JP4880189B2 - Television program viewing management method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates generally to the field of parent and guardian television management systems, referred to as parental controls, and in particular to editing, creating and displaying associated user profiles. About that.

  With the advent of cable television, direct satellite systems, and other television program reporting systems, television viewers can select multiple programs from them. Many of these programs are not suitable for young people or minor viewers because of their content, violence, language, nudity, etc. . For that reason, parents who have children or minor viewers in their families may want to keep certain viewers away from these programs.

In addition to blocking (blocking) a program, parents can: (1) how long a particular viewer can watch television on weekdays and weekends; (2) a particular viewer can pay・ How much money can be spent per program or per month for programs in the per-view method (a method that pays a fee according to the amount of viewing), (3) a specific viewer can select a specific channel To enforce additional restrictions on children's television viewing habits, including whether or not to access (4) the time a particular viewer can access satellite programs on weekdays and weekends May want. Parents, because the audience of their children and / or minors can not be you to always monitor at home, advanced systems have been developed in order to assist the parent to achieve the desired management.

Many of these systems use hardware, software, and an electronic program guide (EPG) system having download and storage functions. The electronic program guide is an interactive on-screen guide corresponding to a television program list (television program guide) found in newspapers and other print media in the area. The electronic program guide can provide up to 20 different types of information about each program within the time frame covered by the electronic program guide. In a typical electronic program guide system, an electronic host device stores a record (record) corresponding to a television program scheduled to be broadcast in the time frame of the electronic program guide. Each record includes program identification data specific to a particular television program that is to be broadcast. Program identification data includes program title, start time, end time, required time, rating of viewing age limit , remaining time, content, price, headline, theme, actor, writer, production studio, award, keyword, broadcast date, director, And a brief description can be included. These records are updated periodically over time by deleting records for programs that have already been broadcast or adding new records for programs that are scheduled to be broadcast that will be in the electronic program guide timeframe. The

  The specification of US Pat. No. 5,515,106 to Chaney describes the data packet structure required to implement an electronic program guide system. The data packet structure includes both channel information (eg, channel name, call code, channel number, type, etc.) and program identification information (eg, content, title, rating, star, required time, price, etc.) related to the program. It is designed to be efficiently transmitted from a program guide / database provider to a receiving device such as a television.

Parental management (parental control) systems often use the same hardware, software, and stored electronic program guide program records to facilitate parental management. Built into the system. In such a system, management by a parent is possible by using the concept of a user profile. In a parent management system using a user profile, the parent sets up a user profile for a particular viewer. When you set a specific user profile, the parent sets the television viewing restrictions against the user associated with the user profile. The range in which the user can watch television is indicated by the restrictions set by the parent in the profile of that particular user. In such a system, a user must “log on” as a configured user in order to watch television. As such, in order to implement various restrictions, the parent management system not only blocks a program or channel, but also records it in a user profile that tracks and records the user's television viewing facts. It is programmed to implement the relevant restrictions. This is partially facilitated by the parent management system's ability to analyze electronic program guide record data for currently stored programs.

In an existing parental management system , if a system owner (eg, a parent) chooses to set all restrictions on a new profile as much as possible, that parent will have many Must be set. In other words, setting movie movie limit (movie rating limit), television rating limit (TV rating limit), limit on DSLFV content, whether or not to allow viewing of unrated program Determine the cost limit for each event and the monthly cost limit, set the maximum amount of time that can be viewed on weekends and weekdays, and the time that satellite programs can be viewed on weekends and weekdays. Setting up includes setting up a channel list that determines whether to block or allow access to a particular channel (there are currently over 200 channels).

The system owner creates a new user profile by accessing a user interface that is adapted to create a new user profile. In general, a user interface for creating a new user profile includes a plurality of user setting buttons. As soon as the user setting button is selected, a screen corresponding to the user setting button is displayed on the user interface. Each user setting button has a separate screen associated with it. Each screen has one or more fields (fields) for data input corresponding to one of the above-mentioned viewing restrictions. By entering variables in the areas, the system owner sets viewing restrictions associated with those areas. Once the system owner accesses the desired restriction screen and enters a value in the desired data area, the owner can store the user profile in local non-volatile memory.

(Summary of Invention)
However, the system owner, then, some of the settings that are defined in the stored user profile, or, in some cases want to change all. If the system owner, if it is determined that you want to change any of the settings that are defined in the stored user profile, the system owner, adapted to edit the stored user profile has been Access the user interface. This interface, each one of the stored user profile has a list of user names that correspond. In order to determine whether a particular user's settings need to be changed, the system owner needs to know what the current settings for that particular user profile are. However, in the management system of existing parent, in order to be able to see the settings of the user profile system owner is stored, as mentioned earlier, corresponding to the user profile name To access each restricted screen associated with that profile. Thus, in order to determine whether a particular setting needs to be changed, the system owner must spend a significant amount of time accessing each restriction screen. In addition, this often results in system owners accessing restricted screens only finding the current settings to the extent that they do not need to change the screen. This wastes time and effort for the system owner.

In addition, the user profile can, for example, identify the default guide used, how it is sorted, color settings, translucency, etc. Personal settings for users, such as settings, animation settings, fetch settings (fetching instructions or data from memory and transferring to registers), and whether “help” information is available I also remember. These user profile attributes are created and edited in a manner similar to parental management settings. For these reasons, there is a problem of wasting time similar to editing the setting conditions for management by the parent when editing personal settings. Therefore, it is necessary to set for the stored user profile (including setting and personal settings management by parents) can quickly check.

These and other problems are solved by the present invention. Television program viewing management method according to one aspect of the present invention includes the steps of storing a record of the user profile with a region setting characters and figures Ru performed in the memory, the recording of the stored user profile and providing a user interface having a list of, in response to user commands, and a step of displaying one of the stored summarized in the user interface a record of user profile format.

Preferably, the user command in the list, the recording of one of the stored user profile has been highlighted, so that the value of the record of the user profile already stored that is highlighted, the user interface Displayed in summary form.

Also preferably, the method includes a second user interface for editing the displayed stored user profile record value (consisting of letters and numbers) in response to a second user command. The method further comprises the step of accessing

  The area may be a control area by one or more parents. Preferably, the control region by one or more parents is selected from a group including rating restrictions, viewing time restrictions, cost restrictions, user profile lock status, and blocked channels. The area may be one or more personal setting areas. Preferably, one or more personal setting areas include a default guide, guide sorting, color scheme, translucency, animation, and fetch (read data). ) And information help.

Preferably, the user profile record is displayed in summary form on the user interface in a format in which values (consisting of letters and numbers) are displayed adjacent to items corresponding to those areas. .

Television program viewing management system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a memory for storing a record of the user profile, a list of record of the user profile stored, the stored in the recording of the user profile and a user interface that displays a summary of the current settings, and means for entering user commands, based on a user command, the current setting for the recording of one of the stored user profile has been Displays a summary of the in the user interface.

Preferably, the user command, in the list, one highlight stored record of the user profile, as a result, a summary of the current settings for the recording of the user profile highlighted the stored Displayed on the user interface.

In a preferred embodiment, the device, as well as selecting a record of the user profile already stored summarized in the user interface changes the record of the user profile stored corresponding to the user profile name selected Means for accessing the second user interface for the In such embodiments, it is desirable that the second user interface comprises means for storing the modified user profile in memory.

Finally, the device receives a user command, the recording of the stored user profile has been retrieved from the memory, generates a corresponding display information in summary form, the user changes to recording of the stored user profile has been It is desirable to further comprise processing means for receiving and executing and storing the modified user profile in memory.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In order to understand the present invention, a detailed description of how a system owner creates and edits a user profile is necessary.
FIG. 5 shows the display module 11 with a display area 18, which comprises a user interface 500 displayed there. The display module 11 is connected to an electronic host device (not shown) having a nonvolatile memory, a microprocessor, and an accompanying input command module. The user interface 500 is adapted to be used to create a new user profile or to edit a set user profile stored as a record in non-volatile memory. .

The user interface 500 includes a name button 501, a copy setting button 502, a channel list button 503, a rating restriction button 504, a viewing time button 505, a cost restriction button 506, and a lock user button 507. It has. The user interface 500 further includes a control area 508. When the system owner highlights any of the buttons 501 to 507, a screen corresponding to the highlighted button appears in the control area 508. Each screen has an area suitable for the value to be entered by the system owner to you receive. Values entered into the area by the system owner include user identifiers, movie rating limits, television rating limits, whether to allow viewing of programs that are not rated for content, cost limits per event, and The monthly spending limit, the maximum amount of time you can watch on weekends and weekdays, the time you can watch satellite programs on weekends and weekdays, and whether you want to block or allow access to specific channels It represents various settings or restrictions for the created profile, including the channel list to determine and whether to lock the profile.

When the system owner has entered a plurality of values (consisting of letters and numbers) in the plurality of areas, the system owner can store these values or settings in a non-volatile memory as a record of the user profile. The stored user profile record includes a plurality of areas corresponding to settable viewing restrictions. Within each region is the associated value entered by the system owner while interacting with the user interface 500.

  Once the user profile record is stored in non-volatile memory, the user logging on to the television system as the user associated with the user profile is limited by the restrictions set therein. However, if the system owner wants to change or edit some of the viewing restrictions set in the user profile, it can be determined later.

FIG. 4 shows an interface according to the prior art for selecting a set user profile to be edited according to the prior art method. The display module 11 includes a display area 18 having a user interface 400. The system owner accesses the user interface 400 by invoking an option to edit the currently set user profile (e.g., making a different user interface selection or entering an input command The option is activated by pressing a button on the module). The user interface 400 includes user profile editing cells 401-405. Each user profile editing cells 401 to 405, a user profile created in advance, as mentioned previously, includes the name of the user profile stored are stored as a record in the non-volatile memory It is out. Thus, the user profile editing cells 401-405 effectively create a list of all stored user profile records created in advance by the system owner.

System owner, if wanted to change the settings for a particular user profile, the system owner, highlight the user profile editing cells 401 to 405 corresponding to the user profile, which is the stored To select. As soon as the specific cells 401 to 405 are selected, the user interface shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display module 11. At the same time that the system owner accesses the user interface shown in FIG. 5, the microprocessor obtains a record of the user profile corresponding to the selected cells 401-405, and stores the stored record value as The buttons 501 to 507 (FIG. 5) are associated with areas on the screen. Thus, as soon as the system owner accesses one of the screens associated with buttons 501-507 (FIG. 5), those areas were previously entered for the user profile by the system owner. Contains a value. These values are then edited and stored in a manner similar to the procedure described above for creating a new user profile.

However, using the prior art interface shown in FIG. 4, the system owner cannot determine whether he / she wants to change a certain value in the user profile because he / she cannot be sure of the exact value entered in that area. The system owner may access the interface shown in FIG. 4 to select a user profile to edit, and access the interface of FIG. 5 to create restrictions for that user profile. You must access each screen you want to use. System owner, only by such a method, it is possible to view the stored values for a particular user profile (i.e., user profile settings). This takes a lot of time and effort for the system owner. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail that such a problem is solved by the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus according to the present invention. This device can process user commands, display the user interface screens shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and retrieve stored program guide records. This device can process analog NTSC television signals and Internet information. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a first input unit 1100 that receives a radio frequency (RF) television signal RF-IN and a second input unit 1102 that receives a baseband television signal VIDEO-IN. ing. The signal RF-IN is supplied from a source such as an antenna or cable system, while the signal VIDEO-IN is supplied from, for example, a video cassette recorder (VCR). Tuner 1105 and intermediate frequency (IF) processor 1130 operate in a conventional manner to condition and demodulate a particular television signal contained in signal RF-IN. An intermediate frequency (IF) processor 1130 generates a baseband video signal VIDEO representing a portion of the video program in the adjusted television signal. The intermediate frequency (IF) processor 1130 also generates a baseband audio signal that is supplied to an audio processing unit (not shown in FIG. 1) for subsequent audio processing. Although FIG. 1 shows input 1102 as a baseband signal, the television receiver generates a second baseband video signal from signal RF-IN or from a second radio frequency (RF) signal source. To do so, a second tuner and intermediate frequency (IF) processor similar to tuner 1105 and intermediate frequency (IF) processor 1130 may be included.

The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a tuner 1105, a picture-in-picture processing unit (picture-in-picture (PIP) processor) 1140, a video signal processor 1155, and a star site (STARIGHT ™) data processing. It includes a main microprocessor (MP) (controller) 1110 for controlling the components of a television receiver such as a module (Starsight module) 1160. As used herein, the term “microprocessor” refers to various devices including, but not limited to, microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, and controllers. The main microprocessor 1110 controls the system by sending and receiving both commands and data over the serial data bus I ² C bus utilizing the well known I ² C serial data bus protocol. To do. More specifically, a central processing unit (CPU) 1112 included in the main microprocessor (MP) 1110 includes, for example, an IR (infrared) remote control (remote control) device 1125 and an IR (infrared) receiver 1122. In response to a command given by the user via the control program, a control program stored in a memory such as the EEPROM 1127 shown in FIG. 1 is executed. For example, when the “channel up” function is activated in the remote control device 1125, the CPU 1112 transmits a “channel change” command together with the channel data to the tuner 1105 via the I ² C bus. As a result, tuner 1105 tunes to the next channel in the channel scan list. As will be described later, another example of the control program stored in the EEPROM 1127 relating to the present invention is software for executing the operations shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 (flow chart format).

  The main microprocessor 1110 also controls the operation of the communication interface unit 1113 to allow information to be uploaded and downloaded from the Internet. The communication interface unit 1113 includes a modem for connecting to an Internet service provider via, for example, a telephone line or a cable television line. With this communication function, in addition to receiving a television program, the system shown in FIG. 1 can provide an electronic mail function and Internet-related functions such as web browsing.

  The CPU 1112 controls functions included in the main microprocessor (MP) 1110 via the bus line 1119 inside the main microprocessor (MP) 1110. In particular, the CPU 1112 controls an auxiliary data processor 1115 and an on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117. The auxiliary data processor 1115 extracts auxiliary data such as STARSIGHT (trademark) data from the video signal PIPV.

Since the star site data that provides program guide data information in a known format is typically received only on a particular television channel, the television receiver is required to extract the star site data. And you have to tune to that channel. In order not to interfere with normal use of the television receiver by extracting the star site data, the CPU 1112 tunes to that particular channel only during times when the television receiver is not normally used (eg, 2:00 am). To start extracting the star site data. At that time, the CPU 1112 sets the decoder 1115 so that the auxiliary data is extracted from the horizontal line interval such as the line 16 used for the star site data. The CPU 1112 controls the transfer of the extracted star site data from the decoder 1115 to the star site module 1160 via the I ² C bus. The processor built in the module formats the data and stores it in the memory in the module. In response to activation of the star site electronic program guide display (eg, the user activating a specific key on the remote control device 125), the CPU 1112 converts the formatted star site electronic program guide display data into the star site electronic program guide display data. Transfer from site module 1160 to on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117 via I ² C bus.

  An on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117, when connected to a display device (not shown), generates an RGB video signal OSD that generates a display screen representing on-screen display information shown in FIGS. -RGB is generated by conventional methods. The on-screen display processor 1117 generates a control signal Fast-Switch (FSW) for controlling a high-speed switch that inserts the signal OSD-RGB into the video output signal of the system when an on-screen display is to be displayed. Accordingly, when the user can use various user interface screens in the present invention as will be described later, the on-screen display processor 1117 is stored in the memory 1127 in advance or programmed. A corresponding communication signal OSD-RGB representing display information is generated. For example, if the user enables the electronic program guide by activating a specific switch on the remote control device 1125, the CPU 1112 enables the processor 1117. In response to this, the processor 1117 generates the signal OSD-RGB representing the program guide data information extracted in advance and stored in the memory, as described above. The processor 1117 also generates a signal FSW indicating when the electronic program guide is displayed.

  A video signal processor (VSP) 1155 performs conventional video signal processing functions such as luma and chroma processing. The output signal generated by the video signal processor (VSP) 1155 is supplied to a display device (not shown in FIG. 1) such as a kinescope (picture tube) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) that generates a display image. Suitable for Further, the video signal processor (VSP) 1155, when including graphics (graphics) and / or text (characters) in the display image, outputs the signal generated by the on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117 to the output video signal path ( High-speed switch for supplying to the path). This high speed switch is controlled by a control signal FSW generated by the on-screen display processor 1117 in the main microprocessor 1110 when displaying text and / or graphics.

  The input signal to the video signal processor (VSP) 1155 is the signal PIPV output by the picture-in-picture (PIP) processor 1140. When the user activates the picture-in-picture (PIP) mode, the signal PIPV represents a large image (large screen) with a small image (small screen) inserted. When the picture-in-picture mode is not activated, the signal PIPV represents only a large image, i.e. the signal PIPV does not contain a small image signal. The picture-in-picture processor 1140 is a conventional method using the functions included in the processor 1140 (video switch, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), RAM, digital-to-analog converter (DAC), etc.). Supply the above functions.

  As described above, the display data included in the electronic program guide display is generated by the on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117 and is output to the output signal by the video signal processor (VSP) 1155 in response to the fast switch signal FSW. Included. For example, if the controller (primary microprocessor) 1110 detects the activation of the electronic program guide display by the user pressing an appropriate key on the remote control device 1125, the controller 1110 causes the on-screen display processor 1117 to Use information such as program guide data from module 1160 to generate an electronic program guide display. Controller 1110 causes video signal processor 1155 to combine electronic program guide display data and video image data from on-screen display processor 1117 in response to signal FSW to generate a display included in the electronic program guide. The electronic program guide may occupy all or only part of the display area.

  When the electronic program guide display is activated, the controller (main microprocessor) 1110 executes the electronic program guide control program stored in the EEPROM 1127. The control program monitors the position of a position indicator (eg, cursor and / or highlight) in the electronic program guide display. The user controls the position of the position indicator by using the direction key and the selection key of the remote control device 1125. Alternatively, the system may include a mouse device. The controller 1110 detects activation of the selected device, such as clicking a mouse button, and sets the current cursor position information in relation to the displayed electronic program guide data, for example, for a particular program The desired function such as tuning to is determined. Subsequently, the controller 1110 activates a control operation related to the selected function.

The processing and display of the program guide according to the present invention may be performed using a combination of software and hardware. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the display of the electronic program guide is executed by software stored in a memory such as the EEPROM 1127. For example, when the user activates the electronic program guide by pressing a button related to the electronic program guide on the remote control device 1125, the CPU 1112 executes an electronic program guide software routine. The CPU 1112 also accesses the electronic program guide data and graphics stored in the star site module 1160 via the I ² C bus as part of generating the electronic program guide display. Under the control of an electronic program guide software routine stored in the EEPROM 1127, the CPU 1112 enables an on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117, which is capable of operating electronic program guide data and graphics. The electronic program guide data is formatted into a format suitable for generating an on-screen display representing. The on-screen display data generated by the on-screen display processor 1117 is supplied to the video signal processor (VSP) 1155 via the signal line OSD-RGB. A high speed switch in video signal processor 1155 provides electronic program guide-on-screen display data to the output of video signal processor 1155 under the control of signal FSW. That is, the software routine executed by the CPU 1112 determines when the electronic program guide data is displayed (for example, which part of the display) and supplies the electronic program guide data to the output to the high-speed switch. The FSW signal is set to an appropriate state for the purpose.

  The exemplary embodiment having the features of the system shown in FIG. 1 described above is the ST9296 microprocessor manufactured by SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Inc. for providing features associated with the main microprocessor (MP) (controller) 1110 A Mitsubishi Electric M65616 picture-in-picture processor that provides the basic picture-in-picture (PIP) function associated with the picture-in-picture (PIP) processor 1140, and a video signal processor ( VSP) 1155, and a LA7612 video signal processor manufactured by Sanyo Electric.

Figure 2 shows another example of a device according to the present invention, the device processes the user command to display the user interface screen shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stored program guide Records can be searched. As will be described later, the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is an MPEG compatible system for receiving an MPEG encoded transport stream representing a broadcast program. However, the system shown in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary, and the user interface system described herein uses other types of encoded data streams, non-MPEG. It can also be applied to other types of digital signal processing devices including compatible systems. For example, other devices include digital video disc (DVD) systems, MPEG program streams, and systems that combine the functions of a computer and a television called PCTV. Further, although the system described below is described as processing a broadcast program, this is merely an example. Here, the term “program” is used to indicate the format of packetized data such as telephone messages, computer programs, Internet data, and other communications. It has been.

  As an overview, in the video receiver system shown in FIG. 2, a carrier wave modulated with video data is received by the antenna 10 and processed by the device 15. As a result, the digital output signal is demodulated by the demodulator 20 and decoded (decoded) by the decoder 30. The output from the decoder 30 is processed by the transport system 25 that responds to commands from the remote control device 125. System 25 provides a compressed data output for storage, subsequent decoding, and communication with other devices.

Video decoder 85 and audio decoder 80 each decode the compressed data from system 25 to provide output to the display device. The data port 75 provides an interface for communication of compressed data from the system 25 to other devices such as, for example, a computer or a High Definition Television (HDTV) receiver. Storage device 90 stores the compressed data from system 25 on storage medium 105. The storage device 90 is a reproducing mode, and the processing by the system 25 for decoding, for the storage of the communication or with other devices, to a different storage medium (not shown to simplify the drawing), Supports (supports) reading of compressed data from the storage medium 25.

  In FIG. 2, the carrier wave modulated by the video data received by the antenna 10 is converted into a digital format and processed by the input processor 15. The processor 15 includes a radio frequency (RF) tuner, an intermediate frequency (IF) mixer and a plurality of amplification stages that downconvert the input video signal to a low frequency band suitable for subsequent processing. As a result, the digital output signal is demodulated by the demodulator 20 and decoded by the decoder 30. The output from the decoder 30 is further processed by the transport system 25.

  The output from the decoder 30 or the output output from the decoder 30 and further processed by the decoding unit (descrambling unit) 40 is supplied to the multiplexer (MUX) 37 of the service detection circuit 33 via the selector 35. Is done. The decryption unit 40 is, for example, a removable unit such as a smart card conforming to ISO 7816 and NRSS (National Renewable Security Standards) committee standards (NRSS removable condition access system is EIA standard IS-679, Project PN-3639). The selector 35 detects the presence of an insertable and compatible descramble card, and supplies the output from the unit 40 to the multiplexer 37 only when the card is currently inserted in the video receiver. On the other hand, the selector 35 supplies the output from the decoder 30 to the multiplexer 37. If there is a card that can be inserted, the unit 40 can supply additional programs to the viewer, for example, by descrambling the channels of additional premium programs. Here, in the preferred embodiment, the NRSS unit 40 and the smart card unit 130 (the smart card unit 130 will be described later) can be inserted into the NRSS card or the smart card at a time. As such, it shares the same system 25 interface. However, these interfaces may be provided separately to enable parallel operation.

  The data supplied from the selector 35 to the multiplexer (MUX) 37 is in the form of an MPEG-compliant packetized transport data stream as defined in section 2.4 of the MPEG system standard, and is a program guide. Contains information and data content of one or more program channels. Individual packets containing a particular program channel are identified by a packet identifier (PID). The transport stream identifies program identifiers and program specific information (PSI) used to assemble individual data packets to recover the contents of all program channels that contain the packetized data stream. Program Specific Information). The transport system 25 acquires program guide information from the input transport stream, the storage device 90, and the Internet service provider through the communication interface unit 116 under the control of the system controller 115. And collate. Individual packets containing specific program channel content or program guide information are identified by packet identifiers included in their respective header information. As described above, the description of the program included in the program guide information includes various program description areas related to the program such as title, star, and rating.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the user interface built in the video receiver allows the user to activate various functions by selecting a desired function from an on-screen display (OSD) menu. The on-screen display menu may include the electronic program guide (EPG) and other functions described below.

  Data representing information displayed in the on-screen display (OSD) menu includes stored on-screen display information representing text or graphics, stored program guide information, and / or FIGS. Generated by system controller 115 in response to program guide and text / graphics information received via the input signals in accordance with an exemplary control program shown and described below. The software control program is stored in a built-in memory (not shown) of the system controller 115, for example.

By using the remote control device 125 (or other selection means such as a mouse), the user can view a program to watch, program to store (eg, record), store from the on-screen display (OSD) menu. Items such as medium type and storage method can be selected. The system controller 115 uses the selection information supplied via the interface 120 to select programs for storage and display and to generate program specific information (PSI) that is compatible with the selected storage device and medium. Thus, the system 25 is set up. The system controller 115 sets the control register value within these elements via the data bus and selects the signal path using the control signal C via multiplexers (MUX) 37 and 110. Thus, the respective units 45, 47, 50, 55, 65 and 95 of the system 25 are set.

  In response to control signal C, multiplexer (MUX) 37 selects the transport stream from unit 35 or the data stream read from storage device 90 via storage interface 95 in playback mode. To do. Normally, in the non-reproducing operation, data packets including programs selected for viewing by the user are identified by the packet identifier (PID) in the selection unit 45. When the encryption (encryption) indicator in the header data of the selected program packet indicates that the packet is encrypted, the selection unit 45 deciphers the packet as a decryption unit (decryption unit). 50. On the other hand, the selection unit 45 supplies the unencrypted packet to the transport decoder 55. Similarly, data packets containing programs selected for storage by the user are identified by their packet identifiers in selector 47. The selection unit 47 supplies an encrypted packet to the decryption unit 50 or an unencrypted packet to the multiplexer 110 based on the packet header encryption indicator information.

  The functions of the decoding units 40 and 50 are performed on one removable smart card that is compatible with the NRSS standard. The approach places all security-related functions in a removable device that allows service providers to change encryption technology or easily change the security system. For example, when it is determined that different services can be descrambled, it can be easily replaced.

  The selectors 45 and 47 receive the packet identifier (PID) of the incoming packet supplied by the multiplexer (MUX) 37 and the packet identifier (PID) preloaded in the control register in the selectors 45 and 47 by the system controller 115. ) A packet identifier detection filter is used to match the value. The preloaded packet identifier is used in the selectors 45 and 47 to identify the data packet to be stored and the data packet to be decoded for use in providing the video image. The pre-loaded packet identifier is stored in the lookup tables of the selectors 45 and 47. The packet identifier lookup table is an encryption key table mapped to a memory in the selection units 45 and 47 that associate an encryption key (key) with each pre-loaded packet identifier. With a memory-mapped packet identifier and encryption key lookup table, selectors 45 and 47 can associate encrypted packets containing pre-loaded packet identifiers with each other. It can be adapted to the encryption key. An unencrypted packet does not have an associated encryption key. The selectors 45 and 47 supply both the identified packets and their associated encryption keys to the decryption unit 50. In the packet identifier lookup table of the selection unit 45, the memory is mapped to a transfer destination table that adapts a packet including a previously loaded packet identifier to the position of the corresponding transfer destination buffer in the packet buffer 60. . The address of the encryption key and the transfer destination buffer location is associated with the program selected by the user for viewing or storage, and these addresses together with the packet identifier assigned by the control unit 115 are selected. 45 and 47 are preloaded. The encryption key is generated from the encryption code extracted from the input data stream by an ISO 7816-3 compliant smart card system 130. Encryption key generation is a customer qualification determined by coded information in the input data stream and / or coded information pre-stored on the insertable smart card itself. (International Standards Institute document ISO 7816-3 (1989) defines interfaces and signal structures for smart card systems).

  The packets supplied from the selectors 45 and 47 to the decryption unit 50 are defined in Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publications 46, 74 and 81 provided by the National Technical Information Service Department of the US Department of Commerce. Data encryption standard (DES: Data Encryption Standard) is used for encryption. The decryption unit 50 decrypts the encrypted packet using the corresponding encryption key supplied by the selectors 45 and 47 by applying an appropriate decryption technique for the selected encryption algorithm. . The decrypted packet from the decryption unit 50 and the unencrypted packet from the selection unit 45 including the program to be displayed are supplied to the decoder 55. The decrypted packet from the decryption unit 50 and the unencrypted packet from the selection unit 47 including the program for storage are supplied to the multiplexer (MUX) 110. .

  Packet buffer 60 includes four packet buffers accessible by system controller 115. One of those buffers is allocated to hold data that will be used in the system controller 115, and the remaining three buffers are used to hold packets that are to be used in the application devices 75, 80, and 85. Assigned to hold. Access to the packets stored in the four buffers in the packet buffer 60 by both the system controller 115 and the application interface 70 is controlled by the buffer control unit 65. The selection unit 45 for decoding supplies the buffer control unit 65 with a transfer destination flag (destination flag) for each packet identified by the selection unit 45. These flags indicate the destination storage location for the identified packet in the individual packet buffer 60 and are stored in the internal memory table by the controller 65. The control unit 65 performs a series of read and write operations related to packets stored in the packet buffer 60 based on a first-in first-out (FIFO) principle. write) Determine the pointer. The write pointer sequentially stores the identified packets from the selector 45 or the decoding unit 50 in association with the transfer destination flag at the next empty storage location in the appropriate transfer destination buffer in the packet buffer 60. Make it possible to do. The read pointer allows the system controller 115 and application interface 70 to sequentially read packets from the appropriate destination buffer in the packet buffer 60.

  The unencrypted packet and the decrypted packet supplied from the selection unit 45 and the decryption unit 50 to the decoder 55 are transport headers (specified in section 2.4.3.2 of the MPEG system standard). transport header). The decoder 55 determines from the transport header whether the unencrypted packet and the decrypted packet include an adaptation field (according to the MPEG system standard) (adaptation field). To do. The adaptation region includes timing information including, for example, a Program Clock Reference (PCR) that enables content packet synchronization and decoding. Upon detecting a timing information packet, which is a packet including the adaptation area, the decoder 55 sends a signal to the system controller 115 where the packet has already been received via the interrupt mechanism by setting a system interrupt. . In addition, the decoder 55 changes the timing / packet transfer destination flag in the buffer controller 65 and supplies the packet to the packet buffer 60. By changing the transfer destination flag of the buffer control unit 65, the buffer control unit 65 uses the timing information packet supplied by the decoder 55 for the data to be used by the system controller 115 instead of the application buffer storage location. Transfer to storage location allocated to hold.

  As soon as the system interrupt setting is received by the decoder 55, the system controller 115 reads the timing information and the program clock reference (PCR) value and stores it in the internal memory. The program clock reference value of successive timing information packets is used by the system controller 115 to adjust the system 25 master clock (27 MHz). The difference in the time interval between successive timing packets between the program clock reference (PCR) -based estimate generated by the system controller 115 and the master clock-based estimate adjusts the master clock of the system 25 Used to do. The system controller 115 does this by applying the determined time estimate difference to adjust the input control voltage of the voltage controlled oscillator used to generate the master clock. The system controller 115 resets the system interrupt after storing the timing information in the internal memory.

  A packet including program contents including audio, video, caption, and other information received by the decoder 55 from the selection unit 45 and the decoding unit 50 is sent from the decoder 55 to the packet buffer 60 by the buffer control unit 65. Directed to the buffer of the specified application device. The application control unit 70 searches for audio, video, subtitles, and other data in order from the designated buffer in the buffer 60 and supplies the data to the corresponding application devices 75, 80, and 85. These application devices include an audio decoder 80, a video decoder 85, and a high speed data port 75. For example, as described above, the packet data corresponding to the composite program guide generated by the system controller 115 is a video signal suitable for display on a monitor (not shown) connected to the video decoder 85. To the video decoder 85 for formatting. For example, the data port 75 is used for supplying high-speed data such as a computer program to a computer, for example. Alternatively, port 75 is used to output data to a high definition television (HDTV) decoder, for example, to display an image corresponding to the selected program or program guide.

  A packet including program identification information (PSI) information is identified by the selection unit 45 as being input to a buffer for the system controller 115 in the packet buffer 60. The program specific information packet is transmitted to the buffer by the buffer control unit 65 via the selection unit 45, the decoding unit 50, and the decoder 55 in the same manner as described for the packet containing the program content. The system controller 115 reads the program specifying information from the packet buffer 60 and stores it in the internal memory.

  Further, the system controller 115 generates compressed program identification information (CPSI: Condensed PSI) from the stored program identification information (PSI), and stores the compressed program identification information (CPSI) in the selected storage. Embed in a packetized data stream suitable for storage on media. The packet identifier and the transmission direction are controlled by the system controller 115 by the method as described above, the packet identifier (PID) of the selectors 45 and 47, the transmission destination and encryption key lookup table, It is managed in association with the function of the unit 65.

  In addition, the system controller 115 is connected to a communication interface unit 116 that operates in the same manner as the interface unit 1113 shown in FIG. That is, the communication interface unit 116 provides a function of uploading information to the Internet and downloading information from the Internet. The communication interface unit 116 includes, for example, a modem that connects to an Internet service provider via, for example, a telephone line or a cable television line. The communication function enables the system shown in FIG. 2 to provide an electronic mail function and Internet-related functions such as web browsing in addition to receiving a television program.

  FIG. 3 shows a specific implementation of the electronic device described in detail above, generally shown in FIG. FIG. 3 represents a satellite receiver set-top box (STB) for receiving DirecTV (DIRECTV). It was designed and manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana. For satellite services provided by Hughes Electronics, please refer to the manual.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the set top box has a tuner 301 that receives and adjusts the appropriate satellite radio frequency (RF) signal in the range of 950 to 1450 MHz from the satellite antenna 317. The conditioned analog signal is output to a link module 302 for subsequent processing. The link module 302 further processes the analog tuning signal I-OUT and the signal Q-OUT from the tuner 301, including filtering and adjusting the analog signal and converting the analog signal to a digital output signal, ie, data. Do. The link module 302 is realized as an integrated circuit (IC). The link module IC is an IC having part number ST15339-610 manufactured by SGS-Thomson Microelectronics of Grenoble (France).

  The digital output or data from the link module 302 is composed of a corresponding packetized data stream that can be identified and processed by the transport unit 303. As described in detail with respect to FIG. 2, the data stream includes program guide data information and data content including one or more program channels of a satellite broadcast service from DirecTV. As described above, the program guide data includes, for example, information related to the type of program (audio only, video only, etc.) indicated by “class (class)”.

  The function of the transport unit 303 is the same as that of the transport system 25 shown in FIG. 2 described above. As described above, the transport unit 303 processes the packetized data stream in accordance with a packet identifier (PID) included in the header information. The processed data stream is then formatted to be MPEG compatible, compressed into audio and video packets, and provided to the MPEG decoder 304 for subsequent processing.

  The transport unit 303 is controlled by an advanced RISC microprocessor (ARM) 315, which is one of RISC-based microprocessors. The advanced RISC microprocessor (ARM) 315 executes control of software resident in the ROM 308. A typical component of the software, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, processes user interface commands and displays on-screen display (OSD) information according to aspects of the invention as described below. To control the program to do.

  The transport unit 303 is typically implemented as an integrated circuit (IC). For example, a preferred embodiment includes an IC having part number ST15273-810 or 15103-65C manufactured by SGS-Thomson Microelectronics.

  For MPEG compatibility, compressed audio and video packets from transport unit 303 are delivered to MPEG decoder 304. The MPEG decoder decodes the compressed MPEG data stream from the transport unit 303. The decoder 304 then outputs an appropriate audio data stream for further processing by an audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 305 for converting the digital audio data into analog audio. The decoder 304 also outputs appropriate digital video data representing image pixel information to the NTSC encoder 306. Then, the NTSC encoder 306 further performs a process of converting the video data into an NTSC compatible analog video signal, whereby a video image is displayed on a normal NTSC television screen. As described above, the MPEG decoder is implemented as an integrated circuit (IC). In one exemplary embodiment, an MPEG decoder IC having part number STI3520 from SGS-Thomson Microelectronics may be used.

  An on-screen display (OSD) processor 320 is included in the MPEG processor 304. The OSD processor 320 may read data from the SDRAM 316 including stored on-screen display information. The on-screen display information corresponds to a bitmap on-screen display graphic or text image. The on-screen display processor can change the color and / or translucency of each pixel of the on-screen display image under the control of an advanced RISC microprocessor (ARM) 315.

  The on-screen display (OSD) processor also generates a program guide under the control of an advanced RISC microprocessor (ARM) 315. In an exemplary embodiment, upon detecting a user request to generate a guide display, the Advanced RISC Microprocessor (ARM) 315 receives program guide data information obtained from the data stream by the program guide information provider. And the guide data information is formatted into on-screen display pixel data corresponding to the grid guide. The on-screen display pixel data from the transport unit 303 is then transferred to the OSD processor 320 of the MPEG audio / video decoder 304 to generate a guide image.

  The low speed data port 330 is used to connect to an infrared transmitter (IR blaster) (not shown) for controlling a video cassette recorder (VCR) for recording programs. As previously mentioned, an infrared transmitter (IR blaster) is basically a remote control emulator of a programmable video cassette recorder controlled by the satellite receiver shown in FIG. It is placed in front of the video cassette recorder (VCR) remote sensor of the attached video cassette recorder and is suitable according to the timer screen information entered by the user under the control of the satellite receiver. At a certain time, commands (commands) such as “ON” and “RECORD (RECORD)” are transmitted.

  3 includes a modem 307 corresponding to the communication interface 116 (see FIG. 2) for accessing the Internet, for example. A conditional access module (CAM) 309 corresponds to the NRSS decoding unit 130 (FIG. 2) that supplies conditional access information. The broadband data module 310 corresponds to a high speed data port 75 (FIG. 2) that provides high speed data access to, for example, a high definition television (HDTV) decoder computer. The keyboard or infrared (IR) receiving module 312 corresponds to the remote device interface 120 (FIG. 2) that receives user control commands from the user control unit 314. The digital AV bus module 313 corresponds to the I / O port 100 (FIG. 2) connected to an external device such as a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a DVD player.

FIG. 7 is a high-level flow chart showing a typical control program according to the present invention, which may be executed by any of the devices shown in FIGS. You may perform by the control structure made. As used herein, the term “electronic host device” is not limited to a television receiver or personal computer, but is incorporated into a television receiver or personal computer. Regardless of whether they are connected externally, their multifunction devices (eg, PCTV), cable television conversion boxes, and appropriately equipped audiovisual program recorders (eg, video cassette recorders (VCRs)) )), Satellite television, and / or data signal converter, program guide receiver, and the like. Wherein the processing realized in a typical control program, or hardware, software and or, are of course to be executed by a combination thereof. A person skilled in the art will be able to execute the control program using any of the systems shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 or when the control program is executed using another appropriately programmed electronic host device. It will be readily appreciated from the flow chart and the following description that substantially the same features and advantages as the present invention are provided. Therefore, in order to avoid redundancy, in the following, the control program in FIG. 7 will be described only in relation to the typical hardware implementation example shown in FIG. 2 and the interfaces shown in FIGS. .

  The application interface 70 can generate the user interface shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 under the control of the system controller 115. Preferably, the user interface shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is activated (eg, the system owner activates a specific key on the remote control device 125 or makes a selection in another user interface). Generated in response to the interface. In response to such activation, the system controller 115 transfers user interface data to the application interface 70. Then, the application interface 70 outputs corresponding display information to the video decoder that performs display on the display module 11 (FIG. 4).

  In step 700 of FIG. 7, the system controller 115 stores a record of a user profile that includes an area having a value in non-volatile memory. The details of the method of creating the user profile record and the method of storing it in the nonvolatile memory are the same as those described with reference to FIG. Therefore, it will not be repeated here.

FIG. 6 shows an interface for selecting a user profile to be edited that has been created in the present invention. The display module 11 includes a display area 18 having a user interface 600. The user interface 600 includes user profile editing cells 601-606, a summary menu screen 607, a help button 608, and a backward (“back”) button 609. Each user profile edit cell 601-606 is created in advance and contains the name of the user profile. Those user profiles are stored and stored as records in the non-volatile memory. User profile editing cells 601-606 effectively form a list of all stored user profile records created in advance by the system owner. As shown in FIG. 7, in step 710, providing the user interface with a list of records stored user profile is completed.

  As soon as the system controller 115 highlights one of the user profile editing cells 601-606 using the remote control device 125, the system controller 115 records the user profile associated with the highlighted cell 601-606. Is programmed from a non-volatile memory. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in step 720, a record of the stored user profile selected from the non-volatile memory is obtained. After obtaining a record of the selected user profile from non-volatile memory, the system controller 115 stores the channel list, rating limit, viewing time, stored in the area of the selected user profile record, Get values related to the cost limit, name, and user profile lock status. Thereby, the system controller 115 completes Step 730 shown in FIG.

  In step 740 shown in FIG. 7, the system controller 115 displays the read value on the summary menu screen 607 in a summary format. Specifically, those values are displayed on the summary menu screen 607 next to the heading corresponding to the area in which the values are stored.

  The system owner can view the defined user profile settings simply by highlighting cells 601-606 using the user interface shown in FIG. 6, so that a summary of the user profile settings is displayed. appear. In this way, the system owner can quickly determine which user profile needs to be changed. The system owner does not need to access the user interface (and each setting on the screen) shown in FIG. In conventional systems, access was required to make such a determination.

  In the above description, the present invention has been described as providing a summary display of management settings by a parent for a user profile, but the present invention is not limited to displaying summary management values by a parent. The present invention may be used to display and summarize any type of user profile values and any combination thereof. For example, the present invention provides personal settings defined for a single user profile (eg, default guide identifiers used, method for sorting guides, color settings, translucency settings, animation settings, data reading). It may be used to summarize settings and whether "help" information is available or not. Personal settings are created, edited and sorted in the same way as parental management settings.

Further, in the present invention, to summarize the user profile stored in the Summary menu is not limited to the user interface used to edit the user profile defined. The present invention may be implemented in any user interface where a pre-created list of user profiles exists. In the above, only typical embodiments according to the present invention are disclosed and described. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present invention can be implemented in a variety of other forms without departing from the spirit or key features thereof. Accordingly, the invention is disclosed by way of illustration within the scope of the claimed invention, but is not limited thereto.

With processing user commands that by the present invention, is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for displaying a user interface screen. Is a schematic diagram showing a digital video processing apparatus suitable for displaying a user interface screen with processing user commands that by the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the specific means in the apparatus shown in FIG. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a display module with a conventional user interface for selecting a user profile stored to be edited. FIG. 4 shows a display module with a user interface for editing a stored user profile or creating a new user profile. Is a diagram showing a display module with a user interface for selecting a user profile stored to be edited that by the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for displaying stored user profile settings in a summary format. FIG.

Claims (2)

Displaying a first user interface for a user to edit a user profile, wherein each user profile includes a rating restriction area, a viewing time restriction area, and a cost restriction area, each area having a heading And each of the regions can receive each edited value; and
Storing a record of a user profile with each region having each edited value in a memory;
Providing a second user interface having a list of stored user profile records, each of the user profile records stored in the list corresponding to an individual user; Steps,
The rating restriction area for each of a plurality of stored user profile records , the viewing, in response to each user command selecting a different one of stored user profile records from the list Each stored value next to each time limit area and each heading in the cost limit area is displayed on the second user interface simultaneously with a list of stored user profile records , whereby a plurality of users are displayed. of a step to be able to sequentially view summary of the current settings for each individual user can not edit the values of said stored in the second user interface, and the step,
Television program viewing management methods, including. Means for allowing a user to display a first user interface for editing a user profile, wherein each user profile includes a rating restriction area, a viewing time restriction area, and a cost restriction area, each area comprising: The means having a heading and capable of receiving each edited value;
A memory for storing a record of a plurality of user profiles for a corresponding plurality of individual users;
Display of a second user interface having a first portion including a plurality of cells corresponding to the stored plurality of user profile records and a second portion displayed simultaneously with the first portion. And means for enabling
The rating in the second portion of the second user interface in response to each user command selecting a different one of the plurality of cells in the first portion of the second user interface. The rating restriction area, the viewing time restriction area, and the expense restriction area for each of the stored user profile records next to each heading of the restriction area, the viewing time restriction area, and the expense restriction area Each of the values is displayed so that the user can sequentially view a summary of the current settings of each of a plurality of individual users and the second user interface edits the stored values. TV viewing management device that cannot.

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