Method and apparatus for performing IPTV communication service

• US 9,258,619 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2009
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Hyung-tak, Cha, Soon-back, Jin, Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDOZA, JUNIOR O
• Application Number:
  US12/508,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 725/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for performing an internet protocol television (IPTV) communication service. The method includes: acquiring an application message providing the IPTV communication service from an external input with respect to a general-purpose web application by using plug-in application programming interfaces (APIs) of a web browser which are independent of an IPTV communication service provider; sending the application message to an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) gateway (IG) functional entity apparatus; and receiving a response message comprising a result of processing the application message as a response to the sending of the application message, from the IG functional entity apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of performing an internet protocol television (IPTV) communication service, the method comprising:

acquiring a first application message for the IPTV communication service from an external input through a general-purpose web application by using a first plug-in application programming interface (API) of plug-in APIs of a web browser, the plug-in APIs being independent of an IPTV communication service provider;

sending the first application message to an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) gateway (IG) functional entity apparatus; and

receiving a response message comprising a result of processing the sent first application message, from the IG functional entity apparatus,

wherein the first plug-in API for acquiring the application message for the IPTV communication service provides access to an application of a different service provider than the IPTV communication service provider and comprises messages to be sent to a remote user and a remote user identifier as input arguments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an application providing the IPTV communication service comprises at least one of a chatting application, an instant message application, a Voice over IP (VoIP) application, a Multimedia over IP (MoIP) application, and a presence application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second application message for the IPTV communication service, from the IG functional entity apparatus;

sending the second application message to the web browser by using one of the plug-in APIs for processing an event informing reception of the second application message; and

outputting the second application message through the general-purpose web application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing reception of the second application message comprises a received message as a return value.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing about reception of the second application message during a set session comprises a received message as a return value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a session setting request message for an application providing the IPTV communication service from an external input through the general-purpose web application by using one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session setting request message;

sending the session setting request message to the IG functional entity apparatus; and

receiving a response message for the session setting request message, from the IG entity apparatus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sending of the first application message and the receiving of the response message comprising the result of processing the sent first application message, are performed during the set session.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first plug-in API for acquiring the first application message providing the IPTV communication service during the set session comprises a message to be sent to a remote user and a session ID as input arguments.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

acquiring a session completion request message for the application providing the IPTV communication service from an external input through the general-purpose web application by using one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session completion request message;

sending the session completion request message to the IG functional entity apparatus; and

receiving a response message for the session completion request message from the IG functional entity apparatus.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session completion request message comprises a session identifier (ID) as an input argument.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session setting request message comprises a session identifier (ID) as return values.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing at least one of the plug-in APIs providing a list of users who use the IPTV communication service, a length of the list of users, specific user information for a specific index in the list of users, a function of adding a specific user to the list of users, a function of deleting a specific user from the list of users, and a function of modifying the specific user in the list of users.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing at least one of the plug-in APIs providing a number of user groups in a list of users who use the IPTV communication service, specific user group information for a specific index in the user groups, a function of adding a specific user group to the user groups, and a function of deleting the specific user group from the user groups.

14. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing the method of claim 1.

15. An open an internet protocol television (IPTV) Terminal Function (OITF) entity apparatus comprising:

a first plug-in unit which acquires a first application message for the IPTV communication service from an external input through a general-purpose web application by using a first plug-in application programming interface (API) of plug-in APIs of a web browser, the plug-in APIs being are independent of an IPTV communication service provider;

an application message sending unit which sends the first application message to an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) gateway (IG) functional entity apparatus; and

a response message receiving unit which receives a response message comprising a result of processing the sent first application message, from the IG functional entity apparatus,

wherein the first plug-in unit performs the first plug-in API for acquiring the first application message providing the IPTV communication service, the first plug-in API providing access to an application from a different service provider than the IPTV communication service provider and comprising messages to be sent to a remote user and a remote user identifier as input arguments.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein an application providing the IPTV communication service comprises at least one of a chatting application, an instant message application, a Voice over IP (VoIP) application, a Multimedia over IP (MoIP) application, and a presence application.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

an application message receiving unit which receives a second application message for the IPTV communication service, from the IG functional entity apparatus;

a second plug-in unit which sends the second application message to the web browser by using one of the plug-in APIs for processing an event informing reception of the second application message; and

a web application unit which outputs the second application message through the general-purpose web application.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second plug-in unit performs the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing about reception of the second application message, the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing about reception of the second application message, comprising a received message as a return value.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second plug-in unit performs the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing reception of the second application message during a set session, the one of the plug-in APIs for processing the event informing reception of the second application message comprising a received message as a return value.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a second plug-in unit which acquires a session setting request message for an application providing the IPTV communication service from an external input through the general-purpose web application by using one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session setting request message;

a session setting request unit which sends the session setting request message to the IG functional entity apparatus; and

a session setting response unit which receives a response message for the session setting request message from the IG functional entity apparatus.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the sending of the first application message and the receiving of the response message comprising the result of processing the sent first application message, are performed during the set session.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first plug-in unit performs the first plug-in API for acquiring the application message providing the IPTV communication service during the set session, the first plug-in API comprising messages to be sent to a remote user and a session ID as input arguments.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a third plug-in unit which acquires a session completion request message for the application providing the IPTV communication service from an external input through the general-purpose web application by using one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session completion request message;

a session completion request unit which sends the session completion request message to the IG functional entity apparatus; and

a session completion response unit which receives a response message for the session completion request message from the IG functional entity apparatus.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the third plug-in unit performs the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session completion request message, the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session completion request message comprising a session identifier (ID) as an input argument.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the second plug-in unit performs the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session setting request message, the one of the plug-in APIs for acquiring the session setting request message comprising a session identifier (ID) as return values.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a second plug-in unit which performs at least one of the plug-in APIs providing a list of users who use the IPTV communication service, a length of the list of users, specific user information for a specific index in the list of users, a function of adding a specific user to the list of users, a function of deleting a specific user from the list of users, and a function of modifying the specific user in the list of users.

27. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a second plug-in unit which performs at least one of the plug-in APIs providing the number of user groups formed of the list of users who use the IPTV communication service, specific user group information for a specific index in the user groups, a function of adding a specific user group to the user groups, and a function of deleting the specific user group from the user groups.