WO2007064134A1 - Method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting - Google Patents

Method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007064134A1
WO2007064134A1 PCT/KR2006/005070 KR2006005070W WO2007064134A1 WO 2007064134 A1 WO2007064134 A1 WO 2007064134A1 KR 2006005070 W KR2006005070 W KR 2006005070W WO 2007064134 A1 WO2007064134 A1 WO 2007064134A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
contents
pvr
playback
user
interactive application
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2006/005070
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Hosang Yu
Original Assignee
Alticast Corp.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alticast Corp. filed Critical Alticast Corp.
Publication of WO2007064134A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007064134A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00—Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/40—Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H20/00—Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast
    • H04H20/86—Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself
    • H04H20/91—Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself broadcasting computer programmes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/09—Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
    • H04H60/13—Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04H—BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
    • H04H60/00—Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems
    • H04H60/27—Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/414—Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
    • H04N21/4143—Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/414—Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
    • H04N21/4147—PVR [Personal Video Recorder]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4334—Recording operations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/4508—Management of client data or end-user data
    • H04N21/4532—Management of client data or end-user data involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/462—Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4623—Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/466—Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies
    • H04N21/4668—Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies for recommending content, e.g. movies
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47214—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/482—End-user interface for program selection
    • H04N21/4826—End-user interface for program selection using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/76—Television signal recording

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting.
  • Interactive television enables the viewer to interact with the TV, beyond just controlling channels, volume, videotapes, etc.
  • the user can make payments, do banking, shop, make reservations, play games or participate in forums using the interactive television.
  • interests in order and watching of various contents e.g., video on demand contents
  • digital broadcasting are increasing.
  • U.S. Patent Nos. 6,853,728, 6,502,139, 6,438,506 and 6,167,496 for the provision of video on demand services.
  • the conventional methods are restricted in compatibility with middleware, availability of various contents-related functions, easiness of changing billing systems, etc. Disclosure of Invention
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting offering enhanced compatibility with the middleware equipped with the existing set-top boxes, and with change of billing systems, and with realization of various contents-specific business models. More particularly, there is provided a method that enables easy downloading of various contents from contents agents through digital broadcasting network, offers superior compatibility with middleware of set- top boxes, enables easy control of contents and enables realization of various contents-specific business models, through a complementary combination of an agent application which triggers downloading of contents and a PVR interactive application which controls display of the contents.
  • the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which comprises the steps of: (a) transmitting an agent application which triggers recording of contents and a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application that controls playback of the contents on a user set-top box; (b) with execution of a recording function of a middleware equipped in the set-top box that is triggered by the agent application, recording the contents and the PVR interactive application in the user set-top box; (c) in response to the user's contents playback request, activating the PVR interactive application and determining by the PVR interactive application if a condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied; (d) displaying the condition required for the playback of the contents to the user if the playback condition has not been satisfied; and (e) displaying the contents to the user after the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied.
  • an agent application which triggers recording of contents and a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application that controls playback of the contents on
  • the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which further comprises, after the recording of the contents and the PVR interactive application has been completed between the steps (b) and (c), displaying on a user display a message informing that the playback of the contents is ready.
  • the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which is characterized in that the execution of the recording function of the middleware triggered by the agent application of the step (b) is restricted, when a pre-scheduled recording is in progress.
  • the present invention is advantageous in that, through a complementary combination of the agent application and the PVR interactive application, it can provide various pushed contents to users with minimized modification of conventional middleware and enables the realization of various business models specific to each of VOD contents. Further, the renewal of billing systems can be accomplished easily.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention.
  • Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a flow chart thereof.
  • a contents agent (1) which provides various contents through broadcasting network comprises contents (101), a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application (102) which controls playback of the contents and an agent application (103) which triggers recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) into a set-top box (2).
  • the agent application (103), the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) are coupled to one another.
  • the agent application (103), the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) are coupled to one another.
  • the set- top box (2) exchanges data with the contents agent (1) through digital broadcasting network (not illustrated) and comprises a middleware (201) which executes applications, two tuners (202a, 201b, totally "202") which tunes digital broadcasting signal, a storage (203) for storing the contents (101) and a data processor (204) which processes the data tuned by tuners (202) and transfers them to the user's display (not illustrated).
  • the agent application (103) is transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the set- top box (2) through the digital broadcasting network (SlOO).
  • the agent application (103) transmitted is recorded in the set-top box (2) not through a tuner, represented as tuner 1 " (202a) which is responsible for the service the user is currently watching but through a supplementary tuner, represented as tuner 2 (202b).
  • tuner 1 a tuner which is responsible for the service the user is currently watching but through a supplementary tuner, represented as tuner 2 (202b).
  • tuner 2 a supplementary tuner
  • the agent application (103) executes a recording function of the middleware (201) and, as a consequence of the execution of the recording function, the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) are transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the set- top box (2) (S200).
  • the set-top box equipped with the storage (203) and having the capacity of PVR (personal video recorder, also PDR or personal digital recorder) is commonly called the PVR box.
  • PVR personal video recorder, also PDR or personal digital recorder
  • the recording of the contents (101) and the interactive application (102) triggered by the agent application (103) may conflict with the recording of pre- scheduled other broadcasting data or applications.
  • the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) triggered by the agent application (103) may conflict with the recording of the program reserved by the electronic program guide ("EPG") application.
  • EPG electronic program guide
  • the execution of the recording function of the middleware (201) triggered by the agent application (103) is restricted by the pre-scheduled recording. That is, the recording triggered by the agent application (103) is executed while the pre-scheduled recording is not reserved.
  • the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) is performed by the supplementary tuner (202b) such that the user's watching is not interrupted. Accordingly, the transmission of the agent application (103), the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) proceeds without interrupting the user's watching nor conflicting with the pre-scheduled recording.
  • Normal recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) enables the user to access the contents (101). If the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) has been completed, preferably, a message informing that the user can playback the contents is provided. Such a message may be provided to the user screen in various forms (e.g., a pop-up window or a streaming at the bottom of the screen). Preferably, the message is provided to the user through a pop-up window.
  • the agent application (103) has functions for triggering the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) to the user's set- top box (2) by execution of the recording function of the middleware (201) of the set-top box (2), for checking if the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) has been performed successfully, and displaying the massage informing that the user can playback the contents to the user's display.
  • the PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents (101) is activated (S400).
  • the PVR interactive application (102) which is activated by the user's playback request controls the playback of the contents (101).
  • the PVR interactive application (102) has functions for checking if the condition required for the playback of the contents (101) has been satisfied (S500) and for displaying a message informing the condition required for the playback the user is not satisfied in a situation that the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied.
  • the PVR interactive application (102) activates the PVR function of the middleware (201). Then, the data processor (204) of the set-top box (2) processes the contents (101) coupled to the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) are displayed on the user display (S600). To the contrary, if the condition required for the playback of the contents has not been satisfied, a message informing the condition required for the playback is displayed on the user display (S700). Then, the user may take necessary actions to satisfy the contents playback condition guided by the message (S800).
  • the contents playback condition may be, for example, watching of an interactive sponsored advertisement, payment of a fee, participation in a survey, provision of the user's favorites information, or a combination thereof.
  • the PVR interactive application (102) enables various contents-specific business models. For example, a PVR interactive application coupled to the contents "A" may be allocated with ad watching as the playback condition and another PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents "B” may be allocated with payment of a fee as the playback condition.
  • a simple and flexible contents management is possible by allocating various contents playback condition to the PVR interactive application.
  • billing has been managed by the middleware [typically "CAS" (conditional access system) system]. However, this type of billing method lacks flexibility.
  • the present invention can be applicable to a variety of middlewares (201), including MHP (multimedia home platform), OCAP (open cable application platform), ACAP (advanced open cable application platform), etc.
  • middlewares (201) has the PVR function.
  • the middleware (201) employed in the present invention just needs the application service context in addition to the existing basic middleware contexts.
  • the agent application (103) and the PVR interactive application (102) has several to dozens of kbyte. They can be downloaded through DSMCC (digital storage media command and control) and are typically recorded into a memory (not illustrated) of the data processing unit (204).
  • the contents (101) of the present invention are not particularly limited. Video on demand (VOD) contents, academic contents, images, etc. may be provided by the method of the present invention. Video on demand contents are preferable.
  • the contents (101) are transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the storage (203) of the set-top box (2) through the execution of the recording function by the agent application (103) coupled to the contents (101) and stored into the storage (103). Further, the contents (101) are displayed when the playback condition is satisfied, under the control of the PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents (101).

Abstract

There is provided a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting, comprising (a) transmitting an agent application which triggers recording of contents and a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application that controls playback of the contents on a user set-top box; (b) with execution of a recording function of a middleware equipped in the set-top box that is triggered by the agent application, recording the contents and the PVR interactive application in the user set-top box; (c) in response to the user's contents playback request, activating the PVR interactive application and determining by the PVR interactive application if a condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied; (d) displaying the condition required for the playback of the contents to the user if the playback condition has not been satisfied; and (e) displaying the contents to the user after the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied. The method provides easy downloading of various contents from contents agents through digital broadcasting network, superior compatibility with middleware of set-top boxes, easy control of contents and realization of various contents-specific business models with minimized modification of existing middleware.

Description

Description
METHOD FOR THE EFFICIENT PROVISION OF PUSHED CONTENTS TO USERS THROUGH DIGITAL BROADCASTING
Technical Field
[1] The present invention relates to a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting. Background Art
[2] The standardization of digital broadcasting is proceeding rapidly and various technical developments are proceeding in the transmission of digital signals through broadcasting network, data multiplexing, video and sound signal processing, displays for digital televisions, and so forth. It is believed that digital broadcasting will replace the existing analog broadcasting in near future. Digital broadcasting is advantageous over analog broadcasting in terms of the data compression capacity, the data transmission rate, and sound and picture qualities. Thus, it is capable of providing various contents with good sound and picture qualities to users through more than hundreds of channels.
[3] Digital broadcasting enables the interactive television through data broadcasting.
Interactive television enables the viewer to interact with the TV, beyond just controlling channels, volume, videotapes, etc. The user can make payments, do banking, shop, make reservations, play games or participate in forums using the interactive television. Further, interests in order and watching of various contents (e.g., video on demand contents) through digital broadcasting are increasing. Refer to U.S. Patent Nos. 6,853,728, 6,502,139, 6,438,506 and 6,167,496 for the provision of video on demand services. However, the conventional methods are restricted in compatibility with middleware, availability of various contents-related functions, easiness of changing billing systems, etc. Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[4] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting.
[5] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting offering enhanced compatibility with the middleware equipped with the existing set-top boxes, and with change of billing systems, and with realization of various contents-specific business models. More particularly, there is provided a method that enables easy downloading of various contents from contents agents through digital broadcasting network, offers superior compatibility with middleware of set- top boxes, enables easy control of contents and enables realization of various contents-specific business models, through a complementary combination of an agent application which triggers downloading of contents and a PVR interactive application which controls display of the contents. Technical Solution
[6] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which comprises the steps of: (a) transmitting an agent application which triggers recording of contents and a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application that controls playback of the contents on a user set-top box; (b) with execution of a recording function of a middleware equipped in the set-top box that is triggered by the agent application, recording the contents and the PVR interactive application in the user set-top box; (c) in response to the user's contents playback request, activating the PVR interactive application and determining by the PVR interactive application if a condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied; (d) displaying the condition required for the playback of the contents to the user if the playback condition has not been satisfied; and (e) displaying the contents to the user after the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied.
[7] In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which further comprises, after the recording of the contents and the PVR interactive application has been completed between the steps (b) and (c), displaying on a user display a message informing that the playback of the contents is ready.
[8] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which is characterized in that the execution of the recording function of the middleware triggered by the agent application of the step (b) is restricted, when a pre-scheduled recording is in progress.
Advantageous Effects
[9] The present invention is advantageous in that, through a complementary combination of the agent application and the PVR interactive application, it can provide various pushed contents to users with minimized modification of conventional middleware and enables the realization of various business models specific to each of VOD contents. Further, the renewal of billing systems can be accomplished easily. Brief Description of the Drawings
[10] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention.
[11] Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention
[12] Hereunder is given a more detailed description of the present invention referring to the attached drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting according to the present invention and Fig. 2 is a flow chart thereof. As shown in Fig. 1, a contents agent (1) which provides various contents through broadcasting network comprises contents (101), a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application (102) which controls playback of the contents and an agent application (103) which triggers recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) into a set-top box (2). The agent application (103), the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) are coupled to one another. To be specific, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the PVR interactive application #1 is coupled to the contents #1, and the agent application #1 is coupled to both the contents #1 and the PVR interactive application #1. The contents #2 to #n are coupled to the corresponding agent applications #2 to #n and the corresponding to the PVR interactive applications #2 to #n, respectively. The set- top box (2) exchanges data with the contents agent (1) through digital broadcasting network (not illustrated) and comprises a middleware (201) which executes applications, two tuners (202a, 201b, totally "202") which tunes digital broadcasting signal, a storage (203) for storing the contents (101) and a data processor (204) which processes the data tuned by tuners (202) and transfers them to the user's display (not illustrated).
[13] In accordance with the present invention, the agent application (103) is transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the set- top box (2) through the digital broadcasting network (SlOO). The agent application (103) transmitted is recorded in the set-top box (2) not through a tuner, represented as tuner 1 " (202a) which is responsible for the service the user is currently watching but through a supplementary tuner, represented as tuner 2 (202b). Such a system using two tuners (202a, 202b) avoids the interruption of the service the user is currently watching.
[14] If the agent application (103) is successfully recorded, the agent application (103) executes a recording function of the middleware (201) and, as a consequence of the execution of the recording function, the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) are transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the set- top box (2) (S200). The set-top box equipped with the storage (203) and having the capacity of PVR (personal video recorder, also PDR or personal digital recorder) is commonly called the PVR box. Sometimes, the recording of the contents (101) and the interactive application (102) triggered by the agent application (103) may conflict with the recording of pre- scheduled other broadcasting data or applications. For example, the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) triggered by the agent application (103) may conflict with the recording of the program reserved by the electronic program guide ("EPG") application. In order to prevent such conflict, the execution of the recording function of the middleware (201) triggered by the agent application (103) is restricted by the pre-scheduled recording. That is, the recording triggered by the agent application (103) is executed while the pre-scheduled recording is not reserved. The recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) is performed by the supplementary tuner (202b) such that the user's watching is not interrupted. Accordingly, the transmission of the agent application (103), the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) proceeds without interrupting the user's watching nor conflicting with the pre-scheduled recording.
[15] Normal recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) enables the user to access the contents (101). If the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) has been completed, preferably, a message informing that the user can playback the contents is provided. Such a message may be provided to the user screen in various forms (e.g., a pop-up window or a streaming at the bottom of the screen). Preferably, the message is provided to the user through a pop-up window. In order to accomplish the provision of the guide message, the agent application (103) has functions for triggering the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) to the user's set- top box (2) by execution of the recording function of the middleware (201) of the set-top box (2), for checking if the recording of the contents (101) and the PVR interactive application (102) has been performed successfully, and displaying the massage informing that the user can playback the contents to the user's display.
[16] When the playback of the contents (101) is requested from the user by selecting the contents (101) from the guide message or the contents list window (S300), the PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents (101) is activated (S400). The PVR interactive application (102) which is activated by the user's playback request controls the playback of the contents (101). For this purpose, the PVR interactive application (102) has functions for checking if the condition required for the playback of the contents (101) has been satisfied (S500) and for displaying a message informing the condition required for the playback the user is not satisfied in a situation that the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied.
[17] If the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied, the PVR interactive application (102) activates the PVR function of the middleware (201). Then, the data processor (204) of the set-top box (2) processes the contents (101) coupled to the PVR interactive application (102) and the contents (101) are displayed on the user display (S600). To the contrary, if the condition required for the playback of the contents has not been satisfied, a message informing the condition required for the playback is displayed on the user display (S700). Then, the user may take necessary actions to satisfy the contents playback condition guided by the message (S800).
[18] The contents playback condition may be, for example, watching of an interactive sponsored advertisement, payment of a fee, participation in a survey, provision of the user's favorites information, or a combination thereof. The PVR interactive application (102) enables various contents-specific business models. For example, a PVR interactive application coupled to the contents "A" may be allocated with ad watching as the playback condition and another PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents "B" may be allocated with payment of a fee as the playback condition. Thus, a simple and flexible contents management is possible by allocating various contents playback condition to the PVR interactive application. Conventionally, billing has been managed by the middleware [typically "CAS" (conditional access system) system]. However, this type of billing method lacks flexibility. For example, suppose that a renewal of the billing system is needed. In this case, all the middlewares equipped into the set-top boxes at homes have to be upgraded. This is not an easy task and it may be unreliable. In accordance with the present invention, upgrades of the business billing logic application and of the billing system supporting the business logic application can be readily accomplished through the PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents, without any modification of the middleware. This offers much better flexibility than the existing business logic application solutions provided by CA (conditional access) vendors. Moreover, since the billing can be accomplished based on the Java security, the billing system can be operated more stably than the CA (conditional access) callback system based on PPV (pay-per-view).
[19] The present invention can be applicable to a variety of middlewares (201), including MHP (multimedia home platform), OCAP (open cable application platform), ACAP (advanced open cable application platform), etc. The middlewares (201) has the PVR function. And, the middleware (201) employed in the present invention just needs the application service context in addition to the existing basic middleware contexts.
[20] Typically, the agent application (103) and the PVR interactive application (102) has several to dozens of kbyte. They can be downloaded through DSMCC (digital storage media command and control) and are typically recorded into a memory (not illustrated) of the data processing unit (204). [21] The contents (101) of the present invention are not particularly limited. Video on demand (VOD) contents, academic contents, images, etc. may be provided by the method of the present invention. Video on demand contents are preferable. The contents (101) are transmitted from the contents agent (1) to the storage (203) of the set-top box (2) through the execution of the recording function by the agent application (103) coupled to the contents (101) and stored into the storage (103). Further, the contents (101) are displayed when the playback condition is satisfied, under the control of the PVR interactive application (102) coupled to the contents (101).

Claims

Claims
[1] A method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting which comprises:
(a) transmitting an agent application which triggers recording of contents and a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application that controls playback of the contents on a user set-top box;
(b) with execution of a recording function of a middleware equipped in the set- top box that is triggered by the agent application, recording the contents and the PVR interactive application in the user set-top box;
(c) in response to the user's contents playback request, activating the PVR interactive application and determining by the PVR interactive application if a condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied;
(d) displaying the condition required for the playback of the contents to the user if the playback condition has not been satisfied; and
(e) displaying the contents to the user after the condition required for the playback of the contents has been satisfied.
[2] The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, after the recording of the contents and the PVR interactive application has been completed between the steps (b) and (c), displaying on a user display a message informing that the playback of the contents is ready.
[3] The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the execution of the recording function of the middleware triggered by the agent application of the step (b) is restricted, when a pre-scheduled recording is in progress.
[4] The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the agent application and the PVR interactive application are transmitted to the set-top box through DSMCC (digital storage media command and control).
[5] The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the middleware is selected from the group consisting of MHP (multimedia home platform), OCAP (open cable application platform) and ACAP (advanced open cable application platform).
[6] A contents agent system for providing contents to users through digital broadcasting which comprises:
(a) various contents provided to the user;
(b) a PVR (personal video recorder) interactive application, coupled to each of the contents, which controls playback of the contents; and
(c) an agent application, coupled to each of the contents and to the PVR interactive application, which triggers recording of the contents and the PVR interactive application to a user set-top box by executing a recording function of a middleware of the set-top box, which checks if the recording of the contents and the PVR interactive application has been performed successfully and which displays a message informing that the playback of the contents is ready to the user's display if the recording has been performed successfully.
[7] The contents agent system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the contents are video on demand contents.
[8] The contents agent system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the control over the playback of the contents by the PVR interactive application is carried out based on at least one condition selected from the group consisting of watching of an advertisement, payment of a fee, participation in a survey and provision of favorites information of the user.
PCT/KR2006/005070 2005-12-02 2006-11-28 Method for the efficient provision of pushed contents to users through digital broadcasting WO2007064134A1 (en)

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