KR100246562B1 - Method and apparatus for displaying service fare in communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, when a subscriber receives a paid channel service from a video on demand (VOD) or cable television (CATV) system, a service fee according to the type of service or viewing time may be displayed on the screen according to the subscriber's request. The present invention relates to a service charge display device and a display method of a communication system, wherein the charge data is received from a headend and a central terminal of a communication system providing a service and stored in a memory, and stored in the memory when a subscriber displays a charge. By displaying the fee data on the TV screen by OSD processing, the subscriber can easily recognize the current communication service fee on the TV screen at any time during the service viewing.

Description

Service charge display device and method of communication system

The present invention relates to the subscriber's request when the subscriber is provided with paid channel service from a Video On Demand (hereinafter referred to as 'VOD') or cable television (CAble TeleVision (hereinafter referred to as 'CATV')) system. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a service summary display device and a display method of a communication system capable of displaying a service fee according to a type of service or a viewing time on a screen.

In general, in the case of a paid service among services provided by a communication system such as a VOD or CATV system, the charge settlement unit in the communication system calculates a fee according to the type of service or viewing time and charges the subscriber every certain period.

However, in the related art, as the service provider manages the service fee, the subscriber pays the bill for how much the fee is provided according to the type of service provided, how much is the fee based on the viewing time, or what the current total service fee is. Before receiving or deliberately finding out there was an unknown problem.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of which is to receive the charge data for the service provided by the communication system from the communication system can be displayed on the television screen through the STB in the subscriber's house during service viewing The present invention provides a service charge display device and a display method of a communication system.

The service charge display device and display method of the communication system of the present invention for achieving this purpose, receives the charge data from the head end and the central terminal of the communication system providing the service and stores it in the memory, the subscriber's charge display On-demand OSD processing of the fee data stored in the memory to display on the TV screen watching.

1 is a block diagram of a system for providing a general communication service.

2 is a block diagram of a service charge display device of a communication system according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart showing a service charge display method of a communication system according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

41: interface unit 42: modulation / demodulation unit

43: ATM processing unit 44: bus

45: audio decoder 46: video decoder

47: NTSC encoder 48: control unit

49: switch 50: graphics generator

51: user interface unit 52: charge signal generation unit

53: charge data receiver 54: ODS signal generator

55: OSD processing unit

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and display method of the paid service charge display device of the communication system according to the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of a system for providing a general communication service. The ATM mux (Ashynchronous Transfer Mode MUX) which multiplexes a broadcast program signal by a self-broadcast or a CATV provided by a satellite broadcaster or a program provider (PP). 11, a video server 12 storing video data for providing a VOD service required by the subscriber, and a video signal output from the ATM mux 12 and the video server 12. Head End (10) consisting of an optical transmission unit 13 for transmitting the data, and L2GW (Level 2 Gate Way) 14 for calculating the service fee according to the program management and subscriber request of the video server 12 And an ATM switch 21 for switching the video signal output through the optical transmitter 13 of the headend 10 according to a subscriber's request, and multiplexing and inverting the video signal switched by the ATM switch 21. Mx / demux 22 for multiplexing and transmission, Level 1 Gate Way (L1GW) 23 for managing switching data according to subscriber request of ATM switch 21, L1GW 23 and fee data and Video output through a central terminal 20 including a control unit 24 for transmitting / receiving alarm data to control the L1GW 23 and a mux / demux 22 of the central terminal 20. A switch 31 for switching signals, a mux / demux 32 for multiplexing and demultiplexing the video signal switched by the switch 31, and a video signal output from the mux / demux 32 Modulation / demodulation unit 33 for modulating, and control unit 34 for integrating and managing a communication system network by transmitting management and alarm data during switch operation of the switch 31 to the L1GW 23 of the central terminal 20. Remote terminal (Remote Terminal 30) and the side of the remote terminal 30 / It consists of a demodulator (33) STB (Set Top Box) (40) which receives the output video signal and the control signal providing video services and service charges shown in.

2 is a block diagram of an STB 40 in a subscriber's premises displaying a communication system according to the present invention, i.e., a service fee. An interface unit 41 for receiving a signal, a modulation / demodulation unit 42 for demodulating the video signal and a control signal received from the interface unit 41, and a video signal output from the modulation / demodulation unit 42. And an ATM processor 43 for ATM control of the control signal, a bus 44 for separating the video signal processed by the ATM processor 43 into an audio signal and a video signal, and a bus 44 separated from the bus 44. An audio decoder 45 for decoding the decoded audio signal, a video decoder 46 for decoding a video signal separated from the bus 44, and a decoded at the audio decoder 45. NTSC encoding audio signals and incoming video signals Each component block to receive an NTSC encoder (ENCODER) 47 output to a television receiver (TV) and a control signal including the charge data processed by the ATM processor 43 to display a service charge according to a subscriber's request. A control unit 48 for controlling the operation of the switch, a switch 49 for switching the video signal or the graphics initial screen decoded by the video decoder 46 to output to the NTSC encoder 47, and a graphics initial screen. Generates a charge display request signal according to the graphic generator 50, a user interface 51 for receiving a remote control signal according to the subscriber's operation, and a remote control signal received from the user interface 50. Charge signal generator 52, charge data receiver 53 for receiving charge data from the controller 48, and charge data receiver 53 for receiving charge data O OSD signal generation unit 54 for generating an SD (On Screen Display) signal, OSD data processing according to the OSD signal generated by the OSD signal generation unit 54 to OSD processing the TV screen through the NTSC encoder 47 OSD processing unit 55 to output to the image.

The service fee display method of the STB 40 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the STB 40 of the present invention, the information about the service fee managed by the head end 10 and the central terminal 20 of the communication system is received and stored together with the video service signal, and then stored in the communication system through the subscriber's remote controller. If there is a request to display a service charge according to the type of service provided or viewing time, the stored service charge data is displayed on a TV screen.

That is, when the display request signal of the service fee data is input through the user interface unit 51, the controller 48 receives the current service information that the subscriber is watching (S1) and determines whether or not it is a paid channel ( S2).

If the service of the pay channel is provided in step S2, it is again checked whether the display request signal of the service fee data is input, and if the charge display request is correct, the total service viewing time so far is calculated (S4).

Then, if the service that calculates the viewing time in the step (S4) is VOD (S5) to the display request of the charge data for the VOD channel (S6) to download the charge information from the L2GW 14 of the head end 10 (D7), in the case of CATV pay channel (S8), after downloading the charge information from the L1GW 23 of the central terminal 20 (S9), the subscriber storage memory in the control unit 48 is searched. (S10).

Subsequently, the controller 48 outputs the toll data stored in the memory to the toll data receiver 53 so that the toll data receiver 53 receives the toll data input through the controller 48 (S11). Output to the generator 54.

Then, the OSD signal generator 54 generates an OSD signal in response to receiving the fee data, and outputs the fee data together with the OSD signal generated by the OSD processor 55 (S12). Accordingly, the OSD processor 55 ) Displays the service charge data on the TV screen by OSD processing (S13).

As described above, the present invention has the effect that the subscriber can easily recognize the current communication service fee on the TV screen at any time during the service viewing.

Claims (2)

An interface unit 41 for receiving a video signal and a control signal output from the modulation / demodulation unit 33 of the remote terminal 30 of the communication system providing a communication service such as CATV, VOD, and the like. A demodulator / demodulator 42 for demodulating the video signal and the control signal received from the ATM, an ATM processor 43 for ATM processing the video signal and the control signal output from the modulator / demodulator 42, and the ATM processor A bus 44 for separating the video signal processed in 43 into an audio signal and a video signal, an audio decoder 45 for decoding the audio signal separated in the bus 44, and a separation in the bus 44 A video decoder 46 for decoding the decoded video signal, an NTSC encoder 47 for NTSC encoding the audio signal decoded by the audio decoder 45 and the input video signal to a television receiver (TV), and the ATM; Processed by the processor 43 A control unit 48 for controlling the operation of each component block to receive a control signal including gold data and to display a service fee according to a subscriber's request; and switching the video signal or the graphics initial screen decoded by the video decoder 46. And a switch 49 for outputting to the NTSC encoder 47, a graphics generator 50 for generating a graphics initial screen, a user interface 51 for receiving a remote control reception signal according to a subscriber's operation, and A charge signal generator 52 for generating a charge display request signal according to the remote control signal received from the user interface 50, a charge data receiver 53 for receiving charge data from the controller 48, and the charge When the data receiver 53 receives the charge data, the OSD signal generator 54 generates an OSD signal and the charges according to the OSD signal generated by the OSD signal generator 54. Service charge display device of the communication system being configured to OSD processor 55 which processes the OSD data via the NTSC encoder 47 to be output on the TV screen. When the display request signal of the service charge data is input, a first step of determining whether the current service information viewed by the subscriber is a pay channel; A second step of totally calculating the service viewing time so far if the fee display request is satisfied by checking whether it has been entered; and the L2GW of the headend 10 of the communication system if the service calculated in the second step is a VOD pay channel; A third step of downloading the charge information from the 14th step; and downloading the charge information from the L1GW 23 of the central terminal 20 of the communication system when the service calculated in the second step is a CATV pay channel. Step 4, after performing the fourth step, a fifth step of searching for the subscriber storage memory, and receiving the charge data stored in the memory retrieved in the fifth step How is the sixth step, and a service charge for the communication system to the charge data received by the sixth step, wherein the OSD processing comprising a seventh step of displaying on the TV display.

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