MX2008012862A

MX2008012862A - Apparatus and method for multiple screen.

Info

Publication number: MX2008012862A
Application number: MX2008012862A
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: 2008-10-14
Also published as: MX2008012828A; CA2648466A1; MX2008012870A; CA2648599A1; CA2648928A1; KR20070100135A; MX2008012861A; CA2648597A1; CA2648467A1; KR20070100138A; MX2008012821A; MX2008012833A; CA2648619A1; KR20070100136A; KR20070100118A; CA2648940A1; MX2008012864A; MX2008012871A; KR20070100137A; MX2008012869A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing multiple screens. The apparatus includes a service processing module providing a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are respectively allocated, a user/application interface module receiving a command to designate one of the first audio contents as a second audio content (where the second audio content is an audio content to be focused), an output module outputting the first audio content that is designated as the second audio content and is focused in response to the received command.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE SCREENS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the configuration of multiple displays and more particularly to a method for dynamically configuring multiple displays which provide multiple contents in a single physical display device and an apparatus for supplying multiple displays.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional broadcasting receivers such as digital TVs or digital top boxes provide only one content element in a single physical display device or simultaneously display a main screen and a secondary display in a single physical display device. Although conventional broadcast receivers can simultaneously display both the main screen and the secondary screen on the same display screen, they can only distribute the main screen and the secondary screen in a limited number of modes. In the case of a content displayed within the main screen, all content elements, ie video data, audio data and other data are Ref .: 196855 show. On the other hand, in the case of a content displayed within a secondary screen only some of the content elements are shown. The content sources include a broadcasting service such as a satellite broadcaster, a terrestrial broadcaster or a cabled broadcaster, a storage medium such as a DVD or an external device to an input terminal. However, it is very difficult to display content provided by such diverse content sources on a display screen that uses the existing broadcast receivers. In an interactive TV application program environment such as the multimedia home platform (MHP, for its acronym in English), the application as an advanced (ACAP, for its acronym in English), the open cable application platform (OCAP) , for its acronym in English) it is assumed that only one screen is transmitted on a physical display device. In the interactive TV application program environment, for example, a user interface (UI) based on home audio / video interoperability (HAVi) is adopted. According to the HAVi UI standard, although no restrictions are imposed on the number of screens displayed on a physical display device, only a screen on a physical display device is generally displayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In said environment, it is difficult to perform operations such as decoding, digital signal processing, user interaction processing, etc. with respect to one of the multimedia contents displayed on a screen while the multimedia content is displayed on separate screens. In addition, it is also difficult to dynamically control the duration cycles of application programs and the use of resources in the units of the screens. Accordingly, there is a need for a method to display a diversity of contents on a dynamically configured screen. An object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic multi-screen configuration which provides a plurality of contents in a physical display device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for independently selecting an output of an audio content provided in individual services. The above objects and other objects of the present invention will be described or will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for providing multiple displays is provided, the apparatus includes a service processing module that provides a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively., a user interface module / application that receives an instruction to designate one of the first audio contents as a second audio content (where the second audio content is an audio content to be focused) and a module output that transmits the first audio content that is designated as the second audio content and focuses in response to the instruction received. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for supplying multiple screens is provided, the apparatus includes a service processing module that provides a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents and a plurality of audio are assigned respectively. output module that transmits one of the first audio contents designated as second audio content with reference to the output attributes of the first audio contents (wherein the second audio content is an audio content to be transmitted) .

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing multiple screens is provided, the method includes providing a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively, receiving an instruction to designate one of the first audio content as a second audio content (where the second audio content is an audio content to be focused) and transmit the first audio content that is designated as the second audio content and that is focused on response to the instruction received. According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing multiple screens is provided, the method includes providing a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively and transmitting one of the first audio contents designated as a second audio content, with reference to output attributes of the first audio content (wherein the second audio content is an audio content to be transmitted).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The foregoing characteristics and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when describing in detail the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the appended figures, in which: Figures 1 to 8 are diagrams that illustrate PiP screen configurations in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logic screen and a display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 10 to 14 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a screen including a mapper in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating sources of service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 16 to 17 are diagrams illustrating a non-abstract service and an abstract service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 18 is a diagram showing examples of the types of attribute information and interfaces of a logic screen and a display screen; Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating a "z-order" attribute of a logic display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 20 and 21 are diagrams each illustrating an attribute "Display_Area" ("area display") of a logic screen, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating a method of mapping two services to a display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for supplying multiple screens in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 24 is a flow chart illustrating a method for dynamically configuring multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figures 25 and 26 are diagrams illustrating modes for supplying the PiP service in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 27 is a flow chart illustrating a method for independently selecting an audio content and transmitting the selected audio content in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a program architecture (software) for delivering multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 29 is a diagram illustrating the relationships between the modules that constitute an interface layer of the application program (API) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 30 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying a plurality of services that are displayed on corresponding descriptive logic screens on a display screen by the modules illustrated in Fig. 29; Fig. 31 is a flow chart illustrating the output of audio content according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 32 is a flow chart illustrating the output of the audio content according to another embodiment of the present invention. < Reference numbers of the main components shown in the drawings > 900: Apparatus for supplying multiple screens 910: Broadcast signal reduction module 920: Storage module 930: External input module 940: Digital signal processing module 950: Service processing module 960: Output module 965: Module Interface / Application 970: 980 Display Screen: 990 Storage Media: External Output Module DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The advantages and characteristics of the present invention and the methods for carrying it out can be more easily understood with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the attached figures. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different ways and should not be considered as limited to the modalities set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this description is exhaustive and complete and that it fully displays the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art and the present invention will be defined solely by the appended claims. Similar reference numbers refer to similar elements in the specification. The present invention is described in the following with reference to flow diagram illustrations of user interfaces, methods and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and combinations of the blocks in the flow chart illustrations can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to make a machine in such a manner that the instructions, which are executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus generates a 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 memory or a computer-readable memory that can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner so that instructions stored in computer-readable or computer-readable memory generates a manufacturing article that includes a means of instruction that implements the function specified in the block or flowchart blocks. Computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be carried out on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented procedure so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps to implement the functions specified in the block or blocks of the flowchart. In addition, each block of the flowchart illustrations may represent a module, segment or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing one or more specified logical functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks can be carried out in a different order than indicated. For example, the two blocks illustrated in succession can be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. For a better understanding of the present invention, now the terms used in this description will be defined. The term "service" indicates a group of multimedia content that is displayed together, that is, 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. Applications can be classified into unbound applications and applications attached to service. The unbound application is not related to a specific channel and therefore the execution of the application is not carried out by channel switching. In addition, the unbound application usually has a high priority and therefore the resources to execute the application are uniformly assigned to the application. A monitor application corresponds to one of the unattached applications specified capable of having the highest priority. Meanwhile, the application attached to the service is related to a transport stream and usually has a low priority compared to the unbound application. The service-attached application does not perform any critical system functions. For this reason, when competition for resources occurs, a possibility for the application attached to the service to abandon the resource allocation is greater compared to the unbound application. Connected service applications can be classified into a type of operation linked in cooperation with a current that is currently transmitted and an unlinked type of operation regardless of whether the current is being transmitted at that time. The term "service context" indicates an object which can control the execution of a service and includes various resources, devices and execution state information necessary to provide a service. The term "physical display device" indicates a physical space which actually shows the content of a service, an external output port that transmits the content of a service or a storage device that stores a service. The term "display screen" indicates a screen actually displayed on a physical display device. An arbitrary service can be established directly on the display screen and the display screen can be displayed on a physical display device. Alternatively, at least one logical screen, which 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 shown. A logical screen is a virtual screen before it is mapped to a display screen and therefore is not displayed on a critical presentation device. The logic screen and the display screen can be a combination of a fixed background image, a video frame and a graphic frame. The graphic plot 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 the 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 on which the The main service shown is referred to as the ("main screen"). The term "image-in-picture service (PiP service)" indicates a service that is selected as a secondary service in the main service through a menu displayed on a physical display device or a remote controller by a user via an API for a application and the PiP service can be displayed on a picture-in-picture screen (PiP screen) or a main screen. The PiP screen includes a screen that occupies a part of another screen, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 and a screen that is displayed simultaneously with another screen without overlapping the other screen, as illustrated in Figures 5 to 6. In this case, it is understood that the PiP screen may include a screen that is displayed in an arbitrary place or area on the physical display device or that is superimposed on another screen, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. Figure 9 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 9 a service can be shown using logic screens 210, 212 and 214. Logic displays 210, 212 and 214 are mapped to display screens 220, 222 and 224 through a mapping block 230. In detail, the logic displays 210 and 212 are mapped on the display 220, the logic displays 212 and 214 are mapped on the display 222 and the logic displays 210, 212 and 214 are mapped on the display screen 224. Briefly, at least one logical screen which shows a service is mapped to an arbitrary area of a display screen. The mapping block 230 is a group of various pieces of information necessary to map a logical screen to a display screen. Examples of the various pieces of information include coordinate information of a predetermined area on a display screen to which each of the plurality of logic screens is mapped, identification information of the logic screens and the display screen and information that specifies the order in which the logical screens are displayed on the display screen. The mapping block 230 can change the size of the logic screen so that it is assigned to an arbitrary area of the display screen. That is, the mapping block 230 can perform logic screen enlargement and mapping of the same and FIGS. 10 to 14 are diagrams illustrating a screen configuration that includes a mapper as the mapping block. With reference to Figure 10, the main screen includes a combination of a fixed background image B, a video frame V and a graphic G frame which are mapped on the entire display screen by a mapper with a normal size. The PiP screen includes only video components that are mapped on the entire display screen by the mapper with a reduced size. In this case, the mapped PiP screen is shown in the main screen, which is determined depending on a Z value. The reference character Z refers to the z-value which will be described later. You can combine an overlay screen with the display screen. The overlay screen is a specific screen placed on the outermost side and can be used when the subtitle function is provided. The PiP screen may have only one video component, as illustrated in Figure 10 or may have a combination of a fixed B background image, the video frame V and the graphic frame G, as illustrated in FIG. 11. With reference to FIG. 12, the main screen including the combination of the fixed background picture B, the video frame V and the frame G graphs are mapped on the entire display screen by the mapper with a normal size. Two PiP screens # 1 and # 2, which have only video component, are mapped in an arbitrary area of the display screen by the mapper, with a reduced 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 superimposed screen can be combined with the display screen. The screen configuration may have a plurality of PiP screens that include only video components, as illustrated in Figure 12, or a plurality of PiP screens that include a combination of a fixed background image B, the video frame V and the graphic G plot. The POP screens are illustrated in Figure 14. It can be understood that a known PiP screen is displayed inside the main screen and the POP screen is displayed outside of the main screen. With reference to Figure 14, the plurality of PiP screens # 1 and # 2 include a combination of the background fixed image B, the video frame V and the graphic G frame are mapped into arbitrary areas of the display screen by the Mapper with a reduced size. In this case, the Z value of the POP screens mapped # 1 and # 2 can be constantly maintained. In addition, the superimposed screen can be combined with the display screen. The mapping block 230 may be embodied by interfaces or functions prepared by various computer program languages so that the relationship between the logic screen and the display screen is executed and created or changed by using the above information as parameters. Alternatively, the mapping block 230 can be embodied by physical elements (hardware) to perform a mapping function between the logic screen and the display screen. In addition, services are provided by various service sources which can be displayed on a display screen and the display screen can be displayed on a physical display device, as illustrated in Figure 15. There are service sources which provide broadcasting services such as the broadcaster 320 and a cable broadcaster 330, service sources which provide services stored in a storage medium such as a personal video recorder (PVR), 340 and service sources ( not shown in Figure 15) which provide service via a wired network or a wireless network.

A broadcasting receiver 310 receives services from the service sources and produces logical displays showing each of the received services. Thus, an arbitrary service is established directly 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 presentation device 350. Briefly, the services provided by the terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330 and the PVR are shown in the physical presentation device 350. The terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330 and the PVR 340 are illustrated in FIG. 15 as service sources, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Any type of multimedia content source that provides multimedia content may be displayed together and may be a source of service in accordance with 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 16 and 17.

Abstract services are not services provided by broadcast signals transmitted in real time, but services independent of broadcasting channels. Abstract services include data only components, that is, application programs, without video components and audio components. Examples of abstract services include services that have unattached applications based on an open cable application platform (OCAP) standard. Non-abstract services are understood as services different from abstract services. According to the current embodiment of the present invention, abstract services and non-abstract services have independence. For example, abstract services can be established directly on the physical display device, not through logical displays, and non-abstract services can be displayed on logical screens. Thus, the logical screens can be mapped on the display screen in which the abstract services are established. Subsequently, the display screen can be transmitted through the physical display device. By doing so in this way, abstract services can be displayed on the display screen independently of non-abstract services. In addition, abstract services and non-abstract services can be mapped on different logical screens. Subsequently, the logical screens can be mapped on a single display screen. In other words, abstract services can be displayed on the display screen independently of non-abstract services. According to the current embodiment of the present invention, the logic screen and the display screen can be categorized as objects that are different. Alternatively, a screen can serve as a logical screen or a display screen according to attribute information of a screen object. In detail, whether the screen is a logical screen or a display screen can be known through the type of information information attributes in the screen object. The attribute information of the screen object includes a plurality of attributes, '"type", "z command", "Display_Area", "display area", "visibility", "Associated_Display_Screen", (associated display screen), " Associated_Service_Contexts ", (associated service context)," Associated_Logical_Screens "(associated logical screens), and" OutputPort "(output port) . Figure 18 illustrates the attribute information in the screen object and the interface types for processing the attribute information. A "type" attribute 510 represents whether the screen is a logical screen or a display screen. An attribute "z command" is to determine in which order a plurality of logic screens are distributed along the z-axis. Figure 19 illustrates different configurations of logic screens in a physical display device for different combinations of the values of the "z-order" attributes of the logic displays. With reference to figure 19, the first and second logical displays 620 and 630 are respectively mapped into predetermined areas of a display 610. In detail, the first logic display 620 is displayed on the display screen 610 and the second logic display 630 is shown on the display screen partially superimposed on the first logic display 620. In other words, the display screen 610, the first logic display 620 and the second logic display 630 are sequentially distributed in the z-axis direction. In this case, an attribute "z-order" of the first logical screen 620 can be set to a value of 1, and a "z-order" attribute of the second logical 630 screen can be set with a value of 2. The attributes "z-order" of the first and second logic displays 620 and 630 can be set to any number or characters insofar as they can represent a certain order in which the first and second logical displays 620 and 630 are distributed along the axis z. An attribute 530"Display_Area" (display area) is information regarding the screen display area of a logical display, as illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 20 illustrates that the logic display 710 is mapped in a complete area of the display screen 720 and Figure 21 illustrates that the logic screen 730 is mapped to a partial area of the display screen 740. The "Display_Area" attribute (display area) may include information specific to the two-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined portion of a display screen on which a logical screen is to be mapped or may include information specifying a predetermined location on the display screen. display and a deviation value that indicates how much of the logical screen deviates from the default location on the display screen. A "visibility" attribute 540, whether a logical display is visible or invisible on a display screen. It is possible to make the logical screen appear or disappear from a display screen by altering the value of attribute 530"visibility". An attribute 550"Associated_Display_Screen" (associated display screen) is information about the presentation screens associated with a logical screen. A logical screen which is not associated with any display screen can not be displayed on a physical display device nor can it be transmitted to the external output device. An attribute 560"Associated_Service_Contexts" (associated service context) is information regarding the service contexts connected to a logical screen or a display screen. The permissions established in these service contexts can be displayed on a logical screen or on a display screen. An attribute 570"OutputPort" (output port) is information regarding devices by means of which a display screen is to be transmitted and said devices include display screens, wired / wireless media and various storage media. Interfaces to identify or alter the values of the attributes illustrated in Figure 18 can be provided. With reference to figure 18, the interfaces can include a "SET" interface to establish attribute values or connect a logical screen to a display screen, an "ADD" interface (add) to add attribute values or connect a logical screen to a service, a "GET" interface (to obtain) to identify attribute values and a "REMOVE" interface to remove attribute values. These interfaces may include processes, functions, procedures or methods that perform their functions, respectively. For example, a "getDisplayScreen (void)" method returns a display screen associated with the current screen. In detail, if the current screen is a logical screen, the "getDisplayScreen (void)" method returns to the associated display screen. If the current screen is a display screen, the "getDisplayScreen (void)" method returns reference information with respect to the current screen. Also, if the current screen is a logical screen, but it is not an associated screen, the "getDisplayScreen (void)" method returns to a value of "NULL" (null). According to another example, a method "public void serDisplayArea (HScreenRectangle rect) throws SecurityException, IllegalStateException ", (public empty display area (H screen rectangle REST) active in security section, in illegal status section) provides a function to map the current logical screen in a predetermined area of the associated display screen A case that is provided as a parameter is of a class "HScreenRectangle" (screen rectangle H) or an "orh-havi .ui" package, and it has a two-dimensional position information.The execution of the methods "SecurityException" (exception security) and "IllegalStateException" (illegal status exception) can be carried out as an exceptional operation for the "serDisplayScreen (HScreen screen)" method (set display screen (H screen screen)) .The "IllegalStateException" method (illegal status exception) can be executed when the current screen is a logical screen or when a portion of a visual screen associated with a current logical screen can not change due to the characteristics of a host platform. According to another additional example, a method of "getOutputArea (void)" (get output area (empty)) returns regional information from a current screen as HScreenRectangle information. If the current screen corresponds to a display screen, the "getOutPutArea (void)" method returns the HScreenRectangle information that has the same value as HScreenRectangle (0,0,1,1). If the current screen is a logical screen, the method "getOutputArea (void) returns information regarding an area of the display screen occupied by the current screen, if the current screen is a logical screen but is not associated with a display screen. some, the "getOutputArea (void)" method returns a "ULL" value (null) .This term uses certain terms with reference to particular interfaces, however, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that a particular function is mentioned only to indicate its functionality This document is not intended to distinguish between functions that differ in name but not in function Figure 22 is a diagram that illustrates a procedure where two services are established in two logical screens that are to be mapped to one single display screen With reference to figure 22, a first service includes all three service components ict, that is, video, audio and data components and a second service includes only video and audio components. However, the present invention does not impose any restrictions on the service components and the first and second services illustrated in Figure 8 are exemplary. As illustrated in Figure 22, the first and second services are displayed in a physical display device in almost the same manner as in the related art. In accordance with the current embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to display a plurality of services in a physical display device independently from each other without imposing any restrictions on the number of services that can be displayed on a single display screen. Figure 23 is a block diagram of an apparatus for supplying multiple screens in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 23 an apparatus 900 for supplying multiple screens includes a digital signal processing module 940, a service processing module 950, an output module 960 and a user interface / application module 965. In addition, the apparatus 900 includes a delayed signal reception module 910, a storage means 920 and an external input module 930 as service sources and includes a display screen 970, a storage medium 980 and an output module 990 external as a means of service exit. The term "module" as used in this, means but is not limited to a program component (Software) or a physical element (hardware) such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC, for example). its acronym in English) which performs certain tasks. A module can advantageously be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and can be configured to execute one or more processors. In this way, a module can include, by way of example, components such as program components, object-oriented program components, class components and task components, processes, functions, tributes, procedures, subroutines, code segments of program, activators, firmware, microcode, circuit, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. The functionality provided in the components and modules can be combined into smaller components and modules or they can be further separated into additional components and modules. The digital signal processing module 940 receives various information of a service such as a multimedia content, for example video information, audio information or data information of a broadcast signal receiving module 910, the storage means 920 or the 930 external input module. The broadcast signal receiving module 910 receives a satellite, terrestrial or cable broadcasting signal and transmits the received broadcast signal to the storage means 920 stores video information, audio information or data information of a service and the external input module 930 receives video information, 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 received service components. Restored services include abstract and non-abstract services. Here, the term "a plurality of services" refers to two or more services transmitted by the broadcast signal receiving module 910 or two or more services respectively transmitted by the broadcast signal receiving module 910 and the storage means 920. The digital signal processing module 940 can restore services according to the selection by a user or an application with the help of the user / application interface module 965. In this case, the user of the application can select the connection between an arbitrary service and a screen. The service processing module 950 produces a logic display and a display screen for displaying a service 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 carried out using a predefined method or a method established by the user with the help of the user interface / application module 965. A service restored by the digital signal processing module 940 may not be processed by the service module 950. Instead, a service restored by the digital signal processing module 940 can be directly mapped to a certain portion of the display screen produced by the output module 960. A display screen provided by the output module 960 may be displayed on the physical display device 970 or may be stored in the storage medium 980. Examples of storage medium 980 include computer-readable flexible disks, hard disks, CD-ROM, DVD, DVD-ROM, BD (Blu-ray Disc) and semiconductor memories. In addition, 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 ports by means of which a display screen may be provided. In this case, a display screen can be provided via an output port established in advance as implicit or an output port selected by the user with the help of the user interface / application module 965. The user of the application may select one of a plurality of services or restore desired services using the user interface / application module 965. In addition, the user may select one of a plurality of display screens using the user interface / application module 965. Since the modules illustrated in Figure 23 are divided according to their functions, they may be connected to other modules. Fig. 24 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 constituting a multimedia content are transmitted in a predetermined format, for example an MPEG stream format. In operation S1010, an apparatus for providing service such as a multimedia content service receives video information, audio information and data information and restores a service based on the video information, the audio information and the data information. Here, the services restored in operation S1010 can be selected or determined previously by a user or an application. The user can use a menu that is displayed on the presentation device or a remote controller to select the connections between an arbitrary screen and a screen. The application can select the connections that use an API. In addition, the data information includes application information regarding the application program for a service, and this application information includes signal information indicating whether the application program can be executed on a PiP screen. Examples of application information include an application information table (AIT) based on the MHP standard and the "extended" application information table (XAIT) based on the OCAP standard. The signal information can be added to the application information. Subsequently, in operation S1020, the restored service is established so 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. The restored service is illustrated in Figure 24 as presented in a physical presentation device via a logical screen. However, the restored service can be displayed directly on a physical presentation device without going through the logical screen. Figure 24 illustrates a method of mapping only one service to the display screen for simplicity. However, a plurality of services can be mapped on a display screen with or without passing through a plurality of logic screens. When a display screen is provided to the user in this manner, the user can perform a plurality of services. When the user or the application selects a PiP services, the apparatus 900 for supplying multiple screens provides the PiP service in two modes. Figure 25 illustrates a first mode of the two modes and Figure 26 illustrates a second mode of the two modes. With reference to Figure 25, in the first mode, only the video component for the PiP service selected on the main screen is provided without generating a separate logic screen for PiP service, that is, a PiP screen. In the first mode, any application related to the PiP service does not run or the operation of an application related to the PiP service becomes inactive. With reference to Figure 26, in the second mode, a separate logic screen for PiP service is generated to provide the PiP service selected in the created PiP screen. The PiP screen provided in the second mode can include a background video that serves as a background screen or a video component. In addition, in the second mode, an application related to the PiP service can be executed. The fact that an application related to a PiP service can be executed or can not be determined based on the signal information described above. It is preferable that the first mode and the second mode can not be executed at the same time. The mode that PiP service provides can be selected upon input by the user or the application through a 965 user interface / application module. When the user or the application selects the first mode, the digital signal processing module 940 restores only the video component of the selected PiP service. The restored video component is mapped to the main screen produced by the service processing module 950 and then displayed on a display screen produced by the output module 960. When the user of the application selects the second mode, the digital signal processing module 940 restores the selected PiP service. The restored service is mapped to the PiP screen created by the service processing module 950 and then displayed on the display screen produced by the output module 960.

The user or application may select an audio content from a specific one of a plurality of services provided in the logic screen by the user interface / application module 965 and allows the selected audio content to be transmitted to be transmitted independently. This procedure is illustrated in Figure 27. First, the user or the application selects a specific service through the user / application module 965 (S1310). Then, a digital signal processing module 940 extracts a selected service audio content and the extracted audio content is mapped to a logic display or a display screen produced by the service processing module 950 and is independently transmitted in the corresponding screen by the output module 960 (S1320). Here, the term "independent output" should be understood, for example, as a concept that includes that audio content of a specific service is selected and transmitted through an output port mapped to the display screen showing the specific service simultaneously or exclusively with audio content from other services provided on the same screen. It should also be understood that the "independent output" that the audio content of a plurality of services are transmitted, provided stored through different means, respectively. In other words, an audio content does not need to be provided with other components of the same service and can be provided independently by the user or the application. The output module 960 is selected by the user or the application and transmits the audio content through a predetermined external output module 990. When a plurality of audio contents are selected, the individual audio content can be transmitted independently through the separate external output modules 990 at the same time. The user or the application can select a desired audio content through the user / application module 965 independently of the other components in the same service. Figure 28 is a diagram illustrating a program architecture for providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 28, a program architecture 1400 includes a device driver layer 1410, an application program interface layer (API) 1420 and an application layer 1430.

The device driver layer 1410 receives 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 1420 API layer generates a logical screen and a display screen and maps a service, the logic screen and the display screen to each other. The application layer 1430 provides a user interface so that the user can dynamically configure a logical screen which displays a service or transmits a user instruction to the 1420 API layer so that the 1420 API layer can execute the user instruction . The user enables the device driver layer 1410 with the help of the application layer 1430 to provide a display screen by means of a physical display device or to store the display screen on a storage medium. In addition, the user may allow the device driver layer 1410 to transmit a display screen to an external device via a network. For this, the device actuator layer 1410 may include a plurality of output ports which may provide a display screen. Otherwise, layer 1420 API may include the plurality of output ports. In order to dynamically configure a plurality of logic screens on a display screen, the layer 1420 API may include a plurality of program modules, for example a multi-screen manager module, "MultiscreenManager" (multiple screen manager), a multi-screen context module "MultiscreenContext" (Multiple Screen Context), a multi-screen context receiver module "MultiscreenContexListener" and a multi-screen context event module "MultiscreenContextEvent", as illustrated in Figure 29. multiple screen manager module 1510 manages the multiple screen context module 1230, searches for the desired screen, displays information specifying which devices are shared by the screens, registers the multiple screen context receiver 1550 module or cancels the module registration 1550 of screen context receiver. The multi-screen context module 1530 is an interface object associated with a screen object 1520 and determines whether the screen object 1520 becomes a logical screen or a display according to an interface operation performed by the module 1530 context of multiple screens. Various attributes illustrated in Figure 18 can be set in the multi-screen context module 1530. The multi-screen context module 1530 can provide the functions "SET", "ADD" (ADD), "GET" (OBTAIN) and "REMOVE" (described above) with reference to FIG. 18. When the Attribute information of the screen object 1220 is altered by the multi-screen context module 1230, the multi-screen context event module 1540 serves as an event class that announces that the display object's 1220 attribute information has changed and the multi-screen context receiver module 1550 serves as a receiver interface object which can be carried out in a predetermined application class attempting to receive an event driven by the display context event module 1540 multiple An application 1560 is a module which is driven in the application layer 1430. The application 1560 allows the user to select a desired service and freely distribute a plurality of logic screens on a display screen. In detail, the application 1560 transmits various instructions which allow the user to dynamically configure and manage logical displays in the multiple screen manager 1510 module and the multiple screen manager module 1510 controls the operation corresponding to the various instructions that are going out to execute through the multiple screen context module 1530. The multiple screen context module 1530 is associated with the screen object 1520 and manages the attribute information of the screen object 1520 illustrated in Fig. 18. In order to manage the attribute information of the screen object 1520, the multi-screen context module 1530 may include a variety of functions or methods. The multi-screen manager module 1510 can receive service components provided by various service sources from the device driver layer 1410 and can operate to display the service components received in a logic screen or a display screen. Said function can be carried out by a separate module, not illustrated. Figure 30 is a flow chart illustrating a method for displaying a plurality of services displayed on respective corresponding logic screens by the modules illustrated in Figure 29 on a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 30, in step S1610, the multiple screen manager module 1510 produces a display screen and several logical screens corresponding to the number of services to be performed. In operation S1620, the multi-screen manager module 1510 connects the logic screens to the corresponding corresponding services received from the driving layer 1410 of the device. The 1510 multi-screen manager module may request an "addServiceContext" method (add-on service context) for each of the logical screens when establishing service context objects of the services received as parameters of the logical screen services. The "addServiceContext" method (connects a logical screen to a service and can be provided by the multi-screen context module 1230. In the S1630 operation, once the logical screens are connected to the respective services, the 1510 manager module Multiple screens connect the logic screens to the display screen At this time, the 1510 multi-screen manager module can request a "setDisplayScreen" method (set display screen) for each of the logic screens when setting an object display screen to which the logic screens are connected as a parameter The "setDisplayScreen" method connects a logic screen to a display screen and can be provided by the multi-display context module 1530. A "setDisplayScreensetDisplayScreen" method (set display screen set display screen) can be set as "public void setDisplayScreensetDisplayScreen (HSscreen screen)" (set display screen of display screen set empty public (screenScreen) through exception of security and exception state illegal) is the method that allows an instance "HScreen", "Hpantalla" that is provided as a parameter to be associated with the current logical screen. In this chaos, the "HScreen" instance is preferably a display screen. A parameter of the "setDisplayScreen (HScreen screen)" method can include a value of "NULL" (null). In this case, when the "setDisplayScreen (HScreen screen)" method is executed without exception handling, the current logical screen is no longer associated with the display screen. The execution of the methods "SecurityException" (security exception) and "IllegalStateException" (illegal status exception) can be carried out as an exceptional operation for the "" setDisplayScreen (HScreen screen) "method (set output screen (screen H screen) "). The "IllegalStateException" method can be executed when a current screen is a logical screen or when a portion of the displayed screen associated with a current logical screen can not change due to the characteristics of a host platform. In step S1640, the areas on the display screen to which the logic screens are to be mapped respectively are determined. At this time, a predetermined method provided by the multiple screen context module 1530 may be requested to determine an area on the display screen where the logical screens are to be displayed. Fig. 31 is a flow diagram illustrating the output of an audio content according to an embodiment of the present invention. The service processing module 950 can represent a plurality of services and an audio content assigned to each of the services can be focused by a user or an application. That is, a user or an application can enter an instruction to designate by default as a focus objective. Thus, in step S1710, the user / application interface module 965 receives an instruction entry by the user or the application.

In order to designate a predetermined audio content as a focus lens, a "assignAudioFocus" method can be requested. The "assignAudioFocus" method is a method for enabling one of a plurality of audio contents that can be focused and can be provided by the multiple screen context module 1530. Once the designation of an audio content as a focus target is completed, the output module 960 transmits the audio content that is designated as the focus target and focuses (S1730). More specifically, the output module 960 can examine whether a plurality of audio contents assigned respectively to a plurality of services are designated as the focus target (S1720) and then transmits the audio content designated as the focus target of according to the test result (S1730). In order to examine the audio content designated as the focus target, you can request a "getAudioFocus" method (get audio focus). The "getAudioFocus" method is a method to examine an audio content that is currently focused on and return an object that has the same type as an "HScreen" class of the "org. Havi. Ui" package as the result of the exam. That is, the "getAudioFocus" method returns to a screen that represents a service that includes the audio content currently focused and the output module 960 transmits the audio content represented by the screen. Figure 32 is a flow chart illustrating the output of an audio content according to another embodiment of the present invention. The output module 960 can transmit a plurality of audio contents at the same time. More specifically, with reference to Figure 32, the output module 960 examines the attributes of each of a plurality of audio contents assigned respectively to a plurality of services (S1810) and transmits whenever the audio content is designated as a target of exit (S1820). The output module 960 can transmit the audio content designated as the output target along with the audio content that is currently being focused. For example, suppose that the audio contents A, B, C and D are assigned to respective corresponding services and that the audio content A is currently being focused. If the audio content B is set as not being able to be simultaneously transmitted along with other audio contents and the audio content C and D are set to be able to be transmitted simultaneously with the other audio content, the output module 960 it can simultaneously transmit the audio content A together with the audio contents C and D. The audio content B can be transmitted when it is focused by a user or an application. That is, the output module 960 can transmit an audio content designated as an output target with reference to the output attributes of a plurality of audio content assigned respectively to a plurality of services. Here, the output attributes of the audio contents can be set by a user or an application using the user interface / application module 965. In order to establish the attributes of a plurality of audio contents, an "addAudioSources" method (adding audio sources) can be requested. The "addAudioSources" method can establish a number of audio contents that are capable of being transmitted simultaneously. The parameters of the "addAudioSources" method can include a "device" array that has the same type as a "HScreenDevice []" class (device [] of the H screen) of the "org. Havi. Ui" package and a Boolean indicator "mixWithAudioFocus" "(mix with audio focus). It can be determined if a plurality of audio contents can be transmitted simultaneously based on the value of the Boolean flag "" mixWithAudioFocus. "That is, a user or an application can select at least one device to which an audio content is connected. and set the audio content so that it is able to be simultaneously transmitted to the selected device along with other audio content using the "addAudioSources" method, for example, if the boolean flag "mixWithAudioFocus" of the "addAudioSources" method is set to 1, the audio content of the selected device can be transmitted simultaneously with the audio content that is currently being focused, on the other hand, if the Boolean indicator "mixWithAudioFocus" of the "addAudioSources" method is set to 0, the audio content of the selected device is not transmitted simultaneously with the audio content that is currently being In this case, the audio content of the selected device can be transmitted only when it is in focus. A user of an application can cancel the simultaneous output setting of an audio content that is set to be capable of being simultaneously transmitted along with other audio content. For this, you can request a "removeAudioSources" method (remove audio sources). The "removeAudioSources" method can include, as a parameter, a "device" array which has the same type as the "HScreenDevice []" class of the "org. Havi. Ui" package. When the "removeAudioSources" method is requested, the simultaneous output setting of an audio content of at least one device designated by the "device" array of the "removeAudioSources" method is canceled. The method"removeAudioSources" may not include any parameters. In this case, the simultaneous output setting of the audio contents of all the devices can be canceled. Although the present invention has been illustrated and described particularly with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as is defined by the following claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments described in the foregoing have been provided solely in a descriptive sense and are not considered to establish any limitation regarding the scope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to perform a plurality of services provided by various sources such as cabled broadcasters, terrestrial broadcasters, various storage media and external inputs in various ways, using a single physical display screen.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to 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 provides a plurality of services to which they are respectively assigned a plurality of first audio contents; a user interface / application module that receives an instruction to design one of the first audio contents as a second audio content, the second audio content is an audio content to be focused; and an output module that transmits the first audio content that is designated as the second audio content and is focused in response to the instruction received. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the output module examines the first audio content designated as the second audio content and transmits the first audio content designated as the second audio content, according to the result of the exam. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the output module simultaneously transmits a first predetermined audio content, different from the first content designated as the second audio content, together with the first content designated as the second audio content. , with reference to the attributes of the first content. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the first audio contents is designated as the second audio content by a user or an application. 5. An apparatus for supplying multiple screens, characterized in that it comprises: a service processing module that provides a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively; and an output module that transmits one of the first audio contents designated as a second audio content with reference to the output attributes of the first audio content, the second audio content is an audio content that is to be transmitted. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the output module transmits one of the first audio contents that are currently being focused. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the first audio content designated as the second audio content is simultaneously transmitted together with an audio content that is currently being focused. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that it further comprises a user interface / application module that sets the output attributes of the first audio content. 9. A method for supplying multiple screens, characterized in that it comprises: providing a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively; and receiving an instruction to designate one of the first audio contents as a second audio content, the second audio content is an audio content that is to be focused; and transmit the first audio content that is designated as the second audio content and focuses in response to the instruction received. 10. The method of compliance with the claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises examining the first audio content designated as the second audio content. 11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the output comprises simultaneously transmitting a first predetermined audio content, in addition to the first content designated as the second audio content, together with the first content designated as the second audio content with reference to the attributes of the first content. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that one of the first audio contents is designated as the second audio content by a user or an application. 13. A method for supplying multiple screens, characterized in that it comprises: providing a plurality of services to which a plurality of first audio contents are assigned respectively; and transmitting one of the first audio contents designated as second audio content with reference to the output attributes of the first audio contents, the second audio content is an audio content that is to be transmitted. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the output comprises transmitting one of the first audio contents that is currently being focused. 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the output further comprises simultaneously transmitting the first audio content designated as a second audio content together with an audio content that is currently being focused. 16. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that it further comprises setting the output attributes of the first audio content.