KR20220136068A - Media providing server, method of switching to other centent through a trigger area and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a method of switching to other content through a trigger area that includes the steps of: receiving, by a media providing server, an input for a first trigger region from a set-top box; and transmitting, by the media providing server, a control signal corresponding to the first trigger region to the set-top box and controlling the performance of an application corresponding to the first trigger region in the set-top box.

Description

MEDIA PROVIDING SERVER, METHOD OF SWITCHING TO OTHER CENTENT THROUGH A TRIGGER AREA AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a media providing server, a method for switching to another content through a trigger area, and a computer program.

With the recent development of TV technology and digital technology, various information is being delivered to viewers through TV. For example, TV home shopping, which provides shopping information through TV, provides various information according to technological change. Meanwhile, with the recent commercialization of digital-based digital television technology, it has become possible to provide various contents through a network such as the Internet connected to each home, and an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service is a representative example.

In the IPTV service, various services can be provided to IPTV service subscribers through a set-top box installed in a designated space such as a home, among which shopping broadcasting service (or commerce broadcasting) provided through a commerce channel. may also be provided.

In the case of a commerce business operator producing a shopping broadcasting service, a commerce channel (ie, a shopping broadcasting service) may be programmed in a correspondingly granted/promised channel by paying a certain amount.

Accordingly, when the IPTV service subscriber selects a channel promised in the set-top box, the set-top box receives the commerce channel regularly scheduled for the channel and outputs it through the TV, so that the IPTV service subscriber can view the commerce channel and use the shopping broadcasting service. However, there is a limit to the delivery of various shopping information according to the user's request, and the improvement of convenience such as checking shopping information and ordering.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, other content may be switched to and displayed on another electronic device through the displayed trigger area.

A method according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes: receiving, by a media providing server, an input for a first trigger area from a set-top box; and transmitting, by the media providing server, a control signal corresponding to the first trigger area to the set-top box, and controlling the set-top box to execute an application corresponding to the first trigger area.

The first trigger area may be content displayed through an output device connected to the set-top box.

The first trigger area may be displayed only when a preset trigger generation condition is satisfied.

The input to the first trigger area may be generated by a program installed in the set-top box, and may be transmitted to the media providing server when a user input is input.

The method may further include displaying at least one of broadcast content, commerce content, advertisement content, event content, and purchase content connected to the first trigger region when the application corresponding to the first trigger region is executed.

After the receiving step, the data server transmits an input for the first trigger region, and the data server sends a first trigger message corresponding to the first trigger region to the user terminal corresponding to the set-top box. It may further include the step of processing to transmit.

The method may further include, in the user terminal, outputting trigger content based on the path information of the first trigger message.

In the method, after the transmitting step, when a confirmation input for the first trigger message in the user terminal is received from the data server, a control signal corresponding to the first trigger message is transmitted to the set-top box, It may further include; controlling the set-top box to run an application corresponding to the first trigger message.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method for providing media, the media providing server transmits information on a set-top box through which content is output to a data server, and from the data server to a user terminal corresponding to the set-top box, a second controlling to transmit a trigger message; When the media providing server receives an input for the second trigger message through the data server, transmitting a control signal for displaying the trigger content for the second trigger message to the set-top box ; may be included.

The method for providing media according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include controlling an application corresponding to the second trigger message to be executed in the set-top box.

The media providing server according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a communication unit and a processor, wherein the processor receives an input for a first trigger region from a set-top box, and the media providing server controls corresponding to the first trigger region By transmitting a signal to the set-top box, an application corresponding to the first trigger region may be controlled to be executed in the set-top box.

A computer program according to an embodiment of the present invention may be stored in a medium to execute any one of the methods according to an embodiment of the present invention using a computer.

In addition to this, another method for implementing the present invention, another system, and a computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program for executing the method are further provided.

Other aspects, features and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to switch to another content through the displayed trigger area and display it on another electronic device.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network environment of a media providing system that transmits broadcast content through a media providing server according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is a block diagram of a media providing server according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of switching to content through a trigger area displayed in a set-top box according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying trigger content through a trigger message displayed in a user terminal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting a trigger message to a user terminal based on an input phone number according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting a trigger message to a user terminal corresponding to a set-top box being viewed according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is an exemplary diagram of a provided trigger area.
8 is an exemplary diagram of trigger content provided through a trigger area.

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

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. Effects and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become clear with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various forms.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and when described with reference to the drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. .

In this specification, terms such as “learning” and “learning” are not intended to refer to mental actions such as human educational activities, but are terms referring to performing machine learning through computing according to procedures. interpret

In the following embodiments, terms such as first, second, etc. are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, not in a limiting sense.

In the following examples, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms such as include or have means that the features or components described in the specification are present, and the possibility that one or more other features or components may be added is not excluded in advance.

In the drawings, the size of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description. For example, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily indicated for convenience of description, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated bar.

In cases where certain embodiments may be implemented differently, a specific process sequence may be performed differently from the described sequence. For example, two processes described in succession may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in an order opposite to the order described.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network environment of a media providing system that transmits broadcast content through a media providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The media providing system may include a media providing server 100 and a data server 500 . Of course, if necessary, the media providing system may further include the content transmission server 200 in addition to this. The media providing system includes a first set-top box 301, a second set-top box 302, a third set-top box 303, . . . , data may be exchanged with the n-th set-top box 30n. The media providing system includes a first set-top box 301 , a second set-top box 302 , a third set-top box 303 , . . . , through the n-th set-top box 30n, it is possible to transmit data to the output devices 401, 402, 403, ..., 40n, hereinafter 400 connected thereto. The output device 400 may include a TV, a smart TV, and the like, as will be described later. In addition, the media providing system includes a first terminal (T1), a second terminal (T2), a third terminal (T3), ... through a network. , data can be exchanged with the n-th terminal Tn. The first terminal T1, the second terminal T2, the third terminal T3, ... , the n-th terminal Tn may be, for example, a portable device such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a PMP, or a PDA described later, or may be implemented as various types of devices having a display function, such as a PC.

A first set-top box 301 , a second set-top box 302 , a third set-top box 303 , . . . , at least one of the n-th set-top box 30n may be referred to as a set-top box 300 . The first terminal T1, the second terminal T2, the third terminal T3, ... , at least one of the n-th terminals (Tn) may be referred to as a terminal (T).

The media providing server 100 , the content transmission server 200 , the set-top box 300 , the data server 500 , and/or the terminal T may communicate with each other through a network. The communication method of the network of the present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, wired or wireless communication, but the network according to some embodiments may use short-range wireless communication. If necessary, the set-top box 300 and the output device 400 may be connected by a network or an electric wire. Also, the set-top box 300 and the output device 400 may be implemented as one piece of hardware. A user may control the set-top box 300 and/or the output device 400 using a remote control device (eg, a remote controller). The set-top box 300 or the output device 400 may communicate with a remote controller through a local area network.

The set-top box 300 may be installed in a designated space, such as a home, to provide a broadcasting service, and the set-top box 300 may provide a broadcasting service such as a shopping broadcasting service through a commerce channel.

The set-top box 300 may communicate with the media providing server 100 and the content transmission server 200 through a network. The set-top box 300 may transmit a control signal and/or an output signal to the output device 400 based on data received from the media providing server 100 and the content transmission server 200 . The set-top box 300 may include a program for decoding the received data and may generate an output signal by encoding the data. The output device 400 includes a TV, a smart TV, and the like, and may include any type of electronic device having a display, such as a smart phone or a PMP.

The set-top box 300 may transmit a user input from a separate input device or output device 400 to the media providing server 100 .

The media providing system may generate output data for broadcasting through the media providing server 100 , and transmit the output data for broadcasting from the media providing server 100 to the set-top box 300 . In this case, the output data for broadcasting may be in an encoded format or index information. The media providing server 100 may transmit output data for broadcasting to the set-top box 300 using a cloud service.

The media providing server 100 may transmit content information corresponding to the output data to the set-top box 300 . The media providing server 100 may drive an application stored in the cloud server and display the application while streaming on the output device 400 of each user. In this case, the output device 400 may be controlled through a program installed in the set-top box 300 , and may output broadcast content or commerce content under the control of the set-top box 300 . The set-top box 300 may be implemented to operate through instructions from the media providing server 100 .

The media providing server 100 may generate output data for broadcasting based on data received from the data server 500 . The data server 500 may store and manage various data related to broadcast content, store content, pop-up content, ordering content, commerce content, and the like. The media providing server 100 may generate various user interfaces using data stored in the data server 500 .

The media providing server 100 may receive product information, customer information, order information, programming information, and the like from the data server 500 . The media providing server 100 may receive a request signal corresponding to a user input from the set-top box 300 , and may generate response output data of each request signal using the data received from the data server 500 .

The media providing server 100 may transmit the commerce content to the set-top box 300 and may generate an order call for the commerce content from the set-top box 300 or the user's terminal T. The ARS order call generated in this way is processed by the ARS server (not shown). The media providing server 100 may receive information about an ARS order call of commerce content from the ARS server and transmit it to the set-top box 300 .

Meanwhile, the media providing server 100 may control the set-top box 300 through a program installed in the set-top box 300 . The media providing server 100 may perform a function of reading information of the set-top box 300 . The media providing server 100 may receive a platform code, an STP ID, and access information of the set-top box 300 . The media providing server 100 may generate output data of the set-top box 300 based on the information on the set-top box 300 . The media providing server 100 may regenerate output data for broadcasting in response to a user input obtained through the set-top box 300 and transmit it to the set-top box 300 .

The media providing server 100 may display the captured information of these contents on the screen of the output device 400 through the set-top box 300 instead of the information itself including various contents such as operation through the cloud solution. The media providing server 100 may be implemented using a cloud server, and may control conversion of one or more first and second cloud servers. The media providing server 100 implements a screen in the output device 400 by driving an application corresponding to the selected channel through the first cloud server, and can accommodate a plurality of users through this.

The media providing server 100 transmits data on the overall configuration of the screen to be implemented on the output device 400 to the set-top box 300 , and information (eg, URL) on the broadcast image data to be played on the output device 400 . It can also be transmitted to the set-top box (300). The set-top box 300 receives the broadcast image data from the content transmission server 200 using information (eg, URL) on the broadcast image data received from the media providing server 100 as described below, and the media providing server 100 ) in the screen implemented in the output device 400 from the data received from the broadcast image may be reproduced.

The media providing server 100 may receive a user input for the trigger region from the set-top box 300 in a state that the trigger region is included in the image displayed on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300 . have.

The trigger area is, for example, an area in which when a commercial image for a specific product is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, a brief guide message for the specific product is displayed in the commercial video. can For example, when an advertisement broadcast video for a specific cosmetic is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, “Press the red button” or “Click the red button on the remote control to select this cosmetic product from SK Store.” Please check information about" may be displayed, and the trigger area may be the area where such a message is displayed. 7 shows an example of such a trigger area TA. Alternatively, when a scene including a specific product is reproduced on the output device 400 in the process of playing a movie in the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, the trigger area is a brief description of the specific product in the scene. It may be an area in which a guide message is displayed. For example, when a scene containing specific cosmetics is played in the process of playing a movie on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, "Press the red button" or "Click the red button on the remote control" Please check the information about this table in SK Store" may be displayed, and the trigger area may be the area where such a message is displayed.

As described above, in a state in which the trigger region is included in the image displayed by the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, the user receives the user's input to the trigger region (through an action such as clicking the red button of the remote control). When executed, the media providing server 100 may receive such a user's input through the set-top box 300 . In addition, the media providing server 100 may transmit a control signal corresponding to the trigger area to the set-top box 300 so that an application corresponding to the trigger area is executed in the set-top box 300 .

The set-top box 300 may communicate with the media providing server 100 to receive output data, interpret and read (encode, etc.) the received output data and output it through an output device 400 such as a TV. The set-top box 300 may output broadcast output data received from the media providing server 100 through the output device 400 . The set-top box 300 may obtain a user input through a provided input device and transmit a request signal corresponding to the user input to the media providing server 100 . That is, the set-top box 300 may receive broadcast image data from the content transmission server 200 , and transmit related data to the output device 400 , so that the output device 400 implements the broadcast image.

This set-top box 300 may have a unique set-top ID. That is, each of the set-top boxes 300 provided in the user's houses may have a unique set-top box ID. The set-top box ID may include, for example, numbers, characters such as alphabets, special characters and/or symbols, and the like. The set-top box 300 may receive a user input signal from an external input/output device (eg, a remote control) through the input/output interface.

The content transmission server 200 performs a function of transmitting broadcast content of one or more broadcasters or broadcast channels to the set-top boxes 300 . The content transmission server 200 may transmit the content requested by each set-top box 300 . The content transmission server 200 may be implemented to broadcast and transmit the content received from the content providing server.

The data server 500 may store and manage information for generating data for broadcast output. The data server 500 is a computing device in which server programs such as Apache Tomcat and Oracle are installed, and may be implemented to process server functions. As described above, the data server 500 may store product information, production information, and/or review information of content. In addition, the data server 500 may store image identification information, pop-up data, and the like, and provide related information to the media providing server 100 in response to a request from the media providing server 100 .

The user terminal T according to an embodiment of the present invention may refer to a terminal possessed by the user. The user terminal T may be an electronic device designated by information input by the user of the set-top box 300 and the output device 400 . The user terminal T may be implemented as a portable device such as a smartphone, but is not limited thereto, and may be implemented as various types of devices having a display function, such as a PC, a tablet PC, a PMP, or a PDA.

The media providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a content providing server (not shown). The content providing server may register (eg, obtain and store) content such as a commerce video to be provided. Also, the content providing server may receive meta information of content such as a video from the data server 500 and match meta information for each content. To this end, the content providing server may be connected to the data server 500 and may exchange various information with each other through communication.

The content providing server may convert content such as a registered video according to the platform or format of each broadcaster and transmit the converted content to the content transmission server 200 . Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the content providing server stores the content and transmits it to the content transmission server 200, and the content transmission server 200 may convert and store the corresponding content according to the platform or format of the broadcaster. . This is the same in the embodiments and modifications thereof to be described later.

Meanwhile, the content providing server may obtain meta information of the content from the data server 500 . The meta information may include product information, production information, and/or review information related to the corresponding content. Of course, in some cases, the content providing server may directly receive and store meta information from the content provider.

The content providing server may transmit data of content such as a moving picture or data of converted content to the content transmission server 200 through a distributed network (CDN). Also, the content providing server may receive image identification information of each moving picture from the content transmission server 200 . The image identification information may be, for example, playback URL information stored in the content transmission server 200 .

2 is a block diagram of a media providing server 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

The processor 110 is a configuration for overall controlling the media providing server 100 . Specifically, the processor 110 controls the overall operation of the media providing server 100 by using various programs stored in the storage medium 130 of the media providing server 100 . For example, the processor 110 may include a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and a system bus. Here, the ROM is a configuration in which an instruction set for system booting is stored, and the CPU copies the stored operating system of the media providing server 100 to the RAM according to the instructions stored in the ROM, and executes O/S to boot the system. When booting is complete, the CPU can perform various operations by copying various stored applications to RAM and executing them. Although it has been described above that the media providing server 100 includes only one CPU, it may be implemented with a plurality of CPUs (or DSPs, SoCs, etc.).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 110 may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON) for processing a digital signal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), or It may include one or more of a communication processor (CP) and an ARM processor, or may be defined by a corresponding term. In addition, the processor 110 may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC), large scale integration (LSI), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) type having a built-in processing algorithm.

The communication unit 120 is configured to transmit and receive data to and from devices such as the content transmission server 200 , the set-top box 300 , the data server 500 , the user terminal T, and the like. The communication unit 120 includes a Bluetooth communication unit, a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication unit, a near field communication unit, a WLAN (Wi-Fi) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an infrared (IrDA, infrared Data Association) communication unit, a WFD ( It may include a Wi-Fi Direct) communication unit, an ultra wideband (UWB) communication unit, a short-distance communication unit such as an Ant+ communication unit, a mobile communication network, or a wired Ethernet network.

The media providing server 100 may further include a storage medium 130 storing various data for overall operations, such as a program for processing or controlling the processor 110 . The storage medium 130 may specifically store a plurality of application programs (or applications) driven in the media providing server 100 , data for the operation of the media providing server 100 , and instructions. At least some of these application programs may be downloaded from an external server through wireless communication. Also, at least some of these application programs may exist on the media providing server 100 from the time of shipment for a basic function of the media providing server 100 . The application program may be stored in a storage medium and driven to perform an operation (or function) of the media providing server 100 by the processor 110 .

The storage medium 130 may include an application control unit 131 , a trigger generation unit 132 , and a trigger processing unit 133 .

The application controller 131 may generate content corresponding to a channel displayed on the output device 400 according to a user's control and transmit the content to the set-top box 300 to control the display. For example, when a user inputs a channel selection input through a remote controller while watching TV, the selection input can be recognized, and a content image related to a channel corresponding to the selection input can be displayed on the output device. Alternatively, when a user input is made in the corresponding channel, the content image corresponding to the user input in the corresponding channel can be displayed on the output device.

The application controller 131 may drive an application related to the content when the content set in the broadcast channel is displayed. The application controller 131 may control information such as images and videos displayed until the channel is changed. The application controller 131 may control the screen of the output device 400 through the control of applications including broadcast content and commerce content through signal connection with the set-top box 300 .

An application driven in the set-top box 300 may include various interface information, output information, and the like. For example, a navigation menu capable of moving to other commerce contents, a list screen of commerce contents searched in response to a user input, order procedure contents for commerce contents, and the like may be displayed.

In addition, an application running in the set-top box 300 through the application controller 131 may control to display one or more pieces of content information. When implementing such content, the application controller 131 may control a location where the content is to be implemented among the entire screen area, and may control where the content is to be implemented in a frame area displayed as an application on the screen.

The set-top box 300 receives a signal for content output and implementation from the application control unit 131, obtains the content corresponding to the signal from the content transmission server 200, and controls it to be displayed on the screen of the output device 400 can In this case, the content obtained from the content transmission server 200 may be output using the image identification information.

The trigger generator 132 may receive a trigger input (via the communication unit 120 and/or the processor 110 ) from the set-top box 300 in which the trigger area is displayed. As described above, in a state in which the trigger region is included in the image or video displayed on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, the user (through an action such as clicking the red button of the remote control) enters the trigger region. When the user's input is executed, the media providing server 100 may receive the user's input through the set-top box 300 . The trigger generator 132 may receive such a user's input (ie, trigger input) from the set-top box 300 (via the communication unit 120 and/or the processor 110 ).

The signal for the trigger input may include information about the trigger region. The trigger area may be displayed according to a predetermined rule. The set-top box 300 displays the trigger area based on the rule of the trigger area. A rule for the trigger area may be set based on at least one of displayed content, viewing time, and a user's activity history (purchase history, viewing history, etc.). The set-top box 300 may display a trigger area through the output device 400 when it corresponds to a predetermined rule. Optionally, the set-top box 300 may transmit a trigger output signal to the media providing server 100 while the trigger area is output.

The trigger generating unit 132 may generate a control signal for displaying trigger content according to a trigger input (via the communication unit 120 and/or the processor 110 ) and transmit it to the set-top box 300 . When a control signal related to the provision of trigger content is transmitted to the set-top box 300 , the set-top box 300 may process the trigger content to be executed by using the control signal. A program for reading a control signal may be installed in the set-top box 300 .

The trigger content may be, for example, an Internet shopping web screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) in a commercial being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. Alternatively, the trigger content may be a screen of a specific home shopping broadcaster, and may be a screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) in an advertisement broadcast being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. That is, when an advertisement broadcast video for a specific cosmetic is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, “press the red button” or “click the red button on the remote control to A trigger area such as "Please check information on cosmetics" may be displayed, and when a trigger input occurs in such a state, the trigger content may be related to the cosmetics screen of a home shopping broadcaster called SK Store.

Alternatively, the trigger content may be, for example, an Internet shopping web screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) included in a scene of a movie being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. Alternatively, the trigger content may be a screen of a specific home shopping broadcaster, and may be a screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) included in a scene of a movie being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. That is, when a scene of a movie containing a specific cosmetic is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, "Press the red button" or "Click the red button on the remote control to Please check the information on this cosmetic" may be displayed, and when a trigger input occurs in such a state, the trigger content may be related to the screen for the corresponding cosmetic of a home shopping broadcaster called SK Store.

In an optional embodiment, the trigger generating unit 132 transmits a signal for a trigger input to the data server 500 (via the communication unit 120 and/or the processor 110) to the set-top box ( 300) may be processed to transmit a trigger message corresponding to the trigger region to the user terminal T connected thereto. The data server 500 may obtain identification information of the user terminal T based on the information on the set-top box included in the signal for the trigger input, and specify the user terminal T to transmit the trigger message. Also, the data server 500 may transmit the trigger message to the user terminal T after determining whether to transmit the trigger message based on the information on the trigger region. The data server 500 may receive an input for the trigger region from the user terminal T, and transmit it to the trigger generator 132 .

The trigger message may include access information or path information on the trigger content connected to the trigger input. For example, the trigger message may include an Internet link. Accordingly, when the user receives the trigger message from the user terminal T, such as a smartphone, and clicks the corresponding link included in the message, the trigger content can be displayed on the user terminal T.

For example, the trigger message may include an Internet link to an Internet shopping web screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) in a commercial being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. . Alternatively, the trigger message may include a link to a screen of a specific home shopping broadcaster related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) in a commercial being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. have. That is, when an advertisement broadcast video for a specific cosmetic is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, “press the red button” or “click the red button on the remote control to A trigger area such as "Check information about cosmetics" may be displayed, and when a trigger input occurs in such a state, the trigger message may include a link to the screen for the corresponding cosmetics of a home shopping broadcaster called SK Store.

Alternatively, the trigger message includes an Internet link to an Internet shopping web screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) included in a scene of a movie being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. can do. Alternatively, the trigger message may include a link to a screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics) included in a scene of a movie being played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 100 when a trigger input occurs. That is, when a scene of a movie containing a specific cosmetic is played on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300, "Press the red button" or "Click the red button on the remote control to A trigger area such as “Please check information about this cosmetic” may be displayed, and when a trigger input occurs in such a state, the trigger message may include a link to the screen for the corresponding cosmetic product of a home shopping broadcaster called SK Store. .

As such, when a trigger input is received from the set-top box 300 , the trigger generating unit 132 transmits a signal for the trigger input to the data server 500 (via the communication unit 120 and/or the processor 110 ). Thus, it is possible to transmit a trigger message from the data server 500 to the user terminal T connected to the set-top box 300 . The trigger message may be transmitted from the data server 500, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a trigger message may be transmitted from the media providing server 100 including the trigger generator 132 to the user terminal T connected to the set-top box 300 . When a trigger message is transmitted from the media providing server 100, the trigger generating unit 132 transmits information about the set-top box 300 and the corresponding user terminal T (communication unit 120 and/or processor 110). Through) obtained from the data server 500, it is possible to transmit a trigger message to the user terminal (T).

The trigger message is transmitted to the user terminal (T) as a trigger input, or transmitted to the user terminal (T) according to the output of the trigger area from the set-top box 300, or when outputted through the set-top box 300, the user terminal ( T) may be set to be transmitted. The trigger message may include access information, path information, etc. on trigger content connected to the trigger input.

The trigger generation unit 132 may determine access information, path information, etc. for the trigger content based on the information included in the trigger input. Each trigger input can be connected to different trigger contents.

Optionally, when it is determined that the trigger generation condition is satisfied, the trigger generation unit 132 may generate a trigger area and process it to be displayed by the set-top box 300 . The trigger generation unit 132 determines whether the set-top box 300 satisfies a trigger generation condition. The trigger generation condition is related to the set-top box 300, and may be set to the content being displayed in the set-top box 300, the displayed content, the current time value, the purchase history executed in the set-top box 300, the viewing history, etc. have. The trigger generation condition may be generated for each trigger content. For example, when there are a plurality of registered trigger contents, a plurality of trigger generation conditions may also be set to correspond. The trigger generation unit 132 may determine the trigger generation condition set based on the time value at every predetermined time interval. The trigger generation condition may be set by a trigger registrant. For example, the registrant may provide an A trigger area while the first content is displayed, and register to move to the A trigger content for the A trigger area. The registrant provides the B trigger area at the first time point, and can register the B trigger content to be executed for the B trigger area. The registrant may provide a C trigger area for the set-top box 300 having a history of purchasing the first product before, and register the C trigger content to be executed for the C trigger area. The trigger generation condition can be changed after registration. For example, the trigger generation condition may be changed after provision of the trigger area according to an input (reactivity) to the provided trigger area. For D trigger content registered as a D trigger generation condition by a registrant, the D trigger generation condition may be changed based on incoming data for the D trigger content.

In this case, the user terminal T is determined through an identification number stored in association with the set-top box 300 , and one set-top box 300 and one or more user terminals T may be stored in association with each other. Information on the user terminal T is obtained from the data server 500 , and when there is no pre-stored information on the user terminal T, information on the user terminal T is input through the set-top box 300 . you can ask to do

When a user input (hereinafter, trigger input) corresponding to the trigger region is received, the trigger processing unit 133 may be processed to display trigger content corresponding to the trigger input in the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300 . .

The trigger input may be obtained through the set-top box 300 or an input device connected to the set-top box 300 . The trigger content corresponding to the trigger input is executed by the set-top box 300 and may be displayed through an output device connected to the set-top box 300 . When a trigger input is obtained, the set-top box 300 transmits a trigger input to the media providing server 100, receives a control signal related to the output of the trigger content from the media providing server, and based on the control signal, triggers the content It can be processed to display. The control signal includes path information and link information for the trigger content, and the set-top box 300 receives and displays the trigger content from the content transmission server 200 based on the path information and link information for the trigger content. can

The trigger content corresponding to the trigger message may be displayed in the user terminal (T). In the user terminal (T), when input for a trigger message, the trigger content may be displayed in the user terminal (T). The user terminal T may receive and display the trigger content by accessing an external server.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of switching to content through a trigger area displayed in the set-top box 300 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

A trigger area may be output from the set-top box 300 (S110).

When the set-top box 300 obtains a trigger input, the set-top box 300 may transmit the trigger input to the media providing server 100 . The trigger input may be obtained through the set-top box 300 or an input device connected to the set-top box 300 .

When a trigger input is received (S115), the media providing server 100 may transmit a control signal for displaying the trigger content to the set-top box 300 (S120).

The set-top box 300 may read the control signal and process the application corresponding to the trigger region to be executed, and as a result of the execution of the application, the trigger content may be displayed on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300 . .

The set-top box 300 accesses the content transmission server 200 using the path information of the trigger content (S130), receives the trigger content from the content transmission server 200, and displays it on the output device 400. Can be processed There is (S135).

4 is a flowchart of a process of displaying trigger content through a trigger message displayed in the user terminal (T) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In S210 , the first trigger input for the trigger region may be obtained while the trigger region is output from the set-top box 300 . The set-top box 300 may transmit the obtained first trigger input to the media providing server 100 (S215).

The media providing server 100 transmits a signal for the first trigger input to the data server 500 (S220), so that the first trigger message corresponding to the first trigger input is transmitted to the user terminal T. have.

In S225 , the media providing server 100 may determine a user terminal corresponding to the set-top box in response to the first trigger input, and generate a trigger message implemented so that the first trigger content of the first trigger input is output. . When information on the user terminal T corresponding to the set-top box 300 does not already exist, information on the user terminal T may be requested through the media providing server 100, but is not limited thereto, and a trigger It may not handle the creation of messages.

The data server 500 may transmit the first trigger message to the user terminal T (S230).

When the first trigger message is received, the user terminal T may display it through the output unit. When a confirmation input for the first trigger message is generated, the user terminal T may access an external server (not shown), request the first trigger content, and receive and display the first trigger content (S235) , S240). The user terminal T may acquire the first trigger content from the server based on at least one of access information, path information, and identification information for the first trigger content included in the first trigger message.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting a trigger message to a user terminal based on an input phone number according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In S310 , a second trigger input for the trigger region may be obtained while the trigger region is output from the set-top box 300 . The set-top box 300 may request information about the user terminal T by outputting an interface for inputting terminal identification information corresponding to the obtained second trigger input (S320). Here, the terminal identification information is information capable of identifying the user terminal T, and may be a phone number, an IP address, or the like.

The set-top box 300 may transmit the inputted terminal identification information to the media providing server 100 (S325). The media providing server 100 may transmit the terminal identification information and the second trigger input to the data server 500 (S330).

The data server 500 may determine the user terminal T based on the terminal identification information, and generate and transmit a second trigger message based on the second trigger input (S335 and S340).

When the first trigger message is received, the user terminal T may display it through the output unit. When a confirmation input for the first trigger message is generated, the user terminal T may access an external server (not shown), request the first trigger content, and receive and display the first trigger content (S345) , S350). The user terminal T may acquire the first trigger content from the server based on at least one of access information, path information, and identification information for the first trigger content included in the first trigger message.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting a trigger message to a user terminal corresponding to a set-top box being viewed according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

While the content is displayed in the set-top box 300, the media providing server 100 may obtain a viewing signal indicating whether to watch (S410, S415).

The media providing server 100 may transmit information on the set-top box in which the content is being viewed to the data server 500 (S420).

The data server 500 may generate a third trigger message for the user terminal T corresponding to the viewing set-top box (S425).

The data server 500 may transmit the third trigger message to the user terminal T corresponding to the viewing set-top box, and receive a trigger input from the user terminal T. The trigger input may be obtained as an input for the third trigger message (S435).

When a trigger input for the third trigger message is received, the data server 500 may search the ID of the set-top box corresponding to the trigger input (S440), and transmit the ID of the set-top box to the media providing server 100 ( S445).

The media providing server 100 may generate a control signal to be transmitted to the set-top box based on the set-top box ID and transmit the control signal to the set-top box (S450, S455).

The set-top box 300 may process an application corresponding to the control signal to be executed using the control signal (S460).

As a result of the execution of the application, the set-top box 300 accesses the content transmission server 200 using access information such as path information of the third trigger content obtained from the control signal (S465), and from the content transmission server 200 A third trigger content may be received (S470). The set-top box 300 may display the third trigger content on the output device of the set-top box 300 .

7 is an exemplary diagram of a user interface S1 including a provided trigger area.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the trigger area TA may be displayed on a partial area of the content, and may be implemented to provide content related to the content being displayed. As such, the trigger area TA may be displayed on a partial area of the content being displayed on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300 . Through this, when there is a trigger input from the user, commerce content related to the content displayed on the output device 400 connected to the set-top box 300 (eg, the content of the home shopping channel as shown in FIG. 9 ) is displayed in the set-top box 300 . ) may be displayed on the output device 400 connected to the .

As shown in FIG. 7 , the trigger area TA may be displayed overlapping with the displayed content (advertisement, program, etc.), and the trigger area TA includes a process in which a color value is converted, for example, dimming ( dimming) processing or the like may be executed.

8 is an exemplary diagram of trigger content provided through a trigger area.

When an input to the trigger area is obtained, the trigger content TC is output, and the trigger content TC may be a screen including a specific product (eg, cosmetics) of a home shopping broadcaster such as SK Store, as shown in FIG. 8 . have. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 , the trigger content TC may include an event area, an event application area, a home shopping area, etc. related to the displayed content (eg, a specific product) or registered for the displayed content. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the above description may be applied to the trigger content (TC). That is, the trigger content TC may be an Internet shopping web screen related to a specific product (eg, cosmetics).

The device described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and/or a combination of the hardware component and the software component. For example, devices and components described in the embodiments may include, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA). , a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions, may be implemented using one or more general purpose or special purpose computers. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For convenience of understanding, although one processing device is sometimes described as being used, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the processing device includes a plurality of processing elements and/or a plurality of types of processing elements. It can be seen that may include For example, the processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as parallel processors.

The software may comprise a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more thereof, which configures a processing device to operate as desired or is independently or collectively processed You can command the device. The software and/or data may be any kind of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device, to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. , or may be permanently or temporarily embody in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored in one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited embodiments and drawings, various modifications and variations are possible by those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

100: media providing server
110: processor 120: communication unit
130: storage medium 131: application control unit
132: trigger generation unit 133: trigger processing unit
200: content transmission server
300, 301, 302, 303, 30n: set-top box
400, 401, 402, 403, … , 40n: output device
500: data server

Claims (18)

The media providing server determines whether a trigger generation condition is satisfied in consideration of a purchase history or a viewing history executed in the set-top box, and when the set-top box satisfies the trigger generation condition, a first trigger by the set-top box processing a region to be displayed and receiving an input for the first trigger region from the set-top box; and
The media providing server transmits a control signal corresponding to the first trigger area to the set-top box, and controlling the set-top box to execute an application corresponding to the first trigger area; including a trigger area Media delivery method that transitions to other content through According to claim 1,
The first trigger area is
A method of providing media for switching to another content through a trigger area, which is content displayed through an output device connected to the set-top box. According to claim 1,
The input to the first trigger region is
A method for providing media that is generated by a program installed in the set-top box and is transmitted to the media providing server when a user input is input, to switch to another content through a trigger area. According to claim 1,
When an application corresponding to the first trigger area is executed, the method further comprising displaying at least one of broadcast content, commerce content, advertisement content, event content, and purchase content connected to the first trigger area through the trigger area. A media delivery method that transitions to other content. According to claim 1,
After the receiving step,
Sending the input for the first trigger region to the data server, the data server further comprising the step of processing to transmit a first trigger message corresponding to the first trigger region to the user terminal corresponding to the set-top box A method of providing media for switching to other content through a trigger area, including. 6. The method of claim 5,
In the user terminal, based on the path information of the first trigger message, the method further comprising the step of outputting a trigger content, media providing method for switching to another content through the trigger area. 6. The method of claim 5,
After the step of sending,
When a confirmation input for the first trigger message from the user terminal is received from the data server, a control signal corresponding to the first trigger message is transmitted to the set-top box, and the set-top box responds to the first trigger message Controlling the corresponding application to be executed; Media providing method for switching to another content through the trigger area further comprising. While the content is displayed in the set-top box, the media providing server acquires a viewing signal for the content from the set-top box, and transmits information about the set-top box in which the content is being viewed to the data server, in the data server, the set-top box controlling to transmit a second trigger message directly to a user terminal, which is an electronic device having a display function and designated as information input by the user;
When the media providing server receives an input for the second trigger message through the data server, transmitting a control signal for displaying the trigger content for the second trigger message to the set-top box Media providing method for switching to other content through a trigger area, including; 9. The method of claim 8,
Controlling an application corresponding to the second trigger message to be executed in the set-top box; Media providing method for switching to another content through a trigger area further comprising a. including a communication unit and a processor;
the processor
It is determined whether a trigger generation condition is satisfied in consideration of the purchase history or the viewing history executed in the set-top box, and when the set-top box satisfies the trigger generation condition, the first trigger area is displayed by the set-top box process,
receiving an input for the first trigger region from the set-top box;
A media providing server that transmits a control signal corresponding to the first trigger area to the set-top box, and controls the set-top box to execute an application corresponding to the first trigger area. 11. The method of claim 10,
The first trigger area is
A media providing server, which is content displayed through an output device connected to the set-top box. 11. The method of claim 10,
The input to the first trigger region is
A media providing server that is generated by a program installed in the set-top box and transmitted to the media providing server when a user input is input. 11. The method of claim 10,
When an application corresponding to the first trigger area is executed, at least one of broadcast content, commerce content, advertisement content, event content, and purchase content connected to the first trigger area is displayed in the set-top box. 11. The method of claim 10,
The processor is
By transmitting the input for the first trigger area to the data server, the data server processes to transmit the first trigger message corresponding to the first trigger area to the user terminal corresponding to the set-top box, providing media server. 15. The method of claim 14,
In the user terminal, based on the path information of the first trigger message, controlling to output the trigger content, a media providing server. 15. The method of claim 14,
The processor is
When a confirmation input for the first trigger message from the user terminal is received from the data server, a control signal corresponding to the first trigger message is transmitted to the set-top box, and the set-top box responds to the first trigger message A media providing server that controls the corresponding application to be executed. a processor and a communication unit;
the processor
While the content is displayed in the set-top box, obtain a viewing signal for the content from the set-top box, and transmit information about the set-top box in which the content is being viewed to a data server, in the data server, corresponding to the set-top box, Control to transmit a second trigger message to the user terminal, which is an electronic device that is designated as information input by the user and has a display function,
When an input for the second trigger message is received through the data server, a control signal for displaying the trigger content for the second trigger message is transmitted to the set-top box. A computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium for executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 using a computer.

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