KR101708152B1 - Method for providing selective watching at home shopping data broadcasting - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a method for providing selective viewing in home shopping data broadcasting, which enables a viewer to select and watch a desired part of a home shopping VOD rather than watch entire content of the home shopping VOD from a start thereof, thereby improving satisfaction of the viewer and effectively inducing purchase. The method for providing selective viewing comprises the steps of: dividing, by a service server configured to provide home shopping data broadcasting, a home shopping VOD into a plurality of sections based on content of the home shopping VOD; receiving, by a digital TV, the home shopping VOD from the service server via a set-top box and playing back the home shopping VOD; requesting, by the set-top box, information about the sections corresponding to the home shopping VOD from the service server based on an instruction input via a remote controller; and displaying, by the digital TV, the information about the sections on a predetermined region, referred to as a section control region, within a user interface exclusive of a VOD region via which the home shopping VOD is played back. In this case, the sections are displayed on the section control region by being distinguished from one another, and a part of the home shopping VOD corresponding to a selected section is played back when the section is selected from among the sections via the remote controller.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method for providing selective viewing in a home shopping data broadcasting,

The present invention relates to a method of providing a home shopping data broadcast, and more particularly, to a method of providing selective viewing so that a user can selectively watch a desired portion of the home shopping data broadcast.

Traditionally, home shopping broadcasting has been provided through television broadcasting. Television broadcasting uses the entire screen of the receiver. The broadcast program contents produced by the broadcasting company are broadcasted through the entire screen of the receiver, and similarly, the viewer watches the home shopping broadcast on the entire television screen.

Such home shopping broadcasting is also provided through data broadcasting. Data broadcasting is defined differently from existing television broadcasting. Television broadcasting is defined as broadcasting which transmits a broadcasting program composed of voice and video, but data broadcasting refers to broadcasting in which information is transmitted in the form of codes or data, not audio / video broadcasting. In other words, data broadcasting is characterized in that, when a digital signal is transmitted to a broadcast radio wave, the receiving device automatically decodes and processes the code or data and receives the result directly from the receiver or controls other devices It is broadcasting of new field as new media.

This data broadcasting technology improves the conventional broadcasting technology that only provides broadcast contents unilaterally through a television screen. In particular, we created a bi-directional environment in which interactive relationships with viewers are formed in real time. However, it is a reality that the viewers watching the home shopping broadcast can not clearly understand the difference between the television broadcasting and the data broadcasting. Home shopping data broadcasting is based on watching VOD, because it does not make use of the merits of VOD only and broadcasts it like a regular TV broadcast.

Furthermore, conventional home shopping data broadcasting is simply filled with contents for advertising discount goods in an area other than the area for displaying the broadcast VOD, and thus the viewer is not interested.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide selective viewing in a home shopping data broadcasting which can increase viewer satisfaction by selectively selecting only the portion to be selectively viewed, And the like.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of configuring a user interface for selectively viewing a desired portion of a home shopping data broadcast according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method comprising the steps of: (a) Dividing the VOD into a plurality of sections according to contents; (b) receiving and reproducing the home shopping VOD from the service server through the set top box; (c) requesting, by a command from a remote controller, the section information corresponding to the home shopping VOD to the service server; And (d) displaying the section information in a predetermined area (referred to as a 'section control area') of the area other than the VOD area where the digital TV is reproduced on the user interface, A section corresponding to the selected section of the home shopping VOD is reproduced when one of the plurality of sections is selected by the remote controller.

In step (b), the user interface of the digital TV displays a VOD area in which the home shopping VOD is reproduced and a TV application area for requesting the section information, and in step (c) The set top box may request the service server for the section information by selecting an application area.

The service server may register marking signals at start and end points for each section.

When one of the sections is selected by the remote controller, the service server can transmit the home shopping VOD to the set-top box based on the starting point of the selected section.

In the step (d), the user interface displays the VOD area on the upper side and the section control area on the lower side, the progress bar in the longitudinal direction is displayed in the section control area, Section icons linked to each section are displayed at predetermined intervals, and each section icon can be displayed together with explanatory information on the section.

In order to select any one of the plurality of sections, the left and right direction keys of the remote controller can be operated.

The user interface displays a recommendation control area overlapping with the VOD area by the operation of the up and down direction keys of the remote controller, and the recommendation control area can display recommendation product information associated with the home shopping VOD being broadcasted.

Wherein the user interface displays the recommendation control area in the vertical direction, the connection bar is displayed along the length direction of the recommendation control area, the recommendation icons linked to the recommended product contents are arranged at predetermined intervals in the connection bar, Each recommendation icon may be displayed together with explanatory information on the recommended product.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

As described above, according to the method of providing selective viewing in the home shopping data broadcasting according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the viewer with the advantages of data broadcasting different from the television broadcasting. In addition, it is possible to increase satisfaction with home shopping broadcasting because it is possible to confirm the content by selecting only the section desired by the consumer, rather than displaying the home shopping VOD from the beginning to the contemporary consumers lacking time, which can lead to a high purchase rate. In addition, the section control area for searching each section is arranged in the horizontal direction at the bottom of the TV user interface, so that the desired section can be easily and intuitively manipulated by the left and right direction keys of the remote controller, Can be searched.

Further, a recommendation control area for recommending a product associated with the home shopping VOD currently being played is displayed on the side of the TV user interface, so that the viewer can attract the purchase of the related product. Since the recommendation control area is disposed on the side of the user interface in the vertical direction, it is possible to easily and intuitively confirm the recommendation product by operating the remote controller in the up and down direction keys without hindering the viewing immersion degree to the home shopping VOD.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 conceptually shows a time when a user interface of a T-commerce data broadcasting is output through a screen of a digital TV according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 schematically illustrates a user interface of a home shopping broadcast service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing selective viewing of a home shopping data broadcast performed by the service server of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing selective viewing of a home shopping data broadcast performed by the set top box of the present invention.
6 and 7 are schematic views of a user interface according to selective viewing of a home shopping broadcast of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

In the specification of the present invention, "T-commerce" means a data broadcasting service capable of conducting a series of commercial transactions including search, purchase and settlement of goods information through digital TV. In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the "home shopping broadcast" is specified as a home shopping broadcast provided by T-commerce data broadcast.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network system 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a service server 40, a set-top box 30, and a digital TV 20. The network system 50 is limited to conceptually describing how a T-commerce data broadcasting service is systematically provided, and does not represent all networks related to TV broadcasting.

The set top box 30 is connected to the digital TV 20 and the service server 40 to mediate data transmission and reception between the digital TV 20 and the service server 40. The set top box 30 is given a unique set top box ID (SAID) and when the digital TV 20 connects to the service server 40 via the set top box 30, Top box ID of the set top box ID, and obtains the user information corresponding to the set top box ID by inquiring the external or internal subscriber information management system. The set-top box 30 is usually connected to the digital TV 20 through a cable. The set-top box 30 is connected to the service server 40 via a network medium and receives TV broadcast, data broadcast, and related data from the service server 40 and displays the received data on the digital TV 20 . The network medium includes a wired and / or wireless network. Preferably, a cable connected to the service server 40 may be connected to the set-top box 30 for data transmission / reception. The remote controller 10 executes a control command for operating the digital TV 20 and / or the set-top box 30. The remote controller 10 may be a conventional remote controller for a digital TV, and may include a power button, a numeric button, and an up, down, left, and right buttons.

The service server 40 transmits the contents of the home shopping data broadcasting to the set-top box 30. The service server 40 may have various databases in managing data broadcast contents and resources. For example, the database may include a VOD content database, a merchandise information database, a user information database, or a section information database. Further, the database may include a recommended content database, a screen content database, a database for recording logs, or a database for recording billing and settlement information. These databases may be located in a system managed by the service server 40, or may be located in a repository managed by an external server.

In addition, the service server 40 may include storage means such as a database, means for managing, processing and transmitting / receiving data, means for processing communication with an external device or external system, means for authentication and security , Which may include various hardware devices, server devices, and software. A process for authenticating the information of the subscriber matching the set-top box ID, a process for dividing the home shopping VOD into a plurality of sections, a process for marking the start and end points of each section, A process of recommending a product related to a home shopping VOD being broadcast, a process of recommending a product based on a viewer age, a process of recommending a product based on a season, a process of recommending a product based on a sale, May be performed through communication with external servers and devices, if the data resource resides externally or needs to be transmitted to the outside.

FIG. 2 conceptually shows a time when a user interface of a T-commerce data broadcasting is output through a screen of a digital TV according to an embodiment of the present invention. Generally, when the digital TV 20 is turned on, the television broadcast screen 20a is normally turned on. It may be a terrestrial television broadcast channel or a cable or satellite broadcast channel. The user or the viewer can transmit the control command to the set-top box 30 and / or the digital TV 20 so as to switch to the data broadcasting screen 20b by operating the remote controller 10. [ In the present invention, the user selects a T-commerce data broadcast requesting a TV home shopping VOD with data broadcasting. Thus, the user interface of the present invention is output through the screen of the digital TV 20.

3 schematically illustrates a user interface of a home shopping broadcast service according to an embodiment of the present invention. The home shopping broadcast user interface 100 includes content areas 120, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 for providing contents to viewers and a screen area 110 surrounding the contents areas. Each of the content areas 120, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 includes a VOD area 120 in which home shopping broadcasting contents such as a home shopping VOD are displayed, TV application areas 130 and 132 having a plurality of independent functions and independent areas , 134, 136, 138), and a known area 140 for announcing an event. The screen area 110 refers to an area that is not a contents area in the home shopping broadcast user interface 100 and becomes a background skin of the contents area.

The content area may also include a generic marker (not shown) that simply provides information in text and / or images. The general cover may include an address of a website, an order phone number, a consultation telephone number, price information, product information, remote controller trigger guide information, weather information, a data broadcast home shopping channel, and other guidance text or images.

In the home shopping broadcast service of the present invention, the VOD area 120 in which the broadcast content is reproduced occupies a certain area of the home shopping broadcast user interface 100, and the other areas include a TV application area and / or a known area, An environment in which the difference between the data broadcasting home shopping and the general television broadcasting home shopping of the present invention can be intuitively distinguished can be created. After the user interface 100 is displayed in the above-described configuration, the viewer may instruct the remote controller 10 to view the full screen of the VOD area.

The first TV application area 130 may be a real-time ranking list of home shopping broadcasts. For example, it is possible to indicate the order of sale of the best-selling goods today through the data broadcasting home shopping. In a preferred embodiment, the VOD content of the selected product as a full screen may be reproduced as a new user interface when selecting a product included in the list. In this case, the list functions as a home shopping channel for data broadcasting. In another preferred embodiment, when a product included in the list is selected by a remote controller, the user interface may be changed to another predetermined user interface to provide more detailed information about the selected product.

The second TV application area 132 may be a recommended content displayed in the content area. The first TV application area 130 can display the list, whereas the second TV application area 132 can display the recommended product information through text, image, or shortcut link through various recommendation logic have. Preferably, the user's viewing history is analyzed based on the set-top box ID to provide user-customized recommended contents.

The third and fourth TV application areas 134 and 136 may display predetermined merchandise planning content by the service server 40. [ Or otherwise display the recommended product information predetermined.

The fifth TV application area 138 may provide a function to select and watch home shopping broadcast contents reproduced through the VOD area 120 for each section. In the present invention, such a TV application can be used to selectively view a section desired by a viewer among the home shopping broadcast contents provided by the service server 40. This will be described in detail later.

The announcement area 140 may display detailed information, discount information, purchase information, and the like with respect to the home shopping broadcast content played through the VOD area 120.

In the present embodiment, five TV application areas and known areas have been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the number of such areas. Also, the type and arrangement of the TV application area and the known area shown in Fig. 3 can be variously modified. It is particularly important in the preferred embodiment of the present invention that at least one TV application area of the content area of the home shopping user interface 100 divides one home shopping VOD into a plurality of sections according to contents, As well as providing a function that can be watched.

Hereinafter, a method of providing selective viewing in a home shopping data broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing selective viewing of a home shopping data broadcast performed by the service server of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing selective viewing of a home shopping data broadcast performed by the set top box of the present invention. 6 and 7 are schematic views of a user interface according to selective viewing of a home shopping broadcast of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the service server 40 reads a home shopping VOD from the VOD content database (S100), and divides the home shopping VOD into a plurality of sections (S105). Here, a section is defined as a specific section of one home shopping VOD content, and a plurality of sections can be defined from one home shopping VOD. For example, the section may include an 'intro' indicating the beginning of a home shopping broadcast, a 'show host description' which is a part of the show host describing the commodity, a 'core image' 'Model image' showing the models worn directly by the user, 'Size / color' indicating the size and color options of the product as optional items, 'Bonus benefit' indicating discount prices such as card discounts, And " additional configuration " indicating the gift information. The service server 40 can define various sections according to the content of the home shopping VOD, that is, the sales product.

The service server 40 registers marking signals at the start and end points of each section in the home shopping VOD file (S110). If the start time and end time of a specific section are precisely defined and the marking signal is registered in the corresponding section, if the viewer requests playback of the section in the future, the viewer selectively watches only the desired part (or section) .

Then, the service server 40 stores the section information for each section (S115). The section information may include home shopping broadcast content for each section, a section description in text (e.g., an intro, a show host description, etc.), a marking signal, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 5, the set-top box 30 receives a home shopping VOD from the service server 40 (S200) and plays the home shopping VOD on the digital TV 20 (S205). Such a home shopping VOD can be reproduced in the VOD area 120 of FIG.

When the viewer selects the TV application for selective viewing with the remote controller 10 (S210), the set-top box 30 requests the service server 40 for section information corresponding to the home shopping VOD currently being played back.

The user interface of the digital TV 20 in which section information is displayed is shown in FIG. Specifically, the user interface 200 includes a VOD area 220 in which broadcast contents are reproduced and a section control area 230 (S215). For example, the user interface 200 may be divided in the horizontal direction, with the VOD area 220 on the top and the section control area 230 on the bottom. A progress bar 232 is displayed in the longitudinal direction within the section control area 230 and a section icon 234 linked to each section content can be displayed in the progress bar 232 at predetermined intervals. As described above, the plurality of sections are separately displayed in the section control area 230. Each section icon 234 may be displayed with descriptive information 236 for that section.

The viewer or the user can confirm the section description information 236 and operate the left and right direction keys of the remote controller 10 to select and execute the section icon 234 for the desired section at step S220. When a specific section is selected, the set-top box 30 transmits the section selection information to the service server 40, and the service server 40 uses the marking signal (start point and end point) for the selected section to select the selected section To the set-top box 30 and reproduces them on the digital TV 20 (S225). Accordingly, the digital TV 20 can reproduce the home shopping VOD from the starting point of the corresponding section.

6, the section control area 230 may include a recommendation start icon 237 on the progress bar 232 in addition to the section icon 234 for confirming a recommendation item. The recommendation start icon 237 may be displayed together with the explanation information 238. [ Therefore, when the viewer moves on the progress bar 232 using the left and right direction keys of the remote controller 10 and executes the recommendation start icon 237, the user interface shown in FIG. 7 can be confirmed. The recommendation start icon 237 displayed on the progress bar 232 is executed by the remote controller 10 to display the recommendation control area 240. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, The recommendation control area 240 can also be confirmed by operating the up and down direction keys of the remote controller 10. [

The recommendation control area 240 shown in FIG. 7 may be displayed on the left or right edge of the screen in the vertical direction in the user interface 200 so as to overlap with the VOD area 230. Therefore, the content displayed in the recommendation control area 240 can be superimposed on the home shopping VOD image reproduced in the VOD area 230. Therefore, the user can obtain information on the recommended product without being disturbed by the VOD viewing.

The recommendation control area 240 displays a link bar 244 in the longitudinal direction and a recommendation icon 242 linked to each recommended product content at a predetermined interval in the connection bar 244. As described above, the plurality of recommended products are displayed separately from each other in the recommendation control area 240. Each recommendation icon 242 may be displayed together with explanatory information 246 for the recommended product. For example, the recommended product may be a product related to a product currently being broadcasted on a home shopping channel, a product purchased by an age group such as a viewer, a seasonal product, or a sale product.

The viewer can confirm the recommendation item description information 246 and operate the up and down direction keys of the remote controller 10 to select and execute the desired recommendation icon 242 (S230). The set-top box 30 transmits recommended product selection information to the service server 40. The service server 40 transmits contents, images or VOD corresponding to the selected recommended product to the set-top box 30, (Step S235).

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

10: Remote control
20: Digital TV
20a: TV broadcast screen
20b: Data broadcasting screen
30: Set-top box
40: service server
50: Network system
100, 200: home shopping broadcasting user interface
110: Screen area
120, 220: VOD area
130, 132, 134, 136, 138: TV application area
140: Notice area
230: Section control area
232: Progress bar
234: Section icon
236, 238, 246: description information area
237: Suggested launch icon
240: Recommended control area
242: Featured Icon
244: Connection bar

Claims (8)

A method of configuring a user interface for selectively viewing a desired portion of a home shopping data broadcast, comprising:
(a) a service server providing the home shopping data broadcasting divides a home shopping VOD into a plurality of sections according to contents;
(b) receiving and reproducing the home shopping VOD from the service server through the set top box of the digital TV;
(c) requesting, by a command from a remote controller, the section information corresponding to the home shopping VOD to the service server; And
(d) displaying the section information in a predetermined area (referred to as a 'section control area') of the area other than the VOD area in which the digital TV plays the home shopping VOD on the user interface,
Wherein the plurality of sections are displayed separately from each other in the section control area,
When the remote controller selects any one of the plurality of sections, a portion corresponding to the selected section of the home shopping VOD is reproduced,
Wherein the service server registers marking signals at start and end points of each section. The method according to claim 1,
In the step (b), the user interface of the digital TV displays a VOD area in which the home shopping VOD is reproduced and a TV application area for requesting the section information,
Wherein the set-top box requests the section information to the service server by selecting the TV application area by the command of the remote controller in step (c). delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the service server transmits the home shopping VOD to the set-top box based on the starting point of the selected section when one section is selected by the remote controller. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (d)
The user interface displays the VOD area on the upper side and the section control area on the lower side,
A progress bar is displayed in the longitudinal direction within the section control area,
Section icons linked to each section are displayed at predetermined intervals on the progress bar,
And each section icon is displayed together with explanatory information on the corresponding section. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the left / right direction key of the remote controller is operated to select any one of the plurality of sections. The method according to claim 1,
The user interface displays a recommendation control area overlapping the VOD area by operating the up and down direction keys of the remote controller,
Wherein the recommendation control area displays recommended product information associated with the home shopping VOD being broadcasted. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the user interface displays the recommendation control area in a vertical direction,
A connection bar is displayed along a longitudinal direction of the recommended control area,
The recommendation icons linked to the recommended product contents are arranged at predetermined intervals on the connection bar,
And each recommendation icon is displayed together with explanatory information on the recommendation product.

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