a homepage

to calculate the size of the monitor or web browser of a user and adjust to a proper size,

and the homepage structure is updated to provide a better web surfing experience.

This invention also allows the webpage data conversion and uploading to be

processed on a single screen while creating a homepage.