KR101988038B1 - Apparatus and system for combining broadcasting signal with service information - Google Patents

Abstract

 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a system for providing service information and a broadcasting signal to an output apparatus in accordance with a user's request. And more particularly, to an apparatus and a system capable of receiving broadcast signals such as IPTV from outside and adding new service information to the broadcast signals, and the apparatus according to the present invention is provided in an output device such as a monitor or a television Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > separate from the output device.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR COMBINING BROADCASTING SIGNAL WITH SERVICE INFORMATION [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a system for providing service information and a broadcasting signal to an output apparatus in accordance with a user's request. And more particularly, to an apparatus and a system capable of receiving broadcast signals such as IPTV from outside and adding new service information to the broadcast signals, and the apparatus according to the present invention is provided in an output device such as a monitor or a television Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > separate from the output device.

Various digital broadcasting services such as terrestrial broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, and cable broadcasting are being provided due to technological advancements in broadcasting and communication fields, and a set-top box dedicated to digital broadcasting reception is required to view the digital broadcasting services. Currently, various digital broadcasting services such as terrestrial set-top boxes for receiving terrestrial broadcasts, satellite set-top boxes for receiving satellite broadcasts, and IPTV set-top boxes for receiving IPTV broadcasts in the development of IP networks are being provided.

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a device that connects a home TV set top box with Internet access capability to allow users to surf the Web with a TV set or use Internet services such as e-mail. IPTV was developed with the goal of making it easier for users who are not familiar with the Internet to access the Internet as easily as TV.

Generally, IPTV is a type of digital convergence in which broadcasting and communication are converged. In addition to reception of broadcasting signals transmitted from a program provider (PP) or terrestrial, cable, and satellite, IPTV is connected to an IPTV set- And provides broadcasting signals such as TV Internet contents and video contents through a high-speed Internet network.

IPTV set-top boxes are required for such IPTV services. However, conventional IPTV set-top boxes only output broadcast signals related to over-the-air broadcasts (OUT connection) and utilize broadcast signals related to contents to additionally provide user- It could not be processed.

Korean Patent No. 10-0946141, filed on Feb. 26, 2010, entitled " Method of Displaying Menu Screen in IPTV Service and Set Top Box for Implementing the Method "

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcasting signal processing apparatus integrated with or separated from an output apparatus, which can provide bidirectional services by combining service information and broadcasting signals in accordance with user request information.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a system which can integrate various types of broadcast signals with service information through layer creation, control and switching, and can be integrated with an output device or separately.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a broadcast signal processing apparatus including a first interface unit receiving a broadcast signal from a broadcast server and receiving service information from a service server; A layer module for combining at least one layer with the broadcast signal; A storage unit for receiving and storing service information from the first interface unit; A second interface for providing a broadcast signal combined with the layer to an output device; And a fisher unit for controlling the interface unit, the layer module unit, the storage unit, and the second interface unit.

In addition, in the broadcast signal processing apparatus, the second interface unit may place at least one service information in a layer generated by the layer module unit, and provide the broadcast signal combined with the layer to an output apparatus .

In this case, the service information may include information stored in the storage unit received from the service server, or the service information may be associated with a time frame of when the service information is to be output .

Also, in the broadcast signal processing apparatus, the second interface unit may further provide a user interface through an output device, and may receive a selection input for at least one service information to be placed on a layer from a user.

The broadcast signal processing apparatus may further include a search unit that performs a search on the basis of a search word included in the search request signal when the search request signal is received and provides the search result to the second interface unit, The second interface unit may include the search result in the layer.

The broadcasting signal processing apparatus may further include a settlement unit for providing settlement information included in the settlement request signal to the second interface unit when the settlement request signal is received, Payment information may be included.

At this time, the settlement unit may search for a connected portable terminal through short-range communication, and may transmit a payment request signal including the payment information to the searched portable terminal.

Meanwhile, a bidirectional service system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: any one of the broadcasting signal processing apparatuses described above; A broadcast server for providing a broadcast signal to the broadcast signal processing apparatus; A service server for providing service information to the broadcast signal processing apparatus; And an output device for outputting a broadcasting signal combined with at least one layer according to switching control of the broadcasting signal processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a bidirectional service by processing a broadcast signal according to user selection, that is, by generating and outputting a layer including service information in a broadcast signal.

In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention can be implemented as an integral or separate type with an output device such as a monitor or a television.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and various effects can be included within the scope of what will be apparent to a person skilled in the art from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, It is to be understood, however, that the technical features of the present invention are not limited to the specific drawings, and the features disclosed in the drawings may be combined with each other to constitute a new embodiment.
1 is a block diagram showing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating each configuration of the broadcasting signal processing apparatus of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of a broadcast signal processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a screen configuration diagram illustrating a channel state displayed on a display screen of a monitor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the terms used in the following examples and claims are used only to illustrate specific examples and are not to be construed as limiting the same.

For example, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" as used in the following embodiments and claims are intended to mean that the constituent elements may be included unless specifically stated otherwise, It is to be understood that the invention includes not only other elements but also other elements.

In addition, the suffix "part" for the constituent elements disclosed in the following description and claims does not have a meaning or role distinguished from itself, Quot; is understood to mean a unit or block or module that performs a particular function of the hardware configuration.

Hereinafter, a broadcast signal processing apparatus connected to an output apparatus (e.g., a monitor, a television) in an integrated or separate form will be described in more detail with reference to the related drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a service system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating each configuration of the broadcast signal processing apparatus of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a broadcast signal processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a broadcasting server / service server 200 through a communication network and is connected to an output apparatus 300. 1 shows a broadcasting server and a service server as one configuration, but it is understood that each configuration is a separate server managed by a separate operating entity as described later.

The broadcast server generally refers to a server that is operated by a subject that provides broadcast contents that are generally commercially available. The broadcast server includes a server operated by a subject that sends out airwave broadcasts, a server operated by a subject that sends cable broadcasts . ≪ / RTI > Meanwhile, the broadcasting server may include a server operated by a subject that provides broadcasting contents in any form regardless of the type of broadcasting contents, the manner of providing broadcasting contents, and the like, as well as airwaves and cable broadcasting.

Next, the service server means a server operated by a subject different from the subject who operates the broadcast server, and the service server provides various kinds of service information. The type of the service information may include advertisement information, weather information, stock information, broadcast programming (EPG) information, and the service information may further include user customized information including content information desired by the user. The user customized information means, for example, contents produced according to a user's request when a user who intends to use the broadcast signal processing apparatus according to the present invention operates the hotel. The user customized information includes a hotel introduction page, , An accessory introduction page, a reservation page, a calling page, and the like. As another example, when the user operates the cookery, the user-customized information may include contents that can be accessed by the user using the cookery, such as a cookery introduction page, a supplementary facility introduction page, a newborn monitoring page, .

Next, a broadcast signal processing apparatus will be described. The broadcast signal processing apparatus may be manufactured as a separate independent device from an output apparatus such as a monitor or a television, or may be implemented in the form of a module provided in the output apparatus. That is, the broadcast signal processing apparatus can be implemented as an integrated type or a separate type in terms of connection with an output apparatus.

The broadcast signal processing apparatus 100 may include a first interface unit 120, a layer module unit 130, a storage unit 140, a second interface unit 150, and a controller 160, And may further include a remote control receiver 170, a search unit, and a settlement unit.

The first interface unit 120 can receive a broadcast signal from an external broadcast server and receive service information from an external service server. At this time, the first interface unit is required to connect with external servers in order to receive the broadcasting signal and the service information, and the communication unit 110 may be provided for this purpose. The communication unit 110 may receive the broadcast signal from the broadcast server 200 via the communication network and receive the service information from the service server 200. In this case, the broadcast signal means that broadcasting contents provided by a subject operating a broadcasting server is included as mentioned above, and additional data associated with the image data may be further included in addition to the video data. In this case, the additional data means, for example, a summary of image data, a combination time, and information on an object / service to be advertised when the image data is related to advertisement contents. That is, the broadcast signal includes video data and additional data generated by a subject providing broadcast content. As described above, the service information is generated and provided by a subject different from the person providing the broadcast contents, and may include advertisements, weather, stock information, and other customized information.

On the other hand, the communication network mentioned can be typically wired communication or wireless communication. The first interface unit, or more precisely, the communication unit may include a connection structure to which a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a coaxial cable, a TCP / IP cable, and the like can be connected. It is to be understood that the connection structure includes both a type of cable on a non-top side as well as a connection structure for receiving data from an external broadcast server or a service server.

The layer module unit 130 is configured to generate a layer on a broadcast signal. Specifically, the layer module unit 130 is configured to combine at least one layer on a broadcast signal received by the first interface unit 120 described above. The layer combined by the layer module unit is a state in which the service information is not yet arranged. Basically, it means empty layers. In the layer generated by the layer module unit, .

On the other hand, the layer module module can generate at least one layer for all received broadcast signals. The meaning of generating a layer on a broadcast signal means combining an arbitrary layer with a broadcast signal so that a new page is printed over the image output through the output device in a transparent or translucent manner. Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of layers (layer level point 1, layer level point 2, and layer lavel point 3) may be generated on a broadcast signal. In each layer, It can be included according to the depth of accessing the information. In other words, at least one layer can be generated for all broadcast signals received by the present broadcast signal processing apparatus. The broadcast signal combined with the layer can be output to the broadcast signal without any information included in the layer according to whether the second interface unit processes the broadcast signal or not (in this case, , Or various kinds of service information may be included in the layer and output. An example in which service information is included or arranged on the layer will be described later.

The storage unit 140 receives the service information from the first interface unit 120 and stores the received service information. At this time, the service information stored in the storage unit 140 may be classified and stored according to the category. For example, advertisement information, weather information, stock information, broadcast schedule information, Lt; / RTI > The service information classified and stored in the categories may be included in the layers generated on the broadcast signal in the future.

Meanwhile, some of the service information stored in the storage unit 140 may be stored in association with the time frame. Specifically, there are various kinds of service information, among which information that necessarily includes a time frame for when to display the screen display, or information that does not necessarily include a time frame may be included. For example, weather information, stock information, broadcast schedule information, and the like are information that does not require a separate time frame since a user who watches the TV inputs the information by remote control operation or the like, In the case of advertisement information, a time frame may be required. In particular, in the case of a commodity that appears in a drama content provided by a broadcasting server, advertisement information related to the commodity may also be provided by the present broadcast signal processing apparatus. In order to enhance the advertisement effect, There is a need to output on the screen of the output device, more precisely on the layer created on the broadcast signal. For this purpose, the service server may provide the advertisement information linked with the time frame to the respective broadcast signal processing apparatuses before the start of the drama contents. The storage unit 140 in each broadcast signal processing apparatus stores the received advertisement information Can be stored. Meanwhile, the time frame referred to in the present specification means data including time information as to when the information is outputted at a certain point in time.

The second interface unit 150 is connected to the output device 300 and outputs the broadcast signal to the output device 300 without arranging or arranging the service information in the layer generated according to the switching control of the controller 160 to provide.

For example, in the first switching mode, the second interface can directly provide a broadcast signal combined with a layer to an output device without arranging any service information on the layer.

As another example, in the second switching mode, a menu for accessing the advertisement information, weather information, stock information, user customized information, and the like is displayed on the first layer, and detailed information (e.g. Advertisement information), and in the third layer, payment information may be displayed after selection of the advertisement information. The contents displayed in the above layers may be provided by the service server and stored in the storage unit 140 described above.

On the other hand, the service information included in the layer may be arranged in various manners, which may be in a state produced by a subject who has previously requested a service server and operated by the user, It is also possible to select only necessary service information using the provided user interface and determine the placement. That is, the second interface unit arranges the service information that can be arranged so that the user directly arranges the desired service information on the layer through the output device, and arranges the layer after receiving the user's selection input . At this time, a guide line for arranging the service information is displayed on the user interface, so that the user can easily arrange desired information.

The second interface unit 150 may include a connection structure for connection with a monitor or a television, and the connection structure may be connected to an HDMI or TCP / IP cable.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 160 includes the communication unit 110, the first interface unit 120, the layer module unit 130, the storage unit 140, the second interface unit 150, And serves to control the remote control receiver 170.

When the broadcasting signal processing apparatus 100 is connected to the output apparatus 300 in an integral or separable form, the control unit 160 controls the switching control, that is, whether to output the broadcasting signal without arranging any service information on the layer, The control unit may perform control relating to switching control of whether to output a broadcasting signal in which service information is arranged.

At this time, the switching control may be performed by an input signal from the user, which is received by the remote control receiver 170.

The remote control receiver 170 may receive the remote control signal from the remote controller 500 according to the user's selection. For example, the remote controller receiver 170 may receive the remote control signal from the remote controller 500, Or the personalization button is selected by the user, the first remote control signal of the remote control signal associated with the channel button or the second remote control signal of the remote control signal associated with the personalization button may be received.

In this case, the channel button may be provided to provide a broadcast signal without service information being disposed on the layer, and the personalization button may be a button for providing service information in a state in which service information is arranged on the layer.

Herein, it has been described that the service providing information including the service information is switched on the layer of the broadcasting signal provided by using the channel button and the personal setting button, but the channel information is called the channel button and the personal setting button However, commands (buttons) on the remote controller can be preset in different forms.

Meanwhile, the search unit in the broadcast signal processing apparatus performs a search on the basis of a search word included in the search request signal when a search request signal is received from a user, and provides the search result to the second interface unit, When the payment request signal is received from the user, the payment unit provides the payment information included in the payment request signal to the second interface unit. In the description of the search control unit and the payment control unit, I will describe in detail.

Meanwhile, the output device 300 means a device capable of outputting images such as a monitor, a TV, and the like. The output device 300 may output not only the image but also the data information corresponding to the image.

The output apparatus 300 may display a broadcast signal received from the broadcast signal processing apparatus 100, or more precisely, a second interface in the broadcast signal processing apparatus, as a display screen. At this time, in particular, in the case of a broadcast signal in which service information is arranged on a layer, a plurality of different layers may be displayed on one screen, and they may be arranged side by side on a display screen of a monitor or overlapped with each other, And may be moved to an arbitrary position by selection.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller of a broadcast signal processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3, the control unit 160 of the broadcast signal processing apparatus 100 may include an interface control unit 161 and a remote control signal control unit 162. In addition, the control unit 160 may be additionally provided with the broadcast signal processing apparatus 100 The search control unit 163 and the settlement control unit 164 may be further provided.

The interface control unit 161 provides the broadcast signal to the output device without including the service information on the layer according to the input of the user, or provides the broadcast signal to the output device while including the service information on the layer.

When the first remote control signal or the second remote control signal is received from the remote control signal receiver 170, the remote controller signal controller 162 controls the interface controller 161 not to include the service information on the layer And provides the broadcast signal to the output device or to the output device while including the service information on the layer.

Meanwhile, the broadcasting signal processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention may provide a function of allowing a user who uses the broadcasting signal to perform a direct search while watching TV or to perform a goods / service settlement. And a payment unit. Hereinafter, a process in which the search unit and the payment unit are operated in conjunction with the description of the search control unit 163 and the payment control unit 164 included in the control unit will be described.

First, if there is a search request signal from a user, the search unit performs a search based on a search word included in the search request signal, and provides the search result to the second interface unit. At this time, the search request signal may be transmitted or inputted by a user using a separate input device, for example, input and transmitted through a portable terminal or a remote controller connected to the present broadcast signal processing device via a network.

The search control unit 163 is a detailed configuration within the control unit for controlling the search unit. Upon receiving the search request signal from the user, the search control unit 163 causes the search unit to perform a search, and provides the search result to the second interface unit. On the other hand, when the search result is provided to the second interface unit, the search result is inserted or placed on the layer by the interface control unit 161 and provided to the output device.

Meanwhile, the search unit 163 may perform additional functions. The search control unit 163 causes the search unit to search the image output to the output device 300, that is, the image output according to the broadcast signal And automatically generate a search term by comparing the captured screen information with broadcast programming information (EPG information) stored in the storage unit 140. [ The generated search term may be output to the output device 300 through the above-described process, that is, a search based on the search word and a search result providing process to the second interface. These search terms can be used to select various types of channels.

Next, the settlement unit provides the settlement information included in the settlement request signal to the second interface unit when the settlement request signal is received from the user, and the settlement control unit 164 clears the details of the control unit for controlling the settlement unit .

In one embodiment, the payment control unit 164, when receiving a settlement request signal from a user, causes the settlement unit to transmit various settlement information included in the settlement request signal, such as a product name, a product serial number, a price, To the second interface unit. Meanwhile, if payment information is provided to the second interface unit, the second interface unit may include the payment information on the layer and provide the payment information to the output unit.

In the extension line of the embodiment, the user who has confirmed the payment information can proceed to settle the payment. When the payment input is received from the user, the payment unit displays a page (e.g., a payment page directly provided by the service server, Or a payment page provided by a company that sells the product) to the second interface unit, and the second interface unit may include the same on a layer and output the same through an output unit.

When the payment service is provided, the broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to the present invention may also be linked to a portable terminal connected through a local area network to allow payment to be made on the portable terminal. And may be interlocked or shared with the portable terminal 400 through a communication connection. For example, when the payment request signal is inputted from the remote controller 500, the payment controller 164 causes the settlement unit to search for the connected portable terminal 400 through the short distance communication, The payment request signal including the payment information can be transmitted to the portable terminal 400 via the short-range communication, so that the settlement processing can be performed.

The control unit 160 performs an operating system, processes application programs such as a web browser, a media player, and various communication protocols for Internet communication. The control unit 160 processes various communication protocols according to the user's request according to the button information received from the remote control receiver And controls the entire operation. The control unit executes the driving program stored in the memory (not shown) to control the overall functions of the monitor (TV) unit and the removable-type broadcast signal processor.

Meanwhile, the control unit 160 may include at least one computing device. The computing device may include a central processing unit (CPU), programmable device elements (CPLDs and FPGAs) (ASIC) or a microcontroller chip, and may further include a memory (not shown) for storing a program necessary for operation control and data generated during execution of the program. Such memory may be nonvolatile memory or volatile memory.

4 is a screen configuration diagram illustrating a channel state displayed on a display screen of a monitor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of service information may be displayed on a display screen of the monitor 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the plurality of service information may be configured in different layers.

For example, it is possible to implement broadcast programming information at the Layer Level point 1, weather information at the Layer Level point 2, and advertisement information at the Layer Level point 3, respectively. For example, in Layer Level point 1, a higher level menu such as hotel information, room information, hotel restaurant information, room reservation information, and the like may be displayed on each layer In the Layer Level point 2, a list of hotel rooms can be listed if there is a user's 'hotel room information' selection input. In the layer level point 3, more information such as photograph information and price information of the selected room Detailed information can be displayed.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. .

Therefore, the embodiments described above are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the foregoing embodiments. It is to be understood that the flowcharts shown in the drawings are merely illustrative examples for achieving the most desirable results in the practice of the present invention, and that other steps may be added or some steps may be deleted.

The scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims, but all changes or modifications derived from the equivalents, as well as those directly derived from the claims, are also included in the scope of the present invention. .

100: set-top box 110:
120: first interface unit 130: layer module unit
140: storage unit 150: second interface unit
160: control unit 161: interface control unit
162: remote control signal control unit 163:
164: payment control unit 170: remote control receiver
180: Search section 190:
200: Broadcast server / provider server 300: Output device
400: portable terminal 500: remote control

Claims (9)

A broadcast signal processing apparatus connected to an output apparatus in an integrated or detachable form,
A first interface unit for receiving a broadcast signal from a broadcast server and receiving service information from a service server;
A layer module for combining at least one layer with the broadcast signal;
A storage unit for receiving and storing service information from the first interface unit;
A second interface for providing a broadcast signal combined with the layer to an output device; And
A control unit for controlling the interface unit, the layer module unit, the storage unit, and the second interface unit;
Lt; / RTI >
When the control unit is controlled to the first switching mode, the second interface unit provides the broadcast signal combined with the layers to the output device without arranging the service information on the layer,
Wherein the second interface unit provides the broadcast signal combined with the layer to the output device while arranging at least one service information on the layer when the control unit is controlled to the second switching mode,
Wherein at least a part of the service information stored in the storage unit is interlocked with a time frame of when the service information is to be output,
Broadcast signal processing apparatus.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the service information includes information stored in a storage unit received from the service server.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second interface unit comprises:
Further comprising a user interface via an output device and receiving a selection input for at least one service information to be placed on a layer from a user.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a search unit for performing a search based on a search word included in the search request signal when the search request signal is received and providing the search result to the second interface unit,
And the second interface further includes the search result in the layer.
The method according to claim 1,
And a payment unit for providing the payment information included in the payment request signal to the second interface unit when the payment request signal is received,
And the second interface further includes the payment information in the layer.
8. The method of claim 7,
The settlement unit,
And transmits the settlement request signal including the payment information to the searched portable terminal.
A broadcast signal processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A broadcast server for providing a broadcast signal to the broadcast signal processing apparatus;
A service server for providing service information to the broadcast signal processing apparatus; And
An output device for outputting broadcast signals combined with at least one layer according to switching control of the broadcast signal processing device;
Lt; / RTI >

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