MEDIA APPARATUS, CONTENT SERVER AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20130105567A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOI, Taejoon
• Application Number:
  US13/545,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20130105567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• 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 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A media apparatus, a content server and a method for operating the same are disclosed. A method for operating a media apparatus includes tagging a media card, receiving content related information from the media card, and displaying a media card list including a media card object corresponding to the content related information of the media card. Therefore, it is possible to increase user convenience.

Claims

1. A method for operating a media apparatus, comprising:

tagging a media card;

receiving content related information from the media card; and

displaying a media card list including a media card object corresponding to the content related information of the media card.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media card list includes a plurality of media card objects if a plurality of media cards is tagged.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the content related information from the media card.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if a predetermined media card of the media card list or a predetermined content item of a predetermined media card is selected, extracting content server address information based on the content related information of the selected media card or the content related information of the selected content item;

accessing a content server based on the extracted content server address information;

receiving content data from the content server; and

reproducing the received content data.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media card object includes at least one of a content type, a content ID, a content title, and genre information of the media card.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the displaying of the media card list, if a valid duration of the media card or a content item of the media card has expired or the number of times that content can be reproduced or the number of times that content can be downloaded has been exceeded, the media card object or the content item is not displayed in the media card list or is displayed in an inactivated state.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the media card object further includes at least one of valid duration information, information regarding the number of times that content can be reproduced or information regarding the number of times that content can be downloaded of the media card or the content item.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the displaying of the media card list, the media card list is automatically displayed whenever a media card is tagged and a media card object corresponding to a recently tagged media card in the media card list is highlighted to be distinguished from other media card objects.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of the media card list is performed if a media card list display input is received.

10. A method for operating a content server, comprising:

receiving a content transmission request from a media apparatus over a network;

receiving information regarding a media card capable of communicating with the media apparatus;

determining whether content of the media card is available based on the information regarding the media card and transmitting a message indicating that the content is not available to the media apparatus if the content is not available; and

transmitting the content to the media apparatus if the content of the media card is available.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the information regarding the media card includes at least one of ID information of the media card, valid duration information of the media card or information regarding the number of times that the content corresponding to the media card can be reproduced.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising receiving information regarding the media apparatus from the media apparatus.

13. A media apparatus comprising:

a near field communication module configured to receive content related information of a media card by tagging the media card; and

a display configured to display a media card list including a media card object corresponding to the media card.

14. The media apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the media card list includes a plurality of media card objects if a plurality of media cards is tagged.

15. The media apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a memory configured to store the content related information received from the tagged media card.

16. The media apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a controller configured to, if a predetermined media card of the media card list or a predetermined content item of a predetermined media card is selected, extract content server address information based on the content related information of the selected media card or the content related information of the selected content item;

a network interface configured to access a content server based on the content server address information extracted based on the content related information and receive content data from the content server.

17. The media apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, if a valid duration of the media card or a content item of the media card has expired or the number of times that content can be reproduced or the number of times that content can be downloaded has been exceeded, the display does not display the media card object or the content item in the media card list or displays the media card object or the content item in an inactivated state.

18. The media apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network interface transmits a content transmission request signal corresponding to the media card, information regarding the media apparatus and information regarding the media card to the content server.

19. A content server comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a content transmission request from a media apparatus over a network and receive information regarding a media card capable of communicating with the media apparatus; and

a processor configured to determine whether content of the media card is available based on the information regarding the media card, transmit a message indicating that the content is not available to the media apparatus if the content is not available, and transmit the content to the media apparatus if the content of the media card is available.

20. The content server according to claim 19, wherein the information regarding the media card includes at least one of ID information of the media card, valid duration information of the media card or information regarding the number of times that the content corresponding to the media card can be reproduced.