Emergency alert signaling method and DTV receiver

• US 7,665,106 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Chang Sik, Kim, Jin Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US11/583,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 35, 725/38, 725/40
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics

Abstract

A terrestrial digital television receiver includes a tuner, a microcomputer, and a demodulator. The microcomputer initially determines whether the DTV receiver is on, a power-on or power-off mode. If the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode, the microcomputer, control operation of the tuner to tune to a predefined emergency alert channel to receive a master guide table. The demodulator parses the master guide table. If the parsed master guide table indicates that a new emergency alert message is being received, the microcomputer automatically sets the DTV receiver on the power-on mode and controls operation of the tuner to tune to the emergency alert channel.

Claims

1. An emergency alert signaling method for use by a digital television (DTV) receiver, the method comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is on a power-on mode or a power-off mode;

periodically tuning to a first emergency alert channel to receive a first master guide table when the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode;

parsing the first master guide table without setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode to determine whether a new emergency alert message is being received; and

automatically setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode and tuning to a second emergency alert channel when the parsed first master guide table indicates that the new emergency alert message is being received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first master guide table includes an emergency flag to indicate whether the new emergency alert message is being received.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a first emergency alert table having the new emergency alert message through the tuned emergency alert channel.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising parsing the new emergency alert message from the first emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode;

periodically tuning to the emergency alert channel to receive a second master guide table when the DTV receiver is not on the terrestrial broadcast mode;

parsing the second master guide table to determine whether a new emergency alert message is being received; and

automatically tuning to the emergency alert channel when the parsed second master guide table indicates that the new emergency alert message is being received.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving a second emergency alert table having the new emergency message through the tuned emergency alert channel.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising parsing the new emergency alert message from the second emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode;

receiving a second master guide table through a terrestrial broadcast channel when the DTV receiver is on the terrestrial broadcast mode;

parsing the second master guide table to determine whether a new emergency alert message is being received; and

automatically tuning to a predefined emergency channel when the parsed second master guide table indicates that the new emergency alert message is being received.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a second emergency alert table having the new emergency message through the tuned emergency alert channel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising parsing the new emergency alert message from the second emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency message across a portion of a video screen.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode when a broadcast audio and video (AV) stream processing block in the DTV receiver is inactivated.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second emergency channels are same.

11. An emergency alert signaling method for use by a digital television (DTV) receiver, the method comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is on a power-on mode or a power-off mode;

periodically tuning to a first emergency alert channel to receive a first emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode;

parsing the first emergency alert table without setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode to determine whether the first emergency alert table includes a new emergency alert message; and

automatically setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode and tuning to a second the emergency alert channel when the parsed first emergency alert table includes the new emergency message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first emergency alert table includes an information field specifying a sequence number of the new emergency alert message.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising parsing the new emergency alert message from the first emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode;

periodically tuning to the emergency alert channel to receive a second emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is not on the terrestrial broadcast mode;

parsing the second emergency alert table to determine whether the second emergency alert table includes a new emergency alert message; and

automatically tuning to the emergency alert channel when the parsed second emergency alert table includes the new emergency alert message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second emergency alert table includes an information field specifying a sequence number of the new emergency alert message.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising parsing the new emergency message from the second emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode;

periodically tuning to the emergency alert channel to receive a second emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is on the terrestrial broadcast mode;

parsing the second emergency alert table to determine whether the second emergency alert table includes a new emergency alert message; and

automatically tuning to the emergency alert channel when the parsed second emergency alert table includes the new emergency alert message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second emergency alert table includes an information field specifying a sequence number of the new emergency alert message.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising parsing the new emergency message from the second emergency alert table and scrolling the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

34. The method of claim 11, wherein the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode when a broadcast audio and video (AV) stream processing block in the DTV receiver is inactivated.

38. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second emergency channels are same.

20. A digital television (DTV) receiver, comprising:

a tuner;

a microcomputer determining whether the DTV receiver is on a power-on mode or power-off mode and controlling operation of the tuner to periodically tune to a first emergency alert channel to receive a first master guide table when the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode; and

a demodulator parsing the first master guide table without setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode to determine whether a new emergency alert message is being received, wherein the microcomputer automatically sets the DTV receiver on the power-on mode and controls operation of the tuner to tune to a second the emergency alert channel when the parsed first master guide table indicates that the new emergency alert message is being received.

21. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein the first master guide table includes an emergency flag to indicate whether the new emergency alert message is being received.

22. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein the tuner further receives a first emergency alert table having the new emergency alert message through the tuned emergency alert channel.

23. The DTV receiver of claim 22, wherein the demodulator further parses the new emergency alert message from the first emergency alert table.

24. The DTV receiver of claim 23, further comprising a controller controlling operation of a display device in order to scroll the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

25. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein the microcomputer further determines whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode, and further controls operation of the tuner to periodically tune to the emergency alert channel to receive a second master guide table when the DTV receiver is not on the terrestrial broadcast mode.

26. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein the microcomputer further determines whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode, and further controls operation of the tuner to receive a second master guide table through a terrestrial broadcast channel when the DTV receiver is on the terrestrial broadcast mode.

35. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein DTV receiver is on the power-off mode when a broadcast audio and video (AV) stream processing block in the DTV receiver is inactivated.

39. The DTV receiver of claim 20, wherein the first and second emergency channels are same.

27. A digital television (DTV) receiver, comprising:

a tuner;

a microcomputer determining whether the DTV receiver is on a power-on mode or a power-off mode and controlling operation of the tuner to periodically tune to a first predefined emergency alert channel to receive a first emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is on the power-off mode; and

a demodulator parsing the first emergency alert table without setting the DTV receiver on the power-on mode to determine whether the first emergency alert table includes a new emergency alert message, wherein the microcomputer automatically sets the DTV receiver on the power-on mode and controls operation of the tuner to tune to a second emergency alert channel when the parsed first emergency alert table includes the new emergency message.

28. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein the first emergency alert table includes an information field specifying a sequence number of the new emergency alert message.

29. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein the demodulator further parses the new emergency alert message from the first emergency alert table.

30. The DTV receiver of claim 29, further comprising a controller controlling operation of a display device in order to scroll the parsed new emergency alert message across a portion of a video screen.

31. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein the microcomputer further determines whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV is on the power-on mode, and controls operation of the tuner to periodically tune to the emergency alert channel to receive a second emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is not on the terrestrial broadcast mode.

32. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein the microcomputer further determines whether the DTV receiver is currently on a terrestrial broadcast mode when the DTV receiver is on the power-on mode, and controls operation of the tuner to periodically tune to the emergency alert channel to receive a second emergency alert table when the DTV receiver is on the terrestrial broadcast mode.

36. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein DTV receiver is on the power-off mode when a broadcast audio and video (AV) stream processing block in the DTV receiver is inactivated.

40. The DTV receiver of claim 27, wherein the first and second emergency channels are same.