Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MULTIPLE SCREENS AND
METHOD OF DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURING MULTIPLE
SCREENS
Technical Field
[1] Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to
configuring multiple screens, and more particularly, to dynamically
configuring
multiple screens which provide multiple contents on a single physical display
device.
Background Art
[2] Related art broadcast receivers such as digital televisions (TVs) or
digital set-top
boxes provide only one content element on a single physical display device or
simul-
taneously display a main screen and a sub-screen on a single physical display
device.
[3] Even though related art broadcast receivers can simultaneously display
both the
main screen and the sub-screen on the same display screen, they can only
arrange the
main screen and the sub-screen in a limited number of manners. In the case of
a
content displayed within the main screen, all elements of the content, i.e.,
video data,
audio data, and other data, are displayed. On the other hand, in the case of a
content
displayed within the sub-screen, only some of the elements of the content are
displayed.
[4] Content sources include a broadcast service such as a satellite
broadcaster, a
terrestrial broadcaster, or a cable broadcaster, a storage medium such as
digital
versatile discs (DVDs), or an external device connected to an input terminal.
However,
it is quite difficult to display contents provided by such various content
sources on a
display screen using the existing broadcast receivers.
[5] In an interactive TV application program environment such as the
Multimedia
Home Platform (MHP), the Advanced Common Application (ACAP), and the Open
Cable Application Platform (OCAP), it is assumed that only one screen is
output on a
physical display device.
[6] In the interactive TV application program environment, for example, a Home
Audio/Video Interoperability (HAVi)-based user interface (iJI) is adopted.
According
to the HAVi UI standard, even though no restriction is imposed on the number
of
screens displayed on a physical display device, only one screen is generally
displayed
on a physical display device.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[7] In such an environment, it is difficult to perform operations, such as
decoding,
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digital signal processing, user interaction processing, etc. with respect to
one among
multimedia contents displayed on a screen while displaying the multimedia
contents on
independent screens. In addition, it is also difficult to dynamically control
the life
cycles of application programs and the use of resources in the units of the
screens.
[8] Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of displaying a variety of
contents on
a dynamically configured screen.
Technical Solution
[9] The present invention provides a dynamic configuration of multiple screens
which
provide a plurality of contents on a physical display device.
[10] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
apparatus for
providing multiple screens. The apparatus includes a service processing module
producing at least one of logical screens and display screens for displaying a
service,
and an output module mapping the logical screens to arbitrary locations on the
display
screens and providing the display screens to a plurality of physical display
devices.
[ 11 ] According to another of the present invention, there is provided a
method of dy-
namically configuring multiple screens. The method includes producing at least
one of
logical screens and display screens displaying the restored service, mapping
the logical
screens to arbitrary locations on the display screens, and providing the
display screens
to a plurality of physical display devices.
Description of Drawings
[12] The above and other aspects of the present invention will become more
apparent by
describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the
attached
drawings in which:
[13] FIGS. 1A to 1H are diagrams illustrating configurations of a PIP screen
according
to exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[14] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logical
screen and a
display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[15] FIGS. 3A to 3E are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a screen
including a
mapper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[16] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating service sources according to an
exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[17] FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an abstract service and a non-
abstract
service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[18] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating attribute information and interfaces of
a logical
screen and a display screen;
[19] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an attribute 'z-order' of a logical
screen according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
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[20] FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams each illustrating an attribute
'Display_Area' of a
logical screen according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[21] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of mapping two services to a
display
screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[22] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus
for
providing multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[23] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state that a display screen is
connected to a
plurality of physical display devices by an output module according to an
exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[24] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dynamically configuring
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[25] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a software architecture for providing
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[26] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the relationships among modules
constituting an
application programming interface (API) layer according to an exemplary
embodiment
of the present invention; and
[27] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying a plurality of
services that
are displayed on respective corresponding logical screens on a display screen
by the
modules illustrated in FIG. 14 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention.
Mode for Invention
[28] Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of
accomplishing
the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed
de-
scription of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The present
invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.
Rather,
these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and
complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled
in the art,
and the present invention will only be defined by the appended claims. Like
reference
numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.
[29] Before explaining the present invention, terms used in the specification
will now be
described briefly. However, it is noted that the use of any and all examples
or
exemplary terms provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the
invention
and is not a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise
claimed.
[30] The term 'service' indicates a group of multimedia contents displayed
together, i.e.,
at least one of service components forms a single service.
[31] Service components are elements of a service and include a video
component, an
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audio component, and a data component. The video component and the audio
component include video information and audio information, respectively.
Further, the
data component refers an application in a service and includes an application
providing
weather information, an application providing stock information, an
application
providing a subtitle or an electronic program guide (EPG).
[32] The term 'service context' indicates an object which can control the
executing of a
service and includes various resources, devices, and execution state
information
needed for providing a service. It is possible to confirm the service
components that
are configuration elements of the service by the service context.
[33] The term 'physical display device' indicates a physical device which
actually
displays the content of a service, an external output port to which the
content is output,
or a storage device in which the content is stored.
[34] The term 'display screen' indicates a screen actually displayed on a
physical display
device. An arbitrary service may be directly set in the display screen, and
the display
screen may be displayed on a physical display device. Alternatively, at least
one
logical screen which is mapped to a certain area of the display screen may be
displayed
on the physical display device.
[35] The term 'logical screen' indicates a space in which an arbitrary service
is
displayed. A logical screen is a virtual screen before being mapped to a
display screen
and thus is not displayed on a physical display device. Therefore, the logical
screen is
displayed on the physical display device by being mapped to the display
screen.
[36] The logical screen and the display screen may be a combination of a
background
still image, a video raster, and a graphic raster. The graphic raster may be a
combination of text, lines, colors, and images or a mixture of video frames.
[37] The term 'main service' indicates a service that is selected as a main
service
through a menu displayed on the physical display device or a remote controller
by a
user or through an API by an application, and the screen on which the main
service is
displayed is referred to as a'main screen'.
[38] The term 'Picture-in-Picture service' (PIP service) indicates a service
that is
selected as a sub-service in the main service through a menu displayed on a
physical
display device or a remote controller by a user via an API by an application,
and the
PIP service may be displayed on a picture-in-picture screen (PIP screen) or a
main
screen.
[39] The PIP screen includes a screen that occupies a part of another screen
as il-
lustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1D and a screen that is simultaneously displayed with
another
screen without overlapping the other screen as illustrated in FIGS. 1E to 1F.
In this
case, it is understood that the PIP screen may include a screen that is
displayed on an
arbitrary location or area in the physical display device or overlaps another
screen, as
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illustrated in FIGS. 1G and 1H.
[40] The terms that have not been described in the foregoing description will
be
described as necessary. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described
in
detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
[41] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logical
screen and a
display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[42] Referring to FIG. 2, a service may be displayed using logical screens
210, 212, and
214. The logical screens 210, 212, and 214 are mapped to display screens 220,
222,
and 224 through a mapping block 230.
[43] In detail, the logical screens 210 and 212 are mapped to the display
screen 220, the
logical screens 212 and 214 are mapped to the display screen 222, and the
logical
screens 210, 212, and 214 are mapped to the display screen 224.
[44] In short, at least one logical screen which displays a service is mapped
to an
arbitrary area of a display screen by the mapping block 230.
[45] The mapping block 230 is a group of various pieces of information needed
for
mapping a logical screen to a display screen. Examples of the various pieces
of in-
formation include coordinate information of a predetermined area on a display
screen
to which each of a plurality of logical screens is mapped, identification
information of
the logical screens and the display screen, and information specifying in what
order the
logical screens are displayed on the display screen.
[46] The mapping block 230 can change the size of the logical screen so to be
allocated
in an arbitrary area of the display screen. That is, the mapping block 230 can
perform
scaling of the logical screen and allocating of the position thereof, and
FIGS. 3A to 3E
are diagrams illustrating a configuration of the screen including a mapper as
the
mapping block.
[47] Referring to FIG. 3A, the main screen including a combination of a
background
still image B, a video raster V, and a graphic raster G is mapped to the
entire display
screen by a mapper with a normal size. The PIP screen including only video
components is mapped to the entire display screen by the mapper with a reduced
size.
In this case, the mapped PIP screen is displayed on the main screen, which is
determined depending on a Z value. The reference character Z refers to z-order
value
which will be described later. An overlay screen may be combined with the
display
screen. The overlay screen is a specific screen disposed at the outmost side,
and may
be used when providing a caption function. The PIP screen may have only a
video
component as illustrated in FIG. 3A, or may have a combination of the
background
still image B, the video raster V, and the graphic rater G as illustrated in
FIG. 3B.
[48] Referring to FIG. 3C, the main screen including the combination of the
background
still image B, the video raster V, and the graphic rater G is mapped to the
entire display
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screen by the mapper with a normal size. Two PIP screens #1 and #2 having only
video component is mapped to an arbitrary area of the display screen by the
mapper
with a reduced size. In this case, the mapped PIP screen is disposed on the
main screen
and the Z value can be constantly maintained. Further, the overlay screen may
be
combined with the display screen. The configuration of the screen may have a
plurality
of PIP screens including only video components as illustrated in FIG. 3C or a
plurality
of PIP screens including a combination of the background still image B, the
video
raster V, and the graphic rater G as shown in FIG. 3D.
[49] Picture-on-Picture (POP) screens are illustrated in FIG. 3E. It can be
understood
that the PIP screen is displayed inside the main screen and the POP screen is
displayed
outside the main screen. Referring to FIG. 3E, the plurality of PIP screens #1
and #2
including a combination of the background still image B, the video raster V,
and the
graphic rater G are mapped to arbitrary areas of the display screen by the
mapper with
a reduced size. In this case, the Z value of the mapped POP screens #1 and #2
may be
constantly maintained. Further, the overlay screen may be combined with the
display
screen.
[50] The mapping block 230 may be realized by interfaces or functions prepared
by
various computer program languages to be executed and create or change the re-
lationship between the logical screen and the display screen by using the
above in-
formation as parameters.
[51] The mapping block 230 may also be realized by a hardware in order to
function for
mapping the logical screen to the display screen.
[52] Further, services provided by various service sources may be displayed on
a
display screen, and the display screen may be displayed on a physical display
device,
as illustrated in FIG. 4.
[53] There are service sources which provide broadcast services such as a
terrestrial
broadcaster 320 and a cable broadcaster 330, service sources which provide
services
stored in a storage medium such as a personal video recorder (PVR) 340, and
service
sources (not illustrated in FIG. 4) which provide services via a wired network
or a
wireless network.
[54] A broadcast receiver 310 receives services from the service sources and
produces
logical screens displaying each of the received services.
[55] Then, an arbitrary service is directly set on the display screen to be
displayed on a
physical display device using a predefined method or a method set by a user or
an ap-
plication. Otherwise, at least one logical screen that is mapped to an
arbitrary area on
the display screen is displayed on a physical display device 350. In short,
services
provided by the terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330, and
the PVR are
displayed on the physical display device 350.
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[56] The terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330, and the PVR
340 are il-
lustrated in FIG. 4 as being service sources, but the present invention is not
limited to
it. Any type of multimedia content source which provides multimedia contents
that can
be displayed together can be a service source according to an exemplary
embodiment
of the present invention.
[57] Services according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
can be
classified into abstract services and non-abstract services, as illustrated in
FIGS. 5A
and 5B.
[58] The abstract services are not services provided by broadcast signals
transmitted in
real time but services independent of broadcast channels. The abstract
services include
only data components, i.e., application, without video components and audio
components. Examples of the abstract services include services having unbound
ap-
plications based on the OCAP standard.
[59] The non-abstract services are understood as services other than abstract
services.
[60] According to the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
both
abstract services and non-abstract services have independency. For example,
abstract
services may be directly set on the physical display device not through
logical screens
and non-abstract services may be displayed on the logical screens. Then, the
logical
screens may be mapped to the display screen in which the abstract services are
set.
Thereafter, the display screen may be output through the physical display
device. By
doing so, the abstract services can be displayed on the display screen
independently of
the non-abstract services. In addition, the abstract services and non-abstract
services
may be mapped to different logical screens. Thereafter, the logical screens
may be
mapped to a single display screen. In other words, the abstract services can
be
displayed on the display screen independently of non-abstract services.
[61] According to the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
the
logical screen and the display screen may be categorized as being different
objects. Al-
ternatively, a screen may serve as a logic screen or a display screen
according to
attribute information of one screen object.
[62] That is, it is possible to confirm whether the screen is a logical screen
or a display
screen, on the basis of type information among attribute information of the
screen
object.
[63] The attribute information of the screen object includes a plurality of
attributes
'type', 'z-Order', 'Display_Area', 'Visibility', 'Associated_Display_Screen',
'Associated_Service_Contexts', and 'OutputPort'.
[64] FIG. 6 illustrates the attribute information of the screen object and the
type of
interfaces that process the attribute information.
[65] An attribute 'type' 505 is attribute information indicating whether the
screen is a
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logical screen or a display screen.
[66] An attribute 'z-Order' 510 is for determining in what order a plurality
of logical
screens are arranged along the z-axis. FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration of
logical
screens on a physical display device for a combination of the values of
attributes 'z-
Order' of the logical screens.
[67] Referring to FIG. 7, first and second logical screens 620 and 630 are
respectively
mapped to predetermined areas of a display screen 610. In detail, the first
logical
screen 620 is displayed on the display screen 610, and the second logical
screen 630 is
displayed on the display screen partially overlapping the first logical screen
620. In
other words, the display screen 610, the first logical screen 620, and the
second logical
screen 630 are sequentially arranged in the direction of the z-axis. In this
case, an
attribute 'z-Order' of the first logical screen 620 may be set to a value of
1, and an
attribute 'z-Order' of the second logical screen 630 may be set to a value of
2. The
attributes 'z-Order' of the first and second logical screens 620 and 630 may
be set to
any numbers or characters as long as they can represent a certain order in
which the
first and second logical screens 620 and 630 are to be arranged along the z-
axis.
[68] An attribute 'Display_Area' 520 is information regarding a display screen
area of a
logical screen, as to be illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
[69] FIG. 8A illustrates that a logical screen 710 is mapped to an entire area
of the
display screen 720, and FIG. 8B illustrates that a logical screen 730 is
mapped to a
partial area of the display screen 740.
[70] The attribute 'Display_Area' may include information specifying the two-
dimensional coordinates of a predetermined portion of a display screen to
which the
logical screen is to be mapped or may include information specifying a
predetermined
location on the display screen and an offset value indicating how much the
logical
screen deviates from the predetermined location on the display screen.
[71] An attribute 'Visibility' 530 determines whether a logical screen is to
be visibly or
invisibly displayed on a display screen. It is possible to make a logical
screen appear
on or disappear from a display screen by altering the value of the attribute
'Visibility'
530.
[72] An attribute 'Associated_Display_Screen' 540 is information regarding
display
screens associated with a logical screen. A logical screen which is not
associated with
any display screens may not be displayed on a physical display device nor be
transmitted to external output devices.
[73] An attribute 'Associated_Service_Contexts' 550 is information regarding
service
contexts connected to a logical screen or a display screen. Services set in
such service
contexts may be displayed on a logical screen or a display screen.
[74] An attribute 'OutputPort' 560 is information regarding devices by which a
display
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screen is to be output, and such devices include display screens,
wired/wireless com-
munication media, and various storage media.
[75] Interfaces for identifying or altering the values of the attributes
illustrated in FIGS.
6A and 6B may be provided. Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the interfaces may
include
an interface 'SET' for setting attribute values or connecting a logical screen
to a display
screen, an interface 'ADD' for adding attribute values or connecting a logical
screen to
a service, an interface 'GET' for identifying attribute values, and an
interface
'REMOVE' for deleting attribute values. These interfaces may include
processes,
functions, procedures, or methods that perform their functions, respectively.
[76] For example, a method 'getDisplayScreen(void)' returns a display screen
associated
with the current screen. In detail, if the current screen is a logical screen,
the method
'getDisplayScreen(void)' returns the associated display screen. If the current
screen is
display screen, the method 'getDisplayScreen(void)' returns reference
information
regarding the current screen. Further, if the current screen is a logical
screen, but there
is no associated screen, the method 'getDisplayScreen(void)' returns a value
of 'NULL'.
[77] According to another example, a method 'public void set-
DisplayArea(HScreenRectangle rect) throws SecurityException,
I11ega1StateException'
provides a function for mapping the current logical screen to a predetermined
area of
the associated display screen. An instance that is provided as a parameter is
of a class
'HScreenRectangle' of a package 'org.havi.ui', and has two-dimensional
position in-
formation. The execution of the methods 'SecurityException' and 'I11ega1State-
Exception' may be conducted as an exceptional operation for the method 'setDis-
playScreen(HScreen screen)'. The method 'I11ega1StateException' may be
executed
when the current screen is a logical screen or when a portion of a display
screen
associated with a current logical screen cannot change due to the
characteristics of a
host platform.
[78] According to still another example, a method 'getDisplayArea(void)'
returns
regional information of a current screen as HScreenRectangle information. If
the
current screen corresponds to a display screen, the method
'getDisplayArea(void)'
returns HScreenRectangle information having the same value as HScreenRectangle
(0,0,1,1). If the current screen is a logical screen, the method
'getDisplayArea(void)'
returns information regarding an area on a display screen occupied by the
current
screen. If the current screen is a logical screen but is not associated with
any display
screen, the method 'getDisplayArea(void)' returns a value 'NULL'.
[79] Certain terms are used throughout the following description to refer to
particular
interfaces. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a particular
function is
named simply to indicate its functionality. This detailed description of the
exemplary
embodiments does not intend to distinguish between functions that differ in
name but
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not function.
[80] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process that two services are set on
two logical
screens to be mapped to a single display screen.
[81] Referring to FIG. 9, a first service includes all the three service
components, i.e.,
video, audio, and data components, and a second service includes only video
and audio
components. However, the present invention does not impose any restrictions on
service components, and the first and second services illustrated in FIG. 8
are
exemplary.
[82] As illustrated in FIG. 9, the first and second services are displayed on
a physical
display device in almost the same manner as in the related art. According to
the current
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to display a
plurality of
services on a physical display device independently of one another without
imposing
any restrictions on the number of services that can be displayed on a single
display
screen.
[83] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing multiple screens
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[84] Referring to FIG. 10, an apparatus 900 for providing multiple screens
includes a
digital signal processing module 940, a service processing module 950, an
output
module 960, and a user/application interface module 965.
[85] Also, the apparatus 900 includes a broadcast signal reception module 910,
a storage
medium 920, and an external input module 930 as service sources, and includes
a
physical display device 970, a storage medium 980, and an external output
module 990
as service output media.
[86] The term 'module', as used herein, means, but is not limited to, a
software or
hardware component, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Ap-
plication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks. A
module
may advantageously be configured to reside on the addressable storage medium
and
configured to be executed on one or more processors. Thus, a module may
include, by
way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented
software
components, class components and task components, processes, functions,
attributes,
procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware,
microcode,
circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.
The func-
tionality provided for in the components and modules may be combined into
fewer
components and modules or further separated into additional components and
modules.
[87] The digital signal processing module 940 receives various information of
a service
such as a multimedia content, e.g., video information, audio information, or
data in-
formation, from the broadcast signal reception module 910, the storage medium
920,
or the external input module 930.
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[88] The broadcast signal reception module 910 receives a satellite,
terrestrial, or cable
broadcast signal and transmits the received broadcast signal, the storage
medium 920
stores video information, audio information, or data information of a service,
and the
external input module 930 receives video information, audio information, or
data in-
formation of a service from an external device such as a network interface
module
connected to a network.
[89] The digital signal processing module 940 restores a plurality of services
using
received service components. The restored services include abstract or non-
abstract
services.
[90] Here, the phrase 'a plurality of services' refers to two or more services
transmitted
by the broadcast signal reception module 910 or two or more services
respectively
transmitted by the broadcast signal reception module 910 and the storage
medium 920.
[91] The digital signal processing module 940 may restore services according
to
selection by a user or an application with the aid of the user/application
interface
module 965. In this case, the user or the application may select the
connection between
an arbitrary service and a screen.
[92] The service processing module 950 produces logical screens and a display
screen
to display the services restored by the digital signal processing module 940.
In detail,
the service processing module 950 connects the service to the logical screen.
Further,
the service restored by the digital processing module 940 may be not connected
to the
logical screen in the service processing module 950, but directly connected to
the
display screen.
[93] The output module 960 maps a plurality of logical screens produced by the
service
processing module 950 to the display screen. The mapping of the logical
screens to the
display screen may be conducted using a predefined method or a method set by
the
user with the aid of the user/application interface module 965.
[94] A display screen provided by the output module 960 may be displayed on
the
physical display device 970 or may be stored in the storage medium 980.
Examples of
the storage medium 980 include computer readable floppy discs, hard discs, CD-
ROM.
DVD, DVD-ROM, BD (Blu-ray Disc), and semiconductor memories.
[95] Also, a display screen provided by the output module 960 may be
transmitted to an
external device connected to a network via the external output module 990.
[96] For this, the output module 960 may include a plurality of output ports
via which a
display screen can be provided. In this case, a display screen can be provided
via an
output port set in advance as a default or an output port chosen by the user
with the aid
of the user/application interface module 965.
[97] A multi-screen providing device 900 can simultaneously display one or
more
services on a plurality of physical display devices. For this, as illustrated
in FIG. 11,
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the output module 960 provides at least one of display screens to a plurality
of physical
display devices 970-1, 970-2,..., 970-N and manages the connection
relationship
between the display screen and the physical display devices 970-1, 970-2,...,
970-N.
[98] The output module 960 may supply the same display screen on the plurality
of
physical display devices 970-1, 970-2,..., 970-N, or different display screens
cor-
responding to each of the plurality of physical display devices 970-1, 970-
2,..., 970-N.
The method of providing the display screen to the physical display device can
be
determined by the user or the application using the user/application interface
module
965. Further, the output module 960 supplies information regarding a display
screen
that is supplied to each of the physical display devices 970-1, 970-2,..., 970-
N, for
example, connection relationship between the display screen and the physical
display
devices 970-1, 970-2,..., 970-N in response to a request of the user or the
application.
Furthermore, the output module 960 may change the connection relationship
between
the display screen and the physical display devices 970-1, 970-2,..., 970-N.
[99] The user or the application can choose one of a plurality of services or
restore
desired services using the user/application interface module 965. Also, the
user can
choose one of a plurality of display screens using the user/application
interface module
965.
[100] Since the modules illustrated in FIG. 10 are divided according to their
functions, it
is possible to be connected to the other modules.
[101] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dynamically configuring
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[102] In general, video information, audio information, and data information
constituting
a multimedia content are transmitted in a predetermined format, for example,
an
MPEG stream format. In operation S 1010, a digital signal processing module
940
receives video information, audio information, and data information and
restores a
service based on the video information, the audio information, and the data in-
formation. Here, the service restored in operation S 1010 may be selected or
previously
determined by a user or an application. The user may use a menu displayed on
the
display device or a remote controller to select the connections between an
arbitrary
screen and a screen. The application may select the connections using an API.
[103] Further, data information includes application information regarding
application
program for a service, and these application information includes signal
information
indicating whether the application program can be executed on a PIP screen.
Examples
of the application information include an application information table (AIT)
based on
the MHP standard and an eXtended application information table (XAIT) based on
the
OCAP standard. The signal information may be added to the application
information.
[104] Thereafter, in operation S 1020, the service processing module 950
produces a
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screen on which the restored service is displayed, and in operation S 1030,
the
produced screen is connected to the restored service. The produced screen in
operation
S 1020 includes a logical screen and a display screen.
[105] In operation S 1040, the output module 960 maps the logical screen to
the display
screen, and then in operation S 1050, the display screen is provided to at
least one
display screen. The output module 960 can also supply a display screen to
which a
service is connected by the service processing module 950 without mapping the
logical
screen. The operation to manage connection relationship between the display
screen
and the physical display devices may be also performed by the output module
960.
[106] The restored service is illustrated in FIG. 12 as being displayed on a
physical
display device via a logical screen. However, the restored service may be
directly
displayed on a physical display device without passing through the logical
screen.
[107] When the user selects the PIP service, the PIP service is realized in
two modes. In
the first mode, only video component for PIP service selected on the main
screen is
provided without creating a separate logical screen for PIP service, that is,
PIP screen.
In the second mode, a separate logical screen for PIP service is created to
provide the
PIP service selected on the created PIP screen.
[108] FIG. 12 illustrates a method of mapping only one service to a display
screen for
simplicity. However, a plurality of services may be mapped to a display screen
with or
without passing through a plurality of logical screens.
[109] When a display screen is provided to the user in this manner, the user
can perform
a plurality of services.
[110] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a software architecture for providing
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[111] Referring to FIG. 13, a software architecture 1100 includes a device
driver layer
1110, API layer 1120, and an application layer 1130.
[112] The device driver layer 1110 receives service components from various
multimedia
content sources and decodes the received service components. Examples of the
received service components include video information, audio information, and
data
information.
[113] The API layer 1120 generates a logical screen and a display screen and
maps a
service, the logical screen, and the display screen to one another.
[114] The application layer 1130 provides a user interface so that a user can
dynamically
configure a logical screen which displays a service or transmits a user
command to the
API layer 1120 so that the API layer 1120 can execute the user command.
[115] The user enables the device driver layer 1110 with the aid of the
application layer
1130 to provide a display screen via a physical display device or to store the
display
screen in a storage medium. In addition, the user can enable the device driver
layer
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1110 to transmit a display screen to an external device via a network.
[116] For this, the device driver layer 1110 may include a plurality of output
ports which
can provide a display screen. Otherwise, API layer 1120 may include the
plurality of
output ports.
[117] In order to dynamically configure a plurality of logical screens on a
display screen,
the API layer 1120 may include a plurality of software modules, e.g., a
multiscreen
manager module ' MultiScreenManager ' 1210, a multiscreen context module'
Multi-
ScreenContext' 1230, a multiscreen context listener module' MultiScreenCon-
textListener' 1250, and a multiscreen context event module '
MultiScreenContextEvent'
1240, as illustrated in FIG. 14.
[118] The multiscreen manager module 1210 manages the multiscreen context
module,
searches for a desired screen, displays information specifying what devices
are shared
by screens, registers the multiscreen context listener module 1250, or cancels
the reg-
istration of the screen context listener module 1250.
[119] The multiscreen context module 1230 is an interface object associated
with a
screen object 1220 and determines whether the screen object 1220 is to become
a
logical screen or a display screen according to an interface operation
performed by the
multiscreen context module 1230. Various attributes such as the attributes 510
through
570 illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B may be set in the multiscreen context
module 1230.
The multiscreen context module 1230 can provide the functions 'SET', 'ADD',
'GET',
and'REMOVE' described above with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.
[120] When attribute information of the screen object 1220 is altered by the
multiscreen
context module 1230, the multiscreen context event module 1240 serves as an
event
class announcing that the attribute information of the screen object 1220 has
been
changed, and the multiscreen context listener module 1250 serves as a listener
interface object which can be realized in a predetermined application class
which
attempts to receive an event prompted by the multiscreen context event module
1240.
[121] An application 1260 is a module which is driven on the application layer
1130. The
application 1260 allows the user to choose a desired service and to freely
arrange a
plurality of logical screens on a display screen.
[122] In detail, the application 1260 transmits various commands which allow
the user to
dynamically configure and manage logical screens to the multiscreen manager
module
1210, and the multiscreen manager module 1210 controls operations
corresponding to
the various commands to be executed through the multiscreen context module
1230.
[123] The multiscreen context module 1230 is associated with the screen object
1220 and
manages the attribute information of the screen object 1220 illustrated in
FIGS. 6A and
6B. In order to manage the attribute information of the screen object 1220,
the
multiscreen context module 1230 may include a variety of functions or methods.
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[124] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
multiscreen
manager module 1210 receives service components provided by various service
sources from the device driver layer 1110 and performs operations to display
the
received service components on a logical screen or a display screen. Further,
the above
functions can be performed another module (not illustrated).
[125] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying a plurality
of services
displayed on respective corresponding logical screens by the modules
illustrated in
FIG. 14 on a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention.
[126] Referring to FIG. 15, in operation S 1310, the multiscreen manager
module 1210
produces a display screen and a number of logical screens corresponding to the
number
of services to be performed.
[127] In operation S 1320, the multiscreen manager module 1210 connects the
logical
screens to respective corresponding services received from the device driver
layer
1110. The multiscreen manager module 1210 may call a method
'addServiceContext'
for each of the logical screens by setting service context objects of the
received
services as parameters for the logical screens services. The method
'addServiceContext'
connects a logical screen to a service and may be provided by the multiscreen
context
module 1230.
[128] In operation S 1330, once the logical screens are connected to the
respective
services, the multiscreen manager module 1210 connects the logical screens to
the
display screen. At this time, the multiscreen manager module 1210 may call a
method
'setDisplayScreen' for each of the logical screens by setting a display screen
object to
which the logical screens are connected as a parameter. The method
'setDisplayScreen'
connects a logical screen to a display screen and may be provided by the
multiscreen
context module 1230.
[129] A method 'setDisplayScreen' may be set to 'public void setDisplayScreen
(HScreen
screen) throws SecurityException, Illegal StateException', and this method
allows an
instance 'HScreen' that is provided as a parameter to be associated with the
current
logical screen. In this case, the instance 'HScreen' is preferably a display
screen.
[130] A parameter of the method 'setDisplayScreen(HScreen screen)' may include
a
value of 'NULL'. In this case, when the method 'setDisplayScreen(HScreen
screen)' is
executed without exception handling, the current logical screen is no longer
associated
with the display screen.
[1311 The execution of the methods 'SecurityException' and
'I11ega]StateException' may
be conducted as an exceptional operation for the method
'setDisplayScreen(HScreen
screen)'.
[132] The method 'I11ega1StateException' may be executed when a current screen
is a
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logical screen or when a portion of a display screen associated with a current
logical
screen cannot change due to the characteristics of a host platform.
[133] In operation S1340, areas on the display screen to which the logical
screens are to
be respectively mapped are determined. At this time, a predetermined method
provided
by the multiscreen context module 1230 can be called to determine an area on
the
display screen where the logical screens are to be displayed.
Industrial Applicability
[134] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a
plurality of services
provided by various sources such as cable broadcasts, terrestrial broadcasts,
various
storage media, and external inputs, in various manners using a single physical
display
screen.
[135] While the present invention has been particularly illustrated and
described with
reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made
therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as
defined by the
following claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the above-described
em-
bodiments have been provided only in a descriptive sense and will not be
construed as
placing any limitation on the scope of the invention.
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