KR20050054588A - System for web storage service linked with persnal video recorder set top boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a web storage system interoperating with a PVR set-top box.

The PVR set-top box according to the present invention enables to select a web storage as a storage medium for storing broadcast data received through a predetermined broadcast medium, and when the web storage is selected, the corresponding broadcast data for recording to the web storage system through the Internet network. send. In addition, the web storage system authenticates a user with the PVR set-top box and stores / manages broadcast data received from the PVR set-top box in the user's storage space.

According to the present invention, a customer using the PVR set-top box can store and edit broadcast data more conveniently, and can watch the recorded broadcast anytime and anywhere when the Internet service environment is established. Web storage service providers can acquire new subscribers and keep existing ones. That is, sales of web storage services and PVR set-top boxes can be increased by inducing package sales and natural subscription to web storage services.

Description

System for Web Storage Service linked with Persnal Video Recorder Set Top Boxes}

The present invention relates to a web storage system interoperating with a PVR set-top box, and more particularly, to a system in which a recording function of a PVR set-top box is interlocked with an internet storage service.

Set top boxes that receive broadcasts through various broadcast media such as satellite broadcasts, terrestrial broadcasts, cable broadcasts, and output through a TV receiver are widely used. Unlike VCRs that store video signals on magnetic tapes, PVR set-top boxes are a new concept of digital recorder that records and plays back information on the set-top box itself or on a hard disk drive (HDD) built into a television set (TV). to be. The PVR set-top box stores video signals received through various channels such as satellite broadcasting, digital TV, and cable in a hard disk drive using video compression technology such as MPEG-II.

The hard disk drive used as a storage medium of the PVR set-top box stores a television broadcast signal in the form of a digital signal, which can store about 40 hours of television broadcast with a hard disk capacity of 40 gigabytes. However, if the user does not manage it carefully, the storage capacity of the hard disk overflows easily, and the procedure is complicated and time-consuming to edit the stored image. In addition, there is a limitation that the stored video can be played back or edited only at a place (eg, a home) provided with a PVR set-top box. You can, of course, move it to a personal computer (PC) storage device or a compact disc (CD), but this can be a cumbersome task.

On the other hand, the web (Internet) storage service is a service that provides a certain storage space on the Internet, the user can register an account with a provider that provides a web storage service, and allocated a certain amount of storage space can be used like your own hard disk have. These web storage services are widely provided by service names such as web hard, pop folder, and i-disk, and users can freely store and retrieve data from a remote location, which makes data management very convenient.

Therefore, if the use of data is linked to the PVR set-top box with the advantages of free web storage service regardless of time and space, it will be possible to solve the problems of the conventional PVR set-top box and to use the PVR set-top box more conveniently. .

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to meet the above needs, and by using a PVR set-top box, it is possible to easily store broadcast data such as audio or video in a web storage space. The goal is to make the stored broadcast data available anywhere, anytime, as long as it is improved and connected to the Internet.

In order to achieve the above object, a web storage system interworking with a PVR set-top box according to the present invention enables the web storage to be selected as a storage medium for storing broadcast data received through a predetermined broadcast medium. If selected, PVR set-top box for transmitting the corresponding broadcast data for recording to the web storage system via the Internet; And a web storage service that provides a user with a predetermined storage space through an internet network, and authenticates the user with the PVR set-top box and stores broadcast data received from the PVR set-top box in the user's storage space. It includes a web storage system for managing.

The web storage system may provide an electronic program guide (EPG) to the PVR set-top box through an internet network, and the PVR set-top box may be configured to select a broadcast for recording using the electronic program guide. have.

The web storage system may further include a notification means for notifying a corresponding user of information related to broadcast data stored in the storage space. At this time, the notification means may be configured to transmit information using an e-mail or a mobile phone text message.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the PVR set-top box 22 according to the present invention receives a broadcast signal through various broadcast media 10 such as satellite, terrestrial, cable, and the like as its original function. do.

The user can control the PVR set-top box 22 using various keys provided on the remote controller 23 or the PVR set-top box itself, and the broadcast image received from the broadcast medium selected by the user is output through the television receiver 21. do. In addition, it is also possible to record a broadcast image on a digital data storage medium installed in the PVR set-top box 22 or the television receiver 21. As a digital data storage medium for recording broadcast video, a hard disk drive (HDD) is generally used.

In particular, the PVR set-top box 22 according to the present invention is configured to select a web storage as a storage medium for recording broadcast video, and when the web storage is selected, the corresponding broadcast video for recording through the Internet network 40 Transfer to a web storage system 30 that provides a storage service. To this end, the PVR set-top box 22 includes an internet access function, and may include a web browser displayed on the screen of the television receiver 21. In this embodiment, the user can access the web storage system using the web browser of the PVR set-top box 22 and apply for the web storage service.

The web storage system 30 is a system that provides each user with a storage space on the Internet.

The web server 31 is a component that performs various user interfaces for web services, such as membership registration, bulletin board operation, online payment, provision of related information, and login, by accessing each user terminal through the Internet network 40.

The user accesses the homepage provided by the web server 31 to apply for a web storage service, register a user ID and password, and receive necessary storage space. At this time, in the case of a paid service, the corresponding fee is paid. After the user logs in to the web server 31, the user can freely read and write data in his or her storage space.

The authentication server 32 stores and manages information for each customer (for example, personal information, ID, password, contact information, etc.) in the customer information database 33, and is a registered user for a user accessing the web server 31. It plays a role in authenticating recognition.

The file server 34 manages the storage space allocated to each user through the file information database 35, and allows the authenticated user to access his storage space through the authentication server 32.

In addition to the web storage service described above, the web storage system 30 according to the present invention authenticates a user by connecting to a user-side PVR set-top box 22 and stores a broadcast image received from the PVR set-top box 22 in a storage space of the user. And manage. Therefore, when using the web storage service according to the present invention, a user authentication procedure (login procedure) must be performed between the PVR set-top box 22 and the web server 31.

The web storage system 30 according to the present invention may be configured to provide an electronic program guide (EPG) to the PVR set-top box 22 through the Internet network 40.

Referring to FIG. 1, the EPG server 36 transmits the electronic program guide stored in the integrated EPG database 37 to the PVR set-top box 22 of the user through the Internet network 40. Then, the user can view the broadcast program for each broadcast medium through the screen of the television receiver 21. In such an embodiment, the user may select a broadcast for recording by using the electronic program guide transmitted from the web storage system 30. For example, the user may execute the recording command through the screen of the television receiver 21 by operating the remote controller 23, and execute the recording command by using the recording button or other function button of the PVR set-top box 22. You can also

In addition, the web storage system 30 may be configured to notify the user of information related to broadcast data stored in the storage space. In this embodiment, a mail server 38 for notifying through e-mail and a WAP server 39 for notifying through a mobile phone text message are included. Examples of information that informs the user include the title of the broadcast being recorded, the recording completion time, the recording time, and the remaining storage capacity.

An example of a procedure of recording to a web storage space according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.

When the recording point specified by the user using the electronic program guide or other method, the PVR set-top box starts recording (S51). At this time, if the storage medium set by the user is a hard disk drive, recording is performed on the hard disk drive installed in the PVR set-top box itself or the television set (S52).

However, if the user selects the web storage as a storage medium for storing the broadcast data, the PVR set-top box automatically attempts to log in by accessing the web server of the web storage system through the Internet (S53). Login can be done through the authentication server.

The procedure for authentication performed in step S53 can be variously configured. For example, when a user makes a scheduled recording, since the reservation point and the recording point are separated, the PVR set-top box and the web server may be configured to remain online until logging in at the reservation point and the recording ends. You can also configure the user to enter login information into the PVR set-top box when recording a recording, and send the login information entered by the user to the web server when the PVR set-top box and the web storage system are connected at the time of recording. have.

When the user is authenticated through step S53, the PVR set-top box starts transmitting the broadcast video data to the web storage system (S54), and the web storage system receives the data from the corresponding PVR set-top box in the user's web storage space of the file information database. The broadcast data is stored (S55).

When storing of the broadcast data is finished, the user can be notified of the title, recording completion time, recording time, and remaining capacity of the broadcast program stored through the mail server or the WAP server through an e-mail or a mobile phone text message (S56). ).

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be variously modified and implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

According to the present invention, a customer using the PVR set-top box can store and edit broadcast data more conveniently, and can watch the recorded broadcast anytime and anywhere when the Internet service environment is established.

Web storage service providers can acquire new subscribers and keep existing ones. That is, sales of web storage services and PVR set-top boxes can be increased by inducing package sales and natural subscription to web storage services.

1 is a preferred embodiment of a web storage system according to the present invention,

2 illustrates an example of a process of recording according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: broadcasting medium 20: PVR set-top box system

21: TV set 22: PVR set top box

23: remote control 30: web storage system

31: Web Server 32: Certificate Server

33: Customer Information Database 34: File Server

35: File Information Database 36: EPG Server

37: Integrated EPG Database 38: Mail Server

39: WAP server 40: Internet network

Claims (4)

A PVR set-top box for selecting a web storage as a storage medium for storing broadcast data received through a predetermined broadcast medium, and transmitting the corresponding broadcast data for recording to a web storage system through an internet network when the web storage is selected; And Provides a web storage service that provides a user with a certain storage space through the Internet network, and authenticates the user with the PVR set-top box and stores the broadcast data received from the PVR set-top box in the user's storage space / Web storage system that works with the PVR set-top box, characterized in that it comprises a web storage system to manage. The method of claim 1, The web storage system provides an electronic program guide (EPG) to the PVR set-top box through an internet network, The PVR set-top box is linked with the PVR set-top box, characterized in that configured to select the broadcast for recording using the electronic program guide. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The web storage system further includes a notification means for notifying the user of information related to broadcast data stored in the storage space. The method of claim 3, wherein The notification means is a web storage system that works with the PVR set-top box, characterized in that the notification using one or more methods of e-mail and mobile phone text messages.