TV and control method of the same

• US 7,721,316 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jae Kyung, Ko, Myoung Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raman; Usha
• Application Number:
  US09/842,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20010037505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,309 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/108, 725/107, 725/109, 725/110, 715/736, 715/739, 715/705
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a TV and a control method of the same which is capable of displaying function information or an error checkup menu etc. of a TV in accordance with a request of a user, in particular to a TV in accordance with the present invention comprises a service-related site server for providing function information and error item information of a product, a storing unit for storing proper information of the product and contact information of the service-related site, and a controlling unit for displaying the function information on a screen of the product by using the contact information and proper information and controlling in order to restore automatically an error occurred in the product, accordingly a user can be provided product information easily and an error occurred in a TV can be restored automatically.

Claims

1. A television (TV) reproducing video and audio signals by receiving a broadcast signal, comprising:

a storing unit for storing proper information of the TV, and contact information of a TV service site server, the proper information including a model name or a model number of the TV and the contact information comprising a URL of the TV service site server;

a network interface unit for facilitating two way communications between the TV service site server and the TV; and

a controlling unit for contacting the TV service site server by use of the contact information and transmitting the proper information to the TV service site server in response to a checkup key input by a user, and the controlling unit for controlling display of a service menu received from the TV service site server through the network interface unit in response to contacting the TV service site server, the service menu including a function information menu and an error checkup menu of the TV,

wherein upon the user selecting the function checkup menu from the service menu, the controlling unit controls the display of the function information menu to provide information describing each function of the TV pertaining to the proper information in detail,

upon the user selecting the error checkup menu from the service menu, the controlling unit transmits an error item that occurred in the TV to the TV service site server through the network interface unit and in response the TV service site server transmits a list of errors pertinent to the proper information to the TV through the network interface unit only when the TV service site server has determined the error item to be non-fatal,

after receiving the list of errors from the TV service site server, upon the controlling unit determining that the error item is in the received list of errors and upon the TV service site server determining that the error item is automatically restorable, the controlling unit receives an error restoring information from the TV service site server based on the error item that occurred in the TV, wherein the controlling unit automatically restores the error item that occurred in the TV by setting data or state of the TV pertaining to the error item to a standard state based on the error restoring information, and

wherein when the TV service site server determines that the error item transmitted by the controlling unit through the network interface unit after the user selected the error checkup menu is a fatal error, the TV service site server requests a repair for the fatal error to a serviceman.

2. The TV according to claim 1, wherein upon the controlling unit determining that the error item is not in the list of errors, the controlling unit generates a new item about the error item that occurred in the TV and adds the new item to the list of errors, wherein the TV service site server determines whether the added new item is automatically restorable, and transmits error restoring information for the new item to the controlling unit through the network interface unit when it is determined to be automatically restorable,

wherein the controlling unit automatically restores the error item that occurred in the TV by setting data or state of the TV pertaining to the error item to a standard state based on the error restoring information for the new item transmitted by the TV service site server.

3. The TV according to claim 1, wherein the function information is information corresponding to video or audio-related functions or information corresponding to a special function.

4. In a television (TV) equipped with a storing unit for storing proper information of the television and contact information of a TV service site server, a control method performed by a controlling unit of the TV, comprising:

contacting a TV service site server through a network interface unit of the TV by referencing the contact information and transmitting the proper information to the TV service site server when a checkup key signal is input by a user, the proper information including a model name or a model number of the TV and the contact information comprising a URL of the TV service site server, and the network interface unit facilitating two way communications between the TV service site server and the TV;

receiving from the TV service site server through the network interface unit, a service menu corresponding to the proper information of the TV, the service menu including an error checkup menu and a function information menu from the TV service site server, the controlling unit controlling the display of the received service menu;

transmitting selection information according to a selection of the user from the received service menu to the TV service site server, wherein

upon a user selection of the function information menu from the service menu, the TV service site server transmits to the controlling unit of the TV, information describing each function of the TV pertaining to the proper information in detail,

upon a user selection of the error checkup menu from the service menu, the controlling unit transmits an error item that occurred in the TV to the TV service site server through the network interface unit and in response receives a list of errors pertinent to the proper information of the TV from the TV service site server only when the TV service site server has determined the error item to be non-fatal,

after receiving the list of errors from the TV service site server, upon the controlling unit determining that the error item is in the received list of errors and upon the TV service site server determining that the error item is automatically restorable, the controlling unit receives an error restoring information for the error item that occurred in the TV from the TV service site server, wherein the controlling unit automatically restores the error item by setting data or state of the TV pertaining to the error item to a standard state based on the error restoring information, and

wherein when the TV service site server determines that the error item transmitted by the controlling unit through the network interface unit after the user selected the error checkup menu is a fatal error, the TV service site server requests a repair for the fatal error to a serviceman.

5. The control method of the TV according to claim 4, wherein the error restoring information includes measures for automatically restoring the data or state of a TV function pertaining to the error item that occurred in the TV.

6. The control method of the TV according to claim 5, wherein upon the controlling unit determining that the error item is not in the list of errors, the controlling unit generates a new item about the error item that occurred in the TV and adds the new item to the list of errors,

wherein the TV service site server determines whether the added new item is automatically restorable, and transmits error restoring information for the new item to the controlling unit through the network interface unit when it is determined to be automatically restorable, and

wherein the controlling unit automatically restores the error item that occurred in the TV by setting data or state of the TV pertaining to the error item to a standard state based on the error restoring information of the new item transmitted by the TV service site server.

7. The control method of the TV according to claim 4, wherein after the controlling unit receives information describing each function of the TV pertaining to the proper information in detail from the TV service site server, upon selection of the function checkup menu, the controlling unit displays the received information by outputting a list of functions of the TV on a screen, and the controlling unit further displaying details of a function information requested by the user from the list of functions on the screen.

8. The control method of the TV according to claim 7, wherein the function information comprises information corresponding to video or audio-related function or information corresponding to a special function.

9. A television (TV) reproducing video and audio signals by receiving a broadcast signal, comprising:

a storing unit for storing TV information of the TV, and contact information of a TV service Internet site, the TV information including a model name or a model number of the TV and the contact information comprising a URL of the TV service Internet site;

a network interface unit for facilitating two way communications between the TV service Internet site and the TV; and

a controlling unit for contacting the TV service Internet site by use of the contact information and transmitting the TV information to the TV service Internet site in response to a checkup key input by a user, and the controlling unit for controlling display of a service menu received from the TV service Internet site through the network interface unit in response to contacting the TV service Internet site, the service menu including a function information menu and an error checkup menu of the TV, wherein

upon the user selecting the function checkup menu from the service menu, the controlling unit controls the display of the function information menu to provide information describing each function of the TV pertaining to the TV information in detail,

upon the user selecting the error checkup menu from the service menu, the controlling unit transmits an error item that occurred in the TV to the TV service Internet site through the network interface unit and in response the TV service Internet site transmits a list of errors pertinent to the TV information to the TV through the network interface unit only when the TV service Internet site has determined the error item to be non-fatal,

after receiving the list of errors from the TV service Internet site, upon the controlling unit determining that the error item is in the received list of errors and upon the TV service Internet site determining that the error item is automatically restorable, the controlling unit receives an error restoring information from the TV service Internet site based on the error item that occurred in the TV, wherein the controlling unit automatically restores the error item that occurred in the TV by setting data or state of the TV pertaining to the error item to a standard state based on the error restoring information, and

wherein when the TV service Internet site determines that the error item transmitted by the controlling unit through the network interface unit after the user selected the error checkup menu is a fatal error, the TV service Internet site requests a repair for the fatal error to a serviceman.

10. The television of claim 9, further comprising a display.