KR20160067726A - Apparatus and method for facilitating channel control on a paired device - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and system for easy channel control in a paired device is disclosed. The method includes extracting channel metadata information of each broadcast channel of the display device if the display time of each broadcast channel exceeds a predefined value. The method also includes transmitting channel metadata information of each broadcast channel viewed by the paired device. The method includes storing channel metadata information of each broadcast channel viewed. The method also includes displaying a plurality of icons on an interactive interface of the paired device, wherein each icon is based on channel metadata information. The method thus facilitates channel control through the interactive interface of the paired device.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING CHANNEL CONTROL ON A PAIRED DEVICE [0002]

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for interacting with a display device using a portable device, and more particularly relates to channel control for a paired device.

In general, channel switching in a television is enabled by a remote controller. The remote control device is a device for controlling the television. The remote control device enables the user to switch the channel by directly inputting the channel number, and enables the user to search the channel list by sequentially pressing the up / down buttons. In addition, the display device in the remote control device displays the recently viewed channel. Recent advances in the field of handheld control devices make it possible to use smartphones as remote control devices for televisions. By way of example and not limitation, the handheld control device includes smartphones, tablet computers, smart watches, and laptops. The portable control device is installed with the control application program to simulate the remote control device function in the portable control device. By way of example, and not limitation, control applications include "Google TV remote", "LG TV remote", "Xbox Smart glass", "Samsung WatchOn" and "Sony Media remote". The portable control device is referred to as a user control device. The portable control device is hereinafter referred to as a user control device.

Conventional control applications provide channel program thumbnails on the display of the user control device. Often it is required to view a list of previously viewed broadcast channels to switch to previously viewed broadcast channels. During the advertisement time of the first viewed channel, the user searches for the broadcast channel. The user then hopes to switch to the previously watched channel. After a continuous channel change, the user tends to forget the channel number of the first viewed channel. Switching to the previous viewing channel is requested with a single touch on the user control device. It is also required to provide an interface with the history of the channel viewed on the user control device.

In existing systems, channel details are displayed in a web browser of the display device. The existing system provides an interface for displaying thumbnails of the content broadcast on a paired device. However, existing systems do not provide a mechanism to transmit a channel switch command by selecting a thumbnail on the paired device. In addition, existing systems do not provide easy navigation of previously viewed channels.

Although it displays the channel view history in other existing systems, it does not provide a user interface for selecting one of the channel view details. In addition, the existing system does not include a method of displaying the channel view history data together with the meta-data of the channel viewed on the portable device.

In view of the above discussion, there is a need for a method and system for easy channel control and searching in a paired device to provide an easy search for previously viewed channels with a single touch. In addition, the paired device is required to transmit channel viewing details and related metadata information.

One example of a method for facilitating channel control in a paired device is to extract channel metadata information for each broadcast channel displayed on the display device if the display time of each broadcast channel exceeds a predefined time . The method also includes transmitting channel metadata information of each viewed broadcast channel to the paired device. The method includes storing channel meta information of each viewed broadcast channel. The method also includes displaying a plurality of icons on an interactive interface of the paired device. This allows for easy channel control through the interactive interface of the paired device.

One example of a method for facilitating channel control in a paired device includes extracting application information of the applications being viewed on the display device. The method includes sending application information of each application program to the paired device. The method also includes storing the application information in a control application program of the paired device. The method includes displaying a plurality of icons on an interactive interface of the paired device, wherein each icon is based on application information. Through the above method, it is possible to control the application program easily through the interactive interface of the paired device.

A system for easy channel control includes a display device and a paired device. The display device displays at least one of a broadcast channel and an application program. The display device includes a metadata extractor for automatically extracting channel metadata information and application program information. In addition, the display device includes a data synchronizer for transmitting channel metadata information and application program information. The paired device provides control of the viewed channel and the viewed application. The paired device includes a metadata synchronization device for updating the control application with channel metadata information and application program information. The paired device also includes a user interface for displaying a plurality of icons on the paired device.

The features and advantages described in these summary and detailed descriptions are not intended to be exhaustive of all, and in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. It should also be borne in mind that the terms used herein are primarily chosen to be readable and helpful and are not selected to depicting or circumventing the subject matter of the invention and relying on the claims necessary to determine the gist of the invention.

A method of operating an apparatus for controlling a broadcast channel of an external apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes receiving metadata corresponding to a broadcast channel displayed on the external apparatus from the external apparatus, Displaying at least one icon corresponding to the metadata accumulated in the database on a user interface; displaying the at least one icon displayed on the external device through the one or more icons displayed on the user interface; And controlling the channel.

A method of operating an apparatus for controlling an application program of an external apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of receiving metadata corresponding to an application program viewed by the external apparatus from the external apparatus, Displaying at least one icon corresponding to meta data accumulated in the database on a user interface; and displaying the at least one icon on the user interface through the one or more icons displayed on the user interface, Application control process is included.

The apparatus for controlling an external apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one of metadata corresponding to a broadcast channel displayed on the external apparatus and metadata corresponding to an application program viewed from the external apparatus, A storage unit for storing the received metadata in a database; a user interface for displaying one or more icons corresponding to metadata accumulated in the database; And a control signal generation module for generating a signal for controlling the application program executed on the broadcast channel or the external device displayed on the external device through an icon.

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit for displaying a broadcast channel and an application program, a connection sensing unit for sensing a connection between an external device having a control application program and a meta A metadata generating unit for generating at least one of data and metadata corresponding to the application program; and a control unit for transmitting the metadata to the external device, receiving a broadcast channel control signal corresponding to the metadata, And a communication unit for receiving the program control signal.

It is possible to easily search and switch between the viewing history of the broadcast program and the browsed application program by using the metadata information of the broadcast channel and the application program in the device paired with the display device.

In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals designate like or functionally similar elements. These reference signs are used in the detailed description to illustrate various embodiments and to explain various aspects and advantages of the present invention.
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an environment in which various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented;
Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a system for easy channel control in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
3 shows a block diagram of a paired device for easy channel control in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a flow diagram illustrating channel control in a paired device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for searching a previously viewed channel in a paired device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
6 illustrates an example of displaying channel metadata information of each broadcast channel viewed in a paired device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 illustrates an example of displaying application metadata information of each application program browsed in a paired device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
8 shows an example of displaying metadata information on another paged device based on the viewing history of another user for the same display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 illustrates an example of displaying advertisement information together with channel metadata information in a paired device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The operation principle of various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. The following terms are defined in consideration of functions in various embodiments and may vary depending on the intention of a user, an operator, or the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Used below '... Wealth, '... Quot; and the like denote a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

The embodiments of the invention described in the specification provide a method and system for easy channel control in a paired device. The system displays a plurality of icons on an interactive interface of the paired device. Each icon is based on the channel metadata of the viewed channel. Thus, the system enables the user to control the channel through the interactive interface on the paired device.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an environment in which various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. The environment includes a set-top box 120 (STB), a display device 105, and a handheld device 110. The display device 105 may be a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, a smart glass, a smart TV, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, an electronic device an electronic device, and a smartphone. The user watches the content broadcast from the cable, satellite, and Internet service provider on the display device 105. The set-top box 120 is generally an information device including a TV-tuner input and a display output for delivering broadcast contents. The set-top box 120 is connected to a television set and a source signal. Thus, the set-top box 120 tunes the source signal to digital content. The digital content is displayed on the display device 105. The display device 105 browses the contents and application programs from the Internet 115. The environment provides real-time streaming of content and application programs over the Internet 115. Display, control and search of the broadcast content and the application program on the display device 105 are controlled by the portable device 110. [ The display device 105 may include a communication protocol including one of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, infrared communication, near field communication (NFC), radio frequency And is then paired with the portable device 110. [ An example of a portable device is at least one of a user input device and a control device paired with the display device 105. [ Hereinafter, the portable device 110 is referred to as a paired device. The paired device 110 is at least one of a remote controller, a smartphone, a Smart Gear, a smart glass, and a tablet.

2 shows a block diagram of a system for easy channel control according to another embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a set-top box 205, a display device 210, and a paired device 280. The display device 210 includes a stream decoder 215, a metadata extractor module 220 (also referred to as a metadata generation module), a channel data setting module 225, A connection detection module 250, a data synchronizer module 245, an application database 230, an RF receiving module 240, and a first communication interface 235a. The paired device 280 may also include a metadata synchronizer module 255, a user interface 275, an RF generator 260, a channel selector 270, a second A communication interface 235b and an application selection module 265. A set top box (STB) 205 delivers stable high-definition content from cable operators and satellites to the display device 210. In one embodiment of the present invention, the STB 205 is connected to an Ethernet cable to provide live-streaming of the content to the display device 210. The stream decoder 215 of the display device 210 decodes the digital signal received at the STB 205.

The main module of the display 210 for easy channel control in the paired device 280 is described below.

Channel Data Setting Module: The channel data setting module 225, which is available for setting the display 210, allows the user to set the minimum viewing time for each broadcast channel among the plurality of broadcast channels received at the STB 205. The minimum viewing time is referred to below as a predefined channel time. The duration for each broadcast channel viewed by the user is referred to as "viewing time ". If the viewing time of the broadcast channel is greater than or equal to the predefined channel time, the broadcast channel content is eligible to be extracted as metadata. If the user has not manually set the predefined time, the channel data setting module 225 sets the default channel time. In the exemplary embodiment, the default channel time is set to 5 minutes.

The metadata extraction module 220 of the display device 210 extracts channel metadata information of a broadcast channel viewed by the user on the display device 210. The broadcast channel metadata information includes, for example, a program name, a channel name, a genre, a keyword, metadata, subtitles, a channel logo, a channel number, parental information, channel snapshots and additional information including advertisements and channel signal strength. The metadata extraction module 220 also checks the settings of the display device 210 through interaction with the channel data setting module 225. The channel data setting module 225 determines whether the broadcast channel is eligible to be extracted as metadata. The metadata extraction module 220 sends channel metadata information to the data synchronization module 245.

The application database 230 displays a plurality of widgets and application programs that can be used in the display device 210. [ The application database 230 retrieves the application metadata of each read application. The contents of the metadata of the application programs include, by way of example and not limitation, information on the application icon, application program name, and application program type. The application program database 230 sends application program metadata information to the data synchronization module 245. The data synchronization module 245 sends channel metadata information and application program metadata information to a plurality of paired devices. The display device 210 communicates with the paired device 280 via the first communication interface 235a and the second communication interface 235b. Communication protocols include, by way of example and not limitation, Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi.

Connection Detection Module: The connection detection module 250 displays a list of connections between the display device 210 and the paired device 280. The paired device may be a remote control device, a smart phone, a tablet and a smart gear. At the same time, there are a plurality of paired devices connected to display device 210. From the available list of paired devices as shown in Table 1, the user can select at least one paired device for displaying metadata information. Display device 210 transmits the channel metadata information to the selected paired device. In addition, the connection detection module 250 determines if a plurality of paired devices connected to the display device 210 have a control application program installed. By way of example, and not limitation, the control applications include "Google TV remote", "LG TV remote", "Xbox Smart glass", "Sony Media remote" and "Samsung WatchOn Application". The metadata information is transmitted to the first group of paired devices in which the control application is installed.

Data Synchronization Device: The data synchronization module 245 transmits channel metadata information to the paired device 280. The data synchronizer 245 interacts with the connection detection module 250 and transmits channel metadata information to the first group of paired devices.

Table 2 shows an example of the viewing time and metadata extraction status for various broadcast channels. The basic channel time of the broadcast channels "MTV", "CNN" and "ZTV" is 5 minutes. In Table 2, the viewing time of "MTV" is 10 minutes, and the viewing time of "CNN" is 5 minutes. The viewing time of "MTV" and "CNN" is equal to or greater than the basic channel time. As a result, the metadata extraction module 220 extracts channel metadata information from "MTV" and "CNN ". However, the viewing time of "ZTV" is 30 seconds. The viewing time of "ZTV" is smaller than the basic channel time. As a result, the metadata extraction module 220 fails to extract the channel metadata information of "ZTV ". Here, 5 minutes set as the basic channel time is illustratively shown for illustrative purposes, and larger or smaller times may be set according to other embodiments.

The paired device 280 is installed with a control application program. The metadata synchronization module 225 continuously receives the channel metadata information from the data synchronization module 245. In addition, the metadata synchronization module 255 checks the new channel metadata information received from the data synchronization module 245. New channel metadata information corresponding to the switching of the displayed content is received at the paired device 280. In addition, the paired device 280 stores the new channel metadata information in the database of the paired device 280. Also, in the paired device 280, the paired device 280 displays new channel metadata information on the interactive user interface 275. The interactive user interface 275 displays channel metadata information for a plurality of broadcast channels and application programs viewed by a user. The channel metadata information corresponding to a plurality of broadcast channels and application programs is displayed on the display screen of the paired device 280 by a plurality of icons. The plurality of icons are arranged according to the order viewed by the user. A plurality of icons are displayed in one of a grid format and a list format. The user can set limits on the number of icons displayed on the interactive user interface 275. [

Corresponding to the user's first icon selection on the interactive user interface 275, the channel selection module 270 fetches the first channel number corresponding to the first icon. The channel selection module 270 sends the first channel number to the RF generation module 260. The RF generation module 260 generates a first RF signal having a particular channel frequency corresponding to the first channel. The first RF signal is received at the RF receiver 240 of the display device. As a result, the currently viewed channel of the display device 210 is switched to the first channel corresponding to the first RF signal. Thus, the system enables navigation to previously viewed channels via the user interface 275. [

If the icon selected on the user interface 275 corresponds to an application program, the application selection module 265 retrieves application program information selected from the metadata synchronization module 255. The application selection module 265 sends application program information from the second communication interface 235b to the first communication interface 235a. Protocols used in the first communication interface 235a and the second communication interface 235b include Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and other wireless transmission protocols. If the application information is received at the display device 210, the application database 230 checks the corresponding application program identifier (ID) or application program name. The application database 230 opens the corresponding application program on the display device 210 to replace the currently viewed content. Thus, the system enables searching for previously viewed application programs via the user interface 275.

Apart from searching for previously viewed application programs, the system provides a number of control operations for the user. The control operation enables the user to control the display device 210 via the paired device 280. The control operation in the paired device 280 is:

a) providing parental control for the broadcast channel;

b) switching of channels based on advertising information;

c) provide a snapshot of the program on the broadcast channel; And

d) providing channel signal strength information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, provision of parental control for a broadcast channel includes displaying parental rating information for broadcast channels viewed on the paired device. The method also includes enabling the user to block one or more broadcast channels displayed on the paired device based on guardian rating information. Thus, the paired device notifies the display device of channel ID information for one or more blocked channels. A locked icon is displayed with metadata information for each channel viewed on the interactive interface of the paired device. The control application of the paired device enables the user to lock at least one channel on the user interface by clicking a locked icon. Thus, the present invention limits the user from viewing a locked channel.

In another embodiment of the invention, the switching of the channel based on the advertisement information comprises transmitting the metadata information of the advertisement related to the viewed channel to the paired device. Also, the paired device stores the metadata information of the advertisement in the database. The paired device displays the metadata information of the advertisement in a specific color format along with an icon on the interactive interface. The specific color format includes the first color format and the second color format. The first color format indicates the active state of the advertisement in the corresponding channel. The second color format indicates the active state of broadcast contents in the corresponding channel.

In another embodiment of the invention, the control application program enables the paired device to display a plurality of broadcast program snapshots in the channel history tap of the paired device. The paired device updates the channel history tab with a snapshot of the channel's current broadcast program. As an example, the user is watching a live cricket match at ESPN. Thereafter, the user switches the channel to watch an important program. ESPN metadata is displayed on the paired device, and a snapshot of the cricket game is displayed on the Channel History tab. The Channel History tab updates ESPN's snapshot with a score from the cricket game and notifies the user. As such, the user switches to ESPN during a critical event of the event.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control application program enables the paired device to display channel signal strength information with each icon from a plurality of icons on the interactive interface of the paired device. In addition, the control application dynamically updates the channel signal strength information. For example, a paired device displays a signal strength icon with a channel logo icon. The user examines the icons and switches back to the first channel if the signal strength of the first channel is good.

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a paired device 300 for easy channel control in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The paired device 300 is installed with a control application program. The control application program enables the user to control the display device using the paired device 300. The control application also enables searching for previously viewed channels in the paired device 300 and searching for previously viewed applications. The paired device 300 comprises a metadata synchronization module 350 and a selection module 355. The selection module 355 is also comprised of an application selection module and a channel selection module.

The metadata synchronization module 350 updates the database 320 together with the channel metadata information of the broadcast channel displayed on the display device. Also, the metadata synchronization module 350 receives application program information from the display device. Information corresponding to an arbitrary browsed application program is transmitted to the metadata synchronization module 350 and stored in the database 320. In addition, the paired device 300 displays channel metadata information related to a plurality of broadcast channels and application programs viewed by a user. The paired device 300 displays channel metadata information in a plurality of icons on the user interface 340. In the plurality of icons, each icon corresponds to channel metadata information of another broadcast channel viewed by the user. The plurality of icons are arranged according to the viewing order of the user. In the plurality of icons, each icon corresponds to recently viewed content and metadata information, and the metadata information is displayed with an icon to identify the channels. Generally, logs for recently viewed channels are indicated by icons. Other metadata information displayed on the user interface includes a program name, a channel name, a genre, a keyword, metadata, a caption, a channel logo, a channel number, a parental information, a channel snapshot, and advertisement information.

The application selection module enables a user to select a first icon from a plurality of icons of the user interface 340, wherein the first icon represents the application being viewed. The channel selection module enables selection of a second icon from the plurality of icons of the user interface 340, wherein the second icon represents the viewed channel. The user interface 340 provides a search for at least one of the viewed channel and the viewed application.

The paired device 300, hereinafter referred to as device 300, includes at least one of a bus 315 for communicating information and other communication mechanisms. Apparatus 300 includes a processor 310 coupled to bus 315. Processor 310 includes an integrated electronic circuit for processing and control functions of device 300. The processor 310 includes a metadata synchronization module 350 and an optional module 355 for easy channel control in the device 300.

The device 300 also includes a database 320 coupled to a bus 315 for storing information used in the processor 310. The database 320 is a memory and can be used to store the necessary temporal information. The database 320 is a storage unit such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. Database 320 is coupled to bus 315 for storing information.

Various embodiments relate to the use of apparatus 300 for implementing the techniques described herein. In one embodiment, the techniques may be performed by the processor 310 using information contained in the ROM 325. Information may be read from the other machine-readable medium to the ROM 325. [

The machine-readable medium as used herein refers to a medium that is involved in providing data that allows the machine to operate in a particular manner. In an embodiment implemented using the device 300, various machine-readable media are involved, for example, in providing information to the processor 310. The machine-readable medium may be a storage medium. The storage medium includes both non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks such as ROM 325. The volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as database 320. All these types of media exist to enable the information conveyed by the media to be detected by a physical mechanism that reads information from the machine.

Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape or any other magnetic medium, a CD A ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or a cartridge with a pattern of holes, a ROM, any other optical medium, a punch card, a paper tape, . In another embodiment, the machine-readable medium may be a transmission medium comprising a coaxial cable, a copper wire, and an optical fiber, and may be a transmission medium comprising a wire including a bus 315. [ The transmission medium may also take the form of acoustic or light waves generated during radio and infrared data communications. The device 300 may also include a communication interface 330 coupled to the bus 315. The communication interface 330 provides bi-directional data communication and provides coupling with the database 320.

Device 300 is coupled to display 360 for displaying information via bus 315, and by way of example and not limitation, display 360 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display, and a light emitting diode diode, LED) display. User interface 340, which includes numbers and other keys, is coupled to bus 315 to receive input from a user. Other types of user input devices for communicating input to the processor 310 may include a swipe, pattern, remote control, touchpad, gesture, voice, touch ball, A touch / action / voice control input 345 such as a mouse and a cursor direction key. The paired device comprises a display 360. By way of non-limiting example, the display 360 includes a cathode ray tube, a liquid crystal display television, and an LED television. For example, the user interface 340, such as a touch screen, may be included in the display 360.

4 is a flow chart illustrating easy channel control in a paired device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The process begins at step 405.

In step 410, the display device determines a transition in one of the broadcast channel and the application program. The broadcast channel is provided by the STB and the viewing of the application is supported by the display application database. The portable paired device generates a command for switching the viewed content. The viewed content may be one of a broadcast channel and an application program. If a change of the broadcast channel is detected, step 415 is performed. Otherwise, step 430 is performed.

In step 415, the viewing time of the recently viewed broadcast channel is determined. A predefined time period is set by the user. The viewing time of the broadcast channel is compared with a predefined time. If the viewing time is equal to or greater than the predefined time, step 420 is performed, otherwise step 460 is performed.

In step 420, the connection detection module of the display device identifies a plurality of paired devices equipped with a control application program. If at least one paired device equipped with the control application program is detected, step 425 is performed, otherwise step 460 is performed.

In step 425, the channel metadata extraction module of the display device will extract metadata information of the recently viewed channel. By way of example, and not limitation, the broadcast channel metadata information includes additional information including program names, genres, keywords, metadata, captions, channel logos, channel numbers, parental information, channel snapshots, and advertisements.

In step 435, the data synchronization module will transmit the extracted metadata information to all the paired devices equipped with the control application program. If the recently viewed content is an application program, metadata information corresponding to the application program is transmitted to the paired device.

In step 435, the metadata information is sent from the channel metadata extraction module to the metadata synchronization module of the paired device. In step 430, if an application program termination is detected, the application database provides all application metadata to the paired device.

In step 440, the metadata information is received through the metadata synchronization module of the connected device. The metadata information may be one of channel information and application program information. An icon is displayed in the control application program of the paired device corresponding to the metadata information. In the above process, a plurality of icons are displayed according to the display list corresponding to a plurality of switching in the displayed contents.

In step 445, the metadata synchronization module checks the new metadata information that has been used. Also, the metadata synchronization module determines whether the display list of the paired device has a space for displaying a newly added icon corresponding to the metadata information. If the maximum limit of the display list is detected, step 450 is performed; otherwise, step 445 is performed.

In step 450, the first icon is deleted from the display list, and the channel list is sorted according to the channel viewing history. The icons corresponding to the channels and the applications are updated in the display list in the respective order of the search history.

In step 455, new metadata information is added recently from this display list. In addition, the user is enabled to select at least one icon from the plurality of icons in the display list of the paired device. Icon selection and navigation of previously viewed channels are also described with reference to FIG. The flowchart ends at step 460.

5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for searching a previously viewed channel in a paired device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The process begins at step 505.

In step 510, the user selects a first icon from a plurality of icons on the interactive user interface of the paired device. The first icon represents at least one of a first viewing broadcast channel and a viewing application.

In step 515, the channel selection module determines whether the first icon indicates a broadcast channel. The application selection module determines whether the first icon represents an application program. If the first icon indicates a broadcast channel, step 520 is performed, otherwise step 530 is performed.

In step 520, a control signal is generated by the channel selection module in response to the selection of the first icon. The channel selection module extracts channel information including the channel ID and the channel name from the first icon, and generates a control signal corresponding to the channel ID. The control signal is sent to the display device to switch the broadcast channel currently viewed with the selected channel ID. In this scenario, the control signal may be an infrared signal.

In step 525, the RF receiving module of the display device receives the control signal and accordingly switches the current viewing broadcast channel to display the first channel in response to the control signal.

In step 530, the application selection module extracts application information including the application program ID and the application program name from the first icon. If the first icon corresponds to the application program, the application program information is transmitted to the display device using the file transfer protocol.

In step 535, the application database of the display device opens an application program selected to replace the currently viewed content. The flow chart is terminated at step 540.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of displaying channel metadata information of each broadcast channel viewed in a paired device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The paired device is provided with a control application program. The metadata information of the broadcast channel is transmitted to the paired device provided with the control application program. The control application provides an interactive user interface 635 on the display of the paired device. For example, the user is viewing the broadcast channel ESPN on the display device 600. The user watches ESPN for duration 't'. Thereafter, the user switches to the CNN broadcast channel. If the duration 't' is greater than or equal to the predefined time, the metadata information of the ESPN is transmitted to the paired device. By way of example, and not limitation, the channel metadata information includes a broadcast channel logo, parental information, and commercial advertisement information.

Channel metadata such as parental information, program information, and channel number are extracted from the channel elementary stream from the display device. The channel logo is detected using an algorithm based on facts with fixed features. In a vidio frame, the logo area is always fixed and does not change over time. Video frames are made from subsets of video broadcasts. In general, the logo in the video is expected to be found in one of the four corners of the frame. In addition, the video frame is divided into four parts. The presence of the logo is identified by determining corner persistence in each frame.

Thus, in the above embodiment, the "ESPN" logo is identified in area 610 of display device 610. The channel logo "ESPN" and other metadata information is extracted and transmitted to the paired device. The "ESPN" logo is displayed as a first icon 625 at the user interface 635 of the paired device. The user can switch to the "ESPN" channel with one touch of the first icon 625. Also, the user can switch from the broadcast channel "CNN" to "MTV ". Since the display time of the broadcast channel "CNN" exceeds the predefined time, the metadata information of "CNN" is extracted from the display device 600a. In the area 620 of the display device 600a, the channel logo of "CNN" is identified. The "CNN" logo is also indicated by a second icon 630 at the user interface 635 of the paired device. The user interface 635 is updated according to all viewed broadcast channels. Thus, the present invention provides a number of icons representing a plurality of previously viewed channels in a paged device.

FIG. 7 shows an example of displaying application metadata information of each application program browsed in a paired device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The control application provides an interactive user interface 735 on the display of the paired device. For example, the user is accessing the "Angry Bird" application from the application database of display device 700. After a certain period of time, the user switches to the broadcast channel "MVI ". According to the above-mentioned scenario, the metadata information of "Angry Bird" is extracted and transmitted to the user interface 735 of the paired device. Accordingly, the metadata of "Angry Bird" is represented by the first icon of the user interface 735. In addition, the user switches from the currently viewed broadcast channel "MVI" to the broadcast channel "CNN ". The metadata information of "MVI" is extracted, and the logo of "MVI" is identified in area 710 of display device 710a. The logo of "MVI" is indicated by a second icon 730 of the user interface 735. Thus, both the application metadata and the broadcast channel metadata are displayed in the user interface 735 according to the order in which they are viewed by the user.

FIG. 8 shows an example of displaying metadata information on another faced device based on the viewing history of another user for the same display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The channel list is maintained for the user in the user control application of the paired device according to the viewing history of the user. In an exemplary scenario, a first list of metadata information is stored in the user interface 800 of the first paired device, and a second list of metadata information is stored in the user interface 805 of the second paired device. The first list of channel metadata information is based on the channel view history of the first user. The second list of channel metadata information is based on the channel view history of the second user. The first user uses the first paired device to search for channels and application programs on the display device. The second user uses a second paired device to search for channels and application programs on the display device. The first list of channel metadata information includes icons, such as "MTV" 810 and "CNN" 815, The second list of channel metadata information includes icons, such as "ESPN" 820 and "SONY" 825,

In one embodiment, if the display device is restarted, a first list of channel metadata and a second list of channel metadata are maintained at user interface 800 and user interface 805, respectively.

9 illustrates an example of displaying advertisement information together with channel metadata information in a paired device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary scenario, the "MTV" that the user is watching is switched to the "CNN" broadcast channel because of the ad content being played on the broadcast channel MTV. Is displayed on the interface 900. The icon "MTV" 910 is highlighted with a first color indicating that the advertisement is active in the broadcast channel "MTV." CNN "is displayed on the user interface 900 of the paired device. The broadcast channel" CNN "is indicative of a broadcast program. And is highlighted with a second color indicating a state in which the program is active.

Advantageously, the invention protects the user from memorizing the channel number. The user can switch to the previously viewed channel by one touching the channel logo displayed on the paired device. The present invention provides easy identification of broadcast content and application programs along with displayed metadata information. The present invention enables a user to access the watched channel history. Multiple devices can be used at the same time. The present invention enables a parent to lock a broadcast channel and other adult content applications.

Methods according to the claims of the present disclosure or the embodiments described in the specification may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Such software may be stored on a computer readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes at least one program (software module), at least one program that when executed by the at least one processor in an electronic device includes instructions that cause the electronic device to perform the method of the present disclosure .

Such software may be in the form of non-volatile storage such as volatile or read only memory (ROM), or in the form of random access memory (RAM), memory chips, For example, in the form of a memory such as an integrated circuit or in the form of a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVDs), a magnetic disc, tape, or the like. < / RTI >

The storage and storage media are embodiments of machine-readable storage means suitable for storing programs or programs, including instructions that, when executed, implement the embodiments. Embodiments provide a program including code for implementing an apparatus or method as claimed in any one of the claims herein, and a machine-readable storage medium storing such a program. Furthermore, such programs may be electronically delivered by any medium, such as a communication signal carried over a wired or wireless connection, and the embodiments suitably include equivalents.

In the above-described specific embodiments, elements included in the invention have been expressed singular or plural in accordance with the specific embodiments shown. It should be understood, however, that the singular or plural representations are to be construed as being suitable for the present context for the purposes of explanation and that the foregoing embodiments are not limited to singular or plural constituent elements, Even a component expressed by a single number can be composed of a plurality of components.

Claims (20)

A method of operating a device for controlling a broadcast channel of an external device,
Receiving metadata corresponding to the broadcast channel displayed on the external device from the external device;
Storing the metadata in a database of a control application program;
Displaying one or more icons corresponding to metadata accumulated in the database on a user interface;
And controlling the broadcast channel displayed on the external device through the one or more icons displayed on the user interface. The method according to claim 1,
The broadcast channel control may include providing a search for previously displayed broadcast channels, providing parental control for the broadcast channel, providing a broadcast channel switch based on the advertisement information, Providing a snapshot of the broadcast channel signal strength information and providing broadcast channel signal strength information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controlling the broadcast channel comprises:
Selecting a first icon corresponding to a first broadcast channel of the previously displayed broadcast channels from the one or more icons of the user interface;
Generating a control signal corresponding to the selection of the first icon;
And transmitting the control signal to the external device to display the first broadcast channel. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controlling the broadcast channel comprises:
Receiving parental level information of a broadcast channel program displayed from the external device;
Determining one or more blocked broadcast channel programs based on the guardian rating information;
And displaying the one or more blocked broadcast channels through the user interface. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controlling the broadcast channel comprises:
Receiving metadata of an advertisement corresponding to the displayed channel from the external device;
Storing metadata of the advertisement in the database;
And displaying metadata of the advertisement on the user interface as an icon including color information. 6. The method of claim 5,
The color-
A first color indicating the active state of the advertisement and a second color indicating the active state of the broadcast content. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controlling the broadcast channel comprises:
Displaying a plurality of broadcast program snapshots on a channel history tap of the device;
And updating the channel history tab with a snapshot of the channel's currently broadcast program. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controlling the broadcast channel comprises:
Displaying an icon including channel signal strength information on the user interface;
And updating the channel signal strength information. The method according to claim 1,
Storing the metadata in a database of the control application program,
And updating and synchronizing the database. 10. The method of claim 9,
And updating and synchronizing the database,
Receiving metadata of a channel displayed before the change from the external apparatus according to a change of a broadcast channel displayed in the external apparatus;
And associating the received metadata with an icon,
Wherein the metadata is generated when the display time of the channel before the change in the external device exceeds a threshold value. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the metadata is generated when the display time of the broadcast channel in the external device exceeds a threshold value,
Wherein the metadata includes at least one of a program name, a channel name, a genre, a keyword, a caption, a channel logo, a channel number, a parental information, a channel snapshot, and additional information including an advertisement. A method of operating an apparatus for controlling an application program of an external apparatus,
Receiving metadata corresponding to an application program viewed from the external apparatus from the external apparatus;
Storing the metadata in a database of a control application program;
Displaying one or more icons corresponding to metadata accumulated in the database on a user interface;
And controlling the application program to be executed on the external device through the one or more icons displayed on the user interface. 13. The method of claim 12,
The application program control process includes:
Providing a search of previously viewed application programs and providing parental control of the application program. 13. The method of claim 12,
The application program control process includes:
Selecting a first icon corresponding to a first application program from previously viewed application programs from the one or more icons of the user interface;
Generating a control signal corresponding to the selection of the first icon;
And transmitting the control signal to the external device to display the content of the first application program. An apparatus for controlling an external apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
A receiving unit for receiving at least one of metadata corresponding to a broadcast channel displayed on the external device and metadata corresponding to an application program viewed on the external device from the external device;
A storage unit for storing the received metadata in a database;
A user interface for displaying one or more icons corresponding to the metadata accumulated in the database,
And a control signal generation module for generating a signal for controlling the application program executed on the broadcast channel or the external device displayed on the external device through the one or more icons displayed on the user interface. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the user interface comprises:
And providing a search for at least one of the displayed broadcast channel and the browsed application program. In an electronic device,
A display unit for displaying a broadcast channel and an application program,
A connection detecting unit for detecting connection of an external device equipped with a control application program,
A metadata generating unit for generating at least one of metadata corresponding to the broadcast channel and metadata corresponding to the application program;
And a communication unit for transmitting the metadata to the external device and receiving a broadcast channel control signal or an application program control signal corresponding to the metadata from the external device. 18. The method of claim 17,
The metadata generation unit may include:
And generating metadata corresponding to the broadcast channel through identification of a broadcast channel displayed on the display unit. 18. The method of claim 17,
The metadata generation unit may include:
An electronic program guide (EPG)), extracts the channel metadata from the EDG,
Wherein the metadata corresponding to the broadcast channel comprises additional information including a program name, a channel name, a keyword, a genre, a subtitle, a channel logo, a channel number, a parental information, a channel snapshot and an advertisement. 18. The method of claim 17,
The metadata generation unit may include:
And generating metadata corresponding to the broadcast channel if the display time of the broadcast channel is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

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