METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING SOFTWARE RESOURCES FOR PLAYING NETWORK PROGRAMS

• US 20100088694A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Peng, Yang
• Granted Patent: US 9,930,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for configuring software resource for playing network programs. A request for downloading network programs transmitted by a user terminal to a network server includes the configuration information of software resources at the user terminal. After comparing and balancing the software resources required for playing network programs and the software resources at the user terminal, the network server transmits to the user terminal the software resource that is required for playing programs but are absent at the user terminal. The user terminal combines the received software resource with the local software resources to play the downloaded network programs. The user terminal can sufficiently configure the software resources required for playing network programs only by attachedly transmit the configuration information of software resources that the user terminal has when transmitting a request for downloading network programs.

Claims

1. A method for configuring software resource a playing apparatus, wherein said software resource is used for playing a network program, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a request for downloading said network program to a network server, said request including the configuration information of local software resource;

b) receiving said network programs and software resource transmitted by said network server, said received software resource including software resource that are required for playing said network program but are locally absent; and

c) combining the received software resource with said local software resource for playing said program.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said local software resource and the received software resource include respectively at least one of the following:

font resource, graphic resource and application.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the configuration information of said local font resource include at least one of the following:

font name, the total number of the characters having such type of font, a fontmask indicating whether the dot matrix data of the characters having such type of font exists locally, and a fontmask indicating whether the profile data of the characters having such type of font exists locally.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising before the step a):

acquiring the configuration information of the local software resource.

5. An apparatus for configuring software resource in a playing apparatus, wherein said software resource is used for playing a network program, comprising:

a transmitting means for transmitting a request for downloading specified network program to a network server, said request including the configuration information of local software resource;

a receiving means for receiving said network programs and software resource transmitted by said network server, said received software resource including software resource that are required for playing said network program but are locally absent; and

a combining means for combining the received software resource with said local software resource to play said programs.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said local software resource and the received software resource include respectively at least one of the following:

font resource, graphic resource and application.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the configuration information of said local font resource includes at least one of the following:

font name, the total number of the characters having such type of font, a fontmask indicating whether the dot matrix data of the characters having such type of font exists locally, and a fontmask indicating whether the profile data of the characters having such type of font exists locally.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an acquiring means for acquiring the configuration information of the local software resource, said configuration information being transmitted by said transmitting means to said network server.

9. A method for configuring software resource in a network server, wherein said software resource is used for playing a network program at a user terminal, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a request for downloading a specified network program that is transmitted by said user terminal, said request including the configuration information of software resource at said user terminal;

b) acquiring the information of software resource required for playing said network program; and

c) comparing said received information with said acquired information for determining software resource to be transmitted to said user terminals, wherein the software resource to be transmitted to said user terminal include the software resource that is required for playing said programs but absent at the user terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said software resource at said user terminal and the software resource to be transmitted to the user terminal include respectively at least one of the following:

font resource, graphic resource and application.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the configuration information of the font resource at said user terminal includes at least one of the following:

font name, the total number of the characters having such type of font, a fontmask indicating whether the dot matrix data of the characters having such type of font exists locally, and a fontmask indicating whether the profile data of the characters having such type of font exists locally.

12. An apparatus for configuring software resource in a network server, wherein said software resource is used for playing a network program at a user terminal, comprising:

a receiving means for receiving a request for downloading a specified network program transmitted by said user terminal, said request including the configuration information of software resource at said user terminal;

an acquiring means for acquiring information of software resource required for playing said network programs; and

a comparing means for comparing said received information with said acquired information for determining software resource to be transmitted to said user terminal, wherein said software resource to be transmitted to the user terminal includes the software resource that is required for playing said programs but absent at the user terminal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said software resource at said user terminal and the software resource to be transmitted to the user terminal include respectively at least one of the following:

font resource, graphic resource and application.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the configuration information of said font resource at said user terminal include at least one of the following:

font name, the total number of the characters having such type of font, a fontmask indicating whether the dot matrix data of the characters having such type of font exists locally, and a fontmask indicating whether the profile data of the characters having such type of font exists locally.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

An encapsulating means for encapsulating said network program and the software resource that is required for playing said program but absent at the user terminal, for transmitting them to said user terminal.