System and method for downloading content

• US 7,818,368 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nam, Min-woo, Yang, You-kyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdullahi; Salad
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US11/540,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Systems and methods for downloading content are provided in which a client device determines content to be downloaded and a downloading order of the content to request a downloading profile for the content, and a server device generates the downloading profile in accordance with a request for the downloading profile from the client device, allowing the client device to download the content in accordance with the generated downloading profile, and transmits an end message to the client device if the downloading is completed.

Claims

1. A system for downloading content, the system comprising:

a server device which provides content; and

a client device which is connected to the server device through a network, receives the content, and determines the content to be downloaded and a downloading order of the content to request a downloading profile for the content,

wherein the server device generates the downloading profile in accordance with a request for the downloading profile which is received from the client device, downloads the content to the client device in accordance with the generated downloading profile, and transmits an end message to the client device if the downloading of the content is completed, wherein the server device comprises;

a web server which provides program information on the content for a predetermined time period through a web page to allow the client device to request the downloading profile, generates the downloading profile by receiving selection information on the content to be downloaded, and downloads order information on the content from the client device;

a content management server which stores the downloading profile generated by the web server by receiving the downloading profile from the web server and downloading the content to the client device in accordance with the downloading profile; and

a messaging server connected to the web server and the content management server, said messaging server receiving an end message, which includes a list of the downloaded content, from the content management server if the downloading is completed, and transmitting the end message to the client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the messaging server is a Wireless Application Protocol/Short Messaging Service (WAP/SMS) server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device comprises:

a set top box which is connected to the web server and the content management server, and plays the content downloaded from the content management server through a display device; and

a portable terminal which is connected wirelessly to the messaging server via the Internet, and receives the end message which includes a list of the downloaded content from the messaging server if the downloading is completed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the client device further comprises a personal computer which is connected to the web server via the Internet, accesses program information provided from the web server on the content for a predetermined time period to input selection information and downloads order information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the set top box accesses the program information provided from the web server to input the selection information and the downloading order information.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the portable terminal accesses the program information provided from the web server to input the selection information and the downloading order information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server is supplied with preference information on the content, which is input through the client device if the client device is subscribed to a downloading service, and information indicating whether reception of a downloading end message is desired.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the web server automatically generates a downloading profile in accordance with the preference information on the content if the selection information and the downloading order information are not input from the client device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management server comprises a content database which stores the content therein, and searches for the content in the content database in accordance with the downloading profile to download the content to the client device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management server updates the preference information on the content input if the client device is subscribed to the downloading service and information as to whether to reception of the downloading end message is desired through the web page provided from the web server, and the content management server reflects the updated preference information and information as to whether to reception of the downloading end message is desired the downloading profile.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the content management server updates the downloading profile by receiving downloading status information from the client device if downloading of the content is completed or stopped.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the WAP/SMS server transmits an additional download request message, which requests additional downloading of predetermined content, to the content management server if the portable terminal transmits the additional download request message to the WAP/SMS server using the end message.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein the set top box comprises a storage medium that stores content downloaded from the content management server.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein the set top box receives the end message, which includes a list of the downloaded content, if the downloading is completed, and indicates reception of the end message by outputting the end message to the display device or causing an audible notification to be emitted.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the content includes a plurality of different on-demand programs, and the server device downloads selected on-demand programs among the plurality of different on-demand programs to the client device in the downloading order, the downloading order and selection of the selected on-demand programs being specified by the downloading profile.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period per day, week, and month, set by the client device.

16. A method of downloading content in a system which comprises a server device which provides the content and a client device which is connected to the server device through a network, the server device comprising a web server, a content management server, and a messaging server, and the client device comprising a set top box having a display device, a portable terminal, and a personal computer, the method comprising:

registering, by a service provider, program information on the content for a predetermined time period in the web server;

generating a downloading profile of the content stored in the content management server using the program information registered in the web server;

downloading the content from the content management server to the set top box in accordance with a downloading profile; and

transmitting a downloading complete message to the client device if the downloading is completed,

wherein the registering the program information comprises;

preparing the program information on the content per day, week, and month; and

registering the program information which is prepared in the web server as a web page to allow access to the program information through the set to box, the personal computer, or the portable terminal, and

wherein generating the downloading profile comprises;

accessing the web server.

receiving selection information on the content to be downloaded by the client device and downloading order information on the content using the program information which is registered in the web server, and generating the downloading profile of the content in accordance with the selection information and the downloading order information; and

transmitting the generated downloading profile to the content management server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving the selection information comprises generating the downloading profile by inputting preference information on the content to the web server and the web server automatically establishing the downloading order of the content to conform the content stored in the content management server to the preference information which is input.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the downloading the content from the content management server to the set top box comprises:

determining whether the set top box is turned on;

accessing the content management server by the set top box if the set top box is turned on;

authenticating the set top box by the content management server; and

transferring the content to the set top box from the content management server in accordance with the selection information stored in the downloading profile and the downloading order information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the accessing the content management server comprises remotely turning on the set top box by the content management server if the power of the set top box is not turned on.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising updating the downloading profile stored in the content management server in accordance with a downloading status.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting the content from the set top box, which has downloaded the content, to another set top box in a peer to peer manner; and

updating the downloading profile in accordance with a status of transmitting the content to the other set top box.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting the downloading complete message comprises transmitting an end message, which includes a list of the downloaded content, to the portable terminal or the set top box.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmitting the downloading complete message further comprises:

determining whether additional downloading of a specified content has been requested using the transmitted end message; and

regenerating the downloading profile of the content stored in the content management server using the program information registered in the web server if additional downloading is requested while selecting a desired content among the content of the list to perform a payment and authentication.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the messaging server is a Wireless Application Protocol/Short Messaging Service (WAP/SMS) server.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the content includes a plurality of different on-demand programs, and the server device downloads selected on-demand programs among the plurality of different on-demand programs to the client device in the downloading order, the downloading order and selection of the selected on-demand programs being specified by the downloading profile.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period per day, week, and month, set by the client device.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the downloading complete message is sent by the server.