Home network system and method for transmitting contents thereof

• US 20060190974A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sung-jin
• Application Number:
  US11/280,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190974A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Disclosed are a home network system and a contents transmission method for a home network system, wherein the home network system includes: a Video On Demand (VOD) server for providing a VOD contents service and converting the contents to be suited for at least one device at home; a home server being connected to the VOD server and tracking the user'"'"'s location for managing a context which is situation information on the user'"'"'s location and the user'"'"'s location movement associated with the device close to the user among the at least one device; and an internal communication device identifying the device for networking the home server and the at least one device. In accordance with the present invention, since contents are transmitted after being converted so as to be suitable to a device, it is possible to increase job efficiency in a home network system.

Claims

1. A home network system, comprising:

a Video On Demand (VOD) server for providing a VOD contents service and converting the contents to be suited for at least one device at home;

a home server connected to the VOD server for tracking the user'"'"'s location and managing a context which is situation information on the user'"'"'s location and the user'"'"'s location movement associated with the device close to the user among the at least one device; and

an internal communication device identifying the device for networking the home server and the at least one device.

2. The home system according to claim 1, wherein the VOD server converts the contents by the trans-coding method which converts a compression scheme or the trans-rating which converts a transmission rate, in order to make it be suited for the context.

3. The home system according to claim 1, wherein the VOD server converts the contents when the home server requests the conversion of the contents.

4. The home system according to claim 1, wherein the home server includes:

a profile manager managing the profile of the at least one device;

a context-aware processor managing the context associated with the user'"'"'s location and the user'"'"'s location movement among the at least one device; and

a contents adaptation agent requesting the conversion of the contents to be suited for the device close to the user, based on the context managed by the context-aware processing portion.

5. The home system according to claim 4, wherein the profile manager includes:

a profile status checker determining whether the profile of device close to the user should be updated;

a profile registration portion registering or updating the profile of the device as the determination of the profile status checker; and

a profile repository portion storing the profile of the device registered and updated in the profile registration portion.

6. The home system according to claim 4, wherein the context-aware processor includes:

a context aggregator aggregating the context;

a context DB storing portion storing the context aggregated by the context aggregator;

a context interpreter interpreting the context aggregated from the context aggregator and comparing it using the context stored in the context DB storing portion; and

a context service provider selecting the device to be provided with the context service using the information interpreted by the context interpreter in order to receive the contents converted and extracting the characteristic of the corresponding device.

7. The home system according to claim 4, wherein the contents adaptation agent includes:

a device list storing portion storing the profile of the at least one device or a list associated with the context;

a device manager determining whether the device close to the user requires the context service, in order to receive the converted contents based on the list stored in the device list storing portion;

a request client function portion requesting the VOD server to convert the contents to be suited for the device close to the user; and

a forwarding processor transmitting the contents converted depending on the request of the request client function portion to a target device that will receive the context service.

8. The home system according to claim 1, wherein the contents adaptation agent further includes a location tracking sensor for tracking the user'"'"'s location.

9. A method of the home network, comprising the steps of:

(a) requesting the conversion of contents to be suited for a device close to a user, by tracking the user'"'"'s location for managing a context, wherein the context is situation information on the user'"'"'s location and the user'"'"'s location movement associated with the device close to the user among the at least one device;

(b) converting the contents depending on the converting request of the contents; and

(c) transmitting the converted contents to the device close to the user.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step (a) includes:

tracking the user'"'"'s location and checking the profile status of the device close to the user, among at least one device at home;

determining whether the profile of the device close to the user is registered;

newly registering the profile of the device when the profile of the device is not registered; and

registering the updated profile when the profile of the device is registered but is required to update.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step (a) includes:

aggregating the context;

interpreting the context aggregated by comparing it with the context stored previously; and

selecting a target device that will receive the converted contents, using the interpreted context and extracting the characteristic value of the target device.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step (a) includes the step of determining whether the context service is needed.