KR101726875B1 - Apparatus and method for providing remote user interface information by using widget package in home network - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing remote user interface information using a widget package in a widget-based home network. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving a remote server application from a remote user interface server in a widget-based home network; Receiving the widget package from the widget server by executing the received remote server application; Executing a widget application using the received widget package and adding remote user interface information related to the widget application; And transmitting the remote user interface information in response to a request message received from at least one remote user interface client.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING REMOTE USER INTERFACE INFORMATION BY USING WIDGET PACKAGE IN HOME NETWORK [0002]

The present invention relates to a home network using a Remote User Interface (RUI), and more particularly, to a method for providing remote user interface information from a remote user interface server to a remote user interface client .

In general, a home network is a private network based on an Internet Protocol (IP), and various devices such as personal computers (PCs), intelligent products, and wireless devices used in the home are called middleware ), Which is a common virtual computing environment called a connection is controlled by a single network.

Middleware is a digital living network (DLNA), home audio-video interoperability (HAVi), UPnP (digital multimedia broadcasting), and so on, which enable various digital devices to be connected in a peer-to- (Universal Plug and Play) and the like are being actively carried out to improve the home network technology.

A remote user interface technique may be used for one device in the home network to control the function of another device. Briefly, RUI technology is based on a client-server architecture in which an RUI client obtains a user interface (UI) from an RUI server and allows the user to interact with the RUI client through the UI This is a technology that allows you to control the RUI server.

This RUI technology is a mechanism for rendering and controlling a user interface for controlling an application on a device other than a device that drives the application, and includes a CEA-2014, an eXpandable Home Theater (XHT), a Widget Description Exchange Service (WiDeX) RPD (Remote Desktop Protocol) and so on.

An RUI server providing a UI for remote control has a Web server inside. Through the web server, the RUI server transmits a web page requested by the RUI client, and the RUI client displays the web page of the corresponding UI through the XHTML browser.

Using this RUI technology, the RUI client establishes a session with the RUI server, receives UI components from the RUI server, and controls the RUI server. The UI components refer to the elements constituting the UI and include a RUI session from the RUIS to the RUIC such as a widget, a pull-down menu, a button, a scroll bar, a window, text, A / V data (audio / video, Is a concept that collectively refers to all types of data provided on the Internet.

Here, a widget is a small graphical user interface (GUI) for operating an application program on a computer operating system and displaying the result on a screen. That is, the widget refers to a driving method in which functions provided by a browser such as an Internet explorer can be provided without opening the browser, such as a window for receiving information from the Internet and displaying it on the screen.

In the description of the present invention, the RUI is referred to as a remote UI and the RUI server is referred to as a remote server. A terminal requesting a UI list or a control UI is referred to as a third terminal, and a terminal providing a UI list or a control UI to the third terminal through a remote server and a widget server is referred to as a second terminal .

1 shows a flow of a procedure for providing a remote UI list and a control UI in a general home network.

Referring to FIG. 1, when a user drives a third terminal 100, the third terminal 100 finds devices existing in the vicinity of the third terminal 100, Information is received.

When the third terminal 100 finds the second terminal 101, it requests the second terminal 101 for the UI list. The embedded server 106 in the second terminal 101 receiving the UI list request requests the handler 105 in the second terminal 101 for the remote server UI list.

When the handler 105 transmits a remote server UI list request to the remote server application unit 103, the remote server application unit 103 requests the remote server 102 to provide a remote server UI list.

In response to the request, the remote server 102 transmits the remote server UI list to the remote server application unit 103. Thereafter, when the remote server application unit 103 transmits the remote server UI list to the handler 105, the handler 105 receives the remote server UI list and transmits it to the embedded server 106. When the embedded server 106 transmits the UI list received from the handler 105 to the third terminal 100, the third terminal 100 displays the received UI list on the screen. At this time, the user can select a desired control UI among the UI list displayed on the third terminal 100.

When the user selects a desired control UI, the third terminal 100 requests the embedded server 106 for a control UI. At this time, the embedded server 106 finally sends a control UI request to the remote server application unit 103 through the handler 105 in an event form. When the control UI request is received, the remote server application unit 103 requests the remote server 102 for a control UI, and receives the control UI. The control UI provided from the remote server 102 is transmitted to the third terminal 100 via the handler 105 and the embedded server 106. [ At this time, the third terminal 100 displays a control UI received from the embedded server 106 on the screen.

As described above, the conventional remote UI list and control UI providing method is transmitted to the remote server 102 where two requests, that is, a request for the remote UI list and a request for the control UI are located at the home. Therefore, it takes a long time for the third terminal 100 to receive the remote UI list and control UI from the remote server 102.

This method is necessary when creating a remote UI page dynamically, but it requires unnecessary time even if the remote UI page does not need to be created dynamically. Accordingly, there is a need for a way for the remote server 102 to efficiently provide the remote UI list and control UI to the third terminal 100. [

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for efficiently providing remote user interface information using a widget package in a home network.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for providing a widget package to a terminal equipped with an embedded server in a home network and providing remote user interface information to a remote user interface client using the widget package.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for installing, executing, stopping, and deleting a widget package in a terminal having an embedded server in advance in a home network.

The method includes receiving a remote server application from a remote user interface server in a widget-based home network; Receiving the widget package from the widget server by executing the received remote server application; Executing a widget application using the received widget package and adding remote user interface information related to the widget application; And transmitting the remote user interface information in response to a request message received from at least one remote user interface client.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving a widget package from a remote user interface server in a widget-based home network, receiving a widget package from a widget server by executing the received remote server application, A handler for executing the application and adding remote user interface information associated with the widget application; storing the added remote user interface information; and responsive to the request message received from the at least one remote user interface client, And an embedded server for transmitting information.

The present invention preliminarily installs a remote UI list and control UIs through a widget package mechanism in a network so that a user can shorten the time taken to receive a remote UI list or a control UI.

Meanwhile, various other effects will be directly or implicitly disclosed in the detailed description according to the embodiment of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for providing a remote UI list and a control UI in a general home network;
2 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a home network providing a remote UI and a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 illustrates an RCF widget package downloaded from the widget server 109 to the widget plug-in 108 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 illustrates a tree structure of an RCF widget package in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for installing and executing an RCF widget package in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a diagram illustrating a mapping table including connection information between a third terminal, a widget application unit, and a remote server application unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which a third terminal 100 receives a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which a third terminal 100 transmits and receives a control message and a response message to a remote server application unit in a second terminal through a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for stopping a widget application according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
10 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for deleting an RCF widget package according to an embodiment of the present invention;

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intentions or customs of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a widget package is provided to a terminal having an embedded server in a home network, and a remote UI and a control UI are provided to a remote user interface client using the widget package.

The third terminal 100 corresponds to the RUI client and the second terminal 101 can provide the remote UI list and the control UIs to the third terminal 100. In the embodiment of the present invention, And corresponds to a terminal equipped with an embedded server. In addition, it is assumed that the second terminal 101 includes a handler (including a remote control plug-in unit and a widget plug-in unit) that can receive the RCF widget package from the widget server in communication with the widget server.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 shows the overall configuration of a home network providing a remote UI and a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the third terminal 100 receives a UI list and control UIs through the second terminal 101.

The second terminal 101 includes an embedded server 106 capable of communicating with the third terminal 100 and a handler 105 capable of driving a remote server application. The handler 105 includes a remote control function plug-in unit 104 (hereinafter, referred to as a remote control plug-in unit) that can communicate according to functions and applications that can operate within the handler 105, And a widget plug-in unit (108).

The remote control plug-in unit 104 can communicate with the remote server application unit 103 or the widget application unit 107. [ In addition, the remote control plug-in unit 104 may instruct the embedded server 106 according to a method executed by the application units 103 and 107 and may transmit a message received from the embedded server 106 to the application To the units 103 and 107, respectively.

The widget plug-in unit 108 can manage the life cycle of the widget package received from the widget server 109. [ On the other hand, the remote server 102 provides a remote server application executed in the handler 105 of the second terminal 101. The widget server 109 provides an RCF widget package to the second terminal 101.

3 shows an RCF widget package that is downloaded from the widget server 109 to the widget plug-in 108 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The RCF widget package includes a widget application in the form of a remote server application, and the widget application has a remote control function object (hereinafter, referred to as an RCF object) capable of communicating with the remote control plug- have. The RCF widget package includes a remote control function package (RCF package) installed in the embedded server 106 in the second terminal 101, It has a UI list (Listing) XML file and a control UIs file that represents a UI list.

4 is a diagram illustrating a tree structure of an RCF widget package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the RCF widget package may be compressed into a zip file, for example, a zip file named 'RCF.wgt'. A widget application file exists in the zip file, and a Config.xml file related thereto exists. There is an RCF (Remote Control Function) folder at the same level as the widget application file and the Config.xml file. In the RCF folder, there is an XML UI list file and a control UIs file.

5 shows a flow of a procedure for installing and executing an RCF widget package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, in step 501, the second terminal 101 communicates with the remote control plug-in unit 104 and a widget object that can communicate with the widget plug-in unit 108 from the remote server 102 (RCF) object (Remote Control Function Object).

In step 502, if the remote server application unit 103 is operated in the second terminal 101, the process proceeds to step 503. In step 503, the remote server application unit 103 transmits a command to download the widget package from the widget server 109 to the widget plug-in unit 108 through a widget object.

In step 504, the widget plug-in unit 108 downloads the RCF widget package from the widget server 109. [ Thereafter, in step 505, the files related to the widget application in the RCF widget package downloaded from the widget server 109 are installed in the space in which the widget is executed, and the RCF package in the RCF widget package (the RCF package and the sub- Files) are installed in the appropriate embedded server 106. If the installation of the RCF widget package is completed in step 505, the flow advances to step 506.

In step 506, the widget plug-in unit 108 transmits an event about the widget installation result to the remote server application unit 103. If the remote server application unit 103 receives the event and sends a widget execution command to the widget plug-in unit 108 in step 507, the widget plug-in unit 108 transmits the widget to the widget application unit 107 in step 508, Execution command is transmitted.

Thereafter, in step 509, the widget application unit 107 executes a widget application that has been downloaded and installed. At this time, the first mapping table 600 of FIG. 6 is created, and the ID value for the remote server application that executed the widget application and the ID value for the generated widget application are respectively generated and placed in the mapping table.

When the widget application is executed, the widget application unit 107 displays a UI list (XML UI Listing) in the RCF package so that the third terminal 100 can receive control UIs that can control the remote server application And adds the UI list existing in the existing embedded server 106 to the UI list.

Specifically, when the widget application unit 107 transmits a command to merge (or add) a UI list related to the widget application to the remote controller plug-in unit 104 in step 510, the remote controller plug- And transmits the command to the embedded server 106. At this time, the embedded server 106 receiving the merge command performs an operation of adding a new UI list to the existing UI list.

When the merging of the new UI list is completed, the connection information between the merged UI list and the widget application unit 107 that has issued the UI list merging instruction in the mapping table 601 of FIG. 6 is stored. Here, the connection information may be generated by selecting one of the control UIs described in the UI list by the third terminal 100 and transmitting the HTTP request message for the selected control UI to the embedded server 106, a widget application unit 107 combining the UI list with a third terminal 100 to which the embedded server 106 has transmitted the HTTP request message, and a widget application unit 107 that installs and executes the widget application And the remote server application unit 103. [ The mapping tables 601 to 602 may be stored in the embedded server 106, but are not limited thereto. That is, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the mapping table can be stored in a memory located in the second terminal 101 or the like.

Thereafter, in step 512, the remote control plug-in unit 104 transmits the UI list merging result in the RCF package to the widget application unit 107 as an event type. In step 513, the widget application unit 107 transmits the merging result received by the widget application unit 103 to the remote server application unit 103. [

7 shows a flow of a procedure in which a third terminal 100 receives a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, in step 701, the third terminal 100 finds a second terminal 101 located in the vicinity of the third terminal 100, and a description of the second terminal 101 from the second terminal 101 (Description) information. Thereafter, in steps 702 and 703, the third terminal 100 requests a list of UIs that can notify the control UI list that the second terminal 101 can provide based on the description information, 2 receives the UI list from the embedded server 106 of the terminal 101.

In step 704, when the third terminal 100 displays the UI list received from the second terminal 101, the user selects at least one desired control UI from the UI list.

In step 705, the third terminal 100 requests the embedded server 106 in the second terminal 101 for the control UI selected by the user. At this time, the third terminal ID information is automatically generated in the mapping table 602 of FIG. 6, and the generated information is stored in an appropriate place in the mapping table 602. Thereafter, in step 706, when the embedded server 106 in the second terminal 101 transmits the requested control UI to the third terminal 100, the third terminal 100 proceeds to step 707. In step 707, Run control UI and show it to the user.

At this time, the user can perform communication such as sending a control message to the second terminal 101 or the remote server application unit 103 in the second terminal 101 through the control UI.

8 shows a flow of a procedure in which a third terminal 100 transmits and receives a control message and a response message to and from a remote server application unit 103 via a control UI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the third terminal 100 displays the control UI received from the second terminal 101 on the screen, the user selects a desired button through the control UI.

For example, when the user selects the PLAY button, a related control message is transmitted to the embedded server 106 in the second terminal 101, and the control message is transmitted to the remote server 101 via the remote control plug- And transmitted to the application unit 103. At this time, the mapping table information shown in FIG. 6 is used.

That is, the second terminal 101 transmits the control message transmitted from the third terminal 100 to the remote server application unit (not shown) through the remote server application ID information linked with the third terminal ID stored in the mapping table 103). ≪ / RTI >

The remote server application unit 103 processes the control message and transmits a response message to the third terminal 100 through the remote control plug-in unit 104 and the embedded server 106. [

9 shows a flow of a procedure for stopping a widget application according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9, in step 901, when the remote server application unit 103 transmits a widget operation stop command to the widget plug-in unit 108, the widget plug-in unit 108 transmits the stop command to the widget application unit 108 in step 902, (107). Upon receiving the widget operation stop command, the widget application unit 107 stops the operation of the widget application.

Meanwhile, the remote control plug-in unit 104 detects whether or not the widget application operation is stopped. If the remote control plug-in unit 104 detects the disconnection of the widget application operation, the UI deletion command is transmitted to the embedded server 106 in step 903.

At this time, the embedded server 106 deletes the UI list related to the widget application from the entire UI list. In step 904, the remote controller plug-in unit 104 transmits the deletion result to the widget application unit 108 as an event type. In step 905, the widget application unit 107 transmits the deletion result to the remote server application unit 103 Deliver the results.

10 shows a flow of a procedure for deleting an RCF widget package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10, when the remote server application unit 103 transmits an RCF widget package deletion command to the widget plug-in unit 108, the widget plug-in unit 108 transmits all contents related to the other RCF widget package including the RCF package From the second terminal (101).

If the current widget is currently running, the widget application is automatically stopped first, and then the RCF widget package deletion operation is executed.

According to the above-mentioned process, the present invention provides a widget package to a terminal having an embedded server in advance in a home network, so that a remote user interface client can access a remote user through a terminal having the embedded server, Interface information can be provided.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of various modifications within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims (10)

A method for providing remote user interface information by a terminal device in a widget-based home network,
Receiving a remote server application from a remote user interface server;
Receiving a widget package including a remote control function package including at least one of remote user interface list information and control user interface information from the widget server by executing the received remote server application;
Executing a widget application using the received widget package and adding remote user interface information related to the widget application to a mapping table; And
And transmitting the remote user interface information in response to a request message received from at least one remote user interface client,
Wherein the mapping table includes connection information between an ID of the at least one remote user interface client, an ID of the widget application, and an ID of the remote server application. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the widget package further comprises a widget application configured with remote control function object information. delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of deleting remote user interface information associated with the widget application when the widget application is terminated. A terminal apparatus for providing remote user interface information in a widget-based home network,
Receiving a remote server application from a remote user interface server and executing the received remote server application to receive a widget package including a remote control function package configured from at least one of remote user interface list information and control user interface information from a widget server A handler for executing a widget application using the received widget package and adding remote user interface information related to the widget application; And
An embedded server storing the added remote user interface information in a mapping table and transmitting the remote user interface information in response to a request message received from at least one remote user interface client,
Wherein the mapping table includes connection information between an ID of the remote user interface client, an ID of the widget application, and an ID of the remote server application. delete The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the widget package further comprises a widget application configured with remote control function object information. delete The method according to claim 6,
And when the widget application is terminated, the handler deletes remote user interface information associated with the widget application stored in the embedded server.

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