CHANNEL SWITCHING MODULE

• US 20100043024A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mana Digital Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mana Digital Corporation
• Inventors: YU, HUI-JU, HUANG, WEI-CHIN
• Application Number:
  US12/192,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20100043024A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A channel switching module is disclosed. The channel switching module includes a server host, an audio/video player and a display device. The server host has a controller for respectively connecting and controlling an audio/video processor, a signal transmission module and a channel switching unit, wherein the audio/video processor encodes/decodes to the internal audio/video files, and the channel switching unit switches channels, and the signal transmission module transmits out a selected audio/video signal. The audio/video player has a signal transmission module for receiving the audio/video signal transmitted by the server host and a controller for connecting and controlling an executing unit and a display device for playing.

Claims

1. A channel switching module, comprising:

a display device;

a server host, comprising a controller for respectively connecting and controlling an audio/video processor, a signal transmission module and a channel switching unit;

wherein the audio/video processor encodes/decodes to internal audio/video files, and the channel switching unit switches channels, and the signal transmission module transmits out a selected audio/video signal; and

an audio/video player, comprising a signal transmission module for receiving the audio/video signal transmitted by said server host, and a controller for connecting and controlling an executing unit and the display device for playing.

2. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the controller of the server host is connected to an error detecting feedback module for receiving an error detecting signal transmitted from the=audio/video player.

3. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the controller of the server host is connected to a data memory module for recording a channel switching frequency of the channel switching unit and a number of a viewer population in the front of the display device.

4. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the server host comprises a multimedia player including the audio/video files, such as DVD, VCD or MP3 to coordinate with a TV wall, a display panel, an internal and external display of a car, or a commercial bulletin board to increase advertisement effect.

5. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmission module of the server host can be a public phone network, Internet, a wired transmission interface of DSL (digital subscriber line) or a wireless transmission interface of RF (radio frequency), wireless Lan, IEEE802.15.4, Zigbee or 3G or 3.5G mobile communication network.

6. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the audio/video player comprises an error detecting module to judge or detect any error occurred during the audio/video signal transmission.

7. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the audio/video player comprises a camera module to capture an image of a viewer positioned in front thereof, and wherein said camera module can be an image sensor or a CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensor.

8. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the executing unit for connecting the display device and the audio/video player can be a speaker, a TV set, a projector or a LCD display panel.

9. The channel switching module according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a built-in audio/video player on an internal circuit.