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.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[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 (UI) 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.
[7] In such an environment, it is difficult to perform operations, such as
decoding, digital
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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 an apparatus and method for dynamically
configuring
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 a
method of
method of dynamically configuring multiple screens. The method includes
generating
a plurality of logical screens; associating a service context with a first
logical screen
selected from the generated logical screens; and moving the service context
from the
first logical screen to a second logical screen selected from the generated
logical
screens.
[11] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an apparatus
for providing multiple screens. The apparatus includes a user/application
interface
module receiving a service moving request from a user or an application; and a
service
processing module generating a plurality of logical screens and moving a
service
context ssociated with a first logical screen, which is selected from the
generated
logical screen, to a second logical screen, which is selected from the
generated logical
screens, in response to the service moving request.
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. 1 to 8 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a PIP screen
according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[14] FIG. 9 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. 10 to 14 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a screen
including a
mapper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[16] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating service sources according to an
exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[17] FIGS. 16 and 17 are diagrams illustrating a non-abstract service and an
abstract
service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating attribute information and interfaces of
a logical
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screen and a display screen;
[19] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an attribute 'z-order' of a logical
screen according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[20] FIGS. 20 and 21 are diagrams each illustrating an attribute
'Display_Area' of a
logical screen according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[21] FIG. 22 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. 23 is a diagram illustratin g processes of moving services according
to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[23] FIG . 24 is a diagram illustrating processes of moving services according
to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[24] FIG. 25 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus
for providing
multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[25] FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dynamically configuring
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[26] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a process of service moving according
to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[27] FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a software architecture for providing
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[28] FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating the relationships among modules
constituting an ap-
plication programming interface (API) layer according to an exemplary
embodiment of
the present invention;
[29] FIG. 30 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. 29 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention;
[30] FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating a method of moving services displayed
on logical
screens between the modules illustrated in FIG. 29 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention and
[31] FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating a method of moving services displayed
on logical
screens between the modules illustrated in FIG. 29 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
Mode for Invention
[32] 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,
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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.
[33] 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.
[34] The term'service' indicates a group of multimedia contents displayed
together, i.e., at
least one of service components forms a single service.
[35] Service components are elements of a service and include a video
component, an
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 subtitles or an electronic program guide (EPG).
[36] 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.
[37] 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.
[38] 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.
[39] 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
mapped to
the display screen to be displayed on the physical display device.
[40] 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.
[41] 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
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displayed is referred to as a'main screen'.
[42] 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.
[43] The PIP screen includes a screen that occupies a part of another screen
as illustrated
in FIGS. 1 to 4 and a screen that is simultaneously displayed with another
screen
without overlapping the other screen as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 6. 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
illustrated
in FIGS. 7 and 8.
[44] 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.
[45] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a logical
screen and a
display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[46] Referring to FIG. 9, 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.
[47] 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.
[48] 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.
[49] 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.
[50] 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. 10 to 14
are diagrams illustrating a configuration of the screen including a mapper as
the
mapping block.
[51] Referring to FIG. 10, 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
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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. 10, or may have a combination of the background still image B, the video
raster
V, and the graphic rater G as illustrated in FIG. 11.
[52] Referring to FIG. 12, 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
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. 12 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. 13.
[53] Picture-Outside-Picture (POP) screens are illustrated in FIG. 14. 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. 14, 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.
[54] 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.
[55] The mapping block 230 may also be realized by a hardware in order to
function for
mapping the logical screen to the display screen
[56] 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 il-
lustrated in FIG. 15.
[57] 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
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sources (not illustrated in FIG. 15) which provide services via a wired
network or a
wireless network.
[58] A broadcast receiver 310 receives services from the service sources and
produces
logical screens displaying each of the received services.
[59] 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.
[60] The terrestrial broadcaster 320, the cable broadcaster 330, and the PVR
340 are il-
lustrated in FIG. 15 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.
[61] Services according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
can be
classified into abstract services and non-abstract services, as illustrated in
FIGS. 16 and
17.
[62] 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.
[63] The non-abstract services are understood as services other than abstract
services.
[64] 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.
[65] 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
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attribute information of one screen object.
[66] 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.
[67] The attribute information of the screen object includes a plurality of
attributes 'z-
Order', 'Display_Area', 'Visibility', 'Associated_Display_Screen',
Associated_Service_Contexts', and'OutputPort'.
[68] FIG. 18 illustrates the attribute information of the screen object and
the type of
interfaces that process the attribute information.
[69] An attribute 'type' 505 is attribute information indicating whether the
screen is a
logical screen or a display screen.
[70] An attribute 'z-Order' 510 is for determining in what order a plurality
of logical
screens are arranged along the z-axis. FIG. 19 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.
[71] Referring to FIG. 19, 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.
[72] An attribute 'Display_Area' 520 is information regarding a display screen
area of a
logical screen, as to be illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21.
[73] FIG. 20 illustrates that a logical screen 710 is mapped to an entire area
of the display
screen 720, and FIG. 21 illustrates that a logical screen 730 is mapped to a
partial area
of the display screen 740.
[74] 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.
[75] 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
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on or disappear from a display screen by altering the value of the attribute
'Visibility'
530.
[76] 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.
[77] 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.
[78] An attribute 'OutputPort' 560 is information regarding devices by which a
display
screen is to be output, and such devices include display screens,
wired/wireless com-
munication media, and various storage media.
[79] Interfaces for identifying or altering the values of the attributes
illustrated in FIG. 18
may be provided. Referring to FIG. 18, 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.
[80] 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'.
[81] According to another example, a method 'public void set-
DisplayArea(HScreenRectangle rect) throws SecurityException,
IllegalStateException'
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 'IllegalState-
Exception' may be conducted as an exceptional operation for the method 'setDis-
playScreen(HScreen screen)'. The method 'IllegalStateException' 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.
[82] According to still another example, a method 'getDisplayArea(void)'
returns regional
information of a current screen as HScreenRectangle information. If the
current screen
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corresponds to a display screen, the method 'getDisplayArea(void)' returns
HScreen-
Rectangle information having the same value as HScreenRectangle (0,0,1,1). If
the
current screen is a logical screen, the method 'getDisplayArea(void)' returns
in-
formation 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'.
[83] 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
not function.
[84] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a process that two services are set on
two logical
screens to be mapped to a single display screen.
[85] Referring to FIG. 22, 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.
[86] As illustrated in FIG. 22, 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.
[87] By associating the service context for a service with a screen, contents
in the service
can be displayed, and service contexts can be moved or interchanged between
screens
according to a selection of a user or an application. The operation of moving
the
service contexts between the screens refers to service moving. A service
context used
in the service moving may be for an abstract service or non-abstract service.
[88] The service moving can be performed using interfaces 'remove' and 'add'
described
with reference to FIG. 18. More specifically, an operation of canceling the
association
between the service context s and the screen is performed through a method 're-
moveServiceContext s, ' and an operation of associating the service contexts
removed
from the screen with another screen is performed through a method 'addSer-
viceContexts.' That is, in order for service moving, a service context to be
moved is
removed from a source screen, and then the service context removed from the
source
screen is added to a destination screen.
[89] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as described above,
a method
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'moveServiceContexts' or a method 'moveMultiScreenContexts' that moves service
contexts between specific screens can also be used.
[90] The service moving can be performed between logical screens. However, the
present
invention is not limited thereto, and the service moving can also be performed
between
a logical screen and a display screen.
[91] In addition, all of a plurality of service contexts associated with a
source screen can
be moved to a destination screen. However, the present invention is not
limited thereto,
and some of the service contexts associated with the source screen can be
moved to the
destination screen. In this case, some of a plurality of services displayed on
the source
screen are displayed on the destination screen.
[92] A process of service moving according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention is illustrated in FIG. 23. It is assumed that a source screen 10 is
associated
with a service 12, and no service is associated with a destination screen 20
(refer to (A)
in FIG. 23). In this state, when a user or an application requests a service
moving, the
service 12 is disconnected from the source screen 10 (refer to (B) in FIG.
23). To this
end, a service context related to the service 12 may be removed from the
source screen
10.
[93] Thereafter, the service 12 is connected to the destination screen 20
(refer to (C) in
FIG. 23). To this end, a service context related to the service 12 may be
added to the
destination screen 20.
[94] After the service 12 is moved from the source screen 10 to the
destination screen 20,
the service 12 displayed on the source screen 10 is displayed on the
destination screen
20 (refer to (D) in FIG. 23).
[95] During the service moving process, the execution of the service 12 may be
suspended
until the service moving is completed.
[96] In FIG. 23, the service moving process is performed in a state where no
service is
displayed on the destination screen 20. However, the present invention is not
limited
thereto. For example, a service displayed on a source screen can be moved to a
destination screen even if another service is displayed on the destination
screen. This
situation is illustrated in FIG. 24. Referring to FIG. 24, a source screen 10
displays a
service 14 including data components, and a destination screen 20 displays a
service 16
including video components. In this state, if service moving is performed
between the
source screen 10 and the destination screen 20, the service 14 is moved from
the source
screen 10 to the destination screen 20. Then, the destination screen 20
displays the two
services 14 and 16.
[97] The service moving can also be performed between a main screen and a PIP
screen.
When the service moving is performed based on the assumption that the main
screen
on which an application is executed is a source screen and that the PIP screen
is a
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destination screen, it is necessary to check whether the application executed
on the
source screen (main screen) can also be executed on the destination screen
(PIP
screen).
[98] It is possible to check whether an application executed on the main
screen can be
executed on the PIP screen on the basis of signal information. The signal
information
can be included in application information indicating information for
applications in
the services. Examples of the application information include an application
in-
formation table (AIT) based on the MHP standard and an eXtended application in-
formation table (XAIT) based on the OCAP standard. The signal information may
be
provided by a service provider (for example, broadcasting system providing
terrestrial
broadcasts 320 or cable broadcasts 330 of FIG. 15).
[99] If the application exe c uted on the main screen cannot be executed on
the PIP screen,
the application is interrupted. The interruption may include suspension, i.e.,
the ap-
plication is temporally suspended, and termination, i.e., the application is
completely
terminated. Therefore, the application executed on the main screen may be
suspended
or terminated. In this case, the type of interruption of the application is
varied
according to realized examples.
[100] When the service moving is performed based on the assumption that the
PIP screen is
a source screen and that the main screen is a destination screen, if an
interrupted ap-
plication is connected to the PIP screen, the interrupted application can be
re-executed
after the interrupted application is moved to the main screen. When the
application is
in a suspension state on the PIP screen, the application that is moved to the
main
screen is resumed. When the application is in a terminated state on the PIP
screen , the
application moved to the main screen is restarted.
[101] FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing multiple
screens according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[102] Referring to FIG. 25, 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.
[103] 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.
[104] 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
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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.
[105] 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.
[106] 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.
[107] The digital signal processing module 940 restores a plurality of
services using
received service components. The restored services include abstract or non-
abstract
services.
[108] 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.
[109] 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.
[110] The service processing module 950 generates a logical screen and a
display screen to
display a service restored by the digital signal processing module 940. The
service
processing module 950 connects the services to the logical screens. Further,
the service
restored by the digital signal processing module 940 may be not connected to
the
logical screens in the service processing module 950, but may be directly
connected to
the display screen.
[111] Further, the service processing module 950 may perform service moving
between the
screens in response to the request of a user or an application through the
user/
application interface module 965. According to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the service processing module 950 may suspend or terminate
a
service during the service moving.
[112] The service processing module 950 may include functionally divided
modules. For
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example, the service processing module 950 may include a screen generation
module
(not shown) and a service selection module (not shown). The screen generation
module
may generate a screen, and the service selection module may connect a service
to the
generated screen or remove a service connected to a screen.
[113] The output module 960 maps one or more logical screens produced by the
service
processing module 950 to the display screen. For example, the output module
960 may
serve as the mapping block 230 illustrated in FIG. 9. The mapping area of the
logical
screens to the display screen may be previously set using a predefined method
or a
method set by the user with the aid of the user/application interface module
965.
[114] 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.
[115] 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.
[116] 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.
[117] 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.
[118] Since the modules illustrated in FIG. 25 are divided according to their
functions, it is
possible to be connected to the other modules.
[119] FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a method of dynamically configuring
multiple
screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[120] 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, an apparatus for providing a service such
as a
multimedia content service receives video information, audio information, and
data in-
formation and restores a service based on the video information, the audio
information,
and the data information. 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.
[121] Further, data information includes application information regarding
application for a
service, and these application information includes signal information
indicating
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whether the application can be executed on a PIP screen. Examples of the
application
information include an AIT based on the MHP standard and an XAIT based on the
OCAP standard. The signal information may be added to the application
information.
[122] Thereafter, in operation S 1020, the restored service is set such that
it can be
displayed on a logical screen. In operation S 1030, the logical screen is
mapped to a
display screen. In operation S 1040, the display screen is provided to the
user using a
display device, a storage medium, or a network.
[123] The restored service is illustrated in FIG. 26 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.
[124] 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.
[125] FIG. 26 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.
[126] When a display screen is provided to the user in this manner, the user
or the ap-
plication can perform a plurality of services.
[127] As illustrated in FIG. 26, when the services are displayed on the
screens, the service
moving is performed between the screens in response to the request of the user
or the
application.
[128] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a process of moving services according
to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[129] In operation S110, a request for service moving is input through the
user/application
interface module 965 by the user or an application, and in operation S 120,
the service
processing module 950 disconnects a service, which is displayed on a source
screen,
from the source screen. Here, a user may determine which of a plurality of
screens
generated in advance to be source screen and which of them to be a destination
screen.
[130] Thereafter, in operation S 130, the service processing module 950
connects the
service disconnected from the source screen to the destination screen.
[131] If the destination screen is a PIP screen and the service disconnected
from the source
screen includes an application, it is determined whether the application can
be
executed on the PIP screen. Based on the determination result, the application
may be
interrupted or executed on the PIP screen.
[132] Hereinafter, this invention will be described from the view point of a
software arc
hitecture. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a software architecture for
providing
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multiple screens according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[133] Referring to FIG. 28, a software architecture 1100 includes a device
driver layer
1110, an API layer 1120, and an application layer 1130.
[134] 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.
[135] 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. That is,
the API layer
1120 can be implemented as the service processing module 950 illustrated in
FIG. 25.
[136] 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.
[137] 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
1110 to transmit a display screen to an external device via a network.
[138] 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.
[139] 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. 29.
[140] The multiscreen manager module 1210 manages the multiscreen context
module
1230, searches for a desired screen, displays information specifying what
devices are
shared by screens, registers the multiscreen context listener module 1250, or
cancels
the registration of the screen context listener module 1250.
[141] 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 FIG. 18 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 FIG. 18.
[142] When attribute information of the screen object 1220 is altered by the
multiscreen
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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.
Therefore, if service moving is performed, the multiscreen context event
module 1240
announces the occurrence of an event in which service contexts of screens
(source and
destination screens), which are targets for service moving, have been changed.
This an-
nouncement may be transmitted to a monitor application, which manages screen
in-
formation, by the multiscreen context listener module 1250. T he monitor
application
may update a screen information table according to the announcement of the
multiscreen context event module 1240. Since the monitor application is merely
an
embodiment of the present invention, the announcement of the occurrence of the
event
can also be transmitted to a specified module or another application which
manages the
screen information.
[143] 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.
[144] 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.
[145] The multiscreen context module 1230 is associated with the screen object
1220 and
manages the attribute information of the screen object 1220 illustrated in
FIG. 18. 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. Further,
these
function may be performed by a separate module (not shown).
[146] 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.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the above
functions
can be performed another module (not illustrated).
[147] FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying a plurality
of services
displayed on respective corresponding logical screens by the modules
illustrated in
FIG. 29 on a display screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
invention.
[148] Referring to FIG. 30, in operation S1310, the multiscreen manager module
1210
produces a display screen and a number of logical screens corresponding to the
number
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of services to be performed.
[149] In operation S1320, 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
s'
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
s 'connects a logical screen to service s and may be provided by the
multiscreen
context module 1230.
[150] 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
'setDis-
playScreen' 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.
[151] 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.
[152] 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.
[153] The execution of the methods 'SecurityException' and
'IllegalStateException' may be
conducted as an exceptional operation for the method 'setDisplayScreen(HScreen
screen)'.
[154] The method 'IllegalStateException' may be executed when a 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.
[155] In operation S 1340, 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.
[156] FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating a method of moving services
displayed on logical
screens between the modules illustrated in FIG. 29 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention. A method of moving services between
logical
and display screens can also be understood based on the method of FIG. 31.
[157] In operation S1410, if a source logical screen and a destination logical
screen are
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selected from a plurality of logical screens, the multiscreen manager module
1210
disconnects a service, which is to be moved, from the source logical screen.
[158] At this time, a method 'removeServiceContext s 'is called for the source
logical
screen. The method 'remove Service Context s 'removes service context s
connected to
the so urce logical screen. The method 'removeServiceContext s 'may be
provided by
the multiscreen context module 1230.
[159] Although not shown in FIG. 31, the service that is to be moved may be
suspended
before operation S 1410.
[160] In operation S 1420, if the service is disconnected from the source
logical screen, the
multiscreen context event module 1240 announces the occurrence of an event in
which
the service has been disconnected from the source logical screen. More
specifically,
the multiscreen context event module 1240 announces the occurrence of an event
in
which the service contexts of the source logical screen have been changed in
operation
S 1410. Thereafter, the multiscreen manager module 1210 connects the service
removed from the source logical screen to the destination logical screen in
operation
S 1430. At this time, a method 'addServiceContext s ' may be called for the
destination
logical screen. The method 'addServiceContext s' adds service context s to the
destination logical screen. The method 'addServiceContexts' may be provided by
the
multiscreen context module 1230.
[161] In operation S 1450, if the service is connected to the destination
logical screen, the
multiscreen context event module 1240 announces the occurrence of an event in
which
the service has been connected to the destination logical screen. More
specifically, the
multiscreen context event module 1240 announces the occurrence of an event in
which
the service contexts of the destination logical screen have been changed in
operation
S1430.
[162] After a series of the above operations, the service moved from the
source logical
screen to the destination logical screen is executed on the destination
logical screen.
[163] In FIG. 31, the multiscreen context event module 1240 separately
announces the
occurrence of events when the service is disconnected from the source logical
screen
and when the service is connected to the destination logical screen. However,
the
present invention is not limited thereto. For example, since the operation of
dis-
connecting the service from the source logical screen and the operation of
connecting t
he service to the destination logical screen are consecutively performed
during service
moving, the multiscreen context event module 1240 may announce, at a time, the
occurrence of an event related to the source logical screen and the
destination logical
screen after the two operations are performed. This operation is illustrated
in FIG. 32.
[164] According to an exemplary embodiment of FIG. 32, the multiscreen manager
module
1210 disconnects a service, which is to be moved, from a source logical screen
in
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operation S 1510. Then, in operation S 1520, the multiscreen manager module
1210
connects the service disconnected from the source logical screen to a
destination
logical screen. Operations S 1510 and S 1520 of FIG. 32 respectively
correspond to
operations S 1410 and S 1430 of FIG. 31. In the current exemplary embodiment
of the
present invention, the operation of announcing the occurrence of an event
using the
multiscreen context event module 1240 is not performed between operations S
1510
and S 1520.
[165] After operations S 1510 and S 1520 are performed, in operation S 1530,
the
multiscreen context event module 1240 announces, at a time, the occurrence of
an
event in which service contexts of the source logical screen have been changed
and an
event in which service contexts of the destination logical screen have been
changed.
Industrial Applicability
[166] According to the exemplary embodiments of 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.
[167] 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
exemplary
embodiments 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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