Video-on-demand system and video viewing assisting method

• US 7,127,735 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Soo, Kim, Hyeon Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shang, Annan Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/573,225
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-104, 725/134, 725/142
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A video-on-demand (VOD) system and method which efficiently enables a user to resume viewing of a video program from an interrupted position is disclosed. The present invention allows the user to resume viewing of a video program even if the user requests a resumption of the interrupted video program several times or through different video servers. Particularly, the video viewing characteristic information of a user terminal is not managed by a video server of the VOD system, but is managed by the user terminal. Accordingly, when a user interrupts viewing of a video program, the video server transmits to the user terminal user profile information which includes the characteristic information related to the viewing of the video program. Thereafter, if the user requests resumption of the interrupted video program using the user profile information, the video server re-transmits the video program from the interrupted position of the video program.

Claims

1. A video-on-demand system comprising:

a video server, wherein the video server comprises,

a video database which manages a plurality of video programs and stores digest information corresponding to the video programs,

a control unit which controls a transmission to a user terminal of a selected video program from the video database, based upon a user request and user profile information from said user terminal, and which generates a highlight stream of said selected video program up to an interrupted position of said selected video program using digest information of said selected video program upon interruption of a display of said selected video, and wherein said user profile information includes an ID and corresponding position information of said selected video program that has been interrupted, and

a buffer which temporarily stores the video program and transmits a video stream of the stored video program to the user terminal under the control of the control unit, wherein the buffer temporarily stores the highlight stream from the control unit and transmits said highlight stream to the user terminal under the control of the control unit, and wherein the highlight stream has a structure with multiple levels of details, each level comprising a plurality of video segments and each segment summarizing contents in a portion of a corresponding video program, wherein said control unit stops said transmission, generates said highlight stream and stores said highlight stream in said video server directly responsive to a user stop request for said selected video program from said user terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit provides the highlight stream from one level by sequentially connecting video segments from the beginning to an interrupted position of the video program, based upon the user profile information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit provides the highlight stream from a level selected by the user and from levels of greater detail, if any, by sequentially interconnecting video segments from the beginning to an interrupted position of the video program, based upon the user profile information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a text annotation is connected to one or more video segments and is transmitted as a part of the highlight stream to the user terminal for display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said control unit directly transmits at least a portion of said previously stored highlight stream followed by at least a portion of said selected video program that occurs in the selected video program after said interrupted position in the selected video program responsive to a user resume request from said user terminal being received at the video server.

5. A method of providing service by a video-on-demand system comprising:

managing and storing a plurality of video programs with digest information corresponding to the video programs in a database of a video server terminal;

controlling a transmission to a user terminal of a selected video program from the database, based upon a user viewing request and user information from said user terminal;

temporarily storing the selected video program from the video database and transmitting a video stream to the user terminal;

receiving and storing the video stream in the user terminal; and

decoding and displaying the video data at the user terminal, wherein said controlling a transmission to the user terminal of the selected video program comprises,

interrupting the transmission to the user terminal of the selected video program from the database responsive to a user interruption request and the user information from said user terminal;

generating and storing in the video server terminal a highlight stream of said selected video program up to an interrupted position of the selected video program using said digest information of said selected video program; and

transmitting user profile information to said user terminal, wherein the user profile information includes user profile, identification of the selected video program and information of said interrupted position of the selected video program,

writing the user profile information in a profile card of the user terminal, and

sending the user profile information and a user resume request for the selected video program to the video server, wherein the controlling comprises operating a first video server, and wherein the sending comprises;

removing the profile card from the user terminal,

inserting the user profile card in a second user terminal,

transmitting the user profile information to a second video server of the video server terminal, wherein the second video server is different from the first video server, and

resuming transmission to said user of remaining portions of the selected video program, wherein said resuming transmission comprises transmitting said highlight stream of the selected video.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

directly transmitting at least a portion of said previously stored highlight stream followed by at least a portion of said selected video program that occurs in the selected video program after said interrupted position in the selected video program responsive to a user resume request from said user terminal being received at the video server terminal.