KR101734557B1 - Method and apparatus for providing external network service to home network devive - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a method of providing an external network service in a gateway device connecting a home network and an external network, the method comprising: receiving a service request message for a specific external network service from a user device connected to a home network; Detecting a service access control policy corresponding to the specific external service and serving as a reference for controlling access of at least one user device to media content related to the specific external network service; And determining whether to provide the user device with media content corresponding to the specific external network service.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing a service of an external network to a home network device,

The present invention relates to a home network, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a service by a service provider in an external network as a device of a home network.

In the age of convergence, the convergence of communication and broadcasting is attracting attention as one of the next-generation market leading technologies as a next-generation new business model with high marketability. In particular, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service, which is the biggest axis of communication and broadcasting convergence service, not only provides services that recombine or combine existing broadcasting, voice and data technologies, but also supports interactive services, It is a technology that can create a service. Particularly, the IP TV technology does not provide a service specific to a limited terminal environment such as an existing broadcasting service, but rather provides a service such as a settop box, a PC (Personal Computer), a fixed terminal such as a TV, a mobile phone, a PDA A mobile terminal can provide a service. IPTV services also provide services regardless of the type of network, such as wired network, wireless network, and broadcasting network. Accordingly, not only the same service is provided and applied in various environments, but various types of services can be discovered by considering various environments.

On the other hand, the home network employs various wired / wireless technologies to provide a network that integrates a personal computer (PC), a home appliance, a control device, various facilities, as well as a cellular phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA). Such a home network is generally implemented in a PC-based network environment, but it is increasingly being extended to an environment including home appliances using various subnetwork technologies. For example, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology has been proposed as a technology capable of networking home appliances in a unified manner using an Internet protocol.

Based on the distributed and open networking architecture, UPnP technology allows each home appliance in the home network to be managed without peer-to-peer networking instead of being centrally managed. Generally, in a home network middleware, a UPnP device models a specific service with an action and a state variable, a control point automatically discovers a UPnP device, and then a specific service is provided to other peripheral devices I will.

As described above, the home network service is independent of the external network, and the information exchange and the content exchange are performed in the house, so there is no need for a separate charging method or an access control for using the service. However, in order to apply a fee-based service provided in an external network such as an IPTV service to a home network, a new service subscription and service access control method for billing is required.

1 is a diagram illustrating a service model when a conventional pay-TV service is provided at home. 1, a broadcasting company is, for example, a broadcasting service provider providing an IP TV service. The DLNA media server is a device for simultaneously performing not only a server for sharing internal media content but also a gateway for receiving broadcast contents from a broadcasting company, for example, a set-top box. DLNA TV is a device that can receive and share broadcasting contents from DLNA media server through DLNA service.

In the home service such as DLNA, media sharing between home network devices is possible without any separate procedure such as user authentication and service authentication. Therefore, once the broadcasting company provides the broadcasting contents to the media server, the domestic TVs can freely use the broadcasting contents through the media server. However, it is necessary to limit the sharing of home media by the copyright of the commercial broadcasting contents or the operation policy of the contents provider.

Therefore, in order to provide a broadcasting service while appropriately charging two or more TVs at home, each set-top box for each TV must be installed in the past.

As described above, in the case of using a broadcasting service to a plurality of TVs through a home network in a home, a billing procedure for paying a service fee through a contract with a broadcasting company is required for each TV, that is, each user device. To this end, the broadcasters must provide a set-top box for each TV, which adds administrative costs.

Such a problem may exist not only in a broadcast service such as an IP TV service, but also in all services that provide media contents requiring access control through an external network. For example, in a media service providing an e-book, a music file, game contents, or the like for a fee, it is possible to appropriately charge a fee that may be incurred by the home network devices in the home by consuming the provided media content I need a way to be able.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of providing a convenience of a user by unifying a media server such as a set-top box using a home network service such as UPnP, And an apparatus.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling access of a home network device to media content provided to a home network in an external network, and determining a charge based on the access.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing an integrated service subscription procedure and a service execution procedure for a service provided to a home network in an external network.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for transmitting subscription information and subscription information to a service provider of an external network when a user joins a service of an external network through a home network.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for setting access authority information of a home network device for media content of an external network service using subscription information of a user.

The present invention provides a method of providing an external network service in a gateway device connecting a home network and an external network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a service request message for a specific external network service from a user device connected to a home network; And detecting a service access control policy corresponding to the specific external service and serving as a reference for controlling access of at least one user device to media content related to the specific external network service, And determining whether to provide the user device with media content corresponding to the specific external network service.

The present invention can increase the convenience of the user by providing a simplified integrated charging method through the interworking of the home network service and the external network service. Further, the present invention can provide media contents provided from an external network to a plurality of home network devices using one gateway device, thereby reducing the cost required for maintaining the set-top boxes required for each home network device have.

1 is a diagram illustrating a service model when a conventional pay-TV service is provided at home,
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of each network device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a diagram illustrating a service registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a service execution process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of service subscription information according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a service policy according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that the same components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling the access of a home network device to a related media content and setting a charge according to the service provider's external network service on the home network do. The present invention can be applied to various external network services for providing media contents requiring access control.

For example, the external network may include a mobile communication network, a broadcast network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a public data network (PDN), and the Internet. The external network service may include a broadcasting service, a music file providing service, a game providing service, an electronic book providing service, and a news providing service. In addition, the present invention can be applied to various types of home network middleware, for example, Java Intelligent Network Infrastructure (Jini), LonWorks, home audio / video interoperability (HAVi), and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP).

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the following description will be made on the basis of the IP TV service of the ETSI TISPAN (Telecommunications Telecommunications Standards Institute Telecommunications and Internet Converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking) standard and the UPnP-based Digital Living Network Alliance One embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 illustrates a problem of the conventional home media sharing service. The broadcasting company is a broadcasting service provider that provides IP TV and the like. The DLNA media server is a device for simultaneously performing not only a server for sharing home media contents but also a gateway for receiving broadcasting contents from a broadcasting company. DLNA TV is a device that can share broadcasting contents provided by DLNA media server through DLNA service. In the conventional home network such as DLNA, media content can be shared without any separate procedure such as user authentication and service authentication. Accordingly, once the broadcasting company provides the broadcasting contents to the media server, the domestic TVs can freely use the broadcasting contents through the media server. However, there has been a need to limit the sharing of home media by the copyright of commercial broadcasting contents or the operation policy of contents providers.

For example, the following service scenarios can be derived in order to provide service access control for free-in-house media sharing with respect to the commercial broadcast content and to avoid inconvenience in use of the user's service.

<Service Scenario>

- differentiate the service charge according to the agreement and arrangement of the number of available devices for the broadcast content

- Granting access rights to specific users or certain kinds of devices for broadcast content and authentication

Various service scenarios other than the service scenario described above can be derived, but there is a need for a method that can control access to media contents of a home network device in common.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a procedure for a user of a home network device (hereinafter, referred to as a user device) to subscribe to a corresponding service through a gateway in order to receive an external network service. Then, according to the subscription information of the user, the service provider transmits the access control policy for media contents to the gateway for authentication and billing management. In addition, when requesting the service provision of the user device, the gateway performs authentication and access control on the corresponding media content according to the access control policy received from the service provider. In addition, the media server may report the details of accessing the media content of the home network device to the service provider.

In the present invention, the service access control policy is a policy for controlling access of at least one user device to a media content related to a service or service provided in an external network. This access control policy is a criterion for determining whether to provide the corresponding media content to a specific user device. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent indiscreet sharing of the media content, and the service provider can give a proper billing.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a network according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, each entity is an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) -based TISPAN as an example. In addition to TISPAN, a home network and an external network interoperate to provide a media content service It is applicable.

2, the user device 100 and the gateway 200 are devices constituting a home network, and the service providing server 300 is located in an external network connected to the home network, and the media content, for example, For example.

The user device 100 constitutes a home network and actually communicates with the gateway 200 to actually consume media contents provided in the external network. For example, a television, a mobile phone, a PMP, . The user device 100 may include a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) user agent 110, a media client 120, and a media renderer 130.

SIP user agent 110 processes the SIP message. In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the home network provides a service in cooperation with an SIP-based external network. Thus, the user device 100 includes the SIP user agent 110 , SIP user agent 110 may not be included in user device 100 in other embodiments.

The media client 120 generates a service list request message and transmits the service list request message to the gateway 200 to request a list of services provided from the external network. Then, the gateway 100 generates a subscription request message requesting subscription for the specific service selected by the user or a service request message requesting the media content corresponding to the specific service from the service list received by the gateway 100, and transmits the message to the gateway 200 . Accordingly, the media client 120 includes a message generating unit for generating a service list request message, a subscription request message, a service request message, a communication unit for transmitting and receiving messages and various data, and a storage unit for storing a service list . The media client 120 may perform an AV (Audio Video) control point function for requesting and managing media contents.

The service list request message, the subscription request message, and the service request message may be generated in the SIP format through the SIP user agent 110. If the SIP user agent 110 is not included, the service list request message, the subscription request message, and the service request message will be generated according to a protocol used in the home network.

The media renderer 130 reproduces the media content actually transmitted from the gateway 200. Accordingly, the media renderer 130 may include at least one or more of various modules capable of playing media contents, for example, a music file playback module, a movie playback module, a TV module, a display, and a speaker.

The gateway 200 serves as a gateway between a home network and an external network. The gateway 200 includes a SIP proxy module 210, a media server 220, a service policy enforcement unit, A service policy resource unit, and a media content providing unit 250. [

The media content providing unit 250 serves as a channel for delivering specific media content to the user device 100 according to the type of service transmitted by the service providing server 300. For example, in the case of an IP TV service, the service providing server 300 serves as a channel for delivering broadcast content to the media renderer 130 of the user device 100.

The SIP proxy module 210 receives the SIP message from the service providing server 300 and transmits the SIP message to the SIP user agent 110 of the user device 100. The SIP proxy module 210 receives the SIP message transmitted from the user device 100, And delivers the message to the service providing server 300. According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the user device 100 does not support SIP, i.e., the SIP user agent 110 is not included in the user device 100, the SIP proxy module 210 A message to be delivered to the service providing server 300 among the various messages received from the user device 100 may be converted into the SIP format and transmitted to the service providing server 300. Also, a message transmitted from the service providing server 300 to the user device 100 can be converted.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the SIP proxy module 210 may not be included in the gateway 200 if the home network does not cooperate with the SIP-based external network. In this case, the gateway 200 may include a proxy module supporting the corresponding protocol of the external network.

The media server 220 operates based on the DLNA and receives the service list request message from the media client 120 of the user device 100 and receives the service list from the service providing server 300 and stores the service list , And transmits the stored service list to the user device (100). Alternatively, after requesting the service list from the service providing server 300 and acquiring the service list, the service list may be transmitted to the media client 120.

When the media server 220 receives the service subscription request message from the user device 100, the media server 220 authenticates the subscription request to the user device 100, and if the authentication is normally performed, To the providing server (300). The SIP proxy module 210 receives a subscription request response message corresponding to the subscription request message from the service providing server 300. After receiving the service access control policy corresponding to the subscription request from the service providing server 300 through the SIP proxy module 210, the media server 220 delivers the service access control policy to the service policy management unit 240.

When the media server 220 receives the service request message from the user device 100, the media server 220 delivers the service request message to the service policy execution unit 230. Thereafter, when it is notified from the service policy execution unit 230 that the media content related to the service request message is inaccessible, the media server 220 transmits a service execution failure message to the user device 100. [ The media server 220 provides the media content to the user device 100 when the service policy issuer 230 is informed of the access permission for the media content related to the service request message. At this time, the corresponding media content may be already downloaded from the service providing server 300 and stored in the gateway 200, or may be downloaded from the service providing server 300 in real time. In the case of downloading the corresponding media content in real time, the media server 220 transmits the service request message to the service providing server 300 through the SIP proxy module 210. The media server 220 reports the details of providing the media content to the user device 100 to the service providing server 300.

The service policy management unit 240 stores and sets the service access control policy received from the service providing server 300. A service access control policy is a policy for controlling access of at least one user device to media content related to a service provided in an external network. This access control policy is a criterion for determining whether to provide the corresponding media content to a specific user device.

The service policy execution unit 230 receives the service access control policy set in the service policy management unit 240 and controls the actual access of the user device 100 to the media content. That is, when the service request message transmitted from the user device 100 is transmitted to the policy execution unit 240 through the media server 220, the policy execution unit 240 transmits the service access control policy set in the service policy management unit 240 Based on the determination of whether access to the requested service is possible or not, it is decided.

If the user device 100 can access the media content corresponding to the service as a result of the determination, the service policy execution unit 230 notifies the media server 220 of the access permission. If it is determined that the user device 100 can not access the media content corresponding to the service as a result of the determination, the service policy execution unit 230 notifies the media server 220 that the access is impossible.

In this process, the service policy execution unit 230 may request additional information from the user device 100 through the media server 220 according to an access control policy corresponding to the user device 100. For example, if the service is set in the policy for use by a specific user, the user device 100 is requested by a specific ID or password. The information received from the user device 100 may be compared with related information included in the access control policy to determine whether to provide the service.

The service providing server 300 is a server device that is located in an external network and provides a service for specific media contents to a home network. The server providing apparatus 300 includes an authentication processing unit 310, a service policy determination unit 320, a service content storage unit 330 ).

Upon receiving the subscription request message from the gateway 200 according to the present invention, the authentication processing unit 310 processes the authentication and subscription to the user device 100 and transmits the result to the gateway 100. [ Upon receipt of the service request message from the gateway 200, it may process authentication for the user device and authentication for the service request.

The service policy determination unit 320 configures a service access control policy corresponding to the user device and transmits the service access control policy to the gateway 200 when the authentication processing unit 310 determines to join the service to the user device. The service access control policy corresponding to each user device may be changed according to a service provision report reported by the gateway 200, a user device request, or a service provider request, and the changed service access control policy is forwarded to the corresponding gateway do.

The service content storage unit 330 stores various types of media content provided by the service providing server 300.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process in which the user device 100 joins the service providing server 300 in a network configured as shown in FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the user device 100 transmits a service list request message for use of a broadcasting service to the gateway 200 through a home network in step 501 according to a user's request.

The gateway 200 having received the service list request message transmits the service list to the service providing server 300 in step 503 via the IMS network 400 in order to provide the latest service list to the gateway 200, Requests a list of available services, and receives the list of services. The gateway 200 transmits the service list received in step 505 to the user device 100 through the home network.

The user device 100 displays the received service list and receives a selection input for a particular service item from the user. At this time, if the selected service item is a service already subscribed to, the user device 100 performs a service execution procedure, and if not, displays a menu window for the subscription procedure. The user can input the subscription information for service subscription in the displayed menu window. The input subscription information may include user identification information, a password, or a subscription option. The subscription option includes one or more pieces of information such as billing options for the service, the service approach, and the number of allowed devices. The billing option indicates the billing method, for example, prepayment, postpayment, and real-time billing. The service access method indicates identification information to be used when requesting the service, for example, a user identifier, a device identifier, a type of a device capable of executing a service, and the like. The number of allowed devices indicates the number of devices that can simultaneously access the service.

The user device 100 constructs a subscription request message including the subscription information, the device information, and the service identification information, and transmits the subscription request message to the gateway 200 through the home network in step 509.

The gateway 200 checks the device information included in the subscription request message received in step 511 and confirms whether the user device 100 that transmitted the service subscription request message is a normal user device. If the authentication procedure is successfully performed, the gateway 200 transmits a join request message to the service providing server 300 through the IMS network 400 in step 513. At this time, the subscription request message includes the identification information of the gateway 200 and subscription information.

In step 515, the service providing server 300 checks the gateway information in the subscription request message and confirms whether the subscription request message is transmitted from the gateway to which the subscription request message is normally registered. And adds the gateway 200 to the service list for the service corresponding to the service identification information included in the service request message according to the subscription information transmitted together. In step 517, the service providing server 300 transmits an access response message to the gateway 200 through the IMS network.

Then, the service providing server 300 determines a service access control policy for performing access control on the service to the gateway 200, and transmits the policy to the gateway 200 in step 519. The service access control policy may be determined based on the subscription information included in the subscription request message. For example, a service access control policy may include identification information of a corresponding service, a service access method, a number of allowed devices, service information, and the like. The information included in the service access control information is used as a criterion for determining whether to provide the media content of the related service in the future.

The gateway 200 stores the service access control policy received in step 521 in association with the related service or the user device 100. At this time, if the related service access control policy already exists, it is added or updated. In step 523, the gateway 200 transmits a subscription completion message to the user device 100.

4 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the user device 100 requests a service to watch a broadcast service subscribed according to the procedure of FIG.

The user device 100 acquires and displays the service list in step 601 in a similar manner to steps 501 through 503 described above. The user confirms the displayed service list and selects a broadcast service desired to be viewed. Accordingly, in step 603, the user device 100 receives a selection input for a broadcast service whose service subscription has already been completed in step 603, and transmits a service request message for receiving the broadcast content to the gateway 200 in step 605 . At this time, the service request message includes identification information of the broadcast service desired to be received, user identification information, identification information of the user device, and device type information.

The gateway 200 checks the service request message of the user device 100 in step 607 and checks the information of the access control policy to check whether the service request is accepted or rejected. In other words, the service access control policy corresponding to the user identification information or device identification information included in the service request message and corresponding to the requested broadcast service is searched. And determines whether to provide the related media content based on the information included in the retrieved service access control policy and information included in the service request message received from the user device 100. [ In this process, the gateway 200 may request additional information from the user device 100 according to the access control policy corresponding to the user device 100. [ For example, if the service is set in the policy for use by a specific user, the user device 100 is requested by a specific ID or password. The information received from the user device 100 may be compared with related information included in the access control policy to determine whether to provide the service. If the media content corresponding to the broadcast service to be provided is not stored, the gateway 200 transmits the service request message to the service providing server 300. [

Upon receipt of the service request message of the gateway 200, the service providing server 300 determines whether it is a normal service request by checking whether the request is from the gateway subscribed to the service in step 611. [ If the service providing server 300 determines that the service request is a normal request, the service providing server 300 transmits a service preparation message to the gateway 200 in step 613.

In step 615, the gateway 200 receives the preparation message from the service providing server 300 and transmits the preparation message to the user device 100. Through the above procedure, the user device 100 is ready to view the content corresponding to the selected broadcast service, and can then play the corresponding media content.

In step 619, the gateway 200 reports the service access control policy execution details to the service providing server 300. Reporting of service access control policy execution details can be done periodically or in real time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, various scenarios as described below can be configured for the basic service scenario.

- Limit the number of user devices that can watch broadcast when joining service. The number of devices capable of simultaneous viewing is selected according to the contract conditions, and the selected number of devices is included in the service access control policy and registered in the gateway 200. When the number of user devices simultaneously accessing the user device 100 in order to receive the specific external network service through the home network at the time of requesting the service of the user device 100 exceeds the number of registered simultaneous connection allowable devices, Sends a denial of service message.

- When joining a service, user ID and password information are included in the service access control policy and registered in the gateway 200 so that only a specific user can use the service. If a user other than the registered user requests the service, the gateway 200 transmits a service rejection message

- When joining a service, user device identification information is included in the service access control policy so that only a specific user device can use the service, and the user device identification information is registered in the gateway 200. If a device other than the registered user device requests a service, that is, if the identification information of the user device requesting the service does not match the identification information of the registered user device, the gateway 200 transmits a service rejection message

- When signing up for a service, check whether contract renewal is possible. In the case of the service rejection, the gateway 200 transmits to the corresponding user device a message asking whether to add the number of concurrently usable user devices through the service contract renewal or whether to further register the usable user information, And update the service access control policy accordingly.

In each of the scenarios described above, information to be confirmed at the time of providing a service, for example, the number of devices capable of simultaneous viewing, an ID and a password for allowing a specific user to use the service, Information on the user device information, whether or not the contract can be renewed, and the like are included in the service access control policy and transmitted to the gateway 200.

Table 1 is an embodiment of a service subscription request message according to the above-described service scenario.

MESSAGE sip: SP.IPTV.com SIP / 2.0 Via: SIP / 2.0 / UDP GW.home.com; branch = abc123
To: SP IPTV <sip: SP.IPTV.com>
From: CND1 <cnd1.home.com>; tag = 123456
Call-ID: abcde12345
Cseq: 56678 MESSAGE
Contact: <sip: cnd1.hom.com>
Content-Type: application / subscription + xml
Content-Length: 150 (XML body)
XML instance for service subscription schema

The service subscription request message is formed in the form of an SIP message and transmitted to the service providing server 300 through the gateway 200. At this time, since the method and header part of the SIP message follow the conventional SIP message, a detailed description of each header field will be omitted. However, a data model for information such as subscription conditions and options is additionally defined when subscribing to the service. That is, in the Content-Type header field for defining the information contained in the body part of the SIP message, application / subscription + xml is declared in order to represent information for XML-type subscription. In the body, Respectively.

5 shows a data model of the service subscription information transmitted in Table 1 above. The subscription 700 of the data model for the service subscription information largely comprises a billing option 710, an access type 720, and a number of allowed devices 750. The number of allowed devices 750 indicates the number of user devices that can be simultaneously served.

The access type 730 indicates a service condition. According to the access type 730, the user item 731 is used to register a user ID when making a service request using the user identification information 732. The registered device item 733 is used to register available device identification information when a service request is made using the device identification information 734. An Authorized device entry 735 is also used to register the device type 736 available for the service. In this embodiment, when a CVP (Commercial Video Profile) device defined for the DLNA service is registered (737), only devices supporting CVP service can use the service.

The billing option 710 can be subscribed to by selecting either the prepaid agent 711, postpayment agent 715 or real-time billing 719. In the case of the prepaid agent 711, the user can select the balance agent 712 and the flat rate 713, and can select the unlimited use charge 714 for the specific service package. At this time, the billing is made at the time of the first subscription. In the case of postpaid service, the fare system is the same as the prepaid service but charges at a certain point in time after the service is used. In the case of the real-time charging method, it is possible to select the billing based on the total viewing time from the selection time point of the content desired to be watched or the starting time to the end time. Based on the above data, it is possible to add an additional charging option and an authorized device type according to the service type.

When the user selects a desired service type, the corresponding item of the service subscription information is activated, and a specific effective value is stored and transmitted to the service providing server 300 through the gateway 200.

Table 2 shows an example of a service request message that the user device 100 sends to the gateway 200. [

HTTP POST request URL HOST: hostname: portNumber
CONTENT-LENGTH: bytes in body
CONTENT-TYPE: text / xml; charset = "utf-8"
USER-AGENT: OS / version UPnP / 1.1 product / version
SOAPACTION: "urn: schemas-upnp-org: service: serviceType: v # actionName"
<? xml version = "1.0"?>
<s: Envelope
xmlns: s = "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
s: encodingStyle = "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/">
<s: Body>
<u: actionName xmlns: u = "urn: schemas-upnp-org: service: serviceType: v">
<argumentName> device identification </ argumentName>
<! - other in args and their values go here, if any ->
</ u: actionName>
</ s: Body>
</ s: Envelope>

The service execution request message follows the form of action invocation defined in UPnP. At this time, since the HTTP header for calling an action and the SOAP body follow a conventional UPnP action invocation, a detailed description of each field will be omitted. However, the argument required for service request is newly defined. That is, user identification information or device identification information required when requesting service execution, and an argument for specifying a device type are added.

6 shows a data model of a service access control policy that the service providing server 300 constructs based on the service subscription information and delivers to the gateway 200. FIG. The service access control policy 800 may include an access type 810, a number of allowed devices 820, and service information data 830. The access type 810 and the allowable device number 820 are the same as the access type 730 and the allowable device number 750 of Figure 5. The service information data 830 is used when the service execution request of the user device is rejected , And is included in the service request failure message, and may be composed of recommended service data 831 and advertisement data 832. The recommended service data 831 is recommended service package information provided by the service provider. In case of failure of the service request, it can contain information that the user can refer to when renewing the service subscription. The advertisement data 832 is an advertisement for delivering to the user device 100. The advertisement data 832 can be used to advertise a new service or new content although it is not directly related to a service actually used by the user.

In accordance with the service subscription information, a corresponding item of the service access control policy 800 is activated and a specific effective value is stored and transmitted to the gateway 200.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the described embodiments but should be determined by the equivalents of the claims and the claims.

Claims (16)

A method for providing an external network service in a gateway device connecting a home network and an external network,
The method comprising: receiving a subscription request message for a specific external network service from a first user device connected to a home network, the first subscriber device corresponding to the first user device, Receiving a service access control policy from the server, the service access control policy being determined by a server providing the specific external network service;
Receiving a service request message for the specific external network service from the first user device;
Detecting a service access control policy;
Determining whether the first user device accesses the specific media content corresponding to the service request message based on the detected service access control policy and information included in the service request message;
And providing the specific media content to the first user device if it is determined that access is permitted. delete The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a service subscription request message for the specific external network service from a second user device connected to the home network;
Adding identification information of the gateway to the service subscription request message and transmitting the service subscription request message to a server providing the specific external network service;
And receiving and storing a service access control policy determined according to the subscription information included in the service subscription request message from the server. 4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the subscription information includes at least one of a billing option, a service access method, and a number of simultaneous connection allowable devices. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of reporting a history of providing the specific media content to the first user device to a server providing the specific external network service. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to grant access to the first user device comprises:
Detecting a number of first user devices currently receiving the specific external network service through the home network if the detected service access control policy includes the number of simultaneous connection allowable devices,
Granting access to the specific media content if the number of detected first user devices is less than the number of concurrent access devices;
And disabling access to the specific media content if the number of the first user devices exceeds the number of simultaneous connection allowable devices. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to grant access to the first user device comprises:
Requesting a corresponding user ID and password to the first user device if the detected service access control policy includes a policy that allows a specific user to use the specific external network service;
Allowing access to the specific media content if the ID and password received from the first user device match the corresponding ID and password,
And disabling access to the specific media content if the ID and password received from the first user device do not match the corresponding ID and password. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to grant access to the first user device comprises:
If the detected service access control policy includes a policy that allows a specific user device to use the specific external network service, comparing the identification information of the first user device included in the service request message with the corresponding user device identification information , &Lt; / RTI &
Granting access to the specific media content if the identification information of the first user device matches the corresponding user device identification information;
And disabling access to the specific media content if the identification information of the first user device does not match the corresponding user device identification information. A gateway apparatus for connecting a home network and an external network and providing an external network service,
The method comprising: receiving a subscription request message for a specific external network service from a first user device connected to a home network, the first subscriber device corresponding to the first user device, Receiving a service access control policy determined by a server providing the specific external network service from the server, receiving a service request message for the specific external network service from the first user device, A media server for transmitting the specific media content to the first user device when the service policy execution unit is notified of an access grant for the specific media content corresponding to the service request message,
The service access control policy is detected by the service policy management unit, and based on the detected service access control policy and the information included in the service request message, a specific media corresponding to the service request message And a service policy execution unit for determining whether to grant access to the content by the first user device and delivering it to the media server. 10. The gateway apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the detected service access control policy is stored in the service policy management unit. The media server according to claim 9, wherein the media server receives a service subscription request message for the specific external network service from a second user device connected to the home network, adds identification information of the gateway to the service subscription request message, To a server providing a specific external network service, and upon receipt of a service access control policy determined according to the subscription information included in the service subscription request message from the server, the service gateway server stores the service access control policy in the service policy management unit. 12. The gateway apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the subscription information includes at least one of a billing option, a service access method, and a number of simultaneous connection allowable devices. The gateway device according to claim 9, wherein the media server reports details of providing the specific media content to the first user device as a server providing the specific external network service. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the detected access control policy includes the number-of-simultaneous access device information, the service policy execution unit determines whether the number of first user devices And notifies the media server of an access grant to the specific media content if the number of detected first user devices is smaller than the number of simultaneous connection allowable devices, And notifies the media server of the inability to access the specific media content when the number of permitted devices is exceeded. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, if the detected service access control policy includes a policy for allowing a specific user to use the specific external network service, And notifies the media server of an access grant to the specific media content if the ID and password received from the first user device coincide with the corresponding ID and password, And notifies the media server of the inability to access the specific media content if the ID and the password do not match the corresponding ID and password. The method of claim 9, wherein the service policy execution unit
If the detected service access control policy includes a policy that allows a specific user device to use the specific external network service, comparing the identification information of the first user device included in the service request message with the corresponding user device identification information And notifying the media server of an access grant to the specific media content if the identification information of the first user device and the corresponding user device identification information are identical to each other, And notifies the media server of the inability to access the specific media content if the information does not match.

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