CONTENTS SUPPLY SYSTEM, A METHOD, A SERVICE SERVER, A STORAGE MEANS, A RELAY METHOD, AN APPLICATION SERVER AND A CELLULAR PHONE FOR MULTI CONNECTED END TERMINAL

• US 20110149931A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helios Streaming, LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong Hoon, Son, Sung Mu, Kim, In Hwan, You, Jeong Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a system and method for providing content to a plurality of end terminals, a service server, a content relay method, an application server, a content provision method, and a mobile communication terminal. The system includes a plurality of end terminals connected to a mobile communication terminal via a Local Area Network (LAN), and configured to execute content received from an application server, a mobile communication terminal connected to a service server via a mobile communication network, and configured to transfer content between the end terminals and the-service server, the service server connected to the application server, and configured to authenticate the end terminals and the mobile communication terminal and to request content, requested by authenticated end terminals, from the application server, and the terminal application server for providing the content, requested by the end terminals, to the service server.

Claims

1. A system for providing content to a plurality of end terminals, the system comprising:

the plurality of end terminals connected to a mobile communication terminal via a Local Area Network (LAN), and configured to execute content received from an application server;

a mobile communication terminal connected to a service server via a mobile communication network, and configured to transfer content between the end terminals and the service server;

the service server connected to the application server via the mobile communication network or a wired communication network, and configured to authenticate the end terminals and the mobile communication terminal and to request content, requested by authenticated end terminals, from the application server; and

the application server for providing the content, requested by the end terminals, to the service server.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a billing server connected to the service server via the mobile communication network or the wired communication network, and configured to charge the mobile communication terminal in the case where content is provided by the application server to the end terminals.

3. A service server for relaying content to a plurality of end terminals, the service server comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data over a mobile communication network;

a mobile communication terminal management unit for managing mobile communication terminal information received through the communication unit an end terminal management unit for managing end terminal information received through the communication unit;

a LAN management unit for managing information about a LAN between the mobile communication terminal and the end terminals a storage unit for storing the mobile communication terminal information, the end terminal information, and the LAN information and a control unit for authenticating the mobile communication terminal and the end terminals based on the mobile communication terminal information and the end terminal information and controlling content, received from the communication unit, so that it will be transferred to the mobile communication terminal.

4. An application server, comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data over a mobile communication network;

a content management unit for managing content;

a storage unit for storing content; and

a control unit for controlling the communication unit so that it provides content information and content to a service server.

5. The application server according to claim 4, further comprising a conversion unit for converting content according to a content conversion command received from the control unit.

6. A mobile communication terminal for relaying content, comprising:

a first communication unit for transmitting and receiving data over a mobile communication network;

a second communication unit for transmitting and receiving data over a LAN an end terminal management unit for managing respective pieces of end terminal information received through the second communication unit;

a storage unit for storing the end terminal information and a control unit for checking serviceability of the end terminals and normality of unique ID information of the end terminals, and controlling the first communication unit and the second communication unit so that content requests made by the end terminals are transferred to a service server and content received from the service server is transferred to the end terminals.

7. A method of providing content to a plurality of end terminals using a system in which the end terminals and a mobile communication terminal are interconnected via a LAN and the mobile communication terminal, a service server and an application server are interconnected via a mobile communication network, the content provision method comprising:

an authentication step of the service server authenticating the end terminals and the mobile communication terminal;

a content request step of each of the end terminals selecting content from a list provided by the service server and requesting the service server to transmit the selected content and a provision step of the application server providing the content, requested by the end terminal, to the end terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a service request step of each of the end terminals searching for a mobile communication terminal and transmitting a service request signal to the located mobile communication terminal.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the authentication step comprises:

a first authentication step of the mobile communication terminal determin-ing whether each of the end terminals is a serviceable device a second authentication step of, if, as a result of the determination at the first authentication step, the end terminal is determined to be a serviceable device, the end terminal transmitting unique ID information thereof to the mobile communication terminal;

a third authentication step of the mobile communication terminal determining whether the unique ID information of the end terminal is normal a fourth authentication step of, if, as a result of the determination at the third authentication step, the unique ID information is determined to be normal, the mobile communication terminal transmitting unique ID information of the mobile communication terminal and the end terminal to the service server;

a fifth authentication step of the service server determining serviceability of the mobile communication terminal and the end terminal based on unique ID information and subscription information of the mobile communication terminal and the end terminal and a sixth authentication step of, if, as a result of the determination at the fifth authentication step, the mobile communication terminal and the end terminal are determined to have serviceability, transmitting an authentication message to the end terminal.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the content request step comprises:

a first content request step of each of the end terminals transmitting information about a connected LAN and a list request message to the service server;

a second content request step of the service server transmitting the requested list to the end terminal a third content request step of the service server transmitting content information, included in the requested list, to the end terminal and a fourth content request step of the end terminal selecting content information, included in the list, and transmitting the selected content information to the service server.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the content information of the third content request step comprises a content description, a type of LAN through which the content information can be transmitted, billing information, a size of the content, and a codec and transmission format of the content.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the fourth content request step further comprises a step of the end terminal transmitting billing information to a billing server.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the provision step comprises:

a first provision step of the service server determining whether conversion of the selected content is required;

a second provision step of, if as a result of the determination at the first provision step, conversion is determined to be required, the service server requesting the application server to convert the selected content or the service server directly converting the content; and

a third provision step of the service server transmitting the converted content to the end terminal.

14. A method of relaying content to respective end terminals using a service server, the method comprising:

an authentication step of authenticating a mobile communication terminal and the respective end terminals a list provision step of providing a content list to the mobile communication terminal;

a content information provision step of providing content information to the mobile communication terminal; and

a content transfer step of receiving content, requested by the mobile communication terminal, from an application server and transmitting the received content to the mobile communication terminal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the content transfer step comprises the service server transferring a content conversion request based on a hardware specification of the mobile communication terminal or each of the respective end terminals to the service server or directly converting the content, and transferring content, converted in the application server or directly converted by the service server, to the mobile communication terminal.

20. A storage medium storing the method of relaying content to a plurality of end terminals using a service server according to claim 14 in program form.

16. A method of providing content using an application server, comprising:

an information provision step of providing content information to a service server; and

a content provision step of providing content requested by the service server.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a content conversion step of converting the content at a request of the service server.

21. A storage medium storing the content provision method using an application server according to claim 16 in program form.

18. A method of relaying content to respective end terminals through a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

an authentication step of authenticating the respective end terminals a list request transfer step of transferring content list requests of the respective end terminals to a service server;

a content information transfer step of transferring content lists, received from the service server, to the respective end terminals and a content transfer step of transferring respective pieces of content, received from the service server, to the respective end terminals.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising an execution step of storing and executing the respective pieces of content received from the service server.

22. A storage medium storing the method of relaying content to a plurality of end terminals through a mobile communication terminal according to claim 18 in program form.