# US 8,789,111 B2 · Signal processing apparatus, signal processing system including the same, and control method of the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,789,111 B2 - Document ID: US8789111B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/735,491 - Filed: 2013-01-07 - Published: 2013-05-16 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2007-07-04 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Seung-hyuk Choi; Seung-seop Shim; Moon-seok Han; Joon-hyuk Ryu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8789111B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/431: Generation of visual interfaces {for content selection or interaction}; Content or additional data rendering - H04N 5/445: for displaying additional information (H04N5/50 takes precedence) - H04N 7/17318: {Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests} - H04N 21/4348: {Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams} - H04N 21/4383: {Accessing a communication channel} - H04N 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)} - H04N 21/4782: Web browsing {, e.g. WebTV} - H04N 21/4823: {using a channel name} - H04N 21/4828: {for searching programme descriptors (retrieval of video data G06F16/739)} - H04N 21/6125: {involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82)} - H04N 21/8586: {by using a URL (processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02)} - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A signal processing apparatus is provided. The signal processing apparatus includes: a memory unit in which a plurality of channels and Internet addresses corresponding to the channels are stored; a network connecting unit which is connectable to the Internet; and a control unit which controls the network connecting unit to connect to an Internet address corresponding to a channel selected by a user and to receive content provided from the connected Internet address. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A signal processing apparatus comprising: a memory unit in which a plurality of channels and internet addresses corresponding to the channels are stored; a network connecting unit which is connectable to an internet; and a control unit which controls the network connecting unit to connect to an internet address corresponding to a selected channel and to receive contents provided from the internet address; a user interface (UI) generating unit which generates a UI which comprises a menu for selecting empty channels among the plurality of channels and a menu for selecting a presently connected internet address; and a display unit which displays the generated UI, wherein the control unit allocates an internet address selected by a user to the selected channel among the plurality of channels, and changes the channels stored in the memory unit and the internet addresses corresponding to the channels according to a selection by the user, wherein the control unit stores in the memory unit the channel and the internet address allocated to the selected channel, displays a channel list including the empty channels which are not allocated to the internet addresses through the display unit, and provides the UI for entering the presently connected internet address in response to a selection of one of the empty channels. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user input unit through which user's command for selecting the channel is input. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the received contents. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an electronic program guide (EPG) generating unit which generates EPG information on the received contents, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display the EPG information generated by the EPG generating unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the EPG information comprises brief information on the contents, and the control unit controls the display unit to display the EPG information generated by the EPG generating unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, the internet address is provided in Really Simple Syndication format. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selected channel comprises at least one main channel and a plurality of sub channels sequentially arranged corresponding to the at least one main channel, wherein the control unit allocates internet addresses, provided by an internet address which is allocated to the at least one main channel, to the plurality of sub channels to be stored in the memory unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of sub-channels provides moving pictures included in the received contents of the selected channel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit allocates to one of the plurality of sub channels an internet address which continuously displays the contents allocated to the remaining sub channels. ### Claim 10 A signal processing system comprising: a signal processing apparatus which comprises: a memory unit in which a plurality of channels and internet addresses corresponding to the channels are stored, a network connecting unit which is connectable to the internet, a control unit which controls the network connecting unit to connect to an internet address corresponding to a channel selected by a user and to receive content provided from the internet address, a user interface (UI) generating unit which generates a UI which comprises a menu for selecting empty channels among the plurality of channels and a menu for selecting a presently connected internet address, and a display unit which displays the generated UI; and a server which allocates an internet address selected by the user to the channel selected by the user among the plurality of channels, stores the internet address in the memory unit, and changes the channels stored in the memory unit and the internet addresses corresponding to the channels according to a selection by the user, wherein the server stores in the memory unit the channel and the internet address allocated to the selected channel, displays a channel list including the empty channels which are not allocated to the internet addresses through the display unit, and provides the UI for entering the presently connected internet address in response to a selection of one of the empty channels. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The signal processing system according to claim 10, further comprising an electronic program guide (EPG) generating unit which generates EPG information on the received content; wherein the content comprises metadata; and wherein the electronic program guide (EPG) generating unit generates the EPG information based on the metadata. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The signal processing system according to claim 10, wherein the selected channel comprises at least one main channel and a plurality of sub channels sequentially arranged corresponding to the at least one main channel, wherein the control unit allocates internet addresses, provided by an internet address which is allocated to the at least one main channel, to the plurality of sub channels to be stored in the memory unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of sub-channels provides moving pictures included in the received contents of the selected channel. ### Claim 14 A control method of a signal processing apparatus which comprises a memory unit in which a plurality of channels and internet addresses corresponding to the channels are stored, the control method comprising: allocating an internet address selected by a user to a channel selected by the user among the plurality of channels; storing the internet address in the memory unit; selecting the channel; accessing to an internet address corresponding to the selected channel; and receiving contents provided from the internet address, wherein storing the internet address comprises changing the channels stored in the memory unit and the internet addresses corresponding to the channels according to a selection by a user, wherein the selecting the channel comprises displays a channel list including empty channels which are not allocated to the internet addresses among the plurality of channels, a selection of one of the empty channels and providing a user interface (UI) for selecting a presently connected internet address. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The control method according to claim 14, further comprising: displaying the received contents. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The control method according to claim 14, further comprising: generating electronic program guide (EPG) information on the contents; and displaying the generated EPG information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The control method according to claim 16, wherein the EPG information comprises brief information on the contents, the control method further comprising: displaying the brief information on the content selected by the user on a sub screen. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The control method according to claim 14, wherein the selected channel comprises at least one main channel and a plurality of sub channels sequentially arranged corresponding to the at least one main channel, wherein internet addresses, provided by an internet address which is allocated to the at least one main channel, are allocated to the plurality of sub channels to be stored in the memory unit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The control method according to claim 18, wherein an internet address for continuously displaying contents allocated to the remaining sub channels is allocated to one of the plurality of sub channels is allocated. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The signal processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the contents comprise metadata; and wherein the electronic program guide (EPG) generating unit generates the EPG information based on the metadata. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The control method according to claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of sub-channels provides moving pictures included in the received contents of the selected channel.