KR20210119357A - Electronic device, control method thereof, program, medium storage and internet protocol television system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device. The electronic device monitors, through a communication unit, information on the state of unpaid bills by the communication unit communicating with the broadcasting center and at least one customer included in a customer list stored in the broadcasting center. When at least one customer's unpaid charge state information is changed from a first state to a second state, a control command is transmitted through the communication unit to a device corresponding to the customer whose charge state information has been changed. Accordingly, user convenience and system efficiency can be improved.

Description

Electronic device, control method thereof, program, recording medium and IPTV system

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method thereof, a program, a recording medium, and an IPTV system, and more particularly, to an electronic device for helping to process unpaid broadcast charges, a control method thereof, a program, a recording medium and an IPTV system.

With the rapid development of information and communication technology in recent years, the television field has also greatly developed.

For example, IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) has emerged, and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) combines two-way communication through Internet Protocol with broadcasting to acquire QoS (Quality of Service) and to It is now possible to provide a close range of content and amount of content.

When a service provider provides IPTV broadcasting services to users for a fee, an unpaid fee may occur.

In the prior art, when an unpaid broadcast fee occurs in IPTV, the IPTV cannot provide an IPTV service to a user without recognizing that the fee has been paid, even if the unpaid fee is paid.

Accordingly, when unpaid broadcasting fees are settled in IPTV, there is a demand for a broadcasting service with improved user convenience.

Domestic Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0094783

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device and a method for controlling the same, which help to automatically provide an IPTV service to a user when an unpaid broadcast fee is paid.

In addition, it is to provide an IPTV system in consideration of user convenience.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. will be able

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention monitors, through the communication unit, a communication unit that communicates with a broadcasting center and information on unpaid bills by at least one customer included in a customer list stored in the broadcasting center, through the communication unit, and and a control unit configured to transmit, through the communication unit, a control command to a device corresponding to the customer whose charge status information is changed when the charge status information unpaid by the customer is changed from the first state to the second state.

Aspects of the present invention are only some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and various embodiments in which the technical features of the present invention are reflected are detailed descriptions of the present invention that will be described below by those of ordinary skill in the art can be derived and understood based on

According to the present invention, when an unpaid broadcasting fee is paid in an IPTV system, an electronic device that automatically helps to provide an IPTV service to a user is provided, thereby improving user convenience.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the following description. will be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are provided to help understanding of the present invention, and provide embodiments of the present invention together with detailed description. However, the technical features of the present invention are not limited to specific drawings, and features disclosed in each drawing may be combined with each other to form a new embodiment.
1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an IPTV broadcasting system according to an embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an IPTV broadcast receiver.
3 is a diagram illustrating an IPTV system proposed by the present invention.
4 is a control method of an IPTV electronic device according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, an apparatus and various methods to which embodiments of the present invention are applied will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The suffixes "module" and "part" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have a meaning or role distinct from each other by themselves.

In the description of the embodiment, in the case where it is described as being formed on "upper (upper) or lower (lower)" of each component, upper (upper) or lower (lower) means that two components are in direct contact with each other or One or more other components are all formed by being disposed between two components. In addition, when expressed as “upper (upper) or lower (lower)”, a meaning of not only an upper direction but also a lower direction based on one component may be included.

In the description of the embodiment, a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitter, a power transmitter, etc. may be used interchangeably for the convenience of description of the wireless power transmitter. In addition, as an expression for a wireless power receiving device, a receiver, a terminal, a receiving side, a receiving device, a power receiving device, etc. may be used interchangeably for convenience of description.

The wireless power transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of wireless power transmission means to wirelessly transmit power to a plurality of receivers.

Wireless power transmission device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a mobile phone (mobile phone), a smart phone (smart phone), a laptop computer (laptop computer), a digital broadcasting terminal, PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) , navigation, MP3 player, and other small electronic devices, but is not limited thereto.

General configuration of IPTV broadcasting system

1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an IPTV broadcasting system according to an embodiment.

The IPTV broadcasting system includes a program provider 1010 (program provider), a service provider 1020 (service provider), and a service consumer 1030 (consumer). In this case, the program provider 1010 includes a platform provider (not shown).

IPTV receives terrestrial, satellite, or cable broadcast through the Internet so that a user can watch it. Services provided through IPTV include, in addition to the above broadcasting services, various additional services such as providing movies, music, e-commerce and e-mail services desired by users using the interactivity of IPTV.

A program provider is defined as a group that provides content such as a broadcast program and an additional service. TV station, radio station, VoD (video on demand) / AoD (audio on demand) service, MoD (music on demand) service, PF server (server), EPG (electronic program guide) server, An electronic content guide (ECG) server, a portal server, or the like may be an example of the program provider.

A TV broadcasting station is a place that produces broadcast programs, including existing terrestrial broadcasting stations or cable broadcasting stations, and produces program content that users can watch, converts it digitally, and transmits it to users.

A radio station produces and transmits an audio signal, and generally does not transmit a video signal, but may also transmit a simple video signal.

The VoD/AoD service is a service that transmits specific movies and music according to a user's request, and allows the user to store and play data about them, unlike TV and radio stations. That is, a user who uses the VoD/AoD service can consume a desired amount of content at a desired time through the received data.

The MoD service is a service for downloading music that a user wants. MoD is similar to AoD, but has the characteristic that record labels or music distribution companies can directly expand the service target.

The PF server may be serviced by a company that manages broadcast information and location information provided by the program provider 1010 . These companies provide various additional information for users, such as broadcast time and location information required for broadcast, through the PF server. Such a PF server is an element that must be provided for the convenience of a user's content selection in an IPTV environment that provides various contents. The service provided through the PF server is displayed on the screen by the service consumer 1030 processing information.

The EPG server serves EPG (Electronic Program Guide). The EPG includes information about a broadcast program provided by each channel or inquiring about a broadcast program. The EPG server may allow a program for providing the EPG to be automatically installed and executed in the service consumer 1030 .

The EPG server provides the service consumer 1030 with information on real-time broadcast programs and channels of all broadcasting stations at once, unlike the PF server that provides only information on broadcast programs provided by a specific broadcasting station. For example, the service consumer 1030 may receive the EPG provided by the above EPG server and record news of a CNN channel or watch an animation of a Disney channel by reservation.

In particular, the EPG provided by the EPG server includes detailed information about each program. For example, it provides information on the plot, category, and viewing rating of the drama, and may include information on characters or places that serve as backgrounds.

The ECG server provides an electronic content guide (ECG). The ECG includes information on content that can be provided by the program provider 1010 and information on a location and access right of an access server that can receive content. That is, the ECG provides services such as VoD/AoD and MoD by integrating information like the EPG. Accordingly, the user can lessen the burden of accessing an individual server to view specific content.

ECG provided by ECG server. Unlike EPG, rather than providing information on real-time broadcasting channels, information on broadcasting channels stored in a server is provided to users so that users can download and watch them at any time and place they want. For example, a user had to access a server with a complex address or a PF server to obtain information about each content. However, the user can apply for ECG service by simply inputting a key for calling ECG information from the remote controller, and receive information on all contents provided by each server through a program automatically installed for the ECG service. Through this information, the user can conveniently select a desired specific content from among various contents at once.

The portal server provides a web service operated by a broadcasting station. A program list provided by the program providers 1010 such as broadcasting stations may be searched through the web service.

The portal server is equipped with functions such as user authentication and license agreement, so that the user accesses the program to view the desired program. In addition, unlike EPG and ECG, since information on content provided by a specific program provider 1010 is provided, a more detailed search for the corresponding content is possible.

The aforementioned program providers 1010 are constructing networks through the Internet to transmit content including programs and broadcast information to the service consumers 1030 in real time.

In addition, the program provider 1010 uses an Internet (real-time) protocol such as RTP (real-time transport protocol), RTSP (real-time streaming protocol), RSVP (resource reservation protocol), or MPLS (multi protocol label switching) protocol. A system that can be networked with the service provider 1020 to transmit multimedia data without errors must be provided.

For example, in an IPTV environment, the program provider 1010 may transmit multimedia according to a moving picture experts group-2 (MPEG-2) and/or audio coding-3 (AC-3) scheme in real time to a specific server. After transcoding according to the IPTV environment, the service provider 1020 is provided by attaching an RTP/UDP (user datagram protocol) protocol including time information to match caption or lip-sync. The system can be configured to traverse IP networks that

The service provider 1020 is responsible for stably transmitting multimedia and/or data received from the program provider 1010 to the service consumer 1030 .

The service provider 1020 may provide an IPTV service using an existing cable network. In this case, the service providers 1020 need to change the equipment of the transmission network. That is, the service providers 1020 are equipped with network devices capable of transmitting data in real time, but must allow transmission in consideration of the service bandwidth.

The service providers 1020 will have to reduce bandwidth by processing large amounts of multimedia data using a multicast service, which is a basic network service of IPTV. If the service providers 1020 do not secure sufficient bandwidth, the optical cable network configuration or the multimedia data and/or broadcast data received from the program provider 1010 are transcoded into MPEG-4 or MPEG-7 It can also be transformed into the same form and transmitted.

The service provider 1020 may include a network management system manager (NMS), a dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) server, and a content delivery network (CDN) server.

The NMS manager manages a transmission network that the service provider 1020 can transmit to each service consumer 1030 and an IPTV broadcast receiver of the service consumer 1030 . For example, the service provider 1020 may recognize that the service consumer 1030 cannot receive normal broadcasts due to a problem in the transmission network through the NMS manager. In this case, emergency means to handle the problem should be equipped with

The above-described NMS manager is widely used as a standardized means to smoothly control and manage remote transport layer machines. That is, the service provider 1020 can use the NMS manager to check how much traffic is generated for a certain broadcast and in which area the bandwidth is insufficient.

Also, the service provider 1020 may provide the NMS manager service to the program provider 1010 to create and manage a group during multicast. This is because the program provider 1010 should also be able to create more multicast groups in a specific case.

The DHCP server automatically allocates an IP to the IPTV broadcast receiver of the service consumer 1030 and informs the address of the CDN server. The DHCP server is also used as a means of allocating IPs to PCs in general networks. That is, the service provider 1020 transmits an accessible address to an IPTV broadcast receiver allowed to use through a DHCP server so that a user can perform a registration procedure when first connecting. The service provider 1020 may generally provide Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) to the IPTV broadcast receiver in an IPTV environment, but may also provide Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6). Therefore, an IPTV receiver that provides IPv4 does not mean that it cannot be used.

The CDN server provides CDN information along with IP when the IPTV broadcast receiver is first powered on and operated. The CDN information includes registration or authentication of a user of an IPTV broadcasting company and the above-described PF information. Accordingly, if the IPTV broadcast receiver fails to receive CDN information from the service provider 1020, broadcast reception will be restricted.

The service consumer 1030 includes various types of IPTV broadcast receivers. If the user has a regular TV, he can enjoy IPTV broadcasting service at a low price by renting an IPTV STB (settop box). It is available upon request.

Configuration of IPTV Broadcast Receiver

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an IPTV broadcast receiver.

The IPTV broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 includes a network interface 2010, an IP manager 2020, a conditional access system (CAS)/digital rights management (DRM) unit 2030, and a service delivery manager ( service delivery manager 2040, demultiplexer 2050, audio/video decoder 2060, display apparatus 2070, application controller 2080 ), a channel manager 2090, a service information decoder 2100, a service discovery manager 2110, a service control manager 2120, a system manager (system manager) 2130, storage unit (storing apparatus) 2140, storage medium control unit 2150, storage medium 2160, broadcast signal receiving unit 2170, authentication processing unit 2180 and converting unit 2190 include

The network interface unit 2010 functions to connect a receiver to an Internet network for a broadcast service, and may receive or transmit a packet through the connected network.

The IP manager 2020 is involved in packet delivery from a source to a destination for a packet received or transmitted through a connected network. That is, the IP manager 2020 may classify the corresponding packet to correspond to an appropriate protocol. Also, the IP manager 2020 may request transmission of an application using at least one of an IP address and a port number.

The CAS/DRM unit 2030 is in charge of functions related to broadcast service reception restriction and digital rights management. That is, the CAS/DRM unit 2030 receives a packet received in connection with a broadcast service from the network connected through the network interface unit 2010 through the IP manager 2020, so that reception of the packet is restricted or digital rights management and digital rights management are restricted. If there is a restriction in relation to it, it can be lifted. That is, the CAS/DRM unit 2030 is responsible for controlling the received packet through access or redistribution.

The service delivery manager 2040 is responsible for handling real-time streaming data. In this case, RTP/RTCP may be used for an MPEG-2 transport stream. That is, MPEG-2 packets may be encapsulated in RTP. Accordingly, the service delivery manager 2040 parses the RTP packets and transmits the MPEG-2 packet encapsulated as a result of the parsing to the demultiplexer 2050 . Alternatively, the service delivery manager 2040 may transmit feedback on the quality of network reception using RTCP. In this case, MPEG-2 transport packets can be directly delivered to UDP without RTP.

The demultiplexer 2050 demultiplexes audio, video, and service information data from the received transport stream packets. As an embodiment, the demultiplexer 2050 demultiplexes Program Specific Information (PSI) tables under the control of the service information decoder 2100 and reverses audio/video transport packets under the control of the channel manager 2090 . will multiplex. Also, the demultiplexer 2050 creates a section of the demultiplexed PSI tables and transmits them to the service information decoder 2100 .

The audio/video decoder 2060 receives and processes the demultiplexed audio/video packet from the demultiplexer 2050 .

The display unit 2070 receives and displays the audio/video signal processed by the audio/video decoder 2060 .

The application control unit 2080 supports a graphic user interface (GUI) on the display unit for the user, and receives a user's input through an external input device such as a remote control or a front panel. In the case of channel selection, the input is transferred to the channel manager 2090 . Also, the application control unit 2080 may control key states of the entire receiver system or store setting data in the storage unit 2140 .

The channel manager 2090 creates a channel map or controls the service discovery manager 2110 . Also, the channel manager 2090 requests channel information from the service information decoder 2100 for channel information or resets the service information decoder 2100 . In addition, the channel manager 2090 sets a corresponding packet identifier (PID) in the demultiplexer 2050 to receive the audio/video packet.

The service information decoder 2100 is a module for controlling service information such as PSI/PSIP/DVB-SI, and performs a slave operation under the control of the channel manager 2090 . The service information decoder 2100 sets the corresponding PID to the demultiplexer 2050 to demultiplex the service information such as the PSI/PSIP/DVB-SI. In addition, the service information decoder 2100 receives and processes a section for each service information created by the demultiplexer according to the setting. Also, the service information decoder 2100 receives service information from the service delivery manager 2040 and creates a service information database for a broadcast service.

The service discovery manager 2110 finds and enables IPTV services through an IPTV network capable of interactive service. In addition, the service discovery manager 2110 provides all information for the selected service.

The service control manager 2120 is responsible for selecting and controlling services. For example, the service control manager 2120 selects a live broadcast service using an Internet group management protocol (IGMP) or an RTSP protocol, or selects VOD content using the RTSP protocol. In this case, the RTSP protocol is used to control the transmission of directly transmitted or broadcast television and audio. In addition, the RTSP protocol is used for a continuous transmission control procedure (TCP) connection or is used to allow trick mode control for real-time broadcasting media streaming.

The system manager 2130 controls a boot flow according to the on/off of power of the receiver system, and writes or stores a ROM image including a downloaded software image in the storage unit 2140 .

The storage unit 2140 stores setup data for the system, and the like. A nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) or a flash memory may be used as the storage unit.

The storage medium 2160 temporarily stores the signal transmitted from the demultiplexer 2050 or the audio/video decoder 2060 and transmits it back to the demultiplexer 2050 or the audio/video decoder 2060. do. At this time, the storage medium 2160 writes data from the received signal under the control of the storage medium control unit 2150 , stores the signal, and provides it to the demultiplexer 2050 .

The broadcast signal receiver 2170 tunes a channel to receive a broadcast signal, demodulates the received broadcast signal, and outputs it to the demultiplexer 2050 . The broadcast signal receiver 2170 may further include a tuner and a demodulator according to an embodiment. Also, the broadcast signal receiving unit 2170 may be included in the network interface unit 2010 . In the present invention, the network interface unit 2010 transmits and receives IPTV packets with an IP address or a port number, and the broadcast signal receiver 2170 is a broadcasting signal including broadcasting data, not an IPTV packet type, by tuning a channel to a broadcasting signal. In one embodiment, receiving In an embodiment of the present invention, the ACAP standard broadcast signal may be received through the broadcast signal receiver 2170 .

The authentication processing unit 2180 performs an overall procedure of authenticating a portable device that will receive content from the IPTV broadcast receiver. In response to the authentication request of the portable device, an address from which the security software can be downloaded is transmitted to the portable device. In this case, the above address may be provided by the service provider when the IPTV receives a request from the portable device and delivers it to the service provider, or may be an address determined for downloading security software for a specific IPTV. When the portable device transmits an authentication key decrypted using security software, the authentication processing unit 2180 compares the authentication key received from the service provider to determine whether authentication is possible.

The authentication processing unit 2180 may always perform authentication before transmitting a packet from the IPTV to the portable device. Alternatively, authentication may be repeated at regular time intervals. At this time, each time authentication is performed, it requests the service provider to transmit a new authentication key, and the service provider transmits the authentication key to the portable device and IPTV according to the request, and repeats the operation of comparing and performing authentication can do. This operation may vary depending on the degree of security to be maintained.

After successful authentication, the conversion unit 2190 is responsible for converting the content requested by the portable device into a format playable by the portable device before transmission. For example, the portable device may recompress the video/audio compression method that can be decoded, or adjust the screen to fit the resolution of the portable device, and adjust the audio quality according to the audio environment of the portable device. At this time, the capacity of the portable device is transmitted from the portable device when receiving an authentication request from the portable device, or if the portable device provides its own identification information to the service provider in order to download security software, it is included in this identification information and can be transmitted over IPTV.

In another embodiment, the conversion unit 2190 inserts authentication-related information while performing conversion for transmitting content, and when data is erroneously transferred to another device or intercepted in the transmission process, You can process the content so that it cannot be used by unauthorized devices. For example, it is possible to process content transmitted only from a device corresponding to the identification information of the portable device provided by the service provider to be reproduced.

That is, the authentication processing unit 2180 and the conversion unit 2190 enable stable and efficient content reproduction in the portable device.

IPTV system proposed by the present invention

3 is a diagram illustrating an IPTV system to which the present invention is applied. Although most of the components shown in FIG. 1 are not shown in FIG. 3 , the IPTV system to which the present invention is applied may include all of the components shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , the IPTV system may include a broadcasting center 1010 , an electronic device 100 , a bank server 330 , a set-top box 340 , and an IPTV 350 .

As an example of the content provider 1010 shown in FIG. 1 , the broadcast center 1010 may provide broadcast content to the service provider 1020 or the IPTV terminals 340 and 350 .

The broadcasting center 1010 may include a DB including customer information as well as providing content. The broadcasting center 1010 may include a customer resource unit 320 and an integrated DB 310 , and the integrated DB 310 may include customer information and non-payment information of the customer.

The electronic device 100 may include a communication unit 110 and a control unit 120 .

The communication unit 110 may communicate with the broadcasting center 1010 under the control of the control unit 120 . The communication unit 110 may communicate with the broadcasting center 1010 by wire/wireless.

The controller 120 may control the overall operation of the electronic device 100 .

The control unit 120 monitors, through the communication unit 110 , information on the state of unpaid bills by at least one customer included in the customer list stored in the broadcasting center 1010 .

The control unit 120 may inquire of the broadcasting center 1010 for information on the state of unpaid fees by at least one customer at a preset time period through the communication unit 110 to the broadcasting center 1010 .

Specifically, the control unit 120 generates a query statement at a predetermined period, requests the customer non-payment information stored in the broadcasting center 1010, and receives the customer non-payment information, thereby monitoring the status of the unpaid fee.

For example, the controller 120 may query the broadcasting center 1010 for unpaid information at every time period by CRON.

The non-payment status information may include various statuses such as full payment, non-payment, partial non-payment, and the like.

Meanwhile, the customer list stored in the broadcasting center 1010 may include the customer resource unit 320 and the integrated DB 310 included in the broadcasting center 1010 .

As described above, by providing the electronic device in the IPTV system, it is possible to automatically monitor the unpaid broadcasting fee for each customer. Accordingly, system efficiency can be improved.

The control unit 120 may transmit a control command to a device corresponding to the customer when the charge status information unpaid by at least one customer is changed from the non-payment status to the full payment status.

The control unit 120 may receive information about a customer whose charge status information is changed from non-payment to full payment to the broadcasting center 1010 . The control unit 120 may receive from the broadcasting center 1010 an address of a device corresponding to a customer whose rate status information has been changed.

For example, the controller 120 may receive from the broadcasting center 1010 an IP address, a MAC address, etc. of a device corresponding to the customer whose charge status information is changed.

In the present specification, it has been described that the control unit 120 receives the location and address of a device corresponding to the customer from the broadcasting center 1010 to the broadcasting center 1010 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Here, the broadcasting center 1010 may be provided with both customer information and non-payment information by interworking with the bank server 330 to receive customer bill payment information.

Although the controller 120 has described a case in which the customer's non-payment status information is changed from the non-payment status to the full payment status, the description is not limited thereto.

The controller 120 may transmit a reset control command to the set-top box 340 when the charge status information is changed from a non-payment state to a full payment state.

The controller 120 may transmit an SNMP Managed Reset command to the set-top box 340 .

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application layer standard protocol defined for the purpose of managing and monitoring network equipment, and it is a protocol that helps network administrators manage network performance and find and fix network problems. An administrator can receive data by making a query to a server that supports SNMP, and on the contrary, it can request to set a certain value.

When receiving the SNMP Managed Reset command from the electronic device 100 , the set-top box 340 may perform a reset command.

In general, the set-top box 340 performs a reset command when the non-payment error pop-up display state, the sleep mode state, and all channels are not subscribed.

The non-payment error pop-up display state refers to a state in which the broadcast fee is not paid and the non-payment error pop-up is displayed on the IPTV 350 . The unsubscribed state of all channels means a state in which the set-top box is not subscribed to any channel.

The set-top box 340 may receive a reset command from the electronic device and reset the set-top box 340 when the set-top box is in the above-described non-payment error pop-up display state.

In this case, the set-top box 340 is automatically reset, so that the IPTV service can be provided from the broadcasting center 1010 . Accordingly, it is possible to solve the problem of the prior art in which the IPTV service can be provided only by manually resetting the IPTV set-top box even if the fee is fully paid.

In the implementation phase, the set-top box 340 may be equipped with an SNMP Agent, and set and update internal information of the set-top box 340 . The internal information of the set-top box 340 may be a Management Information Base (MIB) item.

Network devices may be managed through a specific value, and the MIB item may correspond to an item to which this specific value can be set. Network resources (eg, MIB items) can be managed through an application program (eg, SNMP Agent).

In this specification, only the reset command has been described as an example, but the control command is not necessarily limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the controller 120 may receive a feedback command from the device 340 that has transmitted the control command, and may perform an operation corresponding to the feedback command.

For example, when receiving a reset rejection command from the set-top box 340 , the controller 120 may transmit a resettable control command to the set-top box 340 .

Also, the controller 120 may receive device information corresponding to the customer from the broadcasting center 1010 , but may directly receive and store device information corresponding to the customer.

Meanwhile, the device corresponding to the customer may be an IPTV other than the set-top box 340, and may include a laptop, a PC, a mobile PC, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, in the present specification, the set-top box 340 receives a control command from the control unit 120 and, according to the state of the set-top box 340, has been described as determining whether to reset, but this is only an embodiment, and the control unit ( 120 may forcibly reset the set-top box 340 .

Meanwhile, a method of controlling an electronic device in an IPTV system will be described below.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment. It will be described with reference to FIG. 3 together.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the electronic device 100 monitors information on the state of unpaid bills by at least one customer included in the customer list stored in the broadcasting center ( S410 ).

The object monitored by the electronic device 100 does not need to be limited only to the broadcast center 1010 , and any object including customer information and non-payment information may be employed.

The broadcasting center 1010 may receive the customer's broadcasting fee payment information from the bank server 330 .

Next, when the charge status information unpaid by the at least one customer is changed from the first status to the second status, the electronic device 100 transmits a control command to a device corresponding to the customer whose fee status information has changed. (S420).

The first state indicates a non-payment state, but is not limited thereto. The second state indicates a fully paid state, but is not limited thereto.

The electronic device 100 may receive charge status information unpaid by the at least one customer at a preset time period. The electronic device 100 may request the corresponding information from the broadcasting center 1010 .

The method according to the above-described embodiment may be stored as a program.

In addition, the method according to the above-described embodiment may be produced as a program to be executed on a computer and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, There are magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like, and also includes those implemented in the form of a carrier wave (eg, transmission through the Internet).

The computer-readable recording medium is distributed in a network-connected computer system, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the above-described method can be easily inferred by programmers in the technical field to which the embodiment belongs.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the present invention.

Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects but as exemplary. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

100: electronics Broadcasting Center: 1010

Claims (18)

A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:
monitoring information on the status of unpaid bills by at least one customer included in the customer list stored in the broadcasting center;
Transmitting a control command, which is a command for controlling the device to reboot, to a device corresponding to the customer whose fee status information is changed when the charge status information unpaid by the at least one customer is changed from the non-payment status to the fully paid status ; and
and performing, by the device, rebooting according to the control command when the device is in a non-payment error pop-up display state. According to claim 1,
The monitoring step is
A method of controlling an electronic device for inquiring into the broadcasting center for information on the status of unpaid bills by the at least one customer at a preset time period. According to claim 1,
Transmitting the control command comprises:
A control method of an electronic device for transmitting a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Managed Reset command to the device to reboot the device. According to claim 1,
Receiving a feedback command from each device that has transmitted the control command; And
The method of controlling an electronic device further comprising; performing an operation corresponding to the feedback command. According to claim 1,
and searching for a device corresponding to the customer whose charge status information has been changed. 6. The method of claim 5,
Searching for the device comprises:
and receiving device information corresponding to the customer whose charge status information has been changed from the broadcasting center and searching for the device. According to claim 1,
and registering a device corresponding to the at least one customer. According to claim 1,
The device is a control method of an electronic device, characterized in that the set-top box or IPTV. In an electronic device,
a communication unit communicating with the broadcasting center; and
When at least one customer included in the customer list stored in the broadcasting center monitors the status information of the unpaid charge through the communication unit, and the charge status information unpaid by the at least one customer is changed from the non-payment status to the fully paid status , A device corresponding to the customer whose charge status information has been changed, and a control unit configured to transmit, through the communication unit, a control command, which is a command for controlling the device to reboot when the device is in a non-payment error pop-up display state. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control unit is
An electronic device that inquires, through the communication unit, information on the status of unpaid bills by the at least one customer to the broadcasting center at a preset time period. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control command is
An electronic device comprising a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Managed Reset command. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control unit is
The electronic device receives a feedback command from each device that has transmitted the control command through the communication unit, and performs an operation corresponding to the feedback command. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control unit is
An electronic device for registering a device corresponding to the at least one customer. 10. The method of claim 9,
The device is an electronic device, characterized in that the set-top box or IPTV. In the IPTV system,
Broadcasting center including a customer list;
A customer whose charge status information is changed when the at least one customer included in the customer list monitors the status information of the unpaid fee, and the at least one customer's unpaid fee status information is changed from the non-payment status to the full payment status an electronic device that transmits a control command, which is a command for controlling the device to reboot, to a device corresponding to ; and
and the device rebooting according to the control command when the non-payment error pop-up is displayed. 16. The method of claim 15,
The electronic device is
An IPTV system for inquiring into the broadcasting center for information on the status of unpaid charges by the at least one customer at a preset time period. 16. The method of claim 15,
The device is
An IPTV system for receiving a command for controlling the rebooting and rebooting the device when it is determined that the device needs to be rebooted. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing the method of controlling an electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 through being executed by a processor.

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