KR100226585B1 - Menu selection apparatus and method of set top box - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a three-top box operated by Video On Demand (VOD), even if the user does not want anything special, the automatic display of various menus for the information provided from the service provider to the user Its purpose is to make the contents easy to understand, and the object thereof is a menu display step of receiving and displaying menu information transmitted from a service provider; An active mode step of moving to a path designated by the user and displaying a corresponding menu when the user selects the active mode; If the user selects the manual mode is achieved by including a manual mode step that generates an interrupt after a predetermined time to select any menu of the currently displayed menu and transmit it to the service provider.

Description

Menu selection device and method of set-top box

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a menu selection device and method for automatically displaying various menus related to a program in a three-top box operated by Video On Demand (VOD).

In general, a VOD provides information desired by a user by transferring data between a service provider and a user, such as a two-way cable TV.

That is, when a user requests information that the user wants, the service provider is configured to provide the corresponding information to the user.

Therefore, the user must go through the hierarchical structure to the desired information, that is, the end purpose information, according to the menu provided from the service provider.

However, in such a case, the user does not know the exact name of the information or does not have the function to look up the contents of the service provider without any special purpose. There was discomfort.

The present invention for improving the problem is set-top to automatically display a variety of menus for the information provided from the service provider even if the user does not want anything special information so that the user can easily know the contents of the information provided It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for selecting a menu of a box.

1 is a block diagram of a set-top box according to the present invention.

2 (a) (b) (c) (d) are diagrams for explaining a menu selection process.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a menu selection method according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: line matching unit 110: signal conversion unit

120: matching unit 200: ATM matching unit

210: MPEG processing unit 220: GSP

300: CPU 310: remote control signal receiver

320: Timer 400: Menu Display

In order to achieve the above object, the apparatus for selecting a menu of the set-top box according to the present invention is a graphic system processor (GSP) means for graphicly processing a signal corresponding to a menu selection screen transmitted and processed from a service provider, as shown in FIG. 1. ; Menu display means for displaying a menu desired by a user on digital image data corresponding to a menu selection screen output from the GSP means; And if the mode information input from the user is an active mode, the menu display means is controlled to move to a path designated by the user to display a corresponding menu, and when the manual mode is selected, one of the menus currently displayed after a predetermined time has elapsed. And control means for arbitrarily selecting and controlling transmission to the service provider.

In addition, the menu selection method of the set-top box according to the present invention, the menu display step of receiving and displaying the menu information transmitted from the service provider; An active mode step of moving to a path designated by the user and displaying a corresponding menu when the user selects the active mode; When the user selects the manual mode, the interrupt mode is generated after a predetermined time and a manual mode step of selecting an arbitrary menu among the currently displayed menus and transmitting the same to the service provider is performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for selecting a menu of a three-top box according to the present invention includes a line matching unit 100, an ATM matching unit 200, an MPEG processing unit 210, a GSP 220, a menu display unit 400, and a control unit. 300, a remote control signal receiver 310, a timer 320, and a remote controller.

The line matching unit 100 converts a signal input through a line into an electrical signal, and a signal converter 110 for converting a signal output from the line to match the characteristics of the line, and the signal converter 110. The matching unit 120 is configured to match the signal output from the set-top box to match.

The ATM matching unit 200 matches the ATM cells output from the matching unit 120 of the line matching unit 100 so that the MPEG processing unit 210 can process them, and the MPEG processing unit 210 matches the ATM matching unit 200. MPEG signals are output from the signal output from the MPEG stream.

The GSP 220 graphically processes a signal including a menu selection screen output from the MPEG processing unit 210 and outputs the signal to the menu display unit 400.

The menu display unit 400 displays a menu desired by the user on digital image data corresponding to the menu selection screen output from the GSP 220.

That is, the data for the MPEG stream or the menu output from the GSP 220 can be D / A converted and displayed on a monitor.

The control unit 300 is configured as a CPU to control the menu display unit 400 to display information corresponding to the menu selection key input from the user, if the menu selection key is not input for a predetermined time, any of the displayed menu Select the menu of the control to transmit to the service provider.

The operation of the menu selection device of the three-top box according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

First, when power is turned on and initial menu information is transmitted from a service provider, the signal converter 110 converts an initial menu information signal input through a line into an electrical signal.

The initial menu information signal output from the signal converter 110 is matched by the matcher 120 and output to the ATM cell. The ATM cell is matched by the ATM in the ATM matcher 200 and then input to the MPEG processor 210. .

The signal output from the ATM matching unit 200 is MPEG processed by the MPEG processing unit 210 and output as an MPEG stream.

In this case, the GSP 220 generates a signal for displaying the MPEG stream output from the MPEG processing unit 210, a file for screen display of the memory, and control information transmitted through the network as an input, and displays the signals as inputs. The menu display unit 400 encodes and displays the monitor so that the menu can be displayed on the screen of the monitor.

At this time, the state of the menu displayed on the monitor by the menu display unit 400 is displayed with a mode input window for selecting various menus and an active mode and a passive mode as shown in FIG. 2.

At this time, when the user selects the active mode by the remote control, the remote control signal receiving unit 310 receives it and transmits it to the CPU 300.

The initial menu displayed on the screen of the monitor by the selection of the active mode is for the most basic selection for accessing the desired information as shown in Fig. 3 (a).

At this time, to access the place where the desired information is obtained to obtain the desired information, select the desired one from the menu displayed on the screen.

When the user selects a desired menu from the menu displayed on the screen by using the remote controller, the remote controller signal receiving unit 310 receives the menu and transmits it to the CPU 300.

At this time, the CPU 300 sends a signal for delivering the selected menu to the service provider to the ATM matching unit 200 through the data bus, and the ATM matching unit 200 makes this an ATM cell and makes a signal with the line matching unit 120. Transfer to the track through the conversion unit 110.

Similarly, in order to display the menu on the screen so that the next detailed menu corresponding to the selected menu can be displayed, the service provider sends the corresponding information through the track and displays the information on the monitor as described above.

By repeating the above process, it is possible to go to the end destination information desired by the user. In other words, a tree is used to arrive where the desired end purpose information is hierarchically.

The process of going to the final destination having hierarchically desired information as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 3 as an example.

If the user wants a cartoon movie for children, as shown in Fig. 3 (a), by pressing the button corresponding to the entertainment from the menu displayed on the screen to select the entertainment. When the entertainment is selected in this way, the service provider transmits information about the submenu related to the entertainment, and the set top box receives and processes the information, and then displays menu information related to the entertainment on the screen of the monitor as shown in FIG. Will be displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), when 'movie', 'sport', 'show', and 'game' corresponding to entertainment are displayed, the user selects 'movie' corresponding to a desired menu from among them. Done. When the user selects the 'movie', as described above, the service provider receives the information and transmits the information so that the submenu after the movie can be displayed on the screen of the monitor. According to the transmitted information, the screen of the monitor displays' adult ', adolescent', and 'children' and so on, and the user selects a child's use.

Through this process, the user can obtain information about children's cartoons hierarchically desired by the tree structure.

However, when the manual mode is selected by the remote controller from the user, the remote controller signal receiving unit 310 receives it and transmits it to the CPU 300.

In this case, the CPU 300 drives the timer 320. The user inputs the register value of the timer through the numeric input key of the remote controller after the manual mode selection, and the timer 320 includes the CPU 300. This is inputted by and set inside.

When the timer 300 is driven by the CPU 300, the set register value is decreased in accordance with the clock, and when the timer 300 is 0, the interrupt signal is output to the CPU 300, and the CPU 300 interrupt signal. Is inputted, selects any one menu among the menus currently displayed through the menu display unit 400 and sends a signal to the ATM matching unit 200 via the data bus to allow the selected menu to be delivered to the service provider. The matching unit 200 makes this an ATM cell and transmits the same to the line through the line matching unit 120 and the signal converter 110.

Subsequently, if the detailed information on the menu selected in the passive mode is transmitted from the service provider, it is displayed on the menu display unit 400 by the above process, and if the user does not continuously select the active mode, the CPU 300 enters the passive mode. Will continue.

If the value of the register set in the timer 320 is small, the currently displayed menu is changed quickly. If the value of the register is large, the menu is changed slowly.

Thus, in the active mode, even if the user does not select a menu, the information on the currently displayed menu is automatically displayed.

In addition, the menu selection method of the three-top box according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 4, the menu display step (ST1, ST2, ST3), active mode step (ST4, ST5), passive mode step (ST4, ST5, ST6) , ST7, ST8, ST9, ST10, ST11).

The menu display steps ST1, ST2, and ST3 are steps of receiving menu information transmitted from a service provider and displaying a menu selection screen and a mode input window.

The active mode steps ST4 and ST5 move to a path designated by a user and display a corresponding menu.

The manual mode step (ST4, ST5, ST6, ST7, ST8, ST9, ST10, ST11) is to select an arbitrary menu among the currently displayed menus and display the corresponding information. When the manual mode is selected, the timing set by the user is selected. First steps ST6 and ST7 to start timing by a value; A second step (ST8, ST9, ST10) of generating an interrupt and randomly selecting one of the currently displayed menus when the timing result reaches a set value; A third step (ST11) is performed to transmit the information on the randomly selected menu to the service provider.

The menu selection method of the set-top box according to the present invention made as described above will be described in detail as follows.

First, menu display steps ST1, ST2, and ST3 for receiving initial menu information transmitted from a service provider and displaying a menu selection screen and a mode input window are performed.

That is, when the power of the set-top box is ON (ST1), the service provider recognizes this and transmits initial menu information, and the set-top box receives it (ST2) and displays the initial menu selection screen on the monitor (ST3). ).

After that, when the user selects the active mode through the remote control and enters the menu selection key, the user moves to the path specified by the user and displays the menu (ST4, ST5), but when the manual mode is selected by the user, By inputting the timing value set by the numeric key of the remote controller, the timing is started (ST6, ST7) .When the timing value set during the timing is reached, an interrupt is generated and one of the menus currently displayed on the screen is arbitrarily selected. ST8, ST9, ST10).

If one of the menus displayed on the initial menu selection screen is arbitrarily selected by this process, the menu is transmitted to the service provider. If the manual mode is continuously selected, the sub-menu information transmitted from the service provider is received and the corresponding menu is transmitted. Submenu of the menu is displayed continuously (ST11)

As described above, the apparatus and method for selecting a menu of the set-top box according to the present invention can select a menu by selecting one menu arbitrarily and continuously displaying the menu automatically even if the user does not select a different menu. There is an effect that makes it more convenient.

Claims (6)

Graphic system processor (GSP) means for graphic processing a signal corresponding to a menu selection screen transmitted from a service provider and processed; Menu display means for displaying a menu desired by a user on digital image data corresponding to a menu selection screen output from the GSP means; And If the mode information input from the user is the active mode, the menu display means is controlled to move to a path designated by the user to display the menu, and when the manual mode is selected, one of the menus currently displayed after a predetermined time is randomly selected. And control means for selecting and transmitting the selected service to the service provider. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising counting means for counting a predetermined time and generating an interrupt to the control means when the manual mode is selected. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the count time of the counting means is set by a user. A menu displaying step of receiving and displaying menu information transmitted from a service provider; An active mode step of moving to a path designated by the user and displaying a corresponding menu when the user selects the active mode; And a manual mode step of generating an interrupt after a predetermined time when the user selects the manual mode and selecting an arbitrary menu among the currently displayed menus and transmitting the selected menu to the service provider. The method of claim 4, wherein the manual mode step is A first step of starting timing according to a set timing value when the manual mode is selected; A second step of generating an interrupt and randomly selecting one of the currently displayed menus when the timing result reaches a set value; And a third step of transmitting information on the randomly selected menu to a service provider. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the timing value is set by the user.