CN102598047B - Service providing apparatus and method for recommending service thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A service providing apparatus and method are provided. The service providing apparatus includes: a receiving unit that receives content metadata; and a controller which determines a related service based on the received content metadata and user metadata and provides the determined related service.

Description

Service providing device and method for recommending its services

technical field

The present invention generally relates to a service providing device and a method for recommending its service, and more particularly, to a service providing device using user metadata and a method for recommending its service.

Background technique

Various contents are provided from content providing devices such as servers or base stations to fixed and mobile devices. However, in order to search for content and related content in devices that receive various contents from content providing devices, users experience numerous troubles and mistakes.

Contents of the invention

technical problem

Recently, a method of intuitively and smoothly searching content using metadata has been introduced to solve such inconvenience. However, since information on content provided through metadata is still very limited, users perform additional searches for specific content provided through metadata.

Technical solutions

The present invention is devised to solve at least the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art.

Therefore, an aspect of the present invention provides a display device, a user terminal and a method thereof, by combining information on the location of the user terminal and information on the location of an object selected by the user, the user can more conveniently and accurately search for desired Object information.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of recommending a service in a service providing device is provided. The method includes: receiving content metadata; determining related services based on the received content metadata and at least one user metadata; and providing the determined related services.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a service providing device is provided. The service providing apparatus includes: a receiving unit that receives content metadata; and a controller that determines a related service based on the received content metadata and at least one user metadata and provides the determined related service.

Description of drawings

The above and/or other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for consuming movie-related content provided through a kiosk.

3 and 4 illustrate a movie calendar according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a system using movie-related content provided through a content reproduction device.

Figure 6 illustrates a system for using music-related content provided through an MP3 player.

FIG. 7 illustrates a service providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a content providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a content providing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 to 12 are flowcharts illustrating content providing methods according to other embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a service providing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

14 illustrates a display of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of recommending a service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same drawing reference numerals are used for the same components even in different drawings. Matters defined in the description, such as specific structures and components, are provided to assist in a complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, the described embodiments can be practiced without these specifically defined matters. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the application with unnecessary detail.

FIG. 1 illustrates a service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a service providing system 100 includes a first terminal 110 , a second terminal 120 and a third terminal 130 . The first terminal 110 provides content. For example, the first terminal 110 may be a self-service machine installed at a location such as a movie theater, a train station, or a bus station to provide various contents including purchasing, issuing, and registering tickets. Alternatively, the first terminal 110 may be a content providing device, such as a portable media player (PMP), MP3 player, DVD reproducing device, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other mobile device. Here, the content may include text, image, video, audio or any combination thereof.

The third terminal 130 extracts content metadata from the content provided by the first terminal 110 and transmits the extracted content metadata to the second terminal 120 . For example, the third terminal 130 may be a mobile device such as a cellular phone. However, the third terminal 130 is not limited thereto and may be any device to which the first terminal 110 can be connected.

The third terminal 130 includes an interface unit 131 , a controller 133 , a metadata extraction unit 135 , a storage unit 137 and a display unit 139 . The interface unit 131 receives content from the first terminal 110 and transmits content data extracted from the content to the second terminal 120 . The interface unit 131 transmits data to and receives data from the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 120 through a wired connection or using various known wireless communication methods.

The controller 133 controls overall control operations of the third terminal 130 . Specifically, the controller 133 controls the metadata extraction unit 135 to extract content metadata from received content. The controller 133 controls the metadata extracting unit 135 to extract content metadata from received content after the third terminal 130 is connected to the first terminal 110 and a user command for extracting content metadata is input to the third terminal 130 .

The metadata extracting unit 135 extracts content metadata from content provided by the first terminal 110 . Specifically, the metadata extracting unit 135 extracts content metadata by clipping the content metadata from the content provided by the first terminal 110 . Here, metadata, generally refers to data about data, which includes various information or attributes about sub-data, and can be divided into content metadata and user metadata, which includes individual characteristics of each user .

For example, content metadata about a movie may provide movie information such as movie title, showtime, actor/actress, genre (or genre), director, producer, and so on. Similarly, content metadata about music may provide music information, such as song title, artist, main artist, music company to which the artist belongs, winning records, and the like. In addition, content metadata about departure and arrival times of trains or cars at train stations or bus stations can provide information such as departure times, arrival times, vacancy indications, transfer stations, provide purchase information, and the like.

The storage unit 137 stores the extracted metadata. The storage unit 137 may store content metadata in the form of a file, together with related content. Various data may be stored in the storage unit 137 in addition to content and corresponding content metadata.

The display unit 139 displays whether content metadata has been extracted.

The second terminal 120 searches for related content by combining the transmitted content metadata with the user profile. The second terminal 120 includes an interface unit 121 , a controller 123 , a storage unit 125 , and a display unit 127 . For example, the second terminal 120 may be a notebook computer or a desktop computer.

The interface unit 121 receives content metadata transmitted from the third terminal 130 and the controller 123 searches for related content by combining the received content metadata with a user profile.

For example, user metadata includes user preferences and user history. User metadata, other than content metadata extracted from the content of the first terminal 110 , is input from the second terminal 120 or pre-stored in the second terminal 120 . In addition, user metadata may be input from or pre-stored in the third terminal 130 . When in the third terminal 130, the user metadata is sent to the second terminal 120 along with the content metadata.

The storage unit 125 stores content metadata received from the third terminal 130 and stores user metadata.

The display unit 127 displays a user interface (UI) for specifying user metadata. In addition, the display unit 127 displays the generated movie schedule and web pages linked to related contents.

FIG. 2 illustrates a service providing system using movie-related content provided through a kiosk, and FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate generated movie schedules.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the service providing system 200 includes a first terminal 210 , a second terminal 220 and a third terminal 230 . Specifically, the first terminal 210 is a kiosk, the second terminal 220 is a personal computer (PC), and the third terminal 230 is a cellular phone. Hereinafter, the first terminal 210, the second terminal 220, and the third terminal 230 will be referred to as a kiosk 210, a PC 220, and a cellular phone 230, respectively, for convenience of explanation. However, the first terminal 210, the second terminal 220, and the third terminal 230 are not limited to these specific devices.

In addition, the first terminal 210, the second terminal 220 and the third terminal 230 include the same components as shown in the first terminal 110, the second terminal 120 and the third terminal 130 (for example, the interface unit 131, the controller 133, the unit data extraction unit 135, storage unit 137, display unit 139, etc.). Accordingly, when describing the first terminal 210, the second terminal 220, and the third terminal 230, their components (although not shown in FIG. 2) will be represented using the same numerical identifiers as those shown in FIG.

The user connects the cell phone 230 to the kiosk 210 to obtain content about a movie at the theater. Cellular telephone 230 may be wirelessly connected to kiosk 210, or cellular telephone 230 may be connected to kiosk 210 through a wired connection.

The interface unit 131 of the cellular phone 230 receives content including content metadata from the kiosk 210 . The metadata extracting unit 135 of the cellular phone 230 extracts content metadata from the content received from the interface unit 131 by clipping the content metadata under the control of the controller 133 . The storage unit 137 of the cellular phone 230 stores content metadata such as movie title, showtime, actor/actress, genre, director and/or producer.

The controller 123 of the PC 220 generates a movie schedule using the content metadata and user metadata transmitted to the PC 220 , and displays the generated movie schedule through the display unit 127 .

Thereafter, users can use the services provided through the movie lineup to easily identify, for example, movie viewing status, history, and related content optimized for a particular user.

Referring to the movie schedules shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the user watched "G.I. Joe" on August 24, 2009 in a theater. Accordingly, a movie lineup is generated in the area about August 24, 2009, including content metadata (ie, movie information) such as movie viewing date, title, showtime, actors/actresses. In addition, related content (ie, related information about movies) may be generated in the PC 220 under the control of the controller 123 . The generated film schedule can be displayed through the PC 220 . The content metadata and user metadata can then be used to search for relevant content.

According to another embodiment, the movie schedule may be displayed in the form of a movie poster to inform the user that the movie schedule is generated on the corresponding date. If the user selects (for example, clicks) the movie poster, the user can see movie information according to content metadata and related information according to related content.

Furthermore, a detailed description about the movie can be directly entered by the user in the field about August 24, 2009 of the movie schedule. As shown in Figure 3, the film schedule can be implemented using a web browser or other application programs.

[?DELETE "SMARTTHRU WORKFLOW","MICROSOFT INTERNETEXPLORER","GOOGLE",AND"NAVER"FROM FIG.3.]

The display unit 127 displays movie information (content metadata) and related information (related content) under the control of the controller 123 . In particular, various embodiments may be presented depending on the type of user metadata.

For example, if the user metadata is 'user preference', a UI for directly inputting user preference may be displayed on the display unit 127 under the control of the controller 123 .

For example, if "Director Steve Summers" is input as a user preference through the UI, the controller 123 automatically searches for content about movies previously produced by "Director Steve Summers" or about "Director Steve Summers" Jeff Summers" article and provide the corresponding link information. User commands as to what to search for from the director's previous movies or articles about the director may be entered separately.

In addition, statistical information may be pre-stored in the storage unit 125 of the PC 220 or in the storage unit 137 of the cellular phone 230 . For example, if most of the movies made by Steve Summers are viewed using the PC 220 , then the statistical information of the movies made by Steve Summers being the most watched is stored in the PC 220 .

When generating a movie lineup for the movie "G.I. Joe," content metadata about the movie's director, Steve Summers, and information about the most popular directors in movies made by Steve Summers compared to other directors can be used. Information on frequently watched movies (ie, user metadata) searches for the latest articles about Steve Summers (ie, related content). Link information may be provided under the control of the controller 123 .

If the user's website connection information is statistically stored in the PC 220, and if the website connection information includes more items about travel than any other item, then the user's hobby is travel information (for example, information indicating the user's preference metadata) can be stored in advance. In this case, the user metadata may be stored on the cell phone 130 or the PC 220 .

When the movie lineup about "G.I. Joe" is generated under the control of the controller 123, if the shooting location (ie, content metadata) of "G.I. Joe" is Korea, the travel information in Korea (ie, related content ) are searchable and can provide corresponding link information.

For another example, if the user metadata is 'user profile', the controller 123 may automatically search for related content using the user profile. For example, the controller 123 may use a pre-stored user profile (the user is a man in his twenties) to deduce that men in their twenties like action movies.

When generating a movie lineup about "G.I. Joe" under the control of the controller 123, the display unit 127 can automatically search for the previous actor "Lee, Byeong-Heon" by using the actor Lee, Byeong-Heon (ie, content metadata). ” is the action movie of the main character (ie, related content) and the action movie inferred from the user profile (ie, user metadata), and provides link information. In addition, a website (ie, related content) about a DVD of a movie in which Lee, Byeong-Heon plays a leading role before purchase can be searched and corresponding link information can be provided. That is, the display unit 127 may display a web page providing product information on the related content. In this case, providing product information on related content may be considered as providing a service.

In addition, the controller 123 may directly receive the information of "a man in his twenties" from the user through the UI as a user profile, and automatically search for related content.

Another example, user metadata could be "usage history". In this case, the controller 123 may automatically search for relevant content using a pre-stored usage history.

More particularly, when a movie lineup about "G.I. Joe" is generated under the control of the controller 123, a melodrama movie in which actor Lee, Byeong-Heon is the leading role can be searched using user history (ie, user metadata) (i.e. related content), this user history indicates that the user prefers melodrama movies over action movies and can provide link information.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a movie schedule is generated by combining content metadata extracted or received from the first terminal 110 and user metadata. Therefore, the second terminal 120 provides services through the movie schedule, such as movie viewing status, history and related content.

Conventionally, if a user wishes to obtain detailed content about an actor or a director, the user has to search for information about the actor or the director one by one on the Internet by driving a web browser. This causes inconvenience to the user. However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the PC 220 can search for detailed content that the user wishes to obtain by combining the content metadata extracted from the content of the self-service machine 210 and user metadata, which is stored in the PC 220 in advance. Or input through the UI, thereby improving user convenience.

The service providing system 200 shown in FIG. 2 is also applicable when the self-service machine 210 is located at a train station or a bus station. For example, the PC 220 combines content metadata (such as departure time, arrival time, available seats, transfer stations, and advance purchases) with user metadata (such as the user's history) to generate boarding records. Accordingly, the PC 220 or the cellular phone 230 can search for detailed content that the user wants to obtain by combining content metadata and user metadata in the boarding record, thereby improving user convenience.

FIG. 5 illustrates a system using movie-related content provided through a content reproduction device.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the service providing system 400 includes a first terminal 410 , a second terminal 420 and a third terminal 430 . Specifically, the first terminal 410 is a content reproduction apparatus such as a PMP, the second terminal 420 is a PC, and the third terminal 430 is a cellular phone. Similar to FIG. 2, the first terminal 410, the second terminal 420, and the third terminal 430 will be referred to as a PMP 410, a PC 420, and a cellular phone 430, respectively, for convenience of explanation. Also, the first terminal 410, the second terminal 420, and the third terminal 430 are not limited to these specific devices.

In addition, the first terminal 410, the second terminal 420, and the third terminal 430 include the same components as shown in the first terminal 110, the second terminal 120, and the third terminal 130 (for example, the interface unit 131, the controller 133, the unit data extraction unit 135, storage unit 137, display unit 139, etc.). Therefore, when describing the first terminal 410, the second terminal 420 and the third terminal 430, their components (although not shown in FIG. 5) will be referred to using the same numerical identifiers as shown in FIG. 1 .

The user connects the cellular phone 430 to the PMP 410 to obtain content about the movie. Like the kiosk 110 in the service providing system 200 of FIG. 2, the cellular phone 430 may be connected to the PMP 410 wirelessly or through a wired connection.

The cellular phone 430 receives content including content metadata from the PMP 410 , extracts the content metadata from the received content, and transmits the extracted content metadata to the PC 420 .

The storage unit 137 of the cellular phone 430 stores extracted content metadata such as movie title, actor/actress, genre (genre), director, producer, and DVD information, and the interface unit 121 of the PC 420 receives the transmitted content metadata. data.

The controller 123 of the PC 420 searches for content about movies by combining user metadata and received content metadata.

For example, if "G.I. Joe" is reproduced in the PMP 410 and the user metadata is "DVD", it is possible to extract information about the user's repeated viewing of the movie based on the number of buttons selected by the user among fast forward, rewind, play, and stop Part of the information (ie, user metadata) while the user is watching a movie in the PMP 410 and the extracted information can be stored. For example, if a user repeatedly watches a battle scene, the controllers 123 and/or 133 may extract the user's preference (ie, user metadata) about an action movie and store the extracted information.

Therefore, the controller 123 searches for information about G.I. Joe by combining actor Lee, Byeong-Heon (which is extracted from the content about "G.I. Joe") (ie, content metadata) and user metadata indicating the user's preference for action movies. The content (ie, related content) of the DVD of the action movie in which Lee, Byeong-Heon is the main character. In addition, the controller 123 provides link information of the searched related content.

The display unit 127 may display a DVD sales site linked to the related content using the searched related content. Therefore, PC 420 provides services related to DVD sales.

Referring again to FIG. 5 , a system using content related to video lectures through the use of PMP will be explained.

For example, content metadata extracted from the third terminal 430 may be listening, vocabulary, grammar, tense, and/or reading. If a video lecture on "basic English" is reproduced in the PMP 410 and user metadata is "future tense", the PC 420 may select a movie including many future tenses from movie scripts stored in the PC 420 in advance. User metadata can be directly entered, or information that the user has repeatedly watched videos about the future tense in the past can be used.

In order to select a movie including many future tenses, it is expected that a movie-related file provides a script, and the script is provided in the form of content metadata.

In addition, PC 420 may select movies including many future tenses through the searched web pages. Whether you want to select a movie including many future tenses or a file including many future tenses can be entered in advance.

Thus, PC 420 can display movies that include many future tenses.

Since the various types of user metadata are similar, if different, to those already described above, no repeated explanation will be provided.

Figure 6 illustrates a system for using music-related content provided through an MP3 player.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a service providing system 500 includes a first terminal 510 , a second terminal 520 , a third terminal 530 and a fourth terminal 540 . The first terminal 510 is a content reproducing device such as an MP3 player, the second terminal 520 is a PC, the third terminal 530 is a cellular phone, and the fourth terminal 540 is an image forming device such as a printer. Hereinafter, the first terminal 510, the second terminal 520, the third terminal 530, and the fourth terminal 540 will be referred to as an MP3 player 510, a PC 520, a cellular phone 530, and an image forming device 540, respectively, for convenience of explanation. However, the first terminal 510, the second terminal 520, the third terminal 530, and the fourth terminal 540 are not limited to these specific devices.

Also, the first terminal 510, the second terminal 520, and the third terminal 530 include the same components as shown in the first terminal 110, the second terminal 120, and the third terminal 130 (for example, the interface unit 131, the controller 133, the unit data extraction unit 135, storage unit 137, display unit 139, etc.). Therefore, when describing the first terminal 510, the second terminal 520, and the third terminal 530, their components (although not shown in FIG. 6) will be referred to using the same numerical identifiers as shown in FIG. 1 .

The user connects the cellular phone 530 to the MP3 player 510 to get content about some music. Like kiosk 110 in service providing system 200 in FIG. 2, cellular phone 530 may be connected to MP3 player 510 wirelessly or through a wired connection.

The cellular phone 530 receives content including content metadata from the MP3 player 510 , extracts the content metadata from the received content, and transmits the extracted content metadata to the PC 520 .

The storage unit 137 of the cellular phone 530 stores the extracted content metadata such as song title, artist, main artist, music company to which the artist belongs, and winning record.

The interface unit 121 of the PC 520 receives the transmitted content metadata and the controller 123 of the PC 520 searches for related content by combining the received content metadata and user metadata.

For example, if "The World of Healing" is reproduced in the MP3 player 510, the controller 123 uses the content metadata extracted from the content about "The World of Healing" and the user's frequently downloaded and pre-stored in the PC 520 or the cellular phone 530. Information about the musical score (ie, user metadata) searches for content about the musical score of "The World of Healing". In this case, "score" can be directly entered as user metadata.

The display unit 127 displays a web page (ie, related content) using the searched score.

Furthermore, the controller 123 sends a command to print a musical score to the image forming device 540 (which is connected to the PC 520 through a wired connection or wirelessly). Accordingly, the image forming device 540 may output a desired musical score, and thus the user may receive a corresponding service.

FIG. 7 illustrates a service providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the systems described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 , which include three or four terminals, the service providing system 600 includes only the first terminal 610 and the second terminal 620 .

The first terminal 610 and the second terminal 620 may be connected through a wired connection or wirelessly without being connected through the third terminal.

The first terminal 610 provides content and may be any type of content providing device, such as kiosks, PMP and MP3 players.

The second terminal 620 extracts content metadata from the provided content and searches for related content by combining the extracted content metadata and user metadata.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second terminal 620 may be a mobile device, such as a cellular phone, which searches for related content by downloading the related content from a web server (not shown) or a network hub (not shown). The searched related content can be displayed in the mobile device.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the second terminal 620 may be a device such as a PC or a notebook computer. The PC or notebook computer searches for related content through a web server (not shown) or a network hub station (not shown) and displays the searched related content.

The second terminal 620 includes an interface unit 621 , a controller 623 , a metadata extraction unit 625 , a storage unit 627 and a display unit 629 .

The interface unit 621 receives content metadata transmitted from the first terminal 610 . The metadata extraction unit 625 extracts content metadata from the provided content under the control of the controller 625, and the controller 625 searches for related content by combining the extracted content metadata with user metadata. For example, user metadata includes user profile, user preferences, and user history. However, as mentioned above, various embodiments may be presented according to the type of user metadata, and are not limited to the above examples.

In the service providing system 600, a PC as the second terminal 620 may be connected to the first terminal. Because the metadata extracting unit 620 that extracts content metadata from the content provided by the first terminal 610 is included in the second terminal 620, the service providing system 600 is different from the service providing systems shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, respectively. Systems 200, 400 and 500. However, since all other components operate in a similar, if not identical, manner to that described above, a repeated description will not be provided.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of receiving content according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the system shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 8, the third terminal 130 extracts content metadata from the content provided by the first terminal 110 in step S710. The third terminal 130 transmits the extracted content metadata to the second terminal 120 at step S720. In step S730, the second terminal 120 searches for related content by combining the transmitted content metadata with user metadata. For example, user metadata includes user profile, user preferences, user history.

Therefore, related content can be searched by combining transmitted content metadata with user metadata, improving user convenience.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for receiving content according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to the system shown in FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 9, the cellular phone 230 is connected to the kiosk 210 in step S810, and extracts content metadata from the content extracted from the kiosk 210 in step S820.

The content metadata extracted in step S830 is transmitted from the cellular phone 230 to the PC 220, and in step S840, the controller 123 of the PC 220 generates a movie schedule using the transmitted content metadata.

The display unit 127 of the PC 220 displays the generated movie schedule in step S850.

The controller 123 of the PC 220 searches for related content by combining the transmitted content metadata with user metadata in step S860 and displays the searched related content in step S870.

In step S850, after displaying the movie schedule, the display unit 127 displays a UI for specifying user metadata.

Alternatively, in step S850, after the movie schedule is displayed, pre-stored user metadata may be used to automatically search for relevant content.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a calendar can be generated and displayed using extracted content metadata, enhancing user's convenience. In addition, it is possible to further improve the user's convenience by combining transmitted content metadata with user metadata to search for related content.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing content according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the system shown in FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 10, the cellular phone 430 is connected to the PMP 410 in step S910, and extracts content metadata from content reproduced in the PMP 410 in step S920. The cellular phone 430 transmits the extracted content metadata to the PC 420 in step S930, and the controller 123 of the PC 420 searches for related content by combining the transmitted content metadata with user metadata in step S940.

At S950, the display unit 127 displays a web page linking the related content using the related content.

Accordingly, user convenience is improved by providing link information of related content by combining the extracted content metadata with user metadata.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing content according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method shown in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to the system shown in FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIG. 11, the cellular phone 530 is connected to the MP3 player 510 in step S1010, and extracts content metadata from content reproduced in the MP3 player 510 in step S1020. The cellular phone 530 transmits the extracted content metadata to the PC 520 in step S1030, and the controller 123 of the PC 520 searches for related content by combining the transmitted content metadata with user metadata in step S1040.

If the user metadata is a request to print something such as "score", the controller 123 of the PC 520 controls the image forming device 540 by sending a command to print a score to the image forming device 540 connected to the PC 520 in step S1050.

Therefore, by combining transmitted content metadata with user metadata to search for related content, and the device 540 connected to the PC 520 can be controlled, user's convenience is improved.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method of providing content according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the terminal receives content provided by the external terminal in step S1110, and extracts content metadata from the received content in step S1120. Related content is searched for by combining the extracted content metadata with user metadata in step S1130.

The content providing method shown in FIG. 12 can be performed by a second terminal such as a PC, or by a third terminal such as a cellular phone. Alternatively, the system shown in FIG. 7 can execute the above method.

FIG. 13 illustrates a service providing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the service providing apparatus 1200 includes a receiving unit 1210 , a metadata extracting unit 1220 , a controller 1230 , a storage unit 1240 and a display unit 1250 .

The service providing device 1200 may be a consumer electronics (CE) device or other devices, such as a TV, MP3 player, PMP, PDA, or smart phone, which receive various contents from an external hub or an external server.

The receiving unit 1210 receives content and includes a communication interface (not shown) for communicating with an external device. In addition, the receiving unit 1210 receives a broadcast signal including broadcast content, such as Electronic Program Guide (EPG) information, caption information such as subtitles, and a broadcast signal. The receiving unit 1210 may further include components such as a tuner for selecting a channel.

The metadata extracting unit 1220 extracts content metadata from received content, and extracts metadata from received broadcast content. In addition, the metadata extracting unit 1220 extracts content metadata from the reproduced content or caption information included in the reproduced content.

The controller 1230 searches for related content by combining the extracted content metadata with user metadata. User metadata may include user profile, user preferences, and user history.

The storage unit 1240 stores user metadata.

Specifically, user metadata can be divided into user metadata about broadcasting (such as frequently watched channels and registered preferred channels); user metadata about the Internet (such as frequently visited website addresses and favorite website addresses); about social User metadata for network services (SNS) (such as frequently used community services and messenger IDs registered as friends); and user metadata about external devices (such as frequently used printers via the Digital Living Network Alliance (DNLA) agreement connection), and can be stored in storage unit 1240. In this case, the controller 1230 may automatically search for related content using stored user metadata.

The display unit 1250 displays a UI for receiving user metadata. In this case, the controller 1230 searches for related content by combining the received metadata with user metadata input through the UI.

Accordingly, the service providing apparatus 1200 receives content from an external server or an external hub instead of an external terminal. Specifically, the service providing apparatus 1200 receives broadcast content transmitted from a broadcast station.

FIG. 14 illustrates a display of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, a service providing device 1200 is a television receiving a broadcast signal. More specifically, the receiving unit 1210 receives a broadcast signal, and the metadata extracting unit 1220 extracts content metadata included in broadcast content.

For example, the metadata extracting unit 1220 extracts metadata included in EPG information transmitted with a broadcast signal or extracts metadata included in caption information, which is displayed on a display screen as subtitles.

Subsequently, the controller 1230 searches for related content by combining the extracted metadata with user metadata pre-stored in the storage unit 1240 .

As shown in FIG. 14 , assuming that the most frequently viewed broadcast category of the user is user metadata of drama, which is pre-stored in the storage unit 1240, if the user changes the channel through the TV remote control to watch the drama "Style", the user metadata including In the metadata of the EPG information, contents about Internet articles about "Style", actors/actresses of "Style", etc. are displayed in the information banner area (area A). In this case, the content to be displayed in the related content may be input by the user or may be set in advance.

Therefore, unlike conventional methods in which only limited content is displayed on the information banner area (area A) of the TV screen, the embodiments of the present invention display to the user the content that the user is interested in on a portion of the TV screen, i.e. the content custom made. Therefore, user's convenience is improved.

In FIG. 14, the service providing device 1200 is a television device, but this is only an example, and the service providing device 1200 may also be any other CE device such as an MP3 player.

As described above, the service providing apparatus shown in FIG. 13 includes a reception unit 1210 , a metadata extraction unit 1220 , a controller 1230 , a storage unit 1240 and a display unit 1250 . However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 1250 may be included in the receiving unit 1210 and the controller 1230 .

In this case, the receiving unit 1210 receives content metadata from an external terminal (not shown). Also, the receiving unit 1210 may receive content from an external terminal (not shown).

Also, the receiving unit 1210 receives content metadata of broadcast content provided by an external terminal. For example, the broadcast content may be caption information included in the content being reproduced in the external terminal. Since operations on broadcast content are similar, if not identical, to those described above, repeated explanations will not be provided here.

The controller 1230 controls the overall operations of the receiving unit 1210 and the display unit 1250 . Specifically, the receiving unit 1210 receives content, and the controller 1230 extracts content metadata from the received content.

Also, the controller 1230 determines a related service based on the received content metadata and at least one user metadata and provides the determined related service. Specifically, the controller 1230 may search for related services and display a web page for providing the searched related services.

Also, the controller 1230 determines content metadata to be used for providing a service among the received content metadata.

For example, if the external terminal providing content metadata is a PMP and the content being reproduced by the external terminal is a movie "G.I. Joe", the controller 1230 may determine "G.I. Joe" from various content metadata as the Content metadata.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1230 determines content metadata specified by the display unit 1250 from various content metadata through the display unit 1250 as content metadata to be used for providing a service.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1230 determines content to be used for providing services according to preset conditions.

Also, the controller 1230 may determine a related service by combining the determined content metadata with at least one user metadata.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1230 determines a related service by combining the determined content metadata with user metadata specified by the display unit 1250 .

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1230 determines a related service by combining the determined content metadata with user metadata having the highest priority among at least one user metadata. Priorities can be preset, or can be changed by the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1230 determines a related service by filtering at least one user metadata according to a preset condition and by combining the determined content metadata with the filtered user metadata.

In addition, the controller 1230 generates a movie schedule using content metadata and user metadata provided by the kiosk. In this case, the display unit 1250 displays the generated movie schedule.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of recommending a service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the terminal receives content metadata in step S1410 and determines a related service based on the received content metadata and at least one user metadata in step S1420. In step S1430, the determined related service is provided.

The method for recommending a service suitable for a user in the service providing apparatus may further include determining content metadata to be used for providing the service among the received content metadata.

Also, the method for recommending a service suitable for a user in the service providing apparatus may further include displaying a UI for specifying at least one user metadata.

Also, the method for recommending a service suitable for a user in the service providing apparatus may further include generating a movie schedule using content metadata provided by the kiosk and user metadata and displaying the generated movie schedule.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (9)

1. A method for recommending a service in a service providing device, the method comprising: connecting the service providing apparatus to an external device that reproduces content and is in the vicinity of the service providing apparatus via wireless communication; receiving content metadata from the external device via the wireless communication; Display a user interface UI for specifying user metadata; searching for related services based on a combination of the content metadata and the user metadata; and Display the searched related services, wherein the content metadata is extracted from content clip content metadata, and Wherein, the user metadata includes content use history information generated by extracting information about user use of content and user preference information specified through the UI. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Content metadata to be used for providing the service is determined from the received content metadata. 3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein displaying the searched related services comprises: Displays a web page providing links to related services found in the search. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: generating a film schedule using content metadata and user metadata provided by the kiosk; and Display the resulting film schedule. 5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein receiving content metadata comprises: receiving content metadata of broadcast content provided by the external device, Wherein, the broadcast content includes caption information included in the content being reproduced by the external device. 6. A service providing device, comprising: a receiving unit that receives content metadata via wireless communication from an external device that reproduces content and is in the vicinity of the service providing apparatus; a display unit that displays a user interface UI for specifying user metadata; and a controller that searches for related services based on a combination of the content metadata and the user metadata and displays the searched related services, wherein the content metadata is extracted from content clip content metadata, and Wherein, the user metadata includes content use history information generated by extracting information about user use of content and user preference information specified through the UI. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller determines content metadata to be used for providing the service from among the received content metadata. 8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the controller searches for a related service and displays a web page providing a link to the searched related service. 9. A service providing device, comprising: a receiving unit that receives content from an external device; a display unit that displays a user interface UI for specifying user metadata; and a controller clipping content metadata from the received content, searching for related services based on a combination of the content metadata and the user metadata and displaying the searched related services, Wherein, the user metadata includes content use history information generated by extracting information about user use of content and user preference information specified through the UI.