REQUEST SIGNAL OF AN IMAGE PROGRAM ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC INPUT SOURCES BASED ON THE RECEIVED LIST TO THE EXTERNAL DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20110265112A1
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwak, Dong-Youp
• Granted Patent: US 9,401,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• 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 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications

Abstract

A display device having a network function according to an exemplary embodiment is configured to include: a network interface unit that performs data communication with external displays through a network; and a controller that transmits access request signals to the external display devices through the network interface unit and receives a list of input sources information that access is permitted based on the access permission or not according to the access request, wherein the controller transmits a request signal of an image program according to specific input sources based on the received list to the external display devices.

Claims

1. A display device having a network function, comprising:

a network interface unit that performs data communication with external display devices through a network; and

a controller that transmits access request signals to the external display devices through the network interface unit and receives a list of input source information that access is permitted based on the access permission or not according to the access request,

wherein the controller transmits the request signals of image programs according to the specific input sources to the external display devices based on the received list.

2. The display device having a network function according to claim 1, wherein the controller has access authorization to the external display devices based on any one of IP address information and MAC address information.

3. The display device having a network function according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processor that processes a signal to be able to display the image programs received through the network interface unit; and

a display unit that displays the signal processed image programs through the image processor.

4. The display device having a network function according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays a plurality of image programs on a predetermined area of a display screen when the plurality of image programs are received through the network interface unit, and the controller transmits request signals only for specific image programs selected from a user among the displayed image programs to the corresponding external display devices.

5. The display device having a network function according to claim 1, wherein the input source includes at least one of a tuner for digital broadcasting, a tuner for analog broadcasting, a cable broadcasting input terminal, an internal recording player, and an external player.

6. The display device having a network function according to claim 1, wherein the controller transmits a state changing signal for the provided image programs to the corresponding external display devices according to a user'"'"'s request.

7. The display device having a network function according to claim 6, wherein the state changing signal includes any one of a channel number changing signal, a volume level changing signal, a playback state changing signal, and an input source kind changing signal.

8. A display device having a network function, comprising:

a network interface unit that performs data communication with external display devices through a network; and

a packetization unit that performs data packetization so that at least one image program can be transmitted to the external display devices through the network interface unit; and

a controller that determines access permission or not of the external display devices according to access request signals transmitted from the external display devices and determines input sources to be shared with the external display devices according to the determined access permission or not, wherein the network interface unit transmits the input source information determined by the controller to the external display devices transmitting the access request signals.

9. The display device having a network function according to claim 8, wherein the controller determines input sources selected according to a user instruction or an input source, which are currently being unused, among all input sources as the input sources to be shared.

10. The display device having a network function according to claim 8, wherein the controller grasps a transmittable state of image programs for specific input sources receiving the request signals from the external display devices and if the current input sources are an unable-to-transmit state, transmits the unable-to-transmit signals of the input sources to the corresponding external display devices.

11. The display device having a network function according to claim 8, further comprising a work distribution unit that distributes a transmission work of the image programs according to the specific input source, which is currently being performed, to the external display devices having hardware resources in an idle state.

12. The display device having a network function according to claim 11, wherein the work distribution unit includes:

a workload determining unit that periodically monitors process workload to determine whether the process workload exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

a searcher that if the process workload exceeds the predetermined threshold value, searches the external display devices in the idle state; and

a work distribution controller that distributes the transmission work of the image programs according to the work distribution controller to the external display devices in the idle state searched through the searcher.

13. The display device having a network function according to claim 12, wherein the searcher searches at least one external display device that provides the same input sources as the input sources transmitted to the current external display devices.

14. A method of controlling a display device having a network function, comprising:

transmitting an access request signals to external display devices existing on a network;

receiving a list of input source information that access is permitted from the external display devices;

selecting any one specific input source on the list of input source information that access is permitted; and

transmitting request signals of image programs for the selected input sources to the external display devices.

15. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the external display devices transmitting the access request signals;

the selection of the external display devices being formed by inputting IP address information or MAC address information on the external display devices to be accessed or selecting any one external display device of access history lists.

16. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 14, further comprising displaying the image programs for the specific input sources transmitted from the external display devices, when there are a plurality of the external display devices or the input sources selected from the user, each image program for the plurality of input sources being displayed in a predetermined area on a display screen.

17. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 16, further comprising transmitting state changing signals of the image programs according to the displayed specific input sources to the corresponding display device.

18. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 17, wherein the state changing signal includes at least any one of a channel number change, a volume level change, a playback state change, and an input source kind change.

19. A method of controlling a display device having a network function comprising:

receiving access request signals transmitted from the specific external display devices through a network;

determining access permission or not of the external display devices transmitting the access request signals;

listing input source information to be shared with the external display devices based on the determined access permission or not; and

transmitting the listed input source information to the external display devices.

20. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 19, wherein the input source information to be shared is information on the input sources selected from the user among all the input sources or info nation on the current unused input sources among all the input sources.

27. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 19, further comprising:

receiving the request signals of the image programs for the specific input sources transmitted from the external display devices; and

selectively transmitting the image programs for the input sources to the external display devices according to the transmittable state of the input sources receiving the request signal.

28. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 27, further comprising when the transmittable state of the input sources receiving the request signals is an unable-to-transmit state, transmitting the unable-to-transmit signals of the input sources receiving the request signals to the corresponding external display devices.

29. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 27, further comprising:

changing the state of the image programs for the input sources transmitted according to the state changing signal of the input sources transmitted from the external display device,

the state changing signal of the input sources includes at least any one of a channel number change, a volume level change, a playback state change, and an input source kind change.

30. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 27, further comprising periodically distributing some of works to be processed to the external display devices having hardware resources in an idle state based on the process workload according to the transmission of the image programs.

31. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 30, wherein the distribution the works to the external display devices includes:

monitoring current workload according the transmission of the input sources;

searching the external display devices having the hardware resources in the idle state if the current workload exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and

requesting the transmission of the image programs for the specific input sources to the searched external display devices.

32. The method of controlling a display device having a network according to claim 31, wherein the searching the external display devices having the hardware resources in the idle state is searching other external display devices providing the same input sources as the input sources transmitted to the external display devices.

21-26. -26. (canceled)