Method for indicating service types in the service guide

• US 20070107013A1
• Filed: 11/04/2005
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paila, Toni, Seppala, Martta
• Granted Patent: US 8,763,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities

Abstract

Provided are apparatuses and methods in a digital broadcast transmission system for transmitting information on a type of service or program and/or interactivity or interaction information for the service or program. In one example, a parameter or attribute is provided in an ESG fragment for indicating the type of program or service and the type of interaction associated with the program or service. In another example, a first parameter is provided for indicating the type of program or service and a second parameter is provided for indicating the type of interaction associated with the program or service. The parameter or attribute may be included in metadata of the ESG fragment.

Claims

1. A method for providing Electronic Service Guide (ESG) data, the ESG data corresponding to a program or service and comprising information indicating one of a type of the program or service and a type of interactivity associated with the program or service, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first parameter within the ESG data, the first parameter indicating a type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameter is provided in metadata of the ESG data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of program or service selected from the group consisting of Basic TV, Basic Radio, Clipcast, File Download Services, Software management services, and notification services.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parameter indicates a type of interactivity associated with the program or service selected from the group consisting of SMS messaging interactivity, MMS messaging interactivity, E-mail messaging interactivity, service guide update interactivity, and www services interactivity.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second parameter in the ESG data for indicating a type of the program or service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of the program or service and has a first value selected from a first plurality of values for indicating the type of program or service and a second value selected from a second plurality of values for indicating the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of the program or service and has a value corresponding to the type of the program or service and the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parameter has a value selected from one of a first plurality of values and a second plurality of values, the first plurality of values corresponding to an indication of both a type of the program or service and an indication of type of interactivity associated with the program or service and the second plurality of values corresponding to an indication of interactivity associated with the program or service without an indication of a type of the program or service.

9. A method for determining a type of a program or service or a type of interactivity associated with the program or service, the method comprising:

receiving Electronic Service Guide (ESG) data, the ESG data comprising a first parameter indicating a type of interactivity associated with the program or service;

parsing the ESG data;

identifying the first parameter based on the parsing;

determining the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the identified first parameter.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of the program or service selected from the group consisting of Basic TV, Basic Radio, Clipcast, File Download Services, Software management services, and notification services and wherein the determining further comprises determining the type of the program or service based on the first parameter.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter indicates a type of interactivity associated with the program or service selected from the group consisting of SMS messaging interactivity, MMS messaging interactivity, E-mail messaging interactivity, service guide update interactivity, and www services interactivity and wherein the determining comprises determining the interactivity associated with the program or service.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising identifying a second parameter in the ESG data for indicating a type of the program or service.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining step further comprises determining the type of the program or service based on the identified second parameter.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of the program or service and has a first value selected from a first plurality of values for indicating the type of program or service and a second value selected from a second plurality of values for indicating the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining step comprises determining the type of type of program or service based on the first value of the identified first parameter and determining the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the second value of the identified first parameter.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of the program or service and has a value corresponding to both the type of program or service and the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter indicates the type of interactivity associated with the program or service and does not indicate the type of the provided program or service.

18. The method of claim 9 wherein the first parameter has a value selected from one of a first plurality of values and a second plurality of values, the first plurality of values corresponding to an indication of both a type of the program or service and an indication of type of interactivity associated with the program or service and the second plurality of values corresponding to an indication of interactivity associated with the program or service without an indication of a type of the program or service.

19. A transmitter for providing information on a program or service in an ESG fragment, the transmitter comprising:

an input for receiving data to be included in an ESG fragment for transmission;

a broadcast/interaction module for determining a first parameter associated with a type of interactivity associated with the program or service;

an ESG fragment assembler for assembling the ESG fragment including the first parameter, wherein the first parameter indicates the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

20. The transmitter of claim 19 wherein the first parameter further indicates a type of program or service selected from the group consisting of Basic TV, Basic Radio, Clipcast, File Download Services, Software management services, and notification services.

21. The transmitter of claim 19 wherein the type of interactivity associated with the program or service is selected from the group consisting of SMS messaging interactivity, MMS messaging interactivity, E-mail messaging interactivity, service guide update interactivity, and www services interactivity.

22. The transmitter of claim 19 wherein the broadcast/interaction module further determines a second parameter and the assembler further includes the second parameter in the ESG fragment, the second parameter for indicating the type of the program or service.

23. A receiver for receiving information on a program or service in an ESG fragment, the receiver comprising:

an input for receiving the ESG fragment;

a parser for identifying a first parameter in the ESG fragment, the first parameter corresponding to a type of interactivity associated with the program or service;

a processor for identifying the first parameter and determining the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the first parameter.

24. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the first parameter further corresponding to a type of program or service selected from the group consisting of Basic TV, Basic Radio, Clipcast, File Download Services, Software management services, and notification services.

25. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the type of interactivity associated with the program or service is selected from the group consisting of SMS messaging interactivity, MMS messaging interactivity, E-mail messaging interactivity, service guide update interactivity, and www services interactivity.

26. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the parser further identifies a second parameter in the ESG fragment for indicating a type of the program or service.

27. The receiver of claim 26 wherein the processor further identifies the second parameter and determines the type of the program or service based on the identified second parameter.

28. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the first parameter has a first value selected from a first plurality of values for indicating the type of program or service and a second value selected from a second plurality of values for indicating the type of interactivity associated with the program or service.

29. The receiver of claim 28 wherein the processor determines the type of program or service based on the first value of the identified first parameter and determines the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the second value of the identified first parameter.

30. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the first parameter has a value corresponding to both a type of program or service and the type of interactivity associated with the program or service and wherein the processor determines the type of program or service and the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the first parameter.

31. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the first parameter corresponds to the type of interactivity associated with the program or service and does not correspond to a type of the provided program or service.

32. The receiver of claim 23 wherein the first parameter has a value selected from one of a first plurality of values and a second plurality of values, the first plurality of values corresponding to an indication of both a type of the program or service and an indication of the type of interactivity associated with the program or service and the second plurality of values corresponding to an indication of the interactivity associated with the program or service without an indication of the type of the program or service.

33. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the steps of:

receiving an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) fragment associated with a program or service, the ESG fragment having a parameter corresponding to one of a type of program or service and a type of interactivity associated with the program or service and a type of interactivity associated with the program or service;

determining one of the type of program or service and the type of interactivity associated with the program or service based on the parameter.

34. A mobile terminal programmed to provide a user interface for providing a program or service and a type of interactivity associated with the program or service comprising:

means for displaying a program received by the mobile terminal; and

means for visually superimposing over the program an interactivity indicator associated with the program, wherein the interactivity indicator is determined on the basis of a received ESG fragment.