SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING RELATED CONTENT, METHOD FOR PROVIDING RELATED CONTENT, SERVICE SERVER, END TERMINAL, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110219095A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Planet Co., Ltd. (SK Telecom Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong Hoon, Kim, In Hwan, You, Jeong Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A system and method for providing a related content and a service server, an end terminal, and a storage medium wherein the system comprises a first end terminal connected to a mobile communication terminal through a local area network for making a request to an application server to send the content related to the basic content currently being played in the first end terminal to a second terminal; a mobile communication terminal connected to the first end terminal and to the second end terminal via the local are network, and connected to the service server via the local area network, and connected to the service server via a mobile communication network for transmitting data between the end terminals and the service server and the application server and wherein the service server receives the related content transmission request from the first end terminal and makes a request to the application server to search for the related content for transmission by the application server to the second end terminal in accordance with the request from the service server.

Claims

1. A system for providing a related content, comprising:

a first end terminal connected to a mobile communication terminal through a LAN and requesting an application server to transmit a content related to a basic content currently played in the first end terminal or selected by a user to a second end terminal;

the mobile communication terminal connected to the first end terminal and the second end terminal through the LAN and connected to a service server through a mobile communication network, and configured to transmit data between the first and second end terminals and the service server and between the first and second end terminals and the application server;

the service server connected to the mobile communication terminal through the mobile communication network and connected to the application server through a wired communication network, and configured to receive the related content transmission request from the first end terminal and request the application server to search for the related content and transmit the related content to the second end terminal; and

the application server connected to the service server through the wired communication network and configured to transmit the related content to the second end terminal at the request of the service server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first end terminal displays a related content selecting menu in the form of a pop-up window on a screen and displays an end terminal list received from the service server in the form of a pop-up window on the screen.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a charging server connected to the service server through the mobile communication network or the wired communication network and configured to charge the mobile communication terminal when the related content is transmitted from the application server to the second end terminal.

4. A service server providing a related content, comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit/receive data through a mobile communication network;

a mobile communication terminal manager configured to manage information about a mobile communication terminal, received through the communication unit;

an end terminal manager configured to manage information about first and second end terminals, received through the communication unit;

a LAN manager configured to manage information about a LAN that relays communications between the mobile communication terminal and the end terminals;

a storage unit configured to store the information about the mobile communication terminal, the end terminals and the LAN; and

a controller configured to control the operations of the components, the controller searching for a content related to a basic content currently being played in the first end terminal or selected by a user through an applications server and requesting the application server to transmit the related content to the second end terminal when receiving a request for transmitting the related content to the second end terminal from the first end terminal.

5. The service server of claim 4, wherein the controller checks whether the related content requires conversion based on hardware specification information of the second end terminal, managed by the end terminal manager, and additionally performs an operation of requesting the application server to convert the related content through the communication unit if the related content requires conversion.

6. The service server of claim 4, wherein the controller checks whether the related content requires conversion based on the hardware specification information of the second end terminal, managed by the end terminal manager, and additionally performs an operation of receiving the related content from the application server and converting the related content if the related content requires conversion.

7. The service server of claim 4, wherein the controller transmits a list of end terminals capable of receiving contents to the first end terminal with reference to history information of the first end terminal when requested by the first end terminal to provide the list of end terminals capable of receiving contents and sets an end terminal selected by the first end terminal to the second end terminal.

8. An end terminal requesting a related content, comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit/receive data through a LAN;

an input unit configured to receive user'"'"'s commands;

a playing unit configured to play contents; and

a controller configured to control the operations of the components, the controller transmitting a request for a content related to a basic content currently being played in the end terminal according to a user'"'"'s command inputted through the input unit or selected by the user to a service server via a mobile communication terminal, displaying a list of related contents transmitted from the service server and a list of end terminals capable of receiving the related contents, and controlling the communication unit to transmit information about selection of a related content and an end terminal to the service server according to a user'"'"'s command.

9. The end terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller additionally performs an operation of displaying a related content selecting menu in the form of a pop-up window on a screen of the playing unit and displaying the end terminal list received from the service server in the form of a pop-up window on the screen.

10. A method for providing a related content in a system constructed in such a manner that a first end terminal and a second end terminal are connected to a mobile communication terminal through a LAN, the mobile communication terminal is connected to a service server through a mobile communication network, the service server is connected to an application server through a wired communication network, the method comprising:

connecting the first end terminal to the service server via the mobile communication terminal;

requesting the service server by the first end terminal to provide a content related to a basic content currently being played in the first end terminal or selected by a user;

transmitting basic content information from the first end terminal to the service server;

requesting the application server by the service server to search for the related content based on the basic content information;

transmitting a list of searched related contents and a list of end terminals capable of receiving the related contents from the service server to the mobile communication terminal;

displaying the related content list and the end terminal list through the mobile communication terminal or the first end terminal;

selecting the related content, which will be received by the mobile communication terminal or the first end terminal, and the second end terminal as the end terminal which will receive the related content; and

transmitting the selected related content from the application server to the second end terminal at the request of the service server.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising before the transmitting of the related content from the application server to the second end terminal:

checking whether the related content requires conversion;

checking whether the related content can be converted when the related content requires conversion; and

converting the related content based on the hardware specifications of the second end terminal when the related content can be converted and moving to the transmitting of the related content to the second end terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the related content is converted by the application server.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising playing the related content through the second end terminal.

14. A method of providing a related content by a service server, comprising:

allowing a first end terminal to be connected to the service server via a mobile communication terminal;

receiving a request for a related content from the first end terminal;

receiving information about a basic content currently being played in the first end terminal or selected by a user from the first end terminal;

requesting the application server to search for the related content based on the information about the basic content;

transmitting a list of the searched related contents and a list of end terminals capable of receiving the related contents to the mobile communication terminal;

receiving information about selection of a related content, which will be received by the mobile communication terminal or the first end terminal, and the second terminal as the end terminal which will receive the related content from the mobile communication terminal or the first end terminal; and

requesting the application server to transmit the selected related content to the second end terminal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising before the requesting of the application server to transmit the selected related content to the second end terminal:

checking whether the related content requires conversion;

checking whether the related content can be converted when the related content requires conversion; and

requesting the application server to convert the related content based on the hardware specifications of the second end terminal when the related content can be converted and transmitting the related content to the second end terminal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the related content is converted by the service server.

17. A storage medium storing the method of providing a related content by a service server according to claim 14 with the method being in the form of a program.

18. A storage medium storing the method of providing a related content by a service server according to claim 15 with the method being in the form of a program.

19. A storage medium storing the method of providing a related content by a service server according to claim 16 with the method being in the form of a program.