KR20030078940A - System and method for displaying a summary menu of stored user profiles - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of controlling viewing of a television program includes storing a user profile record in a memory comprising a field having a value; Providing a user interface having a list of stored user profile records; As soon as there is a user command, displaying the stored user profile record in summary form in the user interface. Preferably, the user command comprises highlighting the stored user profile record in the list so that the value of the highlighted stored user profile record is displayed in summary form in the user interface.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING A SUMMARY MENU OF STORED USER PROFILES}

With the advent of cable television, direct satellite systems and other television program broadcasting systems, television viewers have a very large number of programs to choose from. Many of these programs are not suitable for young or immature viewers due to content, violence, language, nudity, etc. As such, parents who have children in their homes, i.e. immature viewers, will want these programs to be inaccessible to certain viewers.

In addition to blocking certain programs, parents may: (1) the amount of time allowed for a particular viewer to watch TV on weekdays or weekends; (2) the amount of money you can spend on post-paid billing programming for specific viewers on a program or monthly basis; (3) whether a particular viewer should access a particular channel; (4) You may wish to implement additional restrictions on their children's television viewing habits, including the time period during which a particular viewer can access satellite programming during the week or weekend. Since parents cannot constantly monitor their children and / or immature viewers in the home, sophisticated systems have been developed to help parents in achieving their desired control.

Many of these systems use electronic program guide (EPG) systems, which include their hardware, software, and download and storage capabilities. EPGs are interactive on screens that correspond to TV listings found in local newspapers or other print media. The EPG can provide up to 20 different kinds of information for each program within the time frame covered by the EPG. In a typical EPG system, the electronic host device stores a record corresponding to the upcoming television program in the time frame of the EPG. Each record contains program identification data unique to a particular upcoming television program. Program identification data includes program title, start time, end time, duration, rating, time remaining, content, price, subject, theme, actor, author, production studio, awards, keywords, announcement date, director, and brief commentary. can do. The record is updated periodically by deleting previously broadcasted program records and adding new records of upcoming programs within the time frame of the EPG over time.

US Pat. No. 5,515,106, filed by Chaney, describes the data packet structure required to implement an EPG system. This data packet structure includes both channel information (e.g., channel name, call sign, channel number, type, etc.) and program identification information (e.g., content, title, rating, starring, duration, price, etc.) related to the program. Is designed to be effectively transmitted from a program guide database provider to a receiving device such as a television.

The parental control system is often incorporated into the EPG system using the same hardware, software and stored EPG program records to facilitate the parental control. These systems enable parental control using the concept of user profiles. In a parental control system using a user profile, a parent sets up a user profile for a particular viewer. When setting up a particular user profile, the parent sets television viewing constraints for the user associated with that user profile. The television viewability of such a user is defined by the restrictions set by the parent in that particular user profile. In such a system, the user must "log on" as the set user in order to watch television. As such, the parental control system is programmed to implement restrictions associated with the user's profile, not only to block specific programs or channels, but also to track and record television viewing statistics of the user to implement various restrictions. This is facilitated in part by the ability of the parental control system to analyze data in EPG records for currently stored programs.

In an existing parental control system, if the system owner (ie, the parent) chooses to set all possible limits for the new profile, the owner will create a number of settings, which means that the movie rating limit, TV rating limit, Setting a restriction on the DSLV FV content; Determining whether to be allowed to watch a program that is not rated for the content; Setting a spending limit per event and a monthly spending limit; Setting the maximum amount of time available for viewing during the weekends and weekdays; Setting a time zone during which satellite programming can be viewed during weekends and weekdays; Setting a channel list that determines whether to block or allow access to a particular channel (which may be more than 200 channels).

The system owner creates a new user profile by accessing a user interface adapted to create a new user profile. The user interface for creating a new user profile typically includes a plurality of user setting buttons. As soon as the user set button is selected, the screen corresponding to the user set button is displayed in the user interface. Each custom button has a separate screen associated with it. Each screen has one or more fields for data entry corresponding to one of the viewing restrictions described above. By entering variables in the fields, the system owner sets the viewing restrictions associated with these fields. Once the system owner has accessed the desired restriction screen and entered a value in the desired data field, the system owner can save the user profile to local nonvolatile memory.

However, the system owner may wish to change some or all of the settings set in the subsequently stored user profile. If the system owner decides that he wants to change any of the settings set in the saved user profile, the system owner has access to a user interface adapted to edit the stored user profile, which has a list of user names, each name. Corresponds to one of the stored user profiles. In order to assess 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 an existing parental control system, the only way for the system owner to view the settings for a stored user profile is to select a name corresponding to the user profile and then to all the restriction screens associated with the profile (as discussed above). To access. Thus, to determine if a particular setting needs to be changed, the system owner must spend a significant amount of time accessing each restriction screen. In addition, the advantage often leads system owners to access the restriction screen only to know if the current settings that are within the restriction screen need not be changed. This wastes time and effort on the system owner.

In addition, the user profile can be configured to identify or disable the default guide used, how the guides are aligned, color settings, translucency settings, animation settings, fetch settings, and "help" information. It also stores personal settings for the user, such as whether or not it is enabled. These attributes of the user profile are created and edited in a manner similar to that of parental control settings. As such, the same problem of wasting time exists in editing personal settings, just as it was in editing parental control settings. Thus, there is a need to be able to quickly review settings for stored user profiles, including parental control settings and personal settings.

The present invention relates generally to the field of parental control television systems, and more particularly to the field of editing, creating and displaying user profiles associated with these systems.

1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus capable of processing a user command and displaying a user interface screen in accordance with the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a digital video processing apparatus suitable for processing user commands and displaying user interface screens in accordance with the present invention.

3 is a schematic diagram of a particular implementation of the apparatus generally shown in FIG.

4 shows a display module schematically illustrating a prior art user interface for selecting a stored user profile to be edited.

FIG. 5 illustrates a display module schematically showing a user interface for editing a stored user profile or creating a new user profile. FIG.

6 shows a display module schematically depicting a user interface for selecting a stored user profile to be edited in accordance with the present invention.

7 is a flow chart for a method of displaying user profile settings stored in summary form.

These and other problems are solved by the present invention, which in one aspect is a method for controlling television program viewing, comprising: storing a user profile record comprising a field having a value in a memory; Providing a user interface having the stored user profile record list; As soon as a user command is received, displaying the user profile record stored in summary form in the user interface.

Preferably, the user command is to highlight the stored user profile record in the list so that the value of the highlighted stored user profile record is displayed in summary form in the user interface.

Also preferably, the method further comprises accessing a second user interface to edit the value of the displayed stored user profile record as soon as there is a second user command.

The field may be one or more parental control fields. Preferably, the one or more parental control fields are selected from the group consisting of rating limit, viewing time limit, spending limit, user profile lock status and blocking channel. The field may also be one or more personalization fields. Preferably, the one or more personalization fields are selected from the group consisting of default guides, guide alignments, color schemes, translucency, animations, fetches and information aids.

Preferably, the user profile record is displayed in summary form on the user interface in such a way that values are displayed next to the heading corresponding to the field.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a memory device comprising: a memory for storing a user profile record; A user interface for displaying the list of stored user profile records and a summary of current settings for the stored user profile records; A device for controlling television program viewing comprising means for entering a user command, wherein if there is a user command, a summary of the current settings for the stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface.

Preferably, the user command is to highlight the stored user profile record in the list, such that a summary of the current settings for the highlighted stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface.

Also preferably, the apparatus further comprises means for selecting a stored user profile record summarized in the user interface and accessing a second user interface to change the stored user profile record corresponding to the selected profile name. . In this embodiment, preferably, the second user interface comprises means for storing the changed user profile record in memory.

Finally, the device receives a user command, obtains a stored user profile record from memory, generates corresponding display information in summary form, receives the stored user profile record to implement user changes to it, and retrieves the changed user profile. Further comprising processor means for storing in memory.

In order to understand the present invention, a detailed description of how the system owner creates and edits user profiles is required.

FIG. 5 illustrates a display module 11 that includes a display area 18 on which a user interface 500 is displayed. Display module 11 is associated with an electronic host device having a nonvolatile memory, a microprocessor, and an associated input command module (not shown). The user interface 500 is adapted for use in creating a new user profile or editing a set user profile stored as a record in non-volatile memory.

The user interface 500 includes a name button 501, a copy settings button 502, a channel list button 503, and a rating limits button 504. ), A viewing hours button 505, an expenditure limit button 506, and a user lock button 507. The user interface 500 further includes a control field 508. When the system owner highlights any of the buttons 501-507, a screen corresponding to the highlighted button appears in the control field 508. Each screen has a field adapted to receive values that the system owner can enter. The value entered by the system owner in the field constitutes several settings / limitations for the profile to be created, which limits user identification; Movie rating limits; TV rating limits; Whether viewing of unrated programs is permitted; Event-specific spending limits and monthly spending limits; The maximum amount of time available for viewing during the weekends and weekdays; The time zone during which satellite programming can be viewed during weekends and weekdays; A channel list that determines whether to block a particular channel or allow access to this channel; Whether the profile is locked or not.

When the system owner completes the operation of entering a value into the field, the owner can then save the value / setting as a user profile record in nonvolatile memory. As saved, the user profile record includes a plurality of fields corresponding to the viewing restrictions that can be set. Within each field are the relevant values entered by the system owner while interacting with the user interface 500.

If 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 will be limited by the restrictions set here. However, the system owner may later decide that he wants to change / edit some of the viewing restrictions set in the user profile.

4 illustrates a prior art interface for selecting a set user profile to be edited according to the conventional method. Display module 11 includes display area 18 having a user interface 400. The system owner accesses the user interface 400 by activating an option to edit the currently set user profile (eg, this option may be activated by making a selection in another user interface or by pressing a button on an input command module). The user interface 400 includes user profile editing cells 401-405. Each user profile editing cell 401-405 contains the name of an already created user profile that has been saved and stored as a record in non-volatile memory as discussed above. As such, user profile editing cells 401-405 effectively form a list of all stored user profile records that have already been created by the system owner.

If the system owner recognizes that the system owner wants to change the settings of a particular user profile, the system owner highlights and selects the user profile editing cells 401-405 corresponding to the stored user profile. As soon as specific cells 401-405 are selected, the user interface of FIG. 5 is displayed on display module 11. As the system owner accesses the user interface displayed in FIG. 5, the microprocessor obtains a user profile record corresponding to the selected cells 401-405 and displays the saved value of this record in buttons 501-507 (FIG. 5). And as soon as the system owner accesses one of the screens associated with buttons 501-507 (FIG. 4), the field is a value that has already been entered by the system owner for the user profile. Thus, these values can be edited and saved in a manner similar to the method discussed above to create a new profile.

However, when using the prior art interface of Fig. 4, the system owner is unsure whether or not he / she wants to change a particular value in the user profile because he is not sure of the exact value entered in the field. Must access the interface of FIG. 4, select a user profile to edit, access the interface of FIG. 5, and then access each screen associated with creating a restriction of the user profile. Only in this way, the system owner can retrieve the stored values (ie user profile settings) for a particular user profile. This takes a lot of time and effort from the system owner's side. This problem is solved by the present invention discussed in detail below.

1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus capable of processing user commands, displaying the user interface screens of FIGS. 5 and 6, and performing a search of stored program guide records. The device can handle both analog NTSC television signals and Internet information. The apparatus has a first input 1100 for receiving a television signal RF_IN at an RF frequency and a second input 1102 for receiving a baseband television signal VIDEO IN. The signal VIDEO IN may be supplied by a video cassette recorder VCR, for example, whereas the signal RF_IN may be supplied from a source such as an antenna or cable system. Tuner 1105 and IF processor 1130 operate in a conventional manner to tune and demodulate certain television signals contained in signal RF_IN. IF processor 1130 generates a baseband video signal VIDEO representing the video program portion of the tuned television signal. IF processor 1130 also generates a baseband audio signal that is coupled to an audio processor (not shown in FIG. 1) for further audio processing. Although FIG. 1 shows the input 1102 as a baseband signal, the television receiver generates unit 1105 and unit 1130 to generate a second baseband video signal from signal RF_IN or from a second RF signal source. It may include a second tuner and an IF processor similar to.

The system shown in FIG. 1 controls elements of a television receiver such as tuner 1105, picture-in-picture processing unit 1140, video signal processor 1155, and StarSight ^™ data processing module 1160. It also includes a main microprocessor (mP) 1110 to do so. As used herein, the term "microprocessor" refers to a variety of devices including, but not limited to, microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, and controllers. The microprocessor 1110 controls the system by sending and receiving both commands and data via the serial data bus I ² C BUS using the well known I ² C serial data bus protocol. More specifically, central processing unit (CPU) 1112 within mP 1110 is shown in FIG. 1 in response to commands provided by a user, for example, via IR remote controller 1125 and IR receiver 1122. The control program included in the same memory as the EEPROM 1127 is executed. For example, activation of the "CHANNEL UP" function on the remote controller 1125 causes the CPU 1112 to send a "change channel" command with channel data to the tuner 1105 via the I ² C bus. do. As a result, tuner 1105 tunes to the next channel in the channel scan list. Another example of a control program stored in the EEPROM 1127 is software that implements the operations shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and 7 (flow diagram form) according to the present invention as described below.

The primary microprocessor 1110 also controls the operation of the communication interface unit 1113 to provide the ability to upload information to and download information from the Internet. The communication interface unit 1113 comprises, for example, a modem for connecting to an Internet service provider via, for example, a telephone line or a cable television line. The communication capability allows the system shown in FIG. 1 to provide Internet-related functions such as e-mail capability and web browsing in addition to receiving television programming.

The CPU 1112 controls the functions included in the mP 1110 via the bus 1119 in the mP 1110. In particular, the CPU 1112 controls the auxiliary data processor 1115 and the on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117. The auxiliary data processor 1115 extracts auxiliary data such as StarSight ^™ data from the video signal PIPV.

StarSight ^™ data, which provides program guide data information in a known format, is generally only received on a particular television channel, and the television receiver must tune to that channel to extract StarSight ^™ data. To prevent StarSight ^TM data extraction from interfering with the normal use of the television receiver, the CPU 1112 extracts StarSight ^TM data by tuning to a particular channel only during periods when the television receiver is not normally used (e.g., 2:00 AM). Initiate. At that time, the CPU 1112 configures the decoder 1115 such that the auxiliary data is extracted from a horizontal line interval such as line 16 used for StarSight ^™ data. The CPU 1112 controls transferring the extracted StarSight ^™ data from the decoder 1115 to the StarSight ^™ module 1160 via the I ² C bus. The processor inside the module formats the data and stores it in the memory within the module. In response to a StarSight ^™ EPG display being activated (eg, a user activates a particular key on remote controller 1125), CPU 1112 sends formatted StarSight ^™ EPG display data from StarSight ^™ module 1160. Send to the OSD processor 1117 via the I ² C bus.

The OSD processor 1117, when coupled to a displayed device (not shown), will generate a displayed image representing the on-screen display information in accordance with FIGS. 5-7 described later. It operates in a conventional manner to generate green (G) and blue (B) video signals (OSD_RGB). The OSD processor 1117 also generates a fast-switch control signal (FSW) that attempts to control a fast switch to insert the signal OSD_RGB into the system's video output signal whenever an on-screen display should be displayed. Create Therefore, when the user enables the various user interface screens of the present invention to be described later, the OSD processor 1117 may display corresponding signals representing on-screen display information already stored or programmed in the memory 1127. Create (OSD_RGB). For example, if the user enables the EPG, for example by activating a particular switch on the remote controller 1125, the CPU 1112 enables the processor 1117. In response, the processor 1117 generates a signal OSD_RGB, which is representative of the program guide data information previously extracted and already stored in the memory, as discussed above. Processor 1117 also generates a signal FSW indicating the time when the EPG should be displayed.

The video signal processor (VSP) 1155 performs conventional video signal processing functions such as luminance and chroma processing. The output signal generated by the VSP 1155 is suitable for coupling to a display device such as, for example, a kinescope or LCD device (not shown in FIG. 1) to produce an image to be displayed. The VSP 1155 also includes a fast switch to couple the signal generated by the OSD processor 1117 to the output video signal path whenever graphics and / or text should be included in the image to be displayed. The fast switch is controlled by a control signal FSW generated by the OSD processor 1117 in the main microprocessor 1110 whenever text and / or graphics are to be displayed.

The input signal for the VSP 1155 is the signal PIPV output by the PIP processor 1140. When the user activates the PIP mode, the signal PIPV represents a large picture (large pixel) into which a small picture (small pixel pix) is inserted. When the PIP mode is deactivated, the signal PIPV indicates that only a large pixel, that is, a small pixel signal is not included in the signal PIPV. PIP processor 1140 provides the functionality described in a conventional manner using the functions contained in unit 1140 such as a video switch, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), RAM, and digital-to-analog converter (DAC). .

As described above, display data included in the EPG display is generated by the OSD processor 1117 and included in the output signal by the VSP 1155 in response to the fast switch signal FSW. For example, if the controller 1110 detects the activation of the EPG display when the user presses the appropriate key on the remote controller 1125, the controller 1110 may cause the OSD processor 1117 to use StarSight information such as program guide data. Generate an EPG display from the ^TM module 1160. The controller 1110 allows the VSP 1155 to combine the video image signal with the EPG display data from the OSD processor 1117 in response to the signal FSW to produce a display including the EPG. The EPG may occupy all or part of the display area.

When the EPG display is in an active state, the controller 1110 executes an EPG control program stored in the EEPROM 1127. The control program monitors the position of position indicators such as cursors and / or highlights in the EPG display. The user controls the position of the position indicator using the direction and selection keys of the remote controller 1125. Alternatively, the system may include a mouse device. The controller 1110 detects the activation of a selection device, such as clicking a mouse button, and displays the current cursor with the EPG data being displayed to determine the required function, for example, tuning to a particular program. Evaluate location information. The controller 1110 consequently activates the control action associated with the selected function.

The processing and display of the program guide according to the present invention may be implemented using a combination of software and hardware. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the display of the EPG may be implemented by software in memory, such as EEPROM 1127. Activation of the EPG, such as for example by a user pressing an EPG related button on the remote controller 1125, causes the CPU 1112 to execute the EPG software routine. As part of generating the EPG display, the CPU 1112 also accesses EPG data and graphics that will be stored in the StarSight ^™ module 1160 via the I ² C bus. Under the control of the EPG software routine stored in the EEPROM 1127, the CPU 1112 enables the OSD processor 1117 to format the EPG data into a form suitable for generating an OSD representing EPG data and graphics. The OSD data generated by the OSD processor 1117 is coupled to the video signal processor (VSP) 1155 through the signal line OSD_RGB. A fast switch in the VSP 1155 couples the EPG OSD data to the output of the VSP 1155 under the control of the signal FSW. That is, a software routine being executed by the CPU 1112 determines when EPG data should be displayed (e.g., which portion of the display) and signals to cause the fast switch to couple the EPG data to its output. Set (FSW) to the appropriate state.

An exemplary embodiment of the system functionality shown in FIG. 1, which has been described above, includes an ST9296 microprocessor produced by SGS-Thomson Microelectronics to provide functionality related to mP 1110; An M65616 PIP processor produced by Mitsubishi to provide the basic PIP functionality described above relating to the PIP processor 1140; And a LA7612 video signal processor produced by Sanyo to provide the functionality of the VSP 1155.

FIG. 2 shows another example of an apparatus capable of processing user commands in accordance with the present invention, displaying the user interface screens of FIGS. 5 and 6, and performing a search of stored program guide records. As described below, the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is an MPEG compatible system for receiving a transport stream encoded in MPEG representing a broadcast program. However, the system shown in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary. The user interface system described herein is also available for other types of digital signal processing devices, including non-MPEG compatible systems, including other types of encoded datastreams. For example, other devices include digital video disc (DVD) systems and MPEG program streams, and systems that combine computer and television functions, such as so-called "PCTV." In addition, although the system described below has been described as processing broadcast programs, this is merely exemplary. The term "program" is used to refer to any form of packetized data such as, for example, telephone messages, computer programs, Internet data or other communications.

In general, in the video receiver system of FIG. 2, a carrier modulated with video data is received by antenna 10 and processed by unit 15. The resulting digital output signal is demodulated by demodulator 20 and decoded by decoder 30. The output from the decoder 30 is processed by the transmission system 25 in response to a command from the remote control unit 125. System 25 provides compressed data output for storage, further decoding, or communication to another device.

Each of the video and audio decoders 85 and 80 decodes the compressed data from the system 25 to provide output for display. Data port 75 provides an interface for compressed data communication from system 25 to another device, such as, for example, a computer or a high definition television (HDTV) receiver. Storage device 90 stores compressed data from system 25 in storage medium 105. The device 90 is stored from the storage medium 105 for processing by the system 25 for decoding in playback mode, communication to another device, or storage on a different storage medium (not shown to simplify the drawing). It also supports retrieval of compressed data.

In FIG. 2, a carrier modulated with video data received by the antenna 10 is converted into digital form and processed by the input processor 15. Processor 15 includes a radio frequency (RF) tuner and an intermediate frequency (IF) mixer and an amplifier stage for down-converting the input video signal to a lower frequency band suitable for further processing. The resulting digital output signal is demodulated by demodulator 20 and decoded by decoder 30. The output from the decoder 30 is further processed by the transmission system 25.

The multiplexer (mux) 37 of the service detector 33 is provided via the selector 35 with an output from the decoder 30 or an output of the decoder 30 which is further processed by the descrambling unit 40. Decryption unit 40 is, for example, ISO 7816 and the National Renewable Security Standards (NRSS) Committee Standard (NRSS Removable Conditional Access System is defined in EIA Draft Document IS-679, Project PN-3639). Removable unit 40, such as a smart card. The selector 35 is insertable and detects the presence of a compatible decryption card and provides the output of the unit 40 to the mux 37 only when the card is currently inserted into the video receiver unit. Otherwise, selector 35 provides the output from decoder 30 to mux 37. The presence of the insertable card allows unit 40 to decrypt additional premium program channels, for example, and provide additional program services to the viewer. In a preferred embodiment, NRSS unit 40 and smart card unit 130 (smart card unit 130 discussed later) share the same system 25 interface such that only one of the NRSS card or smart card can be inserted at a time. It should be noted that. However, the interface may also be separated to allow parallel operation.

The data provided from the selector 35 to the mux 37 is in the form of an MPEG compatible packetized transport data stream as defined in section 2.4 of the MPEG System Standard, and includes program guide information and data content of one or more program channels. do. Each packet constituting specific program channels is identified by a packet identifier (PID). The transport stream includes program specific information (PSI) for use in identifying PIDs and assembling individual data packets to recover the contents of all program channels constituting the packetized data stream. . The transmission system 25 obtains and retrieves program guide information from the Internet service provider through the input transport stream, the storage device 90 or the communication interface unit 116 under the control of the system controller 115. Individual packets containing specific program channel content and program guide information are identified by their packet identifier (PID) contained in the header information. As described above, the program description contained in the program guide information may include different program description fields such as title, starring actor, rating, etc. about the program.

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

Data representing information displayed in the OSD menu may include stored on-screen display (OSD) information representing text / graphics, stored program guide information, and / or an exemplary control program shown in FIGS. 5-7 and discussed below. And in response to the program guide and text / graphic information received via an input signal as described above. The software control program may be stored, for example, in an internal memory (not shown) of the system controller 115.

Using the remote control unit 125 (or other selection means such as a mouse), the user can select from the OSD menu items such as the program to be watched, the program to be stored (eg, recorded), the type of storage medium and the manner of storage. . The system controller 115 uses the selection information provided through the interface 120 to select a program for storage and display and to configure the system 25 to generate a PSI suitable for the selected storage device and medium. The controller 115 controls the signal path through mux 37 and 110 by setting a control register value within the system 25 elements 45, 47, 50, 55, 65 and 95 via the data bus. The components of system 25 are constructed by selecting using signal C.

In response to the control signal C, the mux 37 selects either the transport stream from the unit 35 or the data stream retrieved from the storage device 90 via the storage interface 95 in the playback mode. In normal, i.e., non-playback operation, the data packets making up the program selected by the user for viewing are identified by their selection unit 45 with their PID. If the cryptographic indicator in the header data of the selected program packet indicates that the packets have been encrypted, unit 45 provides the packets to decryption unit 50. Otherwise, the unit 45 provides the unencrypted packets to the transport decoder 55. Similarly, data packets that make up the program the user has selected for storage are identified by their PIDs by the selection unit 47. Unit 47 provides encrypted packets to decryption unit 50 based on packet header cryptographic indicator information, or provides unencrypted packets to mux 110.

The functionality of decoders 40 and 50 may be implemented as a removable single smart card that is compatible with the NRSS standard. This way, if the service provider decides to allow for easy modification of the security system, for example to change the encryption scheme or decrypt different services, all the security related functions in one removable unit that can be easily replaced. To place.

Units 45 and 47 employ a PID detection filter that compares the PID of incoming packets provided by mux 37 with the PID values pre-loaded by the controller 115 into control registers within units 45 and 47. do. The pre-loaded PID is used in units 47 and 45 to identify the data packet to be decoded for use in providing the data packet to be stored and the video image. The pre-loaded PID is stored in a look-up table in units 45 and 47. The PID look-up tables are memory mapped to a cryptographic key table in units 45 and 47 that associate the cryptographic keys to each pre-loaded PID. The memory mapped PID and cryptographic key look-up table allows units 45 and 47 to compare encrypted packets containing the pre-loaded PID with associated cryptographic keys that allow their decryption. Unencrypted packets do not have associated cryptographic keys. Units 45 and 47 provide the decoder 50 with both the identified packets and their associated encryption key. The PID look-up table in unit 45 is also memory mapped to a destination table that compares packets containing pre-loaded PIDs with corresponding destination buffer locations in packet buffer 60. The destination buffer location address associated with the cryptographic key and the program selected by the user for viewing or storage is pre-loaded into units 45 and 47 together with the PID assigned by controller 115. The encryption key is generated from the encryption code extracted from the input datastream by the ISO 7816-3 compliant smart card system 130. The generation of cryptographic keys is based on consumer entitlements and / or insertable smart cards determined from coded information in the input datastream (International Standards Organization document ISO 7816-3, published in 1989, defines the interface and signal structure for smart card systems Subordinate to pre-stored consumer qualifications on its own.

Packets provided to units 50 by units 45 and 47 are provided by the Federal Information Standards (FIPS) publication 46, provided by the US Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service. Encrypted using a cryptographic technique such as the Data Encryption Standard (DES) defined in 74 and 81). Unit 50 decrypts the encrypted packets using the corresponding encryption keys provided by units 45 and 47 by applying a decryption technique suitable for the selected encryption algorithm. Decoded packets from unit 50 and unencrypted packets from unit 45 constituting the program for display are provided to decoder 55. Decoded packets from unit 50 and unencrypted packets from unit 47 that make up the program for storage are provided to mux 110.

Unit 60 includes four packet buffers accessible by controller 115. One of the buffers is allocated to hold the data to be used by the controller 115, and the other three buffers are allocated to hold the packets to be used by the application devices 75, 80, and 85. Access to packets stored in four buffers in unit 60 by both controller 115 and application interface 70 is controlled by buffer control unit 65. Unit 45 provides a destination flag to unit 65 for each packet identified by unit 45 for decoding. The flag indicates the individual unit 60 destination location for the identified packets and is stored in the internal memory table by the control unit 65. The control unit 65 determines a series of read and write pointers associated with the packets stored in the buffer 60 based on the first-in-first-out (FIFO) principle. The write pointer associated with the destination flag allows for sequentially storing the identified packets from unit 45 or 50 at the next free location in the corresponding destination buffer in unit 60. The read pointer allows the controller 115 and the application interface 70 to read packets sequentially from the corresponding unit 60 destination buffer.

The unencrypted and decoded packets provided to decoder 55 by units 45 and 50 include a transport header as defined by section 2.4.3.2 of the MPEG system standard. Decoder 55 determines from the transport header whether the unencrypted and decoded packets contain an adaptation field (according to the MPEG system standard). The adaptation field contains timing information, including, for example, Program Clock References (PCRs) that allow synchronization and decoding of content packets. When a timing information packet, which is a packet containing an adaptation field, is detected, the decoder 55 signals the controller 115 via the interrupt mechanism by setting a system interrupt. In addition, the decoder 55 changes the timing packet destination flag in the unit 65 and provides the packet to the unit 60. By changing the unit 65 destination flag, the unit 65 buffers the unit 60 buffer allocated to hold the data to be used by the controller 115, instead of the application buffer location, with the timing information packet provided by the decoder 55. Branch to location.

Upon receiving the system interrupt set by the decoder 55, the controller 115 reads the timing information and the PCR value and stores it in the internal memory. PCR values of consecutive timing information packets are used by the controller 115 to adjust the system 25 master clock (27 MHz). The difference between the estimates of the PCR based and master clock based time intervals between the receipt of successive timing packets generated by the controller 115 is used to adjust the system 25 master clock. The controller 115 accomplishes this by using the derived time estimate difference to adjust the input control voltage of the voltage controlled oscillator used to generate the master clock. The controller 115 resets the system interrupt after storing the timing information in the internal memory.

Packets containing program content received from units 45 and 50 by decoder 55, including program content including audio, video, captions, and other information, are received from decoder 55 by unit 65. It is directed to the designated application device buffer in the packet buffer 60. The application control unit 70 sequentially retrieves audio, video, captions and other data from the designated buffer in the buffer 60 and provides the data to the corresponding application devices 75, 80 and 85. The application device includes audio and video decoders 80 and 85 and a high speed data port 75. For example, the packet data corresponding to the composite program guide generated by the controller 115 as described is formatted into a video signal suitable for display on a monitor (not shown) coupled to the video decoder 85. Will be sent to the video decoder 85 for Also, for example, data port 75 may be used to provide high speed data, such as a computer program, to a computer, for example. Alternatively, port 75 may be used to output data to the HDTV decoder, for example, to display an image corresponding to the selected program or program guide.

The packet containing the PSI information is recognized by the unit 45 as for the controller 115 buffer in unit 60. PSI packets are directed to this buffer through units 45, 50 and 55 by unit 65 in a manner similar to that described for packets containing program content. The controller 115 reads the PSI from the unit 60 and stores it in the internal memory.

The controller 115 also generates a compressed PSI (CPSI) from the stored PSI and includes the CPSI in a packetized datastream suitable for storage on a selectable storage medium. Packet identification and direction are governed by the controller 115 in the manner previously described in conjunction with the PIDs of units 45 and 47, destination and cryptographic key look-up tables, and the functionality of control unit 65. .

In addition, the controller 115 is coupled to a communication interface unit 116 that operates in a similar manner as the interface unit 1113 in FIG. 1. That is, unit 116 provides the ability to upload information to and download information from the Internet. The communication interface unit 116 comprises a modem for connecting to an internet service provider, for example via a telephone line or a cable television line. This communication capability allows the system shown in FIG. 2 to provide Internet related functions such as email performance and web browsing, in addition to receiving television programming.

3 is a specific implementation of an electronic device schematically shown in FIG. 2 and described in detail above. 3 is a satellite receiver set-top box designed and manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, to receive DIRECTV ^™ satellite service provided by Hughes Electronics. -top box).

As shown in FIG. 3, the set-top box has a tuner 301 that receives and tunes from the satellite antenna 317 applicable satellite RF signals in the 950-1450 MHz range. The tuned analog signal is output to the link module 302 for further processing. Link module 302 includes analog-tuned signals I_out and O_out from tuner 301, including filtering and conditioning of analog signals and converting the analog signals to digital output signals DATA. Is in charge of further processing). The link module 302 is implemented as one integrated circuit (IC). The link module IC is manufactured by SG-Thomson microelectronics, Grenoble, France, and has part number ST 15339-610.

The digital output DATA from the link module 302 consists of compatible packetized data streams that can be recognized and processed by the transmission unit 303. As discussed in detail in connection with FIG. 2, the data stream includes data content of one or more program channels of program guide data information and satellite broadcast services from DIRECTV ^™ . As discussed above, the program guide data includes information related to the type of program (eg, audio only, video only, etc.) as indicated, for example, by the "class" type.

The function of the transmission unit 303 is the same as the transmission system 25 shown in FIG. 2 and already discussed. As described above, the transmitting unit 303 processes the packetized data stream according to the PID included in the header information. The processed datastream is then formatted into audio and video packets compressed in MPEG compatibility and coupled to the MPEG decoder 304 for further processing.

The transmission unit 303 is controlled by an Advanced RISC Microprocessor (ARM) 315, which is a RISC-based microprocessor. The ARM processor 315 executes the control software in the ROM 308. Exemplary components of the software may be, for example, the control program shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for processing user interface commands and displaying OSD information in accordance with aspects of the present invention as discussed below.

The transmission unit 303 may typically be implemented in an integrated circuit. For example, a preferred embodiment is an IC manufactured by SSG-Thomson microelectronics and has part number ST 15273-810 or 15103-65C.

The compressed audio and video packets compatible with MPEG from the transmitting unit 303 are delivered to the MPEG decoder 304. The MPEG decoder decodes the compressed MPEG data stream from the transmission unit 303. Decoder 304 then outputs an available audio stream that can be further processed by audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 305 to convert the digital audio data into analog sound. Decoder 304 also outputs available digital video data representing image pixel information to NTSC encoder 306. NTSC encoder 306 then further processes this video data into an NTSC compatible analog video signal so that the video image can be displayed on a regular NTSC television screen. The MPEG decoder as described above may be implemented in an integrated circuit. One exemplary embodiment may be an MPEG decoder IC manufactured by SG-Thomson Microelectronics having part number ST I3520.

The MPEG processor 304 includes an OSD processor 320. OSD processor 320 reads data from SDRAM 316, which includes stored OSD information. The OSD information corresponds to a bitmap OSD graphic / text image. The OSD processor may change the color and / or translucency of each pixel of the OSD image under the control of the ARM microprocessor 315.

The OSD processor may also be responsible for generating program guides under the control of the ARM processor 315. In an exemplary embodiment, upon detecting a user request to generate a guided display, the ARM microprocessor 315 processes the program guide data information obtained from the datastream provided by the program guide information provider, which may be referred to as a "lattice". To OSD pixel data corresponding to " Guide. &Quot; The OSD pixel data from the transmitting unit 303 is then sent to the OSD processor 320 of the MPEG audio / video decoder 304 to generate the guide image.

The low speed data port 330 is used to connect to an IR-Blaster (not shown) to control the VCR for recording the program. As discussed above, the IR blaster is basically a programmable VCR remote control emulator, controlled by the satellite receiver shown in FIG. It is located in front of the VCR remote sensor of the attached VCR and will send commands such as "ON" and "RECORD" at appropriate times according to the timer screen information entered by the user under the control of the satellite receiver.

Additional relevant functional blocks of FIG. 3 include a modem 307 corresponding to the communication interface unit 116 shown in FIG. 2, for example, to access the Internet. Conditional access module (CAM) 309 corresponds to NRSS decoding unit 40 shown in FIG. 2 to provide conditional access information. The wideband data module 310 corresponds to the high speed data port 75 shown in FIG. 2, for example, to provide high speed data access to an HDTV decoder or computer. The keyboard / IR receiver module 312 corresponds to the remote unit interface 120 shown in FIG. 2 for receiving user control commands from the user control unit 314. The digital AV bus module 313 corresponds to the I / O port 100 shown in FIG. 2 for connection to an external device such as a VCR or DVD player.

7 is a high-level exemplary control program that may be executed by any one of the apparatuses shown in FIGS. 1-3 or any other suitably programmed control arrangement of an electronic host device in accordance with the present invention. level). As used herein, the term “electronic host device” is not limited to a television receiver or a personal computer, but rather a hybrid thereof (eg, PCTV), whether incorporated into or externally connected to a television receiver or a personal computer. , A cable television converter box, a suitably mounted audiovisual program recorder (eg VCR), satellite television and / or data signal converters, program guide receiving units, and the like. It will be appreciated that the method implemented by the exemplary control program may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will, from the flow diagram and the following description, provide that the control program will generally provide the same functionality and advantages in accordance with the present invention when executed by any one of the systems described in FIGS. 1-3 or other suitably programmed electronic host device. Will be easily recognized. Therefore, to avoid redundancy, the control program of FIG. 7 will be described below only with respect to the exemplary hardware implementation shown in FIG. 2 and the interfaces of FIGS. 5 and 6.

The application interface 70 may generate the user interface shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 under the control of the system controller 115. Preferably, the user interface of FIGS. 5 and 6 is created in response to the specific interface being activated (such as, for example, the system owner activating a specific key on remote controller 125 or making a selection in another user interface). do. In response to this activation, system controller 115 transmits user interface data to application interface 70. The application interface 70 then outputs the corresponding display information to the video decoder for display on the display module 11 (FIG. 4).

The system controller 115 performs step 700 of FIG. 7 to store a user profile record in the nonvolatile memory that includes a field having a value. Details of how a user profile record is created and how it is stored in nonvolatile memory have been described in the foregoing discussion with respect to FIG. 5. Therefore, this will not be repeated here.

6 illustrates an interface for selecting an already created user profile to be edited in accordance with 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 back button. 609. Each user profile editing cell 601-606 contains the name of a previously created user profile that was saved and stored as a record in nonvolatile memory as discussed above. The user profile editing cells 601-606 effectively form a list of all stored user profile records previously created by the system owner. Thus, step 710 of FIG. 7 is completed providing a user interface with a stored user profile record list.

As soon as one of the user profile editing cells 601-606 is highlighted using the remote controller 125, the system controller 115 can program to obtain a user profile record associated with the highlighted cells 601-606 from nonvolatile memory. do. This is step 720 of FIG. 7 obtaining the selected stored user profile record from the nonvolatile memory. After obtaining the selected user profile record from the nonvolatile memory, the system controller 115 obtains the value stored in the fields of the selected user profile record related to the channel list, rating limit, viewing time, spending limit, name and user profile lock status. In so doing, system controller 115 completes step 730 of FIG.

The system controller 115 then displays the retrieved value in summary form on the summary menu screen 607 (step 740 of FIG. 7). In detail, this value is displayed in the summary menu screen 607 following the heading corresponding to the field in which the value was stored.

Using the user interface of FIG. 6, the system owner can simply highlight one of the cells 601-606 to browse the settings of the set user profile by causing a summary of the user profile settings to appear. As such, the system owner can quickly assess whether the settings for any of the user profiles need to be changed. The system owner does not have to access the user interface of FIG. 5 (and thus access each setting screen in the user interface) that was needed in prior art systems to make this assessment.

Although the present invention is discussed above in connection with providing a summary display of parental control settings for a user profile, the present invention is not limited to summarizing and displaying parental control values. The present invention can be used to display and summarize any type of user profile value and any combination thereof. For example, the present invention may be configured in user profiles such as identification of default guides to be used, alignment of guides, color settings, translucency settings, animation settings, fetch settings, and whether "help" information is disabled or enabled. Can be used to summarize personal settings. Personal settings are created, edited, and saved in a manner similar to parental control settings.

In addition, the invention, which summarizes stored user profiles in a summary menu, is not limited to those user interfaces used to edit a set user profile. The present invention can be implemented in any user interface where a previously generated list of user profiles exists. Accordingly, the foregoing discussion merely discloses and describes exemplary embodiments of the invention. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in any particular form without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to illustrate the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims, but does not limit these scopes.

As mentioned above, the present invention is used in the field of parental control television systems, in particular in the field of editing, creating and displaying user profiles associated with these systems.

Claims (13)

As a method of controlling viewing of a television program, Storing in the memory a user profile record comprising a field having a value; Providing a user interface having the stored user profile record list; As soon as there is a user command, displaying the stored user profile record in summary form on the user interface, View control method of a television program comprising. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user command comprises highlighting a stored user profile record in the list, such that the value of the highlighted stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface in summary form. , How to control the viewing of television programs. The method of claim 1, comprising accessing a second user interface to edit the value of the displayed stored user profile record as soon as there is a second user command. The method of claim 1, wherein the field comprises one or more parental control fields. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more parental control fields are selected from the group consisting of rating limits, viewing time limits, spending restrictions, user profile locked status, and blocked / viewable channels. . The method of claim 1, wherein the field comprises one or more personalization fields. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more personalization fields comprise a default guide, guide sorting, color scheme, translucency, animation, fetch and A method of controlling the viewing of a television program, selected from the group consisting of information help. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile record is displayed in summary form on the user interface in a format in which values are displayed following headings corresponding to the field. An apparatus for controlling viewing of a television program, Memory for storing user profile records; A user interface for displaying the list of stored user profile records and a summary of current settings for the stored user profile records; Means for entering a user command, Wherein as soon as there is a user command, a summary of the current settings for the stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface. 10. The television of claim 9 wherein the user command highlights a stored user profile record on the list, such that a summary of current settings for the highlighted stored user profile record is displayed in the user interface. View control device of the program. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising means for selecting the stored user profile record summarized in the user interface and accessing a second user interface for changing the stored user profile record corresponding to the selected profile name. Viewing control unit of television program. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second user interface comprises means for saving the modified user profile record to the memory. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving a user command, obtaining a stored user profile record from memory to generate corresponding display information in summary form, receiving the stored user profile record to implement user changes to it, and And processor means for storing a changed user profile in the memory.