WO2009145394A1

WO2009145394A1 - Apparatus and method for enabling play, trick-play and search functions over the entire section of the contents including undownloaded parts in a download-and-play service

Info

Publication number: WO2009145394A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/005753
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seung-Hak Kim
Original assignee: Castis Co Ltd
Current assignee: Castis Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-05-28
Filing date: 2008-09-30
Publication date: 2009-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2010-11-28
Also published as: KR101028942B1; KR20090123519A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contents receiving apparatus and method for a download-and-play service. In particular, the present invention is directed to a contents receiving apparatus for a download-and-play service, which comprises a user command receiving unit, an internal storage, an internal storage management unit and a contents server control unit, wherein said contents receiving apparatus can perform play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of the contents.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENABLING PLAY, TRICK- PLAY AND SEARCH FUNCTIONS OVER THE ENTIRE

SECTION OF THE CONTENTS INCLUDING UN- DOWNLOADED PARTS IN A DOWNLOAD-AND-PLAY

SERVICE Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a contents receiving apparatus and method for a download- and-play service. In particular, the present invention is directed to a contents receiving apparatus for a download-and-play service, which comprises a user command receiving unit, an internal storage, an internal storage management unit and a contents server control unit, wherein said contents receiving apparatus can perform play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of the contents. Background Art

[2] Most widely used methods to deliver contents from a contents server to a user client over interactive networks are the real-time streaming method and the download- and-play method.

[3] In case of the real-time streaming method, contents are streamed out from a contents server to a user client in real time, and the user can use DVD-like functions such as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Search, Pause, and Stop functions. However, the contents delivery quality may get compromised if the network state is not good or traffic increases.

[4] In case of the download-and-play method, contents start to be downloaded to the user client from the beginning of the contents to the end of the contents in an orderly manner before the user watches the contents. While the quality of the download- and-play service can be considered more stable than the quality of the streaming service, the user cannot use play, trick-play and search functions over the contents parts which have not been downloaded to the user client.

[5] Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0009641 discloses a method for trick play in digital broadcasting receiver.

[6] Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0068079 discloses a trick play embodiment method using frame index.

[7] WO/2002/032146 discloses a method for transcoding progressive I-slice refreshed

MPEG data streams to enable trick play mode features on a television appliance, comprising the steps of: receiving at the appliance a progressive I-slice refreshed MPEG data stream having I-slices distributed over multiple P-frames; decoding the P- frames to recover the I-slices which make up a complete I-frame; assembling the recovered I-slices into a complete 1 -frame; encoding the complete 1 -frame; replacing a selected P- frame in the MPEG data stream with the encoded 1 -frame to provide an I- frame based MPEG data stream; and storing the 1 -frame based MPEG data stream for trick play mode use.

[8] Korean Patent Application No. 10-2001-0070561 discloses a method for reproducing digital broadcasting program data which enables time-based trick play.

[9] Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0025140 discloses a method for managing a multi-channel broadcast stream record which enables various time-based trick plays.

[10] However, the above prior arts do not provide play, trick play and search functions for undownloaded parts of contents in a download-and-play service. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[11] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a contents receiving apparatus for a download-and-play service, which comprises a user command receiving unit, an internal storage, an internal storage management unit and a contents server control unit, wherein said contents receiving apparatus can perform play, trick- play and search functions for undownloaded parts of the contents.

[12] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for providing play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of contents in a download- and-play service, which comprises: (a) checking whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user exist in said internal storage; (b) requesting said contents transmitting server to transmit the requested contents when the user-requested contents do not exist in said internal storage; (c) storing the contents which are provided by said contents transmitting server, and renewing and merging the sectional information of the contents which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage; and (d) transmitting said contents to a contents display unit. Technical Solution

[13] The above-mentioned primary object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a contents receiving apparatus for a download-and-play service, which comprises a user command receiving unit, an internal storage, an internal storage management unit and a contents server control unit, wherein the contents receiving apparatus can perform play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of the contents.

[14] The user command receiving unit receives a user command which requests contents at a specific point or in a specific section of the contents.

[15] The contents server control unit checks whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section, which are being requested by the user, exist in said internal storage by referring to the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage, and then requests the contents transmitting server to transmit the requested contents when the requested content parts do not exist in the internal storage.

[16] The internal storage stores the contents which are provided by a contents transmission server.

[17] The internal storage management unit renews and merges the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage.

[18] Another object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a method for providing play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of contents in a download- and-play service, which comprises: (a) checking whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user exist in the internal storage; (b) requesting the contents transmitting server to transmit the requested contents when the user-requested contents do not exist in the internal storage; (c) storing the contents which are provided by the contents transmitting server, and renewing and merging the sectional information of the contents which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage; and (d) transmitting the contents to a contents display unit.

[19] In the step (a), the contents server control unit checks whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user exist in the internal storage by referring to the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage.

[20] In the step (b), the contents server control unit requests the contents transmitting server to transmit the contents when the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user do not exist in the internal storage.

[21] In the step (c), the contents which are provided by the contents transmitting server are stored in the internal storage, and the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage is renewed and merged by the internal storage management unit.

[22] In the step (d), the contents stored in the internal storage are transmitted to the contents display unit.

Advantageous Effects

[23] As described above, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for play, trick play and search functions for undownloaded parts of contents in a download- and-play service, while the conventional download-and-display service dose not provide such play, trick-play and search functions for the undownloaded parts of the contents.

[24] According to the present invention, a user can download- and-play the contents, which may provide better quality than the streaming method, and can use play, trick- play, and search functions even for the contents parts not downloaded to the user clients in the same way as in the streaming method.

[25] Therefore, the present invention provides advantages of both the download-and-play method and the streaming method. Brief Description of the Drawings

[26] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the general configuration of the download-and-play service which supports play, trick-play, and search functions over the entire section of the contents.

[27] Fig. 2 shows the differences between the conventional download-and-play service with the present invention.

[28] Fig. 3 is a flowchart which illustrates the method of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[29] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the following embodiments and attached drawings. The embodiments and drawings are given only for illustration of the present invention and not to be limiting the present invention.

[30] Referring to Fig. 1, a schematic diagram of the general configuration of the download-and-play service which supports play, trick-play, and search functions over the entire section of the contents, is comprised of a contents server (101), contents delivery network (102), a user client (103), and a display device (104).

[31] The contents server transmits contents to the user client (103) through the contents delivery network (102).

[32] The user client (103) is comprised of a user command receiving unit (103-a), an internal storage (103-b), a internal storage management unit (103-c), and a contents server control unit (103-d).

[33] The user command receiving unit (103-a) receives the command being input by the user in order to play, trick-play, or search the contents.

[34] The internal storage (103-b) stores the contents which the contents server (101) transmits.

[35] The internal storage management unit (103-c) renews and merges the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage (103-b).

[36] The contents server control unit (103-d) checks whether the contents part which the user requested by using a command, is stored in the internal storage (103-b) by referring to the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage and is provided by the internal storage management unit (103-c). When the requested contents part is not stored in the internal storage, the contents server control unit (103-d) requests the contents server (101) to send the contents part which the user requested.

[37] A contents display unit, such as a display device (104), displays the contents stored in the internal storage (103-b) of the user client (103) upon the user's request. The display device (104) receives a command from a user and forwards the command to the user command receiving unit (103 -a) of the user client.

[38] The contents (105) are sent to the user client (103) from the contents server (101) through the contents delivery network (102).

[39] Fig. 2 shows the differences between the conventional download-and-play service with the present invention.

[40] In the conventional download-and-play service, the contents server (101) transmits the contents to the user client (103) from the beginning of the contents (201) to the end of the contents (202) in an orderly manner. Also, in the conventional download- and-play service, users can use play, trick-play, and search functions only for the content parts which are stored in the internal storage of the user client.

[41] In the download-and-play service according to the present invention, the contents server transmits the contents parts to the user client according to the user's requests. In other words, if the user requests a certain part of the contents using play, trick-play, or search command, the contents server will send the requested contents part to the user client. According to the present invention, the user can play, trick-play, and search the content parts which do not exist in the internal storage of the user client.

[42] Fig. 3 is a flowchart which illustrates the method of the present invention.

[43] When the user requests a certain contents part, the contents server control unit

(103-d) will check whether the requested contents part is stored in the internal storage of the user client (301).

[44] When the contents part requested by the user is not stored in the internal storage of the user client, the contents server control unit (103-d) will request the contents server (101) to send the corresponding contents part (302).

[45] The contents server (101) transmits the contents part requested by the user to the user client (103) (303).

[46] The sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in the internal storage is renewed and merged (304).

[47] The contents part sent by the contents server (101) and stored in the internal storage

(103-b) are displayed on the display device (305).

Claims

[1] A contents receiving apparatus for a download- and-play service, which comprises a user command receiving unit, an internal storage, an internal storage management unit and a contents server control unit, wherein said contents receiving apparatus can perform play, trick-play and search functions for undo wnloaded parts of the contents.

[2] The apparatus of Claim 1, wherein said user command receiving unit receives a user command which requests contents at a specific point or in a specific section of the contents.

[3] The apparatus of Claim 2, wherein said contents server control unit checks whether the contents at the specific point or in the specific section, which are being requested by the user, exist in said internal storage by referring to the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage, and then requests said contents transmitting server to transmit the requested contents when the requested content parts do not exist in said internal storage.

[4] The apparatus of Claim 3, wherein said internal storage stores the contents which are provided by a contents transmission server.

[5] The apparatus of Claim 4, wherein said internal storage management unit renews and merges the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage.

[6] A method for providing play, trick-play and search functions for undownloaded parts of contents in a download- and-play service, which comprises:

(a) checking whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user exist in said internal storage;

(b) requesting said contents transmitting server to transmit the requested contents when the user-requested contents do not exist in said internal storage;

(c) storing the contents which are provided by said contents transmitting server, and renewing and merging the sectional information of the contents which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage; and

(d) transmitting said contents to a contents display unit.

[7] The method of Claim 6, wherein, in the step (a), said contents server control unit checks whether the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user exist in said internal storage by referring to the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage.

[8] The method of Claim 6, wherein, in the step (b), said contents server control unit requests said contents transmitting server to transmit the contents when the contents at a specific point or in a specific section which are being requested by a user do not exist in said internal storage.

[9] The method of Claim 6, wherein, in the step (c), the contents which are provided by said contents transmitting server are stored in said internal storage, and the sectional information which indicates the contents parts stored in said internal storage is renewed and merged by said internal storage management unit.

[10] The method of Claim 6, wherein, in the step (d), the contents stored in said internal storage are transmitted to said contents display unit.