Digital broadcasting system and software downloading method thereof, and broadcasting signal receiving device and software downloading method thereof

• US 20070044096A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choe, Hyun-chul
• Application Number:
  US11/478,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044096A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/20 Arrangements for broadcast or distribution of identical information via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for downloading software from a digital broadcasting system to a broadcasting signal receiving device are provided. A broadcasting signal is transmitted by a broadcasting base station that includes software update data and medium information to access another provision medium that provides the software update data. The broadcasting signal is received by the broadcasting signal receiving device and updateable software and the medium information are extracted if the updateable software exists in the broadcasting signal. The extracted medium information is stored and a download of the extracted software is started. The download of the extracted software is monitored and re-downloading the software may be performed if the download is abnormal. Thus, downloading of the software may be performed through other reception paths if an operation of downloading the software through a broadcasting signal is not normally performed.

Claims

1. A software downloading method of a digital broadcasting system to download software for a broadcasting signal receiving device, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a broadcasting base station, a broadcasting signal which includes software update data and medium information of at least one provision medium other than the broadcasting base station, the at least one provision medium providing the software update data included in the broadcasting signal in response to the medium information;

receiving, by the broadcasting signal receiving device, the broadcasting signal which is transmitted by the broadcasting base station and determining whether the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device;

extracting the software update data and the medium information if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device;

storing the extracted medium information and initiating a download of the extracted software update data;

determining whether the download of the software update data which is initiated is abnormally performed; and

obtaining the software update data from the at least one other provision medium by using the medium information which is stored if the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the medium information comprises at least one of uniform resource locator (URL) information of an Internet site which can provide the software update data, modem number information of a modem server which can provide the software update data, and password information which accesses a USB card which can provide the software update data.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the extracting the software update data and the medium information comprises determining whether the broadcasting signal includes the software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device based on service information of the broadcasting signal which is received, determining a type of the software update data in the broadcasting signal based on the service information if the software update data included in the broadcasting signal is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device, and extracting the software update data and the medium information to access the at least one other provision medium which provides the software update data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining the software update data from the at least one other provision medium comprises monitoring the download of the software update data, accessing the at least one other provision medium which provides the software update data other than the broadcasting base station by using the medium information which is stored if the download of the software update data which is monitored is determined to be abnormally performed, and receiving the software update data from the at least one other provision medium which is accessed and storing the software update data which is received from the at least one other provision medium.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring the download of the software update data comprises monitoring a process rate of downloading the software update data, a reception error associated with a received portion of the software update data which is extracted from the broadcasting signal, and a power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device which occurs before the download of the software update data is completed, and determining that the download is abnormally performed if the reception error of the received portion of the software update data is generated or the power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device occurs during the download.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the obtaining the software update data comprises receiving an undownloaded portion of the software update data, which was not correctly received among the software update data extracted from the broadcasting signal, from the at least one other provision medium which is accessed, based on the process rate of download of the software update data that is monitored.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the broadcasting signal receiving device is one of a digital television, a set-top box, and a digital video recorder.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the download of the software update data comprises assembling a plurality of portions of the software update data, which are separately received and assembled as a single image of the software update data, and the single image of the software update is executed by the broadcasting signal receiving device.

9. A digital broadcasting system, comprising:

a broadcasting base station which transmits a broadcasting signal that includes software update data and medium information of at least one provision medium other than the broadcasting base station, the at least one provision medium providing the software update data included in the broadcasting signal in response to the medium information; and

a broadcasting signal receiving device which comprises a receiver that receives the broadcasting signal which is transmitted by the broadcasting base station, an information determiner which determines whether the broadcasting signal includes the software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device, an information extractor which extracts the software update data and the medium information if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device, a storage part which stores the medium information that is extracted, a download performer which initiates a download of the software update data that is extracted, and a controller which determines whether the download of the software update data is abnormally performed and obtains the software update data from the at least one other provision medium by using the medium information which is stored if the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed.

10. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the medium information comprises at least one of uniform resource locator (URL) information of an Internet site which can provide the software update data, modem number information of a modem server which can provide the software update data, and password information which accesses a USB card which can provide the software update data.

11. The broadcasting system according to claim 10, wherein the information determiner determines whether the broadcasting signal includes the software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device based on service information which is included in the broadcasting signal that is received, and determines a type of the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal based on the service information if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device.

12. The broadcasting system according to claim 11, wherein the information extractor of the broadcasting signal receiving device extracts the software update data and the medium information which accesses the at least one other provision medium that provides the software, based on the type of the software update data determined by the information determiner.

13. The broadcasting system according to claim 12, wherein the controller comprises a monitoring part which monitors the download of the software update data, and an exception processor which accesses the at least one other provision medium that provides the software update data other than the broadcasting base station by using the medium information which is stored in the storage part if the download which is monitored by the monitoring part is abnormally performed, and receives the software update data from the at least one other provision medium which is accessed and stores the software update data which is received.

14. The broadcasting system according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring part provides the exception processor with a process rate of downloading the software update data, and a monitoring signal that indicates whether a reception error associated with a received portion of the software update data which is extracted from the broadcasting signal is generated and whether a power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device occurs before the download of the software update data is completed, and

the exception processor determines that the download is abnormally performed if the reception error of the received portion of the software update data is generated or the power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device occurs during the download, based on the monitoring signal from the monitoring part.

15. The broadcasting system according to claim 14, wherein the exception processor receives an undownloaded portion of the software update data, which was not correctly received among the software update data extracted from the broadcasting signal, from the at least one other provision medium based on the process rate of the download of the software update data which is monitored by the monitoring part.

16. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the broadcasting signal receiving device is one of a digital television, a set-top box, and a digital video recorder.

17. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the download of the software update data comprises assembling a plurality of portions of the software update data, which are separately received and assembled as a single image of the software update data, and the single image of the software update is executed by the broadcasting signal receiving device.

18. A software downloading method of a broadcasting signal receiving device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a broadcasting base station, a broadcasting signal that includes software update data;

determining whether the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device;

extracting, from the broadcasting signal, the software update data if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device;

initiating a download of the software update data which is extracted;

generating downloading reception information during the download of the software update data that is initiated;

determining whether the download of the software update data is abnormally performed; and

transmitting, to the broadcasting base station, downloading error information based on the downloading reception information which is generated, through a return channel if the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the extracting the software update data comprises determining whether the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device based on service information which is included in the broadcasting signal that is received;

determining a type of the software update data included in the broadcasting signal based on the service information if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device; and

extracting the software update data by the broadcasting signal receiving device among the software included in the broadcasting signal which corresponds to the type of the software update data that is determined.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the generating the downloading reception information comprises generating supplier information comprising a type of a provision medium which provides the broadcasting signal which includes the software update data and date/time information which indicates a time or date of providing the software update data, reception path information which indicates a path of receiving the software update data from a supplier and type/version information which indicates a type or version of the software update data.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the determining whether the download of the software update data is abnormally performed comprises monitoring a process rate of downloading the software update data, a reception error associated with a received portion of the software update data which is extracted from the broadcasting signal, and a power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device that occurs before the download of the software update data is completed, and determining that the download is abnormally performed if the reception error associated with the received portion of the software update data is detected or the power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device occurs during the download of the software update data.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the return channel comprises a transmission path that transmits the downloading error information to the supplier of the software update data which is determined from the supplier information and the reception path information of the downloading reception information.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the downloading error information comprises at least one of the type/version information and the date/time information of the software update data based on the downloading reception information, and the process rate of download of the software update data based on whether the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the transmitting the downloading error information through the return channel comprises generating the downloading error information if the download is determined to be abnormally performed, and transmitting the downloading error information which is generated to the broadcasting base station as the supplier of the software which is determined by the supplier information and the reception path information of the downloading reception information, through the return channel.

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein the broadcasting signal receiving device is one of a digital television, a set-top box, and a digital video recorder.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the download of the software update data comprises assembling a plurality of portions of the software update data, which are separately received and assembled as a single image of the software update data, and the single image of the software update data is executed by the broadcasting signal receiving device.

27. A broadcasting signal receiving device which comprises:

a receiver which receives a broadcasting signal that includes software update data from a broadcasting base station,

an information determiner which determines whether the broadcasting signal includes the software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device;

an information extractor which extracts the software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device from the broadcasting signal if the information determiner determines that software update data which corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device is included in the broadcasting signal;

a download performer which initiates a download of the software update data that is extracted; and

a controller which generates downloading reception information during the download of the software update data that is initiated, determines whether the download of the software update data is abnormally performed, and transmits, to the broadcasting base station, downloading error information based on the downloading reception information which is generated if the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed, through a predetermined return channel.

28. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 27, wherein the information determiner determines whether the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal corresponds to the broadcasting signal receiving device based on service information which is included in the broadcasting signal that is received, and the information determiner determines a type of the software update data which is included in the broadcasting signal based on the service information if the software update data is determined to correspond to the broadcasting signal receiving device.

29. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 28, wherein the information extractor extracts the software update data based on the type of the software update data which is determined by the information determiner.

30. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 29, wherein the controller comprises a monitoring part which monitors the download of the software update data, a reception information generator which generates the downloading reception information based on the service information of the broadcasting signal, an exception processor which generates the downloading error information based on the downloading reception information which is generated by the reception information generator and a return channel transmitter which transmits the downloading error information to the broadcasting base station through the return channel.

31. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 30, wherein the monitoring part monitors a process rate of downloading the software, a reception error associated with a received portion of the software update data which is extracted from the broadcasting signal, and a power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device which occurs before the download of the software update data is completed, and determines that the download is abnormally performed if the reception error associated with the received portion of the software update data is generated or the power interruption of the broadcasting signal receiving device occurs during the download of the software update data.

32. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 31, wherein the reception information generator generates the downloading reception information, which comprises supplier information comprising a type of a provision medium which provides the broadcasting signal which includes the software update data and date/time information which indicates a time or date of providing the software update data, reception path information which indicates a path of receiving the software from a supplier and type/version information which indicates a type or version of the software update data.

33. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 32, wherein the exception processor generates the downloading error information which comprises at least one of the type/version information and the date/time information of the software update data based on the downloading reception information, and the process rate of download of the software update data based on whether the download of the software update data is determined to be abnormally performed.

34. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 33, wherein the return channel comprises a transmission path which provides the downloading error information to the supplier of the software update data determined by the supplier information and the reception path information of the downloading reception information.

35. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 27, wherein the broadcasting signal receiving device is one of a digital television, a set-top box, and a digital video recorder.

36. The broadcasting signal receiving device according to claim 27, wherein the download of the software update data comprises assembling a plurality of portions of the software update data, which are separately received and assembled as a single image of the software update data, and the single image of the software update is executed by the broadcasting signal receiving device.