MX2008012832A

MX2008012832A - Apparatus for providing multiple screens and method of dynamically configuring multiple screens.

Info

Publication number: MX2008012832A
Application number: MX2008012832A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Kwang-Kee Lee; Glenn A Adams; Jong-Ho Lee; Un-Gyo Jung; Sung-Wook Byun
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-04-06
Filing date: 2007-04-05
Publication date: 2008-10-17
Also published as: MX2008012828A; CA2648466A1; MX2008012870A; MX2008012862A; CA2648599A1; CA2648928A1; KR20070100135A; MX2008012861A; CA2648597A1; CA2648467A1; KR20070100138A; MX2008012821A; MX2008012833A; CA2648619A1; KR20070100136A; KR20070100118A; CA2648940A1; MX2008012864A; MX2008012871A; KR20070100137A

Abstract

An apparatus for providing multiple screens and a method of dynamically configuring multiple screens is provided. The apparatus for providing multiple screens is capable of connecting a plurality of screens to a plurality of output ports so as to dynamically configure the plurality of screens which provide multiple contents on a single physical display device. The apparatus for providing multiple screens includes a service processing module which generates an output screen and a plurality of logical screens for displaying a plurality of services, and an output module which searches the plurality of logical screens for a logical screen combination that can be connected to an output port and that is mapped to the output screen, and maps the output screen to the output port.

Description

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MULTIPLE SCREENS AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURING MULTIPLE SCREENS FIELD OF THE INVENTION Apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention relate to the provision and dynamic configuration of multiple screens and more particularly, to the connection of a plurality of screens to a plurality of output ports to dynamically configure the plurality of screens that provide multiple contents on a simple physical display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Related-art broadcast receivers such as digital televisions (TVs) or digital top-adjustment boxes provide only one content element in a simple physical display device or simultaneously display a main screen and a sub-screen over a simple physical screen device. Although the broadcast receivers of the related art can simultaneously display the main screen and the sub-screen on the same display screen, these can only accommodate the main screen and the sub-screen in a limited number of ways. REF. : 196817 In the case of an article of content displayed within the main screen, all elements of the content article, for example, video data, audio data, and other data, are displayed visually. On the other hand, in the case of an article of content displayed within the sub-screen, only some of the elements of the content article are shown. The content sources include a broadcast service such as a satellite diffuser, a terrestrial diffuser, or a cable diffuser, a storage medium such as digital versatile disks (DVDs.), Or an external device connected to a terminal. entry. However, it is very difficult to display content articles provided by such diverse content sources on a display screen using the existing broadcast receivers. In an interactive TV application program environment such as the Multimedia Home Platform (HP), the Advanced Common Application (ACAP), and the Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) , for its acronym in English), it is assumed that only one screen is sent out on a physical display device. In the interactive TV application program environment, for example, a user interface is adopted (UI) based on Audio / Video Home Interoperability (HAVi). According to the HAVi UI standard, even when no restriction is imposed on the number of screens displayed on a physical display device, only one screen is generally displayed on a physical display device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In such an environment, it is difficult to perform operations, such as decoding, digital signal processing, user interaction processing, etc., with respect to one among the articles or multimedia content items displayed on a screen, while displaying multimedia content articles on separate screens. In addition, it is also difficult to dynamically control the life cycles of application programs and the use of resources in the units of the screens. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of displaying a variety of content articles on a dynamically configured screen. The present invention provides an apparatus and method for the dynamic configuration of multiple displays, which provide a plurality of contents on a physical display device. According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for providing multiple screens is provided. The apparatus includes a service processing module that generates an output screen and a plurality of logic screens to visually display a plurality of services., and an output module that searches for the plurality of logic screens for a logical screen combination that can be connected to an output port and that is mapped to the output screen, and maps the output screen to the output port. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for dynamically configuring multiple screens is provided. The method includes the generation of an output screen and a plurality of logic screens for displaying a plurality of services, the search for the plurality of logic screens for a logic screen combination that can be connected to an output port and which is mapped. to the output screen, and the mapping of the output screen to the output port.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent in describing in detail the exemplary embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figures 1A to 1H are diagrams illustrating the configurations of a PiP screen according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logic screen and a display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 3A to 3E are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a screen including a mapper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the sources of service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a non-abstract service and an abstract service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating attribute information and the interfaces of a logic screen and a display screen; Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a "z-order" attribute of a logic display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 8A to 8B are diagrams illustrating each a "display / area" attribute of a logic screen according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention; Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a method to map two services to a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 11A and 11B are flow charts illustrating a method for dynamically configuring multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the software architecture for providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationships between the modules that constitute an application programming interface (API) layer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating the process for displaying a plurality of services on a display screen through logic screens by the modules illustrated in Fig. 13, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 15 is a state diagram illustrating the operation of the output module according to a modality exemplary of the present invention; Figures 16A and 16B are views illustrating an example of a code for searching and changing the output port according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 17 is a flow chart illustrating the process for changing the plurality of services displayed on the logic screen by the modules illustrated in Figure 13, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The advantages and characteristics of the present invention and the methods to achieve them, can be understood more easily with reference to the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments and the attached figures. The present invention can, however, be exemplified in many different forms and should not be considered as limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this description will be comprehensive and complete and will completely transfer the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention will be solely defined by the appended claims. Similar reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the specification. The present invention is hereinafter described with reference to the illustrations of the flowchart of the user interfaces, the methods and the computer program products according to the exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and the combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by instructions of the computer program. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, to produce a machine, such as instructions, which are executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create the means to implement the functions specified in the block or blocks of the flowchart. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a usable computer or computer-readable memory that can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing device, to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer use, or computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacturing that includes the instruction means that implement the function specified in the block or blocks of the flowcharts. The instructions of the computer program may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device, to produce an increased computer process such that the instructions that run on the computer or other programmable device, provide the steps to implement the functions specified in the block or flowchart blocks. Each block of the flowchart illustrations may represent a module, segment or portion of the code, comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks illustrated in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. For a better understanding of the present invention, the terms used in this description will be now defined. The term "service" indicates a group of articles or multimedia content items displayed together, for example, a group of service components. Service components are elements of a service and include a video component, an audio component, and a data component. A data component is an application program in a service. In addition, applications are classified in an unlinked or unlinked application and an application linked to the service. Since the unlinked application has a high priority, the resource is gently assigned. The monitor application corresponds to a specific non-linked application that has the highest priority. The linked application is associated with a transport stream and allows a lower priority than that of the unlinked application. The application linked to the service does not work as a critical system. When a competition for resources occurs, the application linked to the service has a greater possibility of abandoning the allocation of resources than the unlinked application. The application linked to the service includes a type of set that operates in conjunction with a current that is being transported and a non-set type that operates dependently on the current.

The term "service context" indicates an object that can control the execution of a service and includes various resources, devices and information of the execution status necessary to provide a service. The term "physical visualization device" indicates a physical space that effectively displays the content of a service. The term "display screen" indicates a screen effectively displayed on a physical display device. An arbitrary service can be directly established on the display screen, and the display screen can be displayed on a physical display device. Alternatively, at least one logical screen that is mapped to a certain area of the display screen can be displayed on the physical display device. The term "logical screen" indicates a space in which an arbitrary service is displayed. A logical screen is a virtual screen before it is mapped to a display screen, and thus it is not displayed on a physical display device. The logic screen and the display screen can be a combination of a fixed background image, a still video image and a graphic image. The graphic still image can be a combination of text, lines, colors and images or a mix of video frames. The term "main service" indicates a service that is selected as a main service through a menu displayed on the physical display device or a remote controller by a user, or through an API by an application, and the screen in the which is the main service displayed, is referred to as a "main screen". The term "Image in Picture service" (PiP service) indicates a service that is selected as a sub-service in the main service through a main menu through a menu displayed on a display device physical or a remote controller by a user, or via an API by an application, and the PiP service can be displayed on a screen image in image (PiP screen) or a main screen. The PiP screen includes a screen that occupies a part of another screen, as illustrated in Figures 1A to ID and a screen that is simultaneously displayed with another screen without overlapping the other screen, as illustrated in Figures 1E to 1F. In this case, it is understood that the PiP screen may include a screen that overlaps another screen over an arbitrary site or area in the physical display device, as illustrated in Figures 1G and 1H.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logic screen and a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 2, a service can be displayed using logic screens 210, 212 and 214. Logical displays 210, 212 and 214 are mapped to display screens 220, 222 and 224 through a mapping block 230. In In detail, the logic displays 210 and 212 are mapped to the display 220, the logic displays 212 and 214 are mapped to the. display screen 222, and logic displays 210, 212 and 214 are mapped to display screen 224. In summary, at least one logical display showing a service is mapped to an arbitrary area of a display screen by the display block. mapping The mapping block 230 is a group of various pieces of information necessary for the mapping of a logic screen to a display screen. Examples of the various pieces of information include the coordinated information of a predetermined area on a display screen to which each of the plurality of logic screens, the identification information of the logic screens and the display screen are mapped, and the information that specifies in what order the logical screens are displayed on the display screen. The mapping block 230 can change the size of the logic screen to be assigned in an arbitrary area of the display screen. That is, the mapping block 230 can perform the scaling of the logic screen and the assignment of the position of the same, and FIGS. 3A to 3E are diagrams illustrating a screen configuration including a mapper as the mapping block. With reference to Figure 3A, the main screen including a combination of a fixed background image B, a video background image V, a graphic background image G is mapped to the full display screen by a mapper with a size normal. The PiP screen that includes only video components is mapped to the full screen by the mapper with a small size. In this case, the mapped PiP screen is displayed on the main screen, which is determined depending on the Z value. The Z reference character refers to the z-order value that will be described later. An overlay screen can be combined with the display screen. The overlay screen is a specific screen placed on the outermost side, and can be used when a capture function is provided. The PiP screen can only have one video component as illustrated in Figure 3A, or may have a combination of the background still image B, the video background image V, and the graphic background image G, as illustrated in Figure 3B. With reference to Figure 3C, the main screen including the combination of the fixed background screen B, the video background screen V, and the graphic background image G, is mapped to the full display screen by the mapper with a normal size The PiP screens # 1 and # 2 that have only the video component are mapped to an arbitrary area of the display screen by the mapper, with a small size. In this case, the mapped PiP screen is placed on the main screen and the Z value can be constantly maintained. In addition, the overlay screen can be combined with the display screen. The screen configuration may have a plurality of PiP screens including only video components as illustrated in Figure 3C or a plurality of PiP screens including a combination of the background image B, the video background image V, the graphic background image G, as illustrated in figure 3D. The out-of-picture image screens (POPs) are illustrated in Figure 3E. It can be understood that the PiP screen of the related technique is shown inside the main screen and the POP screen is shown outside the main screen. With reference to Figure 3E, the plurality of PiP screens # 1 and # 2 that include a combination of the fixed background image B, the video background image V and the graphic background image G are mapped to arbitrary areas of the screen of visualization by the mapper with a reduced size. In this case, the Z value of the POP screens # 1 and # 2 mapped can be constantly maintained. In addition, the overlay screen can be combined with the display screen. The mapping block 230 can be realized by interfaces or functions prepared by various computer program languages to be executed, and to create or change the relationship between the logic screen and the display screen by using the above information, as parameters . Also, the mapping block 230 can be performed by a hardware (hardware) having a mapping function between a logic screen and a display screen. In addition, the services provided by various service sources can be displayed on a display screen, and the display screen can be displayed on a physical display device, as illustrated in Figure 4.

There are service sources that provide broadcasting services such as a terrestrial broadcaster 320 and a cable broadcaster 330, service sources that provide services stored in a storage medium such as a personal video recorder (PVR) 340, and service sources (not illustrated in Figure 4) that provide services via a wired network or a wireless network. A broadcasting receiver 310 receives the services from the service sources and produces the logical screens showing each of the received services. Then, an arbitrary service is directly established on the display screen to be displayed on a physical display device, using a predefined method or a method established by a user or an application. Otherwise, at least one logical screen that is mapped to an arbitrary area on the display screen, is displayed on a physical display device 350. In summary, the services provided by the terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330, and the PVR are displayed visually on the physical display device 350. The terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330, and the PVR 340 are illustrated in Figure 4 being service sources, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Any type of multimedia content source that provides multimedia contents that can be viewed together can be a source of service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The services according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be classified into abstract services and non-abstract services, as illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B. Abstract services are not services provided by broadcast signals transmitted in real time, but services independent of broadcasting channels. Abstract services include only data components, for example, application programs, without video components and audio components. Examples of abstract services include services that have unrelated applications, based on the OCAP standard. It is understood that non-abstract services are services different from abstract services. According to the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention, abstract services and non-abstract services have independence. For example, abstract services can be directly established on the 1 physical display device not through logical screens, and non-abstract services can be visualized on logical screens. Then, the logical screens can be mapped to the display screen in which the abstract services are established. After this, the display screen can be sent out through the physical display device. By doing so, abstract services can be visualized on a display screen independently of non-abstract services. In addition, abstract services and non-abstract services can be mapped to different logical screens. After this, the logic screens can be mapped to a simple display screen. In other words, abstract services can be visualized on the display screen independently of non-abstract services. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the logic screen and the display screen can be categorized as being different objects. Alternatively, a screen can serve as a logical screen or a display screen according to the attributes information of a screen object. In detail, if an object on the screen is a logical screen or a display screen this depends of the "type" information between the attributes of the object on the screen. The attributes of the screen object include a plurality of attributes of "Order z", "Display_Area", "Visibility", "Associate_Visualization_Screen", "Partner_Service_Context" and "Output Port". Figure 6 illustrates the attribute information of a screen object and the interfaces for processing the attributes of the screen. A "type" 510 attribute is to determine a type of screen - a logical screen or a display screen. A "z-order" attribute 520 is for determining in which order a plurality of logic screens are arranged along the Z-axis. Figure 7 illustrates a configuration of logic screens on a physical display device for a combination of the attribute values "z-order" of the logic screens. With reference to Figure 7, the first and second logic displays 620 and 630 are respectively mapped to the predetermined areas of a display 610. In detail, the first logic display 620 is visually displayed on the display screen 610, and the second logical screen 630 is shown on the display screen by partially overlapping the first screen logic 620. In other words, the display 610, the first logic screen 620 and the second logic display 630 are sequentially arranged in the z-axis direction. In this case, an attribute "z-order" of the first logical display 620 can be set to a value of 1, and a tribute "z-order" of the second logical display 620 can be set to a value of 2. The attributes " z-order "of the first and second logical displays 620, 630 may be established to any numbers or characters, as long as these may represent a certain order in which the first and second logical displays 620 and 630 are to be accommodated throughout. of the Z axis. An attribute "area_view" 530 is information regarding an area of the display screen of a logic screen, which will be illustrated in Figures 8A, and 8B. Figures 8A illustrates a logical display 710 that is mapped to a full area of the display screen 720, and Figure 8B illustrates that a logical display 730 is mapped to a partial area of the display screen 740. The attribute "display_rea" it may include information specifying the two-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined portion of a display screen to which a logic screen is to be mapped or may include information specifying a predetermined position on the display screen and a displacement value that indicates how much the logical screen deviates from the predetermined position on the display screen. A "visibility" attribute 540 determines whether a logical display is visibly or invisibly displayed on a display screen. It is possible to make a logical screen appear on or disappear from a display screen by altering the value of the attribute "visibility" 530. An attribute "associated_view_visualization" 550 is the information regarding the display screens associated with a logical screen, a screen logic that is not associated with any display screens can not be displayed on a physical display device nor transmitted to external output devices. An attribute "associated_service_contexts" 560 is the information regarding the contexts of services connected to a logical screen or a display screen. The services established in such service contexts can be displayed on a logical screen or a display screen. An attribute "port of exit" 570 is the information regarding the devices by which a display screen will be output, and such devices include display screens, wired / wireless media, and various storage media. The interfaces to identify or alter the values of the attributes illustrated in Figure 6 can be provided. With reference to figure 6, the interfaces can include an "ADJUST" interface for the adjustment values of the connection of a logical screen to a display screen, an "ADD" interface to add attribute values or connect a logical screen to a service, a "OBTAIN" interface to identify the attribute values, and a "REMOVER" interface to suppress attribute values. These interfaces may include processes, functions, procedures or methods that perform their functions, respectively. For example, a "get display (empty)" method returns to a display screen associated with a current screen. In detail, if the current screen is a logical screen, the "get screen display (empty)" method returns the associated display screen. If the current screen is the display screen, the "get display screen (empty)" method returns the reference information regarding the current screen. Also, if the current screen is a logical screen, but there is no associated screen, the method "get display screen (empty)" returns to a value of "NULL". According to yet another example, a method "set-display area (HPnetlock rectangle rectangle) empty, public, throws a security exception, illegal status exception" provides a function for mapping the current logical screen to a predetermined area of the associated display screen. An example that is provided as a parameter is a class "HP Rectangle screen" of a package "org havi. Ui", and it has information of the two-dimensional position. The execution of the methods "Security Exception" and "Exception of Illegal Status" can be conducted as an exceptional operation for the "Set Exit Screen (Screen H screen)" method. The "Illegal State Exception" method can be executed when the current screen is a logical screen or when a portion of a display screen associated with a current logical screen can not change due to the characteristics of a host platform. According to yet another example, a "Get Output Area (empty)" method returns a regional information from a current screen as information from the HP Rectangle screen. If the current screen corresponds to a display screen, the method "Get Output Area (empty)" returns the Display-Rectangle information, which has the same value as HP Rectangle screen (0,0,1,1). If the current screen is a logical screen, the "get Output Area (empty)" method returns the information regarding an area on a display screen occupied by the current screen. If the current screen is a logical screen, but it is not associated with any display screen, the "get Output Area (empty)" method returns a "NULL" value. Certain terms are used throughout the following description to refer to particular interfaces. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that a particular function is simply named to indicate its functionality. This detailed description of exemplary modalities is not intended to distinguish between functions that differ in name but not in function. Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a process in which two services are established on two logic screens to be mapped to a simple display screen. With reference to Figure 9, a first service includes all three service components, e.g., video, audio and data components, and a second service includes only video and audio components. However, the present invention does not impose restrictions on the components of the service, and the first and second services illustrated in Figure 9, are exemplary. As illustrated in Figure 9, the first and second services are displayed on a physical display device in almost the same manner as in the related art. According to the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to display a plurality of services on a physical display device, independently of one another, without imposing any restriction on the number of services that can be displayed on a simple display screen . Figure 10 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 10, an apparatus 900 for providing multiple displays includes a digital signal processing module 940, a service processing module 950, an output module 960, and a user / application interface module 965. Also, the apparatus 900 includes a module 910 for receiving the broadcast signal, a storage means 920, and an external input module 930 as service sources, and includes a physical display device 970, a storage means 980, and an external output module 990 as output means of services. The term "module" as used herein, means, but is not limited to a computer hardware component (software) or physical equipment (hardware), such as a Field Programmable Input Array (FPGA for short) in English) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC, for its acronym in English), which performs certain tasks. A module can be configured salefully to reside on the storage medium dirigible and configured to be executed in one or more processors. In this way, a module can include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures , subroutines, program code segments, units, microprogramming, microcodes, set of circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. The functionality provided in the components and modules can be combined in fewer components and modules or additionally separated into additional components and modules. The digital signal processing module 940 receives various information from a service such as an item or article of multimedia content, for example, information of video, audio information, or data information, from the broadcast signal reception module 910, the storage means 920, or the external input module 930. The broadcast signal receiving module 910 receives a signal from satellite, terrestrial or cable broadcasting and transmitting the received broadcast signal, the storage means 920 stores the video information, the audio information or the data information of a service, and the external input module 930 receives the information of video, audio information, or data information of a service from an external device such as a network interface module connected to a network. The digital signal processing module 940 restores a plurality of services using the received service components. Restored services include abstract and non-abstract services. Here, the phrase "a plurality of services" refers to two or more services transmitted by the broadcast signal reception module 910 or two or more services respectively transmitted by the broadcast signal reception module 910 and the storage medium 920. The digital signal processing module 940 can restore the services according to the selection by a user or an application with the help of user interface module 965 / application. In this case, the user or the application can select the connection between an arbitrary service and a screen. The service processing module 950 generates one or more logic displays and a display screen for displaying services restored by the digital signal processing module 940. The output module 960 maps a plurality of logic screens produced by the service processing module 950 to the display screen. The mapping of the logic screens to the display screen can be conducted using a predefined method or a user-established method with the help of the 965 user / application interface module. A service restored by the vital signal processing module 940 can not be processed by the 950 service processing module. Rather, a service restored by the digital signal processing module 940 can be directly mapped to a certain portion of a display screen generated by the output module 960. A display screen provided by the output module 960 can be displayed about the 970 physical display device or it can be stored in the storage medium 980. Examples of the storage medium 980 include computer-readable flexible disks, hard disks, (CD-ROM), DVD, DVD-40M, BD (Blu-ray Disc), and semiconductor memories.Also, a display screen provided by the output module 960 can be transmitted to an external device connected to a network via the external output module 990. For this, the output module 960 may include a plurality of output gates by means of which a display screen may be provided.In this case, a screen The display module can be provided via an output gate positioned beforehand as an omission or an output gate chosen by the user with the help of the user / application interface module 965. The output module 960 can search for an output port connected to the In other words, the output module 960 searches for an output port connected to a predetermined screen between the screens generated by the service processing module 950. The screen cited at the output sought by the output module 960 can be any of a logical screen on which an application included in a corresponding service, or a display screen to which a logical screen is mapped. In addition, a display screen connected to an output port sought by the output module 960 can be a screen on which an application is made by mapping the logic screen or a screen on which the application is directly made without mapping the logical screen. In addition, the output module 960 can generate at least one output port with respect to a screen, to be mapped to the screen. In other words, a user or an application can transmit content displayed on the screen to the physical display device 970, the storage medium 980, or the external output module 990 through the user interface module 965 / application. At this time, the output module 960 can separately generate the corresponding output port for each path, and map with the corresponding screen. In addition, the output module 960 can change a connection relationship between the screen and the output port connected to the screen. For example, when the first screen is mapped to the first port and the second screen is mapped to the second port, the output module 960 can connect the first screen to the second port or connect the second screen to the first port based on the selection of the user or the application. More than one service can be received. In this case, the service processing module 950 can generate a plurality of logic screens to represent a plurality of the received services. That is, the service processing module 950 generates a plurality of logic screens that are used to represent a plurality of the received services, respectively. The service processing module 950 generates a plurality of logic screens, the output module 960 can search the logic screens for a logic screen that can be connected to an output port, and map an output screen to which the screen combination Identified logic is mapped to the output port. That is, the output module 960 can map to a single output screen or one or more logic screens that are selected from among the logic screens generated by the service processing module 950, and can map the output screen comprising the logical screens selected to a simple output port. The output module 960 can search for a logical screen combination that can be connected to an output port by reference to the display attributes of the logic displays and the output port. Examples of screen attributes include the proportion and the layout of the screen. For example, if the ratio of the screen of an output port is a high definition (HD) level, the output module 960 can search for the HD logic displays. On the other hand, if the screen proportion of the output port is a standard definition level (SD) the output module 960 can search for the SD logical displays. The output module 960 can map a logical screen combination that has already been mapped to an output port to one or more other output ports. Accordingly, a screen may be constituted by a combination of logic screen comprising one or more logic screens, and the screen may be outputted via a plurality of output ports. The user or the request can choose one of a plurality of services or restore the desired services using the user / application interface module 965. Also, the user can choose one of a plurality of display screens using the user / application interface module 965. Since the modules illustrated in Figure 10 are divided according to their functions, they may be connected to the other modules. Figure 11A is a flow chart illustrating a method for dynamically configuring multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In general, the video information, the audio information, and the data information that constitutes a multimedia content item are transmitted in a predetermined format, for example, an MPEG stream format. In operation S1010, an apparatus for providing a service such as a multimedia content service receives video information, audio information, and data information and restores a service based on video information, audio information , and the data information. Here, the restored service in operation S1010 may be selected or previously determined by a user or an application. The user can use a menu displayed on the physical display device or a remote controller to select the connections between an arbitrary screen and a screen. The application can select the connections using an API. In addition, the data information includes application information regarding the application for a service, and this application information includes the signal information indicating whether or not the application can be executed on a PiP screen. Examples of the application information include an application information table (AIT) based on the MHP standard, and a table of Extended application information (XAIT) based on the OCAP standard. The signal information can be added to the application information. After this, in operation S1020, the restored service is established, such that it can be displayed on a logical screen. In operation S1030, the logic screen is mapped to a display screen. In operation S1040, the display screen is provided to the user using a display screen, a storage medium or a network. Figure 11B is a flow diagram illustrating the process of searching and changing the port of departure, in detail. In operation S1050, the output module 960 can search for an output port connected to the display screen, based on the control command from the user or the application. In operation S1060, the output module 960 can change the output port connected to the display screen based on a control command from the user or the application. That is, when the control command is entered to search for the output port from the user or the application, the output module 960 searches for an output port connected to the current display screen. Also, when the control command is entered to change the output port from the user or the application, the output module 960 connects the output port connected to the current display screen to another output port, thus changing the connection ratio. The restored service is illustrated in Figures 11A and 11B as it is displayed on a physical display device via a logic screen. However, the restored service can be directly displayed on a physical display device without going through the logical screen. When the user selects the PiP service, the PiP service is performed in two modes. In the first mode, only the video component for the PiP service selected on the main screen is provided without creating a separate logical screen for the PiP service, ie the PiP screen. In the second mode, a separate logical screen for the PiP service is created to provide the PiP service selected on the created PiP screen. Figures 11A and 11B illustrate a method for mapping only a service to a display screen, for simplicity. However, a plurality of services can be mapped to a display screen with or without passage through a plurality of logic screens. When a display screen is provided to the user in this way, the user can perform a plurality of services. Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the software architecture for providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 12, the software architecture 1100 includes a device driver layer 1110, an API layer 1120, and an application layer 1130. The driver layer of the device 1110 receives the service components from various sources of multimedia content and decodes the received service components. Examples of received service components include video information, audio information and data information. The API 1120 layer generates a logical screen and a display screen, and maps a service, the logical screen, and the display screen to each other. The application layer 1130 provides a user interface, so that a user can dynamically configure a logical screen that displays a service or transmits a user command to the API 1120 layer, so that the API 1120 layer can execute the command of the user. The user enables the device driver layer 1110 with the help of the application layer 1130 to provide a display screen via a physical display device, or to store the display screen in a storage medium. In addition, the user can enable the device driver layer 1110 to transmit a display screen to an external device via a network. For this, the device driver layer 1110 may include a plurality of output ports that can provide a display screen. Otherwise, the API layer 1120 may include the plurality of output ports. In order to dynamically configure a plurality of logic screens on a display screen. The API layer 1120 may include a plurality of software modules, for example, a multi-screen manager module "Multiscreen Manager" 1210, a multi-display context module "Multiscreen Context" 1230, a multiple-screen context receiver module "Multiscreen Context Receiver" 1250, and a multi-display context event module "Multiscreen Context Event" 1240, as illustrated in Figure 13. The 1210 multi-display manager module handles the multiple-display context module 1230 , searches for a desired screen, displays the information that specifies which devices are shared by the screens, registers the 1250 multi-screen context receiver module, or cancels the registration of the multiple display context receiver module 1250. The multi-display context display module 1230 is an interface object associated with a display object 1220 and determines whether the display object 1220 is to become a logical display or a display screen according to an interface operation performed by the multi-screen context screen module 1230. The various attributes, such as the attributes 510 through 570 illustrated in Figure 6 can be set in the context module of multiple displays 1230. The multiple display context module 1230 can provide the functions "ADJUST", "ADD", "OBTAIN" and "REMOVER" described above with reference to Figure 6. When the attribute information of the display object 1220 is altered by the multi-display context module 1230, the multi-display context event module 1240 serves as an event class announcing that the attribute information of the screen object 20 has been changed, and the multi-screen context receiver module 1250 serves as a receiving interface object that can be performed in the predetermined application class it intends to receive an event promoted by the 1240 multiple context event module.

An application 1260 is a module that is driven on the application layer 1130. The application 1260 allows the user to choose a desired service and freely accommodate a plurality of logic screens on a display screen. In detail, the application 1260 transmits various commands that allow the user to dynamically configure and manage the logical displays to a multiple display manager module 1210, and the multi-display manager module 1210 controls the operations corresponding to the various commands that will be executed through the multi-display context module 1230. The multi-display context module 1230 is associated with the display object 1220 and manipulates the attribute information of the display object 1220 illustrated in Figure 6. In order to handle the attribute information of the display object 1220, the multi-display context display module 1230 may include a variety of functions or methods. The multi-screen manager module 1210 receives the service components provided by the various service sources from the device driver layer 1110 and performs the operations to display the service components received on a logic screen or a display screen.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying a plurality of services displayed on the corresponding logical screens, respectively, by the modules illustrated in Fig. 13, on a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 14, in step S1310, the multi-screen manager module 1210 produces a display screen and a number of logical screens corresponding to the number of services to be performed. In step S1320, the multi-screen manager module 1210 connects the logic screens to the corresponding corresponding services received from the driving layer 1110 of the device. The 1210 multi-screen manager module can use a "Add service contexts" method for each of the logical screens by adjusting the service context objects, of the services received as parameters for the logical screen services. The "Add Service Context" method connects a logical screen to a service, and can be provided by the multi-screen context module 1230. In operation S1330, once the logic screens are connected to the respective services, the module 1210 multi-screen manager, connects the logic screens to the display screen. At this time, the 1210 multi-screen manager module can resort to a "Set Display Screen" method for each of the logic screens by setting a display screen object to which the logic screens are connected, as a parameter . The "Adjust Display Screen" method connects a logic screen to a display screen and can be provided by the multiple screen context module 1230. A "Set Display Screen" method can be set to "Set Display Screen (HP Display Screen) Throws Security Exception, Illegal State Exception" and this method allows an "HP screen" instance that is provided as a parameter to be associated with the current logical screen. In this case, the "HP screen" instance is preferably a display screen. A method parameter "Adjust Display Screen (HP display screen)" may include a value of "NULL": in this case, when the "adjust display screen (HP screen display)" method is executed without exception handling, the logical display Current is no longer associated with the display screen. The execution of the methods "Exception of Security "and" Illegal State Exception "can be conducted as an exceptional operation for the" Adjust Screen Display (HP Screen Screen) "method. The" Illegal State Exception "method can be executed when a current screen is a logical screen or when a portion of a display screen associated with a logic screen can not change due to the characteristics of a host platform In operation S1340, the areas on the display screen to which the logic screens are to be mapped are determined. At this time, a predetermined method provided by the multi-screen context module 1230 can be called to determine an area on the display screen where the logic screens are to be displayed.Figure 15 is a state diagram illustrating the operation of the output module 960 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention The output module 960 may perform an output port search process 1510, a port output change process 1520, or a 1530 screen search process. In order to perform the output port search process 1510, the output module 960 can use a "Obtain Ports of Exit" method. The "Obtain Ports of Exit" method is used to extract a port of video output to which the display screen is mapped. The data type of the "Get Output Ports" method is the same type of a "Video Output Port []" class of a "hardware or hardware" package. That is, the "Obtain Ports of Exit" method returns the groups of an instance "Video Output Port" connected to "HP Screen". At this time, in a case in which the corresponding screen has two types of display screen and is connected to the video output port, the "Get Output Ports" method returns at least one "Video Output Port" instance. In a case where the corresponding screen type is the logical screen and the logic screen is connected to the display screen, the "Get Output Ports" method returns to the "Video Output Ports" instance connected to the display screen . In addition, in a case where the corresponding screen type is the logical screen and the logic screen is not connected to the display screen, the "Obtain Output Ports" method returns a "NULL" value. Figure 16A is a figure illustrating an example of a code for searching the output port connected to the screen. In Figure 16A, the "Obtain Ports of Exit" method is used with respect to a "screen" screen object of a "Multiscreen Context" module.

In order to perform the output port change process 1520, the output module 960 can use a "Add Output Ports" method or a "Remove Ports Output" method. The "Add Output Ports" method is used to add instances "Video Output Ports" to the groups of the video output port that is mapped with the screen, and has a "Video Output Port" parameter and a flag boleana "Existing Remover", which can eliminate a previously mapped screen when a new exit port is added. The "Add Exit Ports" method can be represented by a form of "Empty Video Ports (hardware or port, video output port [] Ports, Boolean, remove Existing), etc. ava. Exception of Security, j ava lang. Exception of Illegal State ". When an exception process of the "Add Exit Ports" method is processed and a default right is not granted, the exception of the "j ava. Lang. Exception of Security" can be performed. When a screen can not be mapped to a predetermined output port due to hardware restrictions, when the "Video Output Port" instance with respect to the screen can not be changed (for example, when a platform is permanently connected to a default group of the "Video Output Port" instance, or when the instance default "Video Output Port" is already connected to the screen and a Boolean flag "Existing Remover" does not return to a true value, the exception of "java.lang.Exception of Illegal Status" can be performed. The "Remove Output Ports" method is used to eliminate the "Video Output Port" instance of the video output port group that is mapped to the corresponding screen and has a "Video Output Port" parameter. The method of "Removing Exit Ports" can be represented by a form of "empty exit Port (hardware or port, video output port [] ports"), and security exception, j ava. lang Exception of Illegal State, lang ava. Exception of Illegal Argument. When an exception process of the "Remover" method Ports of Exit "is processed and a default right is not granted, the exception of" j ava. lang. Security exception "can be made, that is, the exception of" j ava. lang. Exception of Illegal Status "can be performed when the corresponding screen is not a display screen, when the instance" Video Output Port "with respect to the corresponding screen can not be changed (for example, when a platform is permanently connected to a default group of the instance "Video Output Port." Also, the exception of the "j ava lang. Exception of Illegal State" can be performed when the default instance "Video Output Port" is not connected to the corresponding screen. Figure 16B is a view illustrating an example of a code for changing an output port connected to the screen. In Figure 16B, the "Add Exit Ports" method is used with respect to an object on the "screen" screen of a "Multiscreen Configurable Context" module. In order to perform the screen search process 530, the output module 960 can use a "Get Compatible Screens" method. The "Get Compatible Screens" method is a method to extract a screen that can be connected to an output port and returns an array of a "HP-screen" case. Here, a screen that can be connected to an output port can be a screen compatible with the output port, for example, a screen having the same screen proportion or the same resolution as the output port. Therefore, the screens that can be searched for using the "Get Compatible Screens" method can include the logical screens as well as the output screens. That is, at least one output screen or logical screen can be searched to use the "Get Compatible Screens" method.

Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the process of exchanging the services to be displayed on the logic screen by the modules shown in Fig. 13. In step S1410, module 1210 multiple screen manager temporarily terminates a service to be exchanged between two logical screens. After this, in the operation S1420, the information regarding the service is exchanged between the two logical screens. At this time, a "Remover" method Contexts of Services "and a method" Add Contexts of Service "is called for each of the two logical screens, with which the service contexts established in the two logical screens between the two logical screens are exchanged.The" Remove Service Contexts "method eliminates a service context connected to a logical screen, and the "Add Service Contexts" method adds a new service context to a logical screen The "Remove Service Contexts" and "Add Service Contexts" methods can be provided by the 1230 multi-display module According to a currently exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the service information concerning a service connected to the logical services is exchanged between the logical services, with which the exchange effect of the a main screen and a sub screen. Furthermore, according to the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention, even when two or more services are performed on a display screen, these can be exchanged between an arbitrary number of logical displays. In step S1430, the appearance of an event in which the connection between the service and the two logical screens is generated has been changed. After this, in the operation S1440, the multiscreen context event module 1240, transmits the event to the multiscreen context receiver module 1250, and a service newly connected to the two logic screens begins to be performed. While the present invention has been particularly illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it may be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Therefore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above have been provided only in a descriptive sense, and will not be deemed to impose any limitations on the scope of the invention.

Possibility of Industrial Application In accordance with the present invention, in order to dynamically configure a plurality of screens that provide a plurality of contents on a physical display screen, the plurality of screens is connected to several ports different from one another. Therefore, it is possible for a user to use the plurality of screens according to a purpose. It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. An apparatus for providing multiple screens, characterized in that it comprises: a service processing module that generates an output screen and a plurality of logic screens to display a plurality of services; and an output module that searches for the plurality of logic screens for a logic screen combination that can be connected to an output port and mapped to the output screen, and maps the output screen to the output port. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the output module searches for the plurality of logic screens for the logic screen combination by reference to the screen attributes of the plurality of logic screens and the output port. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the screen attributes comprise at least one of a screen ratio and a resolution. . The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the output module maps the output screen to at least one output port, different from the output port to which the output screen is currently mapped. 5. A method for dynamically configuring multiple screens, characterized in that it comprises: generating an output screen and a plurality of logic screens for displaying a plurality of services; and looking for the plurality of logic screens for a combination of logic screen that can be connected to an output port, and that is mapped to the output screen and the mapping of the output screen to the output port. 6. The method of compliance with the claim 5, characterized in that the search comprises the search for the plurality of logic screens for the combination of logic screens by reference to the screen attributes of the plurality of logic screens and the output port. 7. The method of compliance with the claim 6, characterized in that the screen attributes comprise at least one of a screen ratio and a resolution. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it also comprises the mapping of the output screen to at least one output port, different from the output port to which the output screen is currently mapped.