Media contents monitoring apparatus and method thereof

• US 7,499,993 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Seo, Sang-Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US10/288,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,309 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/225, 709/224, 709/213
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

The present invention relates a media contents monitoring apparatus and a method thereof capable of monitoring media contents information displayed through a certain display apparatus even in a remote place, the media contents monitoring apparatus extracts a media contents sample displayed on the object of monitoring according to set extraction setting information by a monitor'"'"'s request, converts the extracted media contents sample into a file format appropriate to a web protocol and transmits it to a monitoring unit in a remote place through the Internet. And, accordingly the monitoring unit in the remote place can check the media contents displayed through the object of monitoring by using the media contents sample received through the Internet.

Claims

1. A media contents monitoring apparatus, comprising:

an extraction information inputting unit configured to receive from a user extraction setting information for extracting a sample from media contents displayed on a screen of a device being monitored;

a media contents sample extracting unit configured to extract the sample from the media contents displayed on the screen of the monitored device based on the extraction setting information to form an extracted media contents sample;

a sample data converting unit configured to convert the extracted media contents sample into a new data format based on the extraction setting information to form a converted extracted media contents sample; and

a media contents sample providing unit configured to transmit the converted extracted media contents sample through a network to a monitoring device based on the extraction setting information,

wherein the user provided extraction setting information includes

a user provided sample extraction cycle,

a user provided sample extraction time,

user provided data conversion information for converting the extracted media contents sample,

a user provided transmission cycle for transmitting the converted extracted media contents sample, and

a user provided transmission time for transmitting the converted extracted media contents sample.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data format unit configured to format and store the converted sampled media contents sample as a history arrangement structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the data formatting unit is configured to output the history arrangement structure via the media contents sample providing unit to the monitoring device through the network only when an extract request is received, and

the sample data converting unit is configured to automatically output the converted extracted media contents sample via the media contents sample providing unit to the monitoring device through the network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the monitoring device remotely located from the monitored device is configured to display the media contents sample received through the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extracted media contents sample is screen information capturing one screen displayed on the monitored device or one frame information constructing the screen information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is built in the monitored device or is constructed as an outer packaging.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the new data format is a JPEG format or a GIF format.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extraction information inputting unit is configured to confirm the user'"'"'s identification by checking a password before inputting the extraction setting information.

10. A media contents monitoring method, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a user extraction setting information for extracting a sample from media contents displayed on a screen of a device being monitored;

extracting the sample from the media contents displayed on the screen of the monitored device based on the extraction setting information to form an extracted media contents sample;

converting the extracted media contents sample into a new data format based on the extraction setting information to form a converted extracted media contents sample; and

transmitting the converted extracted media contents sample through a network to a monitoring device based on the extraction setting information,

wherein the user provided extraction setting information includes

a user provided sample extraction cycle,

a user provided sample extraction time,

user provided data conversion information for converting the extracted media contents sample,

a user provided transmission cycle for transmitting the converted extracted media contents sample, and

a user provided transmission time for transmitting the converted extracted media contents sample.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

formatting and storing the converted sampled media contents sample as a history arrangement structure.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising one of:

outputting the history arrangement structure to the monitoring device through the network only when an extract request is received, and

automatically outputting the converted extracted media contents sample to the monitoring device through the network.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the extracted media contents sample is screen information capturing one screen displayed on the monitored device or one frame information constructing the screen information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the new data format is a JPEG format or a GIF format.

15. The method of claim 10, the step of receiving from a user extraction setting information comprising:

confirming the user'"'"'s identification by checking a password.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the network is the Internet.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the media contents sample on the monitoring device.