Method and apparatus for processing content in home network using TV channels

• US 20070186270A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jung-yon, Kang, Eun-jung
• Granted Patent: US 8,166,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• 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 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859

Abstract

A content processing method and apparatus which can maximize user convenience by allocating content available in a home network to an empty TV channel are provided. The content processing method includes storing channel information regarding a plurality of broadcast channels to which a broadcast signal has been set, storing channel information regarding a plurality of empty channels to which no broadcast signal has been set, issuing a request for a content list to and receiving a content list from one of a plurality of server devices connected to a home network, mapping the content list to a plurality of empty channels, and selecting one of the channels to which the content list is mapped, and playing back content included in the selected channel.

Claims

1. A content processing method comprising:

storing first channel information regarding a plurality of broadcast channels to which broadcast signals have been allocated;

storing second channel information regarding a plurality of empty channels to which no broadcast signals have been allocated;

issuing a request for a content list to one of a plurality of server devices connected to a home network;

receiving the content list from the one of the plurality of server devices;

mapping the content list to a plurality of empty channels;

selecting one of the plurality of empty channels to which the content list is mapped; and

displaying content included in the selected channel.

2. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the first channel information and the second channel information are stored by automatic channel setting.

3. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises mapping Uniform Resource Locator information to an empty channel.

4. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises mapping an entire group of content files provided by a server device in the home network to an empty channel.

5. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises mapping a content file provided by a server device in the home network to an empty channel.

6. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises:

if a channel switch request is received, tuning to an empty channel with reference to the second channel information;

and selecting content with reference to channel information regarding channels to which the content list is mapped.

7. The content processing method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises:

if one of the channels to which the content list is mapped is selected, displaying a list of contents allocated to the selected channel;

if one of the listed contents is selected, issuing a request for the selected content to a server device which provides the selected content and receiving the requested content; and

displaying the received content.

8. A content processing apparatus for processing a plurality of contents provided by a plurality of devices in a home network, the content processing apparatus comprising:

a channel storage unit which stores information regarding a plurality of broadcast channels having a broadcast signal and information regarding a plurality of empty channels having no broadcast signal, by automatic channel setting;

a mapping data storage unit which stores mapping information regarding a mapping relationship between a content list and a plurality of empty channels; and

a control unit which issues a request for a content list to and receives a content list from one of a plurality of server devices in the home network,

wherein the control unit maps the received content list to a plurality of empty channels whose information is stored in the channel storage unit, and

wherein if one of the channels to which the received content list is mapped is selected, the control unit causes content corresponding to the selected channel to be displayed.

9. The content processing apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a display unit which, if one of the channels to which the received content list is mapped, displays a list of contents corresponding to the selected channel.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for executing a content processing method comprising:

storing first channel information regarding a plurality of broadcast channels to which broadcast signals have been allocated;

storing second channel information regarding a plurality of empty channels to which no broadcast signals have been allocated;

issuing a request for a content list from one of a plurality of server devices connected to a home network;

receiving the content list from the one of the plurality of server devices;

mapping the content list to a plurality of empty channels;

selecting one of the plurality of empty channels to which the content list is mapped; and

displaying content included in the selected channel.