Interactive Broadcasting System

• US 20080288990A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Varovision Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Varovision Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Koh, Jean, Kim, In-Kwon
• Application Number:
  US11/568,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an interactive broadcasting system. The interactive broadcasting system includes a web server, a content providing server, a streaming server, a broadcast control server, and a content control server. The web server provides a web page through the Internet and controls a web connection. The content providing server provides content. The streaming server streams the content to the mobile terminal, and receives messages transmitted from the mobile terminal. The broadcast control server manages the broadcast schedule of the content and generates details of the picture construction. The content control server generates a picture depending on the details of a picture construction, and performs picture combination by overlaying the generated picture on a content picture provided by the content providing server, and transmits the combined picture to the streaming server, thus allowing the combined picture to be streamed to the mobile terminal by the streaming server.

Claims

1. An interactive broadcasting system that provides digital content to a plurality of mobile terminals through a mobile communication network and reflects messages received from the terminals in the broadcast content, the system comprising:

a web server for providing a web page through the Internet and controlling a web connection;

a content providing server for providing content;

a streaming server for streaming the content, which is requested by a mobile terminal connected to the web server, to the mobile terminal, and receiving messages transmitted from the mobile terminal;

a broadcast control server for managing a broadcast schedule of the content provided by the content providing server and generating details of a picture construction depending on details included in messages received by the streaming server; and

a content control server for generating a picture depending on the details of a picture construction generated by the broadcast control server, performing picture combination by overlaying the generated picture on a content picture provided by the content providing server, and transmitting the combined picture to the streaming server, thus allowing the combined picture to be streamed to the mobile terminal by the streaming server.

2. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the content control server comprises a control unit for controlling operation, a user information database for storing and managing messages, a picture generating unit for generating pictures using the details of picture construction generated by the broadcast control server under control of the control unit, a combination unit for performing picture combination by overlaying the picture generated by the picture generating unit, on the content picture provided by the content providing server, and an encoding unit for encoding the data combined by the combination unit and transmitting the encoded data to the streaming server.

3. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein the content control server comprises a content database for storing real-time content, or storing and managing predetermined content.

4. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the streaming server streams the content, along with both program and broadcasting Identifications (IDs) of current content, to the mobile terminal.

5. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 4, wherein:

each of the messages transmitted by the mobile terminals comprise the program and broadcasting IDs of the content provided in the streaming service, a mobile identification number, a message transmission time, and message text; and

the streaming server transfers the received messages to the broadcast control server and the content control server.

6. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal comprises:

a control unit for controlling overall operation;

an input unit for receiving operation commands from users, a storage unit for storing an application program that controls data storage and content reproduction, and performing wireless transmission and reception together with the mobile communication network;

a wireless transmission and reception unit for receiving content through the mobile communication network;

a display unit for displaying operation information and moving images;

a digital to analog conversion unit for converting digital signals into analog signals to output sound;

an amplification unit for amplifying analog signals converted by the digital to analog conversion unit and outputting the amplified analog signals to a speaker; and

a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) processing unit for decoding content received through the wireless transmission and reception unit.

7. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 6, wherein the MPEG processing unit comprises a data dividing unit for dividing the content data into video data and audio data, a video decoder for decoding the video data divided by the data dividing unit depending on a predetermined format, an audio decoder for decoding the audio data divided by the data dividing unit depending on a predetermined format, and a synchronization unit for synchronizing the video data decoded by the video decoder, with the audio data decoded by the audio decoder.

8. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 7, wherein:

the video data synchronized by the synchronization unit is transferred to the display unit and then displayed; and

the audio data synchronized by the synchronization unit is transferred to the digital and analog converting unit, converted into analog signals, amplified by the amplification unit and transferred to the speaker.

9. The interactive broadcasting system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal activates a message input window for inputting a message when an input received through the input unit exists while the content is reproduced using the application program, includes program and broadcasting IDs of the content provided by the streaming service, a mobile identification number, and a message transmission time in the message, and transmits the message to the streaming server through a session separate from the session through which the content is streamed.