Patent Grant
7590381
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radios and, in particular, to those having a display so as to be able to display text information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Text-based message services for digital broadcasting systems in which a user of a radio can read text messages on a display of the radio already exist. Here, along with the audio information for the radio, further information, namely text information, is broadcast in the broadcasting signal. An audio broadcasting standard enabling this transmission of audio information and text information together in a transmission channel or broadcasting signal is the DAB (digital audio broadcasting) standard, for example.
Text-based message systems now already take advantage of this possibility of digital broadcasting to broadcast text messages to terminals. For example, broadcasting stations send text information, which can be displayed on the display of the broadcast receiver of the user, such as the name of the broadcasting program or the latest news or the like, along with the actual broadcasting program, i.e. the audio information. The person responsible for the program decided on the kind and order of the information. Previous text-based message services permitted a user to take only limited influence on the selection of the text messages displayed on his or her display, such as by changing the program.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a text information service scheme offering a user a more effective possibility to get desired text information via the broadcast by means of a radio.
In accordance with a first aspect, the present invention provides a broadcast receiver, having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, wherein the text information objects are arranged successively in time in the broadcasting signal, and each text information object has an object identification number; a display for displaying text information to be displayed; a user selector operable by a user; a cache memory for temporarily storing text information objects already received; a controller formed to change the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; and a cache displacer for comparison of the object identification number of a currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal with the object identification number of each text information object stored in the cache memory, and storing the currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal if the object identification number thereof matches the object identification number of none of the text information objects stored, wherein the text information objects are arranged in a tree structure and the controller is formed to perform the storage by overstorage of a text information object to be overstored among the ones stored in the cache memory, as it is indicated by a displacement strategy, wherein the displacement strategy defines a priority among the currently received text information object and the ones stored in the cache memory depending on their location and the location of the currently displayed text information object in the tree structure, wherein, among the text information objects stored in the cache memory, those with lower priority than the currently received text information object are eligible as potential text information objects to be overstored
In accordance with a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling a broadcast receiver having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, a display for displaying text information to be displayed, a user selector operable by a user, and a cache memory for temporarily storing text information objects already received, wherein the text information objects in the broadcasting signal are successively arranged in time, and each text information object has an object identification number, with the steps of: changing the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; and comparing the object identification number of a currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal with the object identification number of each text information object stored in the cache memory, and storing the currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal if the object identification number thereof matches the object identification number of none of the text information objects stored, wherein the text information objects are arranged in a tree structure and the controller is formed to perform the storage by overstorage of a text information object to be overstored among the ones stored in the cache memory, as it is indicated by a displacement strategy, wherein the displacement strategy defines a priority among the currently received text information object and the ones stored in the cache memory depending on their location and the location of the currently displayed text information object in the tree structure, wherein, among the text information objects stored in the cache memory, those with lower priority than the currently received text information object are eligible as potential text information objects to be overstored.
In accordance with a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer program with program code for performing, when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of controlling a broadcast receiver having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, a display for displaying text information to be displayed, a user selector operable by a user, and a cache memory for temporarily storing text information objects already received, wherein the text information objects in the broadcasting signal are successively arranged in time, and each text information object has an object identification number, with the steps of: changing the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; and comparing the object identification number of a currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal with the object identification number of each text information object stored in the cache memory, and storing the currently received text information object in the broadcasting signal if the object identification number thereof matches the object identification number of none of the text information objects stored, wherein the text information objects are arranged in a tree structure and the controller is formed to perform the storage by overstorage of a text information object to be overstored among the ones stored in the cache memory, as it is indicated by a displacement strategy, wherein the displacement strategy defines a priority among the currently received text information object and the ones stored in the cache memory depending on their location and the location of the currently displayed text information object in the tree structure, wherein, among the text information objects stored in the cache memory, those with lower priority than the currently received text information object are eligible as potential text information objects to be overstored.
In accordance with a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a broadcast receiver, having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, wherein the text information objects are arranged successively in time in the broadcasting signal, and each text information object has an object identification number; a display for displaying text information to be displayed; a user selector operable by a user; a controller formed to change the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; wherein each text information object has a static flag, wherein the broadcast receiver further has: a favorite caller operable by the user; a user adder operable by the user; a favorite memory for storing an object identification number; wherein the controller is formed to change the text information to be displayed from the currently displayed text information to text information of a text information object having the same object identification number as the one stored in the favorite memory depending on an operation of the favorite caller by the user, and wherein the controller is formed to examine the static flag of the currently displayed text information object depending on the operation of the favorite adder by the user, and to ignore the operation in case the static flag is not set, and to enter the object identification number of the currently displayed text information object into the favorite memory in case the static flag is set.
In accordance with a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling a broadcast receiver having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, a display for displaying text information to be displayed, and a user selector operable by a user, wherein the text information objects in the broadcasting signal are successively arranged in time, and each text information object has an object identification number, wherein the broadcast receiver further has a favorite caller operable by the user, a user adder operable by the user, and a favorite memory for storage of an object identification number, the method further having the steps of: depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, changing the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; depending on an operation of the favorite caller by the user, changing the text information to be displayed from the currently displayed text information to text information of a text information object having the same object identification number as the one stored in the favorite memory; depending on the operation of the favorite adder by the user, examining the static flag of the currently displayed text information object; in case the static flag is not set, ignoring the operation; and in case the static flag is set, entering the object identification number of the currently displayed text information object into the favorite memory.
In accordance with a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a computer program with program code for performing, when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of controlling a broadcast receiver having a receiver for receiving a broadcasting signal including text information objects in which text information is contained, a display for displaying text information to be displayed, and a user selector operable by a user, wherein the text information objects in the broadcasting signal are successively arranged in time, and each text information object has an object identification number, wherein the broadcast receiver further has a favorite caller operable by the user, a user adder operable by the user, and a favorite memory for storage of an object identification number, the method further having the steps of: depending on an operation of the user selector by the user, changing the text information to be displayed from currently displayed text information of a currently displayed text information object to text information of a text information object to which the current text information object refers, wherein the object identification number of the current text information object differs from the object identification number of the text information object to which the same refers; depending on an operation of the favorite caller by the user, changing the text information to be displayed from the currently displayed text information to text information of a text information object having the same object identification number as the one stored in the favorite memory; depending on the operation of the favorite adder by the user, examining the static flag of the currently displayed text information object; in case the static flag is not set, ignoring the operation; and in case the static flag is set, entering the object identification number of the currently displayed text information object into the favorite memory.
It is a finding of the present invention that a user of a broadcast receiver gets text information significantly quicker if a reference to another text information object in the broadcasting signal is contained in a text information object included in the broadcasting signal, which is currently displayed on the display of the broadcast receiver, and the user is enabled to cause the text information to be displayed to be changed from the text information of the current text information object to the text information of the text information object to which the current text information object refers by simple operation of a user selection means. Here, the overhead is very limited since in today's broadcast receivers there mostly is an “unoccupied” key, which only has an assigned function and thus is occupied in special situations of use of the broadcast receiver, and may be used as user selection means, as far as that goes.
According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the text information objects in the broadcasting signal are broadcast successively along with other information in the broadcasting signal, such as the audio information or other information, from a broadcast transmitter, wherein each text information object comprises an object ID. If a text information object refers to another text information object, their object IDs differ. Introducing the object IDs enables dividing the text information objects in the broadcasting signal into groups in terms of content and repeatedly transferring them cyclically in receiver-recognizable manner and updating them at the same time. Without having to analyze the content of the text information objects, i.e. the text information, in terms of content, a broadcast receiver may thus recognize whether a certain text information object just received, though differing from the currently displayed one, concerns the same subject as a previously received one and thus represents an update, or the currently received text information object concerns a completely different subject in terms of content. An update may be made in simple manner by comparing the object ID of a text information object in the broadcasting signal immediately or not immediately following the currently displayed text information object with the object ID of the currently displayed one. Depending on whether the comparison yields the identity in the object IDs, the update will be made or not.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the update can be made simpler for the broadcast receivers by the text information objects comprising, besides the object ID, also a revision index giving details about which version of the text information associated with this object ID this text information object concerns. Consequently, a radio receiver is not forced to blindly make an update always when a text information object the object ID of which matches the object ID of the currently displayed text information object is again broadcast in the broadcasting signal. Rather, the update is also made dependent on whether the revision index has changed. As a result, image build-up and other rendering mechanisms are omitted if the new text information object with the same object ID cannot differ from the already displayed one at all in terms of content, since it concerns the same version of the text information on this object ID. The overhead by the load of the transmission channel by the revision index in each text information object is comparably small.
Moreover, the update may further be made more user-friendly if it is differentiated between the individual text information objects. According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are menu objects, list objects, and pure text objects. Each text information object is associated with one of these types by an object descriptor of an object type ID. In the case that it is menu or list objects, the broadcast receiver performs the update immediately, i.e. without user interaction, whereas otherwise the update is made dependent on whether the user approves of the update, so as not to be suddenly interrupted when reading a contiguous, longer text due to a possibly only minor update.
According to a further embodiment, in the update, it is also provided that, in case the amount of text information of the new text information object is greater than a displayable quantity, the display shows an excerpt of the text information of this new text information object at least partially overlapping with an excerpt the display showed of the old text information object prior to the update. In list and menu objects, in particular, this yields the advantage that the user does not have to reorient in the list or menu after a completed update, and that he or she nevertheless gets to know about the update when scrolling further.
If the broadcast receiver or radio comprises a cache memory for temporarily storing text information objects already received, it is possible for it, at a change of the text information to be displayed from text information of the current text information object to text information of the text information object with another object ID to which the current text information object refers, to at first look up in the cache memory whether a text information object with this object ID is already present in the cache memory. Thus, the user gets to new text information of the new text information object more quickly and does not have to wait for the time duration until a text information object with the desired object ID to which the current text information object refers is again broadcast in the broadcasting signal.
For the user to know instantly which menu options refer to object IDs for which a text information object is stored in the cache memory when reviewing the menu or scrolling through the same, a cache hit identifier may be provided, which at first looks up text information objects for all object IDs associated with the menu options of the menu object in the cache memory, and then causes the menu options for which text information objects are present in the cache memory to be visibly distinguishable for the user from those for which text information objects are not yet present in the cache memory. For a user, this speeds up zapping through the menus, i.e. the nodes of the object tree, according to which the text information objects are arranged.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a broadcast receiver supports a favorite functionality. In a favorite memory, one or more object IDs of text information objects concerning subjects the user is repeatedly interested in, for example every morning on the way to work, and he or she may fetch by operating a favorite fetching means, are stored for this. A text information object includes a static flag, for example, in order to prevent the user from adding, to the favorite, object IDs not associated with a text information object with this subject in the long run, such as a one-time news item, but afterwards again assigned to a text information object with another subject in terms of content. The add-to-favorite functionality of the broadcast receiver is only activated when the static flag is set, otherwise it is not, whereby pointless adding of randomly assigned object IDs is avoided.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become clear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
a-e are schematic drawings for illustrating the construction of exemplary text information objects or of parts thereof by NML and UTF-8 codes;
a-d are exemplary screen displays on the display of the broadcast receiver of
Subsequently, the present invention will be described with reference to the figures against the background of a text information broadcasting service, as it is shown in
The text information broadcasting service according to
Apart from other components intended for the audio transmission or for the transmission of the audio information and not shown here for clarity reasons, the broadcast transmitter 10 includes a memory 18 and an integration means 20. The memory 18 contains a list 22 of text information objects. As will be described in still greater detail later, each text information object includes at least one object identification number or object ID as well as the actual text content, i.e. the text information. Apart from that, text information objects, depending on their type, also include further information, as it will also be described in greater detail in the following. The text information objects in the list 22 are serviced and updated by a service operator. It makes the selection of topics concerning the objects, the structure in which the objects are arranged, and the time duration in which the same are repeatedly broadcast cyclically.
The integration means 20 is connected to the memory 18 so as to read out the text information objects from the memory 18 and integrate them into the broadcasting signal in order to broadcast it via the antenna 14 as the broadcasting signal 16. The read-out or broadcast by the integration means 20 takes place cyclically for each text information object, so that all text information objects altogether are successively broadcast in the broadcasting signal 16 with different cycle repetition times, as it will be described in greater detail later with reference to
A broadcast receiver 12 according to the present embodiment includes a reception means 24, a control means 26, a loudspeaker 28, a display 30, a memory 32, a first panel 34 and a second panel 36. The reception means 24 is connected to an antenna 38 at a data input so as to receive the broadcasting signal 16 via the same 38. The reception means 24 is suitably designed to extract the audio information and the text information from the broadcasting signal 16 and forward them to the control means 26 via its data output.
The control means 26, such as a processor or the like, at first forwards the audio information to the loudspeaker 28. Here, a selection among an offer of various audio contents or broadcasting programs will already have been made. The forwarding of selected audio signals may either take place via an internal line to an integrated loudspeaker 28, as it is illustrated with solid lines in
Via the panel 36, which for example only includes a toggle switch with two toggle positions, the user of the broadcast receiver 12 may for example change from one broadcasting program to the other. To this end, the panel 36 is connected to the control means 26, which is in turn formed to change the current program, and thus the audio signals to the loudspeakers 28 or 40, depending on a respective toggle position present.
The control means 26 obtains further control signals from the panel 34. The panel 34, for example, consists of four buttons, one with an arrow down, one with an arrow up, one with an arrow left, and another with an arrow right, or of two toggle switches arranged perpendicularly to each other, or a diamond-shaped toggle switch, wherein there are, however, also other possibilities for the panel 34. Instead of a panel with buttons, a voice input could be provided, for example. The panel 34 is provided so that the user may supply control signals, with which he or she can influence, which text information the control means 26 forwards to the display 30 as the text information to be displayed, in a manner, as it will be discussed in greater detail in the following, to the control means 26 via the panel 34. The text information the control means 26 forwards to the display 30 is extracted by the same from the text information objects contained in the broadcasting signal 16 and extracted from the broadcasting signal by the reception means 24. The text information display functionality is completely separated from the reproduction of the audio information, so that the sound reproduction or the program currently reproduced via the loudspeaker 28 or 40 is not interrupted on actuation of the panel 34.
The broadcast receiver 12 of
By the “NewsService Journaline”, the user of the radio or broadcast receiver 12 may easily and immediately access information according to his or her current type of interest. The information is present in simple text form. The text information is contained in the text information objects. There are various text information objects, which can be distinguished by their type. On the one hand, there are menu objects, text objects, and list objects. Before going into the construction of the individual object types in greater detail, their hierarchic structure is to be illustrated briefly with reference to
In the embodiment of
As it is illustrated in
The number of hierarchic levels of the tree structure may be limited to a certain value, such as 20, so that the memory space for the storage of the data path 42 may be suitably dimensioned on the reception side at the broadcast receivers 12.
From the description of
The text information objects thus are structured as in
The object header portion 100a in turn is, for example, itself divided into a 3-byte-long standard header 100a1 and an extension header 100a2, wherein it is assumed that the latter would have a length of n bytes, with n being an integer greater than or equal to zero. The object content portion 100b is m bytes long, with m being an integer greater than zero.
The standard header 100a1 is again for example divided into a 2-bytes or 16-bits-long object ID 102, which may be 0x0000 in the main object 52 (
The object ID 108 indicates the object type of the text information object 100 by its value, as it is shown in the subsequent table.
Of course, the list may at any time be supplemented by new object types, which would have to be ignored by previous receivers.
As it will still be discussed in the following, the static flag means that, if it is set, it is possible for the user to add the object ID 102 to the favorite list 46. The static flag is set or not set by the text information broadcasting service operator, depending on whether the object ID is assigned only randomly and temporarily, i.e. only displays information equal in terms of content in temporarily limited manner, in which case adding to the favorite would not make sense, or the assignment of the object ID is permanent, and thus favorite adding would make sense, as it will still be discussed in greater detail in the following.
The compression flag 114 indicates whether the object content portion 100b is compressed in predetermined manner or not. The revision index is set by the service operator, in order to indicate, in the text information objects with the same object ID transmitted in series in cyclically repeated manner, the version of the text information or the subject to which these text information objects refer. With each update, the revision index 110 is incremented on the transmission side. For example, if the text information of a certain object ID concern the soccer match standing of a soccer match currently taking place, the text information “0:0” indicating the standing would be transmitted in the first text information objects with this object ID along with the revision index 000b (b for binary), whereas after a goal the text information in the memory 18 would be changed to “0:1” and at the same time the revision index would be changed from 000b to 001b, so that subsequently transmitted text information objects with this object ID would have the text information “0:1” and the revision index 001b. Consequently, the revision index enables, as it will still be discussed in greater detail in the following, updates to be performed on the reception side depending on whether the revision index has changed from a text information object already received to a newly received text information object, without having to analyze in terms of content.
On the transmission side, the object ID is linked with text information then contained in the object content portion 100b, as it will still be explained in the following. As already mentioned, there are object IDs that are assigned randomly and only temporarily and in which the static flag 112 is not set, and such ones in which the object IDs are fixedly linked to a kind of text information (for example the current weather report of a city), which is updated, if necessary, wherein the revision index 110 is then incremented.
The extension header 100a2 represents an extension option for the message service. If it is displayed in the data application signaling information of the broadcasting system, i.e. the control information in the broadcasting signal along with the audio information and the text information, that the extension header 100a2 contains additional header information, a receiver not capable of working with the extension header may easily ignore this portion. Since the display takes place in the use of the extension header and the usual data application signaling information of the broadcasting system, the length of the extension header 100a2 is the same for all objects of the “NewsService Journaline”.
As already mentioned, the actual text content or the text information in the text information objects is contained in the object content portion 100b. The text information is coded in UTF (Unicode Transformation Format) 8-bit coding, for example.
Before illustrating in greater detail the coding of the text information and the further information in the object content portion 100b with reference to
a shows the screen construction, as it results on the display 30 at display of the text information of a text object, i.e. with object type ID=0x2. As can be seen, a piece of text information or a text only message of a text object is divided into a title 150 and the actual text 152, the so-called text body. For illustration to the user, the title 150 and the subsequent actual text portion 152 are displayed or rendered on the screen of the display 30 with automatic line folding. The user may scroll through the text vertically, for example by actuation of a vertically arranged toggle switch or the like on the panel 34. The title 150 is attached to the text portion 152, so that it may be shifted out of the displayed portion of the display 30 along with the remaining text 152, if necessary. Any font may be used for the display.
More specifically, it will be the normal case that the amount of text information of a text object is greater than a displayable amount or quantity, so that only part of the text information can be displayed on the screen of the display 30. This displayable portion is shifted across title 150 and text 152 by actuation of corresponding keys on the panel 34. This possibility is displayed to the user by corresponding arrows on the right edge of the screen of the display 30, as it can be seen in
b shows a title-only message or a title-only object (object type ID=0x3). Title-only messages include only one title 150 displayed on the screen of the display 30. A text portion 152 or body text is not provided. For the illustration to the user, the title text 150 is displayed on the screen of the display 30 with automatic line folding, for example. If applicable, the user may scroll through the text. Presently, however, the title can be displayed completely on the screen of the display 30, so that by the arrows 154 and 156 missing, it is indicated to the user that the title 150 has been displayed completely and there is no scroll possibility. The illustration of a pure title message may for example always take place in centered manner in both line and vertical direction. As font, again any one may be used equally well.
c shows a list message or the text information of a list object (object type ID=0x4). A list message contains a title 160 and a list of text lines 162a to 162d. For the illustration to the user, the title should always be seen on the screen of the display 30, different from the text messages shown in
a shows menu or the text information of a menu object (object type ID=0x1). A menu contains a title 170 and a list of menu options 172a, 172b, and 172c. With each menu option, there is associated a reference to another text information object, namely in form of an object ID. As with the list object of
More specifically, a menu option thus consists of a reference to another text information object and a label representing a line on the screen of the display 30 and designating or describing the content of the referenced text information object. If the title of a label exceeds the length of a line of the screen of the display 30, the corresponding content could be cut off. Apart from the corresponding scroll arrows 156, 154, menu options that cannot be displayed immediately because they are not yet in the cache memory 32 are highlighted by square brackets 174 on the screen of the display 30 in the case of a menu object, as will still be discussed in greater detail in the following.
Having previously described examples for text information of text information objects of different object type with reference to
The object content portion is normally divided into a title and a body portion. Only with title-only objects is the body portion missing in the object content portion. The title and body portions of each object are structured by NML (NewsService Markup Language) codes indicating the beginning and the end of a certain information block within the object content portion, such as of the title and body portions.
Within a certain information block, such as the title or body portion, escape sequences may be provided to introduce text formatting information, such as text highlighting, forced line folding, etc., as well as additional functionalities, such as information areas that may simply be ignored by receivers not capable of handling or supporting the additional functionality.
Both NML codes and escape sequences are one-byte codes from the range of 0x00 to 0x1F, so-called UTF-8 control codes. Specifically, the NML codes include the range of 0x00 to 0x0F and the escape sequences a range of 0x10 to 0x1F.
In the following, with reference to the examples of
At first, the NML code will be explained in greater detail. Each object portion or object block in the object content portion is started with an NML code and terminated by either the NML code “end”, the occurrence of a further NML code, or the end of the object content portion.
The NML codes are exemplarily defined in the following manner:
Let 0x00 be the NML code for “end”. It is used to terminate a portion or block within the object content portion, without beginning a further portion or further block. It is applicable to each object type.
Let 0x01 be the NML code for “title”, indicating the beginning of the title portion or title block by its occurrence in the object content portion 100b on the reception side. Exactly one title block has to be present per object for all previously defined object kinds, i.e. the NML code 0x01 has to occur at least once in the portion 100b. Moreover, the title block has to be the first block in the object content portion 100b. The NML code 0x01 is also applicable with all object types.
Let 0x02 be the NML code for a menu option block beginning. This code thus represents the beginning of each menu option in this menu object. Consequently, this code is only provided for menu objects. Upon the occurrence of the NML code 0x02, the receiver or a decoder (not shown) provided in the control means 26 at first awaits the target address or the reference or the object ID of the text information object to which it is referred in the subsequent bytes, and then the text of the menu option to be displayed and describing the content of the referenced object. The code 0x02 occurs once in the object content portion per menu option of a menu object. More particularly, the decoder in the control means 26, on the reception side, waits for two bytes to follow the code 0x02 indicating the object ID of the referenced object, i.e. the object to be displayed, if the user selects this menu option, and thereupon still for n bytes displaying the menu option description to be displayed, which is to be displayed to the user in a line of the menu and is to enable him or her the selection among all menu options, as it were.
For example,
Furthermore, let 0x03 be the NML code to indicate the beginning of a body block in the object content portion. Thus, this contains the text of the text body displayed as the actual text in the text object, i.e. as 152 in
Let the NML code 0x04 indicate the beginning of a list point block in the object content portion. This code only occurs in list objects in the object content portion. In the list point blocks, the NML code 0x04 is followed by the coding for the text to be displayed for this list point in a line of the list on the screen of the display.
After having described various embodiments for text information objects for illustrating the NML codes with reference to
A block in the content portion may have several escape sequences, which are not supposed to be displayed to the user immediately. Instead, escape sequences may include rendering hints for the display, such as a hint on a text portion to be highlighted, a forced line folding, a preferred line folding, etc., or mark portions of text not intended for direct image rendering, such as binary code, i.e. things that have to be ignored by receivers not capable of processing these data portions.
Escape or ESC codes may for example be:
Consequently, the construction of the text information objects has previously been described with reference to
While
Although this is illustrated in
It is to be pointed out that it becomes obvious from the description of
Having now previously described the “NewsService Journaline” service with reference to
In the update in step 410, a display controller (not shown) takes care that the current scroll position of the user is maintained. This avoids that the user, who has just scrolled through or searched a part in a list or a menu with an effort, has to start again from the beginning at an update. With a menu object, the update of step 410 thus leads to the fact that a menu option line of the menu prior to the update, such as the line 172b in
Alternatively, for example, the object ID of the menu entry or the text of the menu or list entry may also be used for the identity check of an entry in the new object with the currently displayed entry of the presently displayed object.
In the case of a title-only object, it may, however, be provided in step 410 to simply display the updated text content of the newly received object like a new object with new object ID, because title-only messages do not have a greater text body per definition anyway. Potential renewed “screen scrolling” does not do any harm.
With list, menu, and title-only objects, the update according to 410 thus takes place immediately, automatically, and without the user having to give permission. With text objects, however, it may be tedious when the user is again put back from his or her instantaneous reading position in a continuous text or the currently read-out content is no longer contained in the updated object. For this reason, in case the check at 408 shows that the currently displayed or the currently received text information object is not a list, menu, or title-only object, but hence a text object, the user is informed that an updated version of what he or she is just reading is present, such as via an inquiry via the display 30 or via a blinking lamp, a blinking “update” on the screen of the display 30 or another means. Hereby, the user is at the same asked whether he or she wishes an update or would like to avoid such or rejects it. The user may express approval via the panel 34, such as by pressing a certain key, or by another actuation means. The rejection may consist in a no-reaction actuation or operation, such as not pressing a key. The possibility that the user expresses his or her approval may also be limited in time, such as by a maximum approval time duration. In a step 412, the control means checks whether the user gives his or her approval or not. In the case that the user rejects an update, the display update process ends until its restart at 414. Otherwise, a display update takes place 416. The display update in step 416, however, takes place without maintaining the current display position as in step 410, but preferably as when displaying a text information object with new object ID from the beginning, i.e. in a position scrolled to the beginning.
But if the step 450 shows that no entry with such an object ID is present in the list 42 of the cache memory 32, i.e. a cache miss, the control means 26 checks in a step 458 whether the memory space provided for the list 42 in the memory 32 is full or whether there is still enough memory space to make an entry in the list 42. If the cache is not full, the control means 26 enters the newly received text information object in the list 22 or the cache memory 32 in a step 460. But this will only be the case in the beginning phase after the switch-on of the receiver 12 or the “NewsService Journaline” functionality of the receiver 12. After a certain time, the cache memory 32 will be full. In this case, the control means 26 checks, in a step 462 according to a certain cache displacement strategy, as it will be explained in greater detail in the following with reference to
So as to illustrate this, an object tree is again exemplarily illustrated in
The cache displacement strategy according to which a priority order is determined among the objects proceeds as follows:
Furthermore, it could be provided that, deviating from the previously illustrated displacement strategy, special objects, namely with object IDs contained in the favorite list 46 in the memory 32, have the highest priority. Those objects to which the currently displayed object, i.e. with the object ID 100, refers could have the highest priority. Furthermore, objects in the dash-dotted line could all be treated the same, the objects of the object path thus also be treated the same as the objects to which they refer, i.e. point 3 would be missing.
Returning to
The management of the object path list 44 is provided so as to enable a menu-back functionality, as it will be explained in greater detail with reference to
As it is also indicated in
According to the embodiment of
For realizing the favorite functionality, the receiver 12 for example includes a specially provided key by long pressing of which the user may express his or her wish to add the object ID of the currently displayed text information object to the favorite list, whereas shortly pressing the same key leads to the control means 26 using the favorite object ID in the favorite memory for the next text information object to be displayed. Of course, also other means may be provided with which the user may cause a favorite addition or a favorite call-up.
It is pointed out that it is preferred that a receiver 12 supporting the favorite functionality also stores the full path of object IDs from the main object with the main object ID (e.g. 0x0000) up to the respective favorite object for each favorite object ID. Otherwise, the receiver will not be capable of making the menu-back functionality or return-to-a-higher-menu functionality available to a user, when a user has called up this favorite object, even though the object itself, as well as the immediate sub-objects, would of course still be reachable in the case of a menu object. Should a menu of the object ID path no longer exist (be sent) when restoring a favorite memory, the control means 26 might instead jump directly into the standard main menu (e.g. 0x0000).
In the previously described receiver, a recording of all menu object IDs from the instantaneously displayed menu/news object back to the main menu object (e.g. object ID 0x0000) has been preserved, the so-called object ID path. In this way, it may provide a “back to higher menu level” functionality.
If an object with a certain object ID is displayed or presented to the user at the moment and at the same time an updated version of the same object, i.e. an object with identical object ID but different revision index, is received, it could always at first be displayed to the user that such a current version of the object has been received, such as by showing a blinking “update” sign on the screen, independent of the object type, contrary to previous description. It is preferred, however, to update the screen of the display immediately with the content of the new object, with menu or list message objects, while the current relative position of the user within the list, i.e. the list line index, is maintained at the same position in the screen. Instead of the list line index, a receiver also might evaluate the list line or topic text, or in the case of a menu object, the object ID of the object to which it is being referred. For a title-only message, it is preferred to immediately make the update of the screen of the display with the content of the new object.
If a menu object contains references to object IDs not yet received, these menu points or menu options are nevertheless offered to the user. Of course, this might also not take place. It is preferred, however, to offer all menu options, but clearly displaying to the user, which menu options are immediately available, since the objects have already been received and are in the cache memory, and which ones are not immediately available at once, such as by framing the menu option label or title with square brackets, as shown in
In applications with extreme memory shortages, the receiver could just keep the currently displayed object along with the object ID path belonging to the currently displayed object in its memory. If the user then requests another object, he or she has to wait until the requested object will be received in the next time.
As already mentioned, the above-described “NewsService Journaline” service may be broadcast via DAB as a new user application. Every single “NewsService Journaline” object could be transported as an “MSC data group”, to this end reference being made to chapter 5.3.3 “Packed Mode—Data Group Level” in “Radio Broadcasting Systems, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) to mobile, portable and fixed receivers”, ETSI EN 301 401 V1.3.2, 2000-09.
An MSC data group would then contain the following points: An MSC data group header at two or four bytes, a session header, which would be optional and 3+n bytes long, an MSC data group field containing a “NewsService Journaline” object or text information object, namely of m bytes, for example, but a maximum of 2044 bytes, and finally an MSC data group CRC at two bytes, which is mandatory for “NewsService Journaline”.
The following adjustments could be uniformly defined for all receivers. It could be defined that the MSC data group header field has the following layout:
The following information could be used to signal the DAB data application “NewsService Journaline”, with reference being made for this purpose to chapter 8.1.20 “User Application Information” from the above document or standard.
The main 11-bit “user application type” ID for the “NewsService Journaline” could be 0x44A from the area of proprietary user applications until official standardization by DAB panels. The value corresponds to 10001001010b.
The user application data field could have the following structure:
One byte for displaying the version of the “NewsService Journaline”. Additional information of a later version could be added in completely downward-compatible manner at two places, on the one hand in the entire service signaling, namely the “DAB user application information” by extending the length of the “user application data” portion, maintaining all existing bytes and their definition, as it is defined in every preceding version of the “NewsService Journaline”, or in the object header portion of every single object by extending the length of the “extension header” field, while maintaining all existing bytes and their definition, as they are defined in a preceding version of the “NewsService Journaline”.
Moreover, the user application data field would have to have the length of the extension header in bytes in the header portion of each object, which every receiver would have to be capable of reading, even if it then discards the data in the extension header, because it is not capable of its evaluation.
With identical signaling, “NewsService Journaline” may also be broadcast via DRM (“Digital Radio Mondiale”), as well as via VHF/RDS after adaptation of the data service signaling.
With reference to the preceding description of the figures, it is pointed out that various aspects contained therein do not all have to be combined in the manner described, but that these aspects may be implemented or not implemented independently of each other, such as particularly the object path management with accompanying “menu-back” functionality, the cache memory update for speeding up the access to other text information objects, the dependence of the display update on the revision index, the dependence of the update on the object type, the favorite functionality, the avoidance of circular references in the object ID path, the different screen update depending on the object type, the provision of the revision index, and the like.
Finally, it is pointed out that, independent of the conditions, the inventive scheme for controlling a radio may also be implemented in software. The implementation may take place on a digital storage medium, particularly a floppy disc or CD with electronically readable control signals capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system so that the corresponding method is executed. In general, the invention thus also consists in a computer program product with program code stored on a machine-readable carrier for performing the inventive method, when the computer program product is executed on a computer. In other words, the invention may thus also be realized as a computer program with program code for performing the method, when the computer program is executed on a computer.
While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 39 537 | Aug 2003 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation of co-pending International Application No. PCT/EP2004/009494, filed Aug. 25, 2004, which designated the United States and was not published in English and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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| 20060229056 A1 | Oct 2006 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2004/009494 | Aug 2004 | US |
| Child | 11362604 | US |
