Method and system for accessing TV programs and applications on smart TV

• US 9,854,320 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Company Limited (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Company Limited (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zheng, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US14/770,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications

Abstract

A method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV may include receiving a channel selection command from a user, and determining an index number corresponding to the channel selected by the user according to the command. The method may also include searching for a program resource or an application corresponding to the determined index number through a preset index table, and starting and displaying the identified program resource or application. A system for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV may change a channel management mode of conventional systems of smart TVs and set-top boxes, such that information of TV programs and applications can be displayed together and called conveniently. A user can conveniently and rapidly switch between programs and applications without the need to switch between TV channel and application interfaces.

Claims

1. A method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV, the method comprising:

receiving a channel selection command from a user;

determining an index number corresponding to the channel selection command;

searching for at least one of a program resource corresponding to the determined index number or an application corresponding to the determined index number in a single preset index table identifying correspondences between index numbers and program resources of the smart TV and applications of the smart TV, the single preset index table to be generated by;

generating a program data structure by acquiring and sorting the program resources and information associated with the program resources based on a number of views,

generating an application list by identifying the applications and information associated with the applications, and

combining the program data structure and the application list to form the single preset index table, wherein information associated with an application comprises an application name enabling execution of the application and an application calling parameter comprising at least one of;

a program history calling information, a program running state, a program home subscriber, a program multi-access authority or attribute, or a program limiting condition; and

starting and displaying the corresponding program resource or the corresponding application using the application name and the application calling parameter.

2. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the program resources comprises at least one of:

a channel identification,

a channel number, or

channel auxiliary information,

wherein the channel identification is label information or a key recognition technical parameter of each program channel by a system, the channel number is an identification information code designated by the system to a program channel, and the channel auxiliary information comprises a channel name, channel description information and channel content prompt information.

3. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 1, wherein the application name comprises at least one of:

an application calling entry point,

a type name,

a registered name of the program, or

a program file name.

4. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the program resources and the information associated with the applications, in a current system, is acquired regularly and is compared with corresponding content in the preset index table, and if the acquired information associated with the program resources or the acquired information associated with the applications and the corresponding content in the preset index table are inconsistent according to the comparison, then the corresponding content is updated in the preset index table.

5. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 1, further comprising:

searching for information associated with a program resource corresponding to the determined index number based on the preset index table, and positioning to a program channel corresponding to the program resource using the information associated with the program resource; and

searching for information associated with an application corresponding to the determined index number based on the preset index table, and positioning to the application using the information associated with the application.

6. A method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV, the method comprising:

determining an index number corresponding to a channel selection command from a user;

generating a single preset index table, identifying one-to-one correspondences between index numbers and program resources of the smart TV and applications of the smart TV, by;

acquiring and sorting the program resources and information associated with the program resources based on a number of views to create a program data structure,

identifying the applications and information associated with the applications to create an application list, and

combining the program data structure and the application list to form the single preset index table,

wherein information associated with an application comprises an application name enabling execution of the application and an application calling parameter comprising at least one of;

a program history calling information, a program running state, a program home subscriber, a program multi-access authority or attribute, and a program limiting condition;

searching the single preset index table for at least one of a program resource or an application corresponding to the determined index number; and

starting and displaying the corresponding program resource or the corresponding application using the application name and the application calling parameter.

7. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 6, wherein the information associated with program resources comprises at least one of:

a channel identification,

a channel number, or

channel auxiliary information, wherein the channel identification is label information or a key recognition technical parameter of each program channel by a system, the channel number is an identification information code designated by the system to a program channel, and the channel auxiliary information comprises a channel name, channel description information and channel content prompt information.

8. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 6, wherein the application name comprises at least one of:

an application calling entry point,

a type name,

a registered name of the program, or

a program file name.

9. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 6, wherein the information associated with the program resources and the information associated with the applications, in a current system, is acquired regularly and is compared with corresponding content in the preset index table, and if the acquired information associated with the program resources or the acquired information associated with the applications and the corresponding content in the preset index table are inconsistent according to the comparison, then the corresponding content is updated in the preset index table.

10. The method for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 6, further comprising:

searching for the information associated a program resource corresponding to the determined index number based on the preset index table, and positioning to a program channel corresponding to the program resource using the information associated with the program resource; and

searching for information associated with an application corresponding to the determined index number based on the preset index table, and positioning to the application using the information associated with the application.

11. A system for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV, the system including:

a smart TV;

a remote control device;

wherein the smart TV is configured to;

receive a channel selection command from a user with the remote control device;

determine an index number corresponding to the channel selection command;

search for at least one of a program resource corresponding to the determined index number or an application corresponding to the determined Index number in a single preset index table identifying index numbers corresponding to program resources of the smart TV and applications of the smart TV, the single preset index table to be generated by;

generating a program data structure by acquiring and sorting the program resources and information associated with the program resources based on a number of views,

generating an application list by identifying the applications and information associated with the applications, and

combining the program data structure and with application list to form the single preset index table, wherein information associated with an application comprises an application name enabling execution of the application and an application calling parameter comprising at least one of;

a program history calling information, a program running state, a program home subscriber, a program multi-access authority or attribute, and a program limiting condition; and

start and display the corresponding program resource or the corresponding application using the application name and the application calling parameter.

12. The system for accessing TV programs and applications on a smart TV according to claim 11, wherein the smart TV is further configured to:

update the single preset index table with new program resources and information associated with the new program resources, and new applications and information associated with the new applications; and

assign new index numbers to the updated single preset index table.