Displaying system capable of internet communication and control method thereof

• US 6,710,800 B1
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigong Tech Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sigong Tech Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Ki-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANNETT, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US09/292,970
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/330, 345/349, 345/972, 348/159, 348/142, 348/143, 348/149, 348/207.11, 348/211.3, 348/211.8, 348/207.1, 348/153, 348/150, 705/26
• US Class Current: 348/207.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00233 details of image data reproduction, e.g. network printing or remote image display using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer H04N1/00238; digital output from computer to printer unit G06F3/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device

Abstract

A displaying system capable of Internet communication and a control method thereof. The invention is made such that a plurality of cameras photographing the displayed articles, at least one display rack including a communication module enabling communication by the Internet, and a communication control module for controlling the communicating operation of each display rack are provided, and when a user connected to the Internet wants a picture for a displayed article, letters of information or a real item picture of a displayed article and the like, a CPU of a display rack transmits picture information for a displayed article or letters of information to a user system through the Internet or else it transmits a real item picture of a displayed article photographed by a camera provided within the display rack to a user through the Internet, so that information for the displayed article and the real item picture can be provided through the Internet even though a user does not directly go to a general museum or exhibit room.

Claims

1. In a display rack including a case which is formed by glass on all sides and made to display particular articles within an interior thereof,

a displaying system capable of Internet communication comprising:

at least one display rack S1-Sn which includes first and second cameras 1, 2 which are provided to be able to move in horizontal and vertical directions within a display rack, and photographing in response to a control signal, thereby outputting their image signals, an image combining means 5 which combines two images outputted from the first and second cameras to be simultaneously outputted to one screen, an image compressing means 6 which compresses an outputted image signal of the image combining means via MPEG and outputs to a CPU, first and second memories 7a, 7b for storing image information and letters of information for the displayed articles, a communication module 9 which enables data transmitting and receiving with user system P through the Internet, and a CPU 8 for controlling each constituting element so that a transmitting operation of driving in horizontal and vertical directions of the first and second cameras 1, 2, or image and letters of information for displayed articles and a real item picture for a displayed article compressed at the image compressing means 6, and which have respectively different communication IDs and is connected to the Internet;

a relaying means B which relays transmitting and receiving data so that said at least one display rack S1-Sn can make data communication with a user through the Internet; and

a communication module C which monitors what said at least one display rack S1-Sn communicates through the Internet through the relaying means B, and controls the Internet communication of each display rack to be normally made.

2. A displaying system capable of Internet communication as defined in claim 1, wherein said image combining means 5 comprises line memories 51, 52 for storing by receiving the image signal photographed via an NTSC system by first and second cameras 1, 2 by one line, a switch 53 for switching the output image of the line memories 51, 52 by switching at every predetermined period, a combiner 54 for combining by receiving the output image of switch 53 to the image signal for monitoring of which horizontal frequency is 31.4 KHz, and a switching control means 55 for so controlling that the switch 53 is switched at every previously set predetermined period.

3. A displaying system control method capable of Internet communication proceeded by:

an initial connecting step in which when power is inputted, the CPU of at least one display rack connects to the Internet by utilizing respectively set IDs, and a communication control module checks a communication state of each CPU;

a user information requesting step in which a user connects to the Internet and selects any one of at least one display rack, and requests image information for a displayed article, letters of information, or real item pictorial image information to a selected display rack;

an information transmitting step in which a CPU of a corresponding display rack which receives an information request of a user, transmits the image and letters of information stored in memory to a user through the Internet, and moves respectively positions of first and second cameras in horizontal and vertical directions and photographs the displayed article, and then transmits the image signal of the photographs to a user over the Internet in response to the control demand of the user; and

a monitoring step in which the communication control module monitors what at least one display rack and a user system communicates through Internet through a relay means during each step.

4. A displaying system control method capable of Internet communication as defined in claim 3, wherein the image signal transmission photographed at the first and second cameras 1, 2 at said information transmitting step is proceeded by:

a step which combines one line of image signal photographed at first camera 1 and one line of image signal photographed at second camera 2 and thereafter combines by line the image signal photographed at each camera by the same method thereby creating a combined image signal of one field, and

a step for compressing the combined image signal made at said step via MPEG thereby transmitting it to a user system through the Internet.

5. A displaying system control method capable of Internet communication as defined in claim 3, wherein the CPU 8 of at least one display rack S1-Sn confirms whether or not the communication with a presently executing user system is normal at every previously set predetermined period during communication of the user system, and the communication control module C retrieves monitored data whereby it informs of the presence or absence of a communication error of corresponding CPU 8.

6. A display system control method capable of Internet communication as defined in claim 4, wherein the CPU 8 of each display rack S1-Sn confirms whether or not the communication with the presently executing user system is normal at every previously set determined period during communication of said user system, and the communication control module C retrieves monitored data whereby it informs of the presence or absence of a communication error of corresponding CPU 8.