Abstract:
A method for accessing the Internet using an Internet TV is provided. A function of accessing the Internet and a function of receiving a TV broadcast signal may be combined in the Internet TV, and a server operates a portal site which provides a variety of information to the Internet TV. In order for a server operating a portal site to provide an authentication number to the Internet TV which allows the Internet TV to automatically access the server, the Internet TV transmits a message requesting the authentication of the use of information to the portal server, and the server responds by requesting the Internet TV to input an authentication number. After the Internet TV has transmitted the requested authentication number to the portal server and the server has checked the transmitted authentication number, information is provided to the Internet TV. Because the portal server provides the authentication number to each Internet TV, the portal server is able to confirm the access authority of each Internet TV, thus allowing each Internet TV to automatically access the portal server without an individual user login.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a method for accessing the Internet using an Internet TV, and more particularly, to a method for accessing the Internet using an Internet TV, in which an authentication number is provided to the Internet TV by a server operating a portal site, to thus automatically access the server. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     Recently, the efficiency of works improves and life-styles change due to the rapid growth of information communication technologies. That is, a network having data transmission speed of several Mbit/sec is installed at home with rapid spread of a very high-speed communication network. Accordingly, it is possible to easily transmit and receive moving picture information of high picture quality and high performance at home. Also, with wide spread of a mobile communication terminal, it is possible to easily access the Internet using the terminal. Development of the Internet TV, in which a function of accessing the Internet and a function of receiving TV broadcast are combined with each other, has actively proceeded with the growth of the information communication technologies. 
     The Internet TV that is a next generation TV, in which modem apparatuses such as a cable modem, a local area network (LAN), an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem, and a telephone line modem are loaded, can freely access an external network as well as can perform a common TV function. 
     The Internet TV is divided into an armored type connected to a personal computer (PC) and a built-in type, in which various apparatuses and modems that can access the Internet are loaded and software for operating the above apparatuses are installed. The technology of the built-in Internet TV is more difficult than the technology of the armored Internet TV. However, the picture quality of the built-in type Internet TV is excellent and the manipulation of the built-in type Internet TV is convenient since red, green, and blue (RGB) input terminals can be used as they are. 
     Development of a method for accessing the Internet has actively proceeded together with the development of the Internet TV. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an Internet TV system according to the conventional technology. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the Internet TV system includes an Internet TV  100 , in which the function of accessing the Internet and the function of receiving the TV are combined with each other, and a server  200  for operating a portal site for providing various information items such as a moving picture service and various text information items to the Internet TV  100  through the Internet. 
     A method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV according to the conventional technology will now be described with reference to attached drawings. 
     The Internet TV  100  transmits an access request message to the server for operating the portal site (a portal server)  200  through the Internet in order to access the portal server (S 210 ). At this time, when the portal server  200  receives the access request message, the portal server  200  transmits a user information input screen to the Internet TV in order to confirm that a user is the legal user (S 220 ). The user information input screen is formed to receive the ID and the name of a user using the Java Script as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     When the user information input screen is transmitted from the portal server  200 , the Internet TV  100  receives user information from the user to the user information input screen and transmits the screen to the portal server  200  again (S 230 ). When the user information transmitted from the Internet TV  100  is legal, the portal server  200  allows the Internet TV to access the portal server  200  and provides information to the Internet TV (S 240 ). 
     However, the users of the Internet TV  100  are restricted since the Internet TV  100  is installed at home. Therefore, according to the conventional method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV  100 , a user login must be performed whenever the Internet TV  100  is turned on. 
     Also, the portal server  200  for providing the portal site checks a fee for using the portal site with respect to each user. In the case of common households, it is not efficient to charge each user for the fee. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for each Internet TV automatically accessing a portal server without a user login by the portal server providing an authentication number to each Internet TV so that the portal server confirms the access authority of the Internet TV. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for charging a fee for use of the Internet TV according to time, for which the Internet TV is used, without separately charging each user for the fee for the use of the Internet TV. 
     To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV in an Internet TV system comprising the Internet TV, in which a function of accessing the Internet and a function of receiving TV broadcast are combined with each other and a server for operating a portal site for providing various information items (a portal server) to the Internet TV, the method comprising the steps of transmitting a message for requesting the authentication of the use of information to the portal server, requesting the Internet TV to input an authentication number, transmitting the requested authentication number to the portal server, and checking the transmitted authentication number, to thus provide information to the Internet TV. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an Internet TV system according to the conventional technology; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart describing a method for the Internet TV accessing a portal server according to the conventional technology; 
         FIG. 3  shows an example of a user information input screen according to the conventional technology; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart describing a method for the Internet TV accessing the portal server according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing the operation of the Internet TV for accessing the portal server according to the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A ,  6 B, and  6 C are flowcharts showing the operations of the portal server for allowing the Internet TV to access the portal server according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  shows an example a method for generating and confirming an authentication number according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The Internet TV system shown in  FIG. 1  is used as it is according to the present invention. 
     A method for accessing the Internet using an Internet TV according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an Internet TV  100  transmits an access request message to a portal server  200  in order to access the portal server  200  (S 310 ). At this time, when the portal server  200  receives the access request message, the portal server  200  requests an authentication number to the Internet TV  100  in order to let the Internet TV  100  automatically access the portal server  200  (S 320 ). The authentication number is formed by combining with numbers such as the model name, the manufacturing year, and the manufacturing month of the Internet TV  100 . 
     When the authentication number is requested, the Internet TV  100  reads the requested authentication number from a memory apparatus built-in the Internet TV  100  and transmits the authentication number to the portal server  200  (S 330 ). The portal server  200  receives the authentication number and examines whether there exists an error in the authentication number. When there exists no error, the portal server  200  transmits a main screen to the Internet TV  100  and allows a user to use information (S 340 ). 
     Processes of the Internet TV  100  accessing the portal server  200  and processes of the portal server  200  allowing the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server  200  in the method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV  100  according to the present invention will now be described in detail on the basis of the above schematic description. 
     (Processes of the Portal Server Allowing the Internet TV to Access the Portal Server) 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the processes of the portal server  200  allowing the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server  200  will now be described. 
     When the Internet TV  100  transmits an authentication request message to the portal server  200 , the portal server  200  requests the Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number. The Internet TV  100  reads the authentication number from the memory apparatus built-in the Internet TV  100 , transmits the authentication number to the portal server  200 , and receives information. However, when the authentication number does not exist in the memory apparatus, the Internet TV newly requests the portal server to provide the authentication number, performs user registration, and receives information from the portal server  200 . When the Internet TV  100  is converted into a default state after being requested to input the authentication number by the portal server  200 , the Internet TV requests the portal server  200  to provide the authentication number and stores the authentication number transmitted from the portal server  200  in the memory apparatus. 
     When the user turns on the Internet TV  100 , the Internet TV  100  drives and initializes application programs such as an operation system and a browser required for accessing the Internet and automatically tries to access the portal server  200  (S 401  and S 402 ). At this time, the Internet TV  100  transmits a message for requesting the portal server  200  to allow the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server  200  such as a message referred to as ‘NT- 100 ’ created by a common gateway interface (CGI) to the portal server  200 , to thus transmit information that the Internet TV  100  tries to access the portal server  200  to the portal server  200  (S 403 ). 
     The Internet TV  100  checks whether the Internet TV  100  is requested to input the authentication number assigned to the Internet TV  100  by the portal server  200  and is in a stand-by state (S 404 ). At this time, the authentication number is set as a series of numbers such as the model name, the manufacturing year, and the manufacturing month of the Internet TV  100 . Therefore, when the Internet TV  100  is requested to input the authentication number by the portal server  200 , the Internet TV  100  checks whether the Internet TV  100  is in the default state (S 405 ). When it is determined that the Internet TV  100  is not in the default state, the Internet TV  100  confirms whether there exists a requested authentication number in the memory apparatus built-in the Internet TV  100  (S 410 ). When it is determined that the requested authentication number exists, the Internet TV  100  reads the authentication number and transmits the authentication number such as a message referred to as ‘URL_A?Serial=XXXXX’ created by the CGI to the portal server  200  (S 411 ). The Internet TV receives a result of examining whether there exists an error in the authentication number from the portal server  200  (S 412 ). When it is determined that there exists the error in the authentication number, the process proceeds to step  407 . When it is determined that there exists no error in the authentication number, the Internet TV receives information transmitted from the portal server  200 , decodes the information, and displays the information on a monitor (not shown) (S 413  and S 414 ). 
     However, when the Internet TV  100  is in the default state in step  405 , the Internet TV cannot receive information from the portal server  200 . 
     That is, when a problem occurs in an Internet operating program, the Internet TV  100  is automatically turned to the default state. At this time, when the authentication number of the Internet TV  100  is deleted from the memory, the Internet TV  100  cannot access the portal server  200 . Therefore, When the current state of the Internet TV  100  is default, the Internet TV  100  transmits a message referred to as ‘URL_A?Serial=search’ created by the CGI to the portal server  200 , to thus request the portal server  200  to search the authentication number of the Internet TV  100  (S 406 ), receives the conventional user information input screen shown in  FIG. 2 , which is transmitted from the portal server  200 , from the user, and transmits the user information input screen to the portal server  200  (S 407  through S 409 ). 
     As mentioned above, after the Internet TV  100  transmits the user information to the portal server  200 , the Internet TV  100  receives the authentication number from the portal server  200  and stores the authentication number in the memory apparatus built-in the Internet TV  100 . When the user turns on the Internet TV  100  again, processes of accessing the portal server  200  proceed again. 
     When the authentication number does not exist in the memory apparatus like in step  410 , it is determined that the user registration is not performed. Therefore, the Internet TV  100  requests the portal server  200  to provide a new authentication number (For example, the Internet TV  100  transmits a message referred to as ‘URL A?Serial-new’ created by the CGI to the portal server  200 ). (S 415 ). 
     When the user information input screen transmitted from the portal server  200  is created by the user, the Internet TV  100  transmits the created user information input screen to the portal server  200 . The Internet TV  100  receives the new authentication number from the portal server  200  and stores the new authentication number in the memory apparatus built-in the Internet TV  100 . When the user turns on the Internet TV  100  again, the processes of accessing the portal server  200  proceed again from the beginning (S 416  through S 418 ). 
     According to the above-mentioned method, the Internet TV  100  receives information from the portal server  200  and displays the information on the monitor (not shown) (S 414 ). 
     (Method for the Portal Server Allowing the Internet TV to Access the Portal Server) 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B, and  6 C, processes of the portal server allowing the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server  200  will now be described as follows. 
     When the portal server  200  is requested to allow the Internet TV to access the portal server, the portal server reads the access request message. When the access request message is transmitted from the Internet TV  100 , the portal server  200  requests the Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number. When the portal server  200  requests the Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number and receives the requested authentication number, the portal server  200  examines whether there exists an error in the authentication number, that is whether the authentication number is legal and checks whether the user is registered in a database on the basis of the authentication number. When a user fee is normally paid, the portal server  200  provides information to the Internet TV  100 . 
     That is, the portal server  200  receives the access request message when the portal server  200  is requested to allow the Internet TV to access the portal server  200  by the Internet TV  100 . At this time, it is determined whether the received message is a message for the Internet TV  100  requesting the portal server  200  to allow the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server such as the ‘TN- 100 ’ message created by the CGI. When the message is not for the Internet TV  100  requesting the portal server  200  to allow the Internet TV  100  to access the portal server  200 , the portal server  200  is in a stand-by state until the access request message is received from the Internet TV  100 . However, when the message is requested by the Internet TV, the portal server  200  requests the corresponding Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number (S 501  through S 504 ). 
     The portal server  200  determines whether the message transmitted from the Internet TV  100  is for requesting the portal server  200  to search the authentication number such as the message ‘URL_A?Serial=search’ created by the CGI (S 505 ). When it is determined the message is not for requesting the portal server  200  to search the authentication number but the message for showing the input of the authentication number such as the message referred to as ‘URL_A?Serial=XXXXX’, the portal server  200  reads the message and checks whether a ‘check sum’ error is generated in the authentication number (S 506  through S 508 ). 
     Methods for the portal server  200  confirming the generation of the ‘check sum’ error are various. However, according to the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the addition of the numbers obtained by multiplying a uniform weight value by each authentication number formed of the model name, the manufacturing year, and the manufacturing month of the Internet TV  100  is divided by 10. Then, the remainder is set as the ‘check sum’. When the remainder does not coincide with the ‘check sum’ value of the authentication number transmitted from the Internet TV  100 , the ‘check sum’ error is generated. 
     Therefore, when the ‘check sum’ error is generated, an error message is transmitted to the Internet TV  100  (S 512 ) and processes after step  516  are performed. However, when the ‘check sum’ error is not generated, it is checked whether the authentication number received from the Internet TV  100  is user registered in the database stored in the portal server  200  (S 509 ). This process is performed in order to newly register the user of the Internet TV  100  when the authentication number is not user registered. Therefore, when the authentication number is user registered, it is checked whether the user paid the fee (S 510 ). When the authentication number is not user registered, the portal server transmits the user information input screen to the Internet TV  100 , to thus let the authentication number user registered (S 514  and S 515 ). When the user is newly registered, the portal server provides information to the Internet TV  100  (S 511 ). Also, when it is determined that the fee is paid as a result of checking whether the user paid the fee, the portal server  200  transmits a message for informing that the fee is not paid to the Internet TV  100  (S 513 ). When the fee is paid, the portal server  200  provides the information to the Internet TV  100  (S 511 ). 
     However, when the Internet TV  100  requests the portal server  200  to search the authentication number, that is, the Internet TV  100  is in the default state after the portal server  200  requests the Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number, the portal server  200  transmits the user information input screen to the Internet TV  100 . 
     That is, as a result of determination in step  505 , when the data transmitted from the Internet TV  100  is for requesting the portal server  200  to search the authentication number such as the message referred to as ‘URL_A?Serial=search’ created by the CGI, the portal server  200  transmits the user information input screen to the Internet TV  100  in order to transmit the authentication number to the Internet TV  100  through the user information (S 516 ). Therefore, the portal server  200  reads the authentication number of the corresponding Internet TV  100  in the database with reference to the user information transmitted from the Internet TV  100  and transmits the authentication number to the Internet TV  100 , to thus let the Internet TV re-access the portal server  200  (S 516  through S 518 ). However, when the user is not registered in the database, the portal server  200  performs processes after step. Accordingly, the Internet TV  100  receives the authentication number, to thus let the Internet TV  100  re-access the portal server  200 . 
     After the portal server  200  requests the Internet TV  100  to input the authentication number, when the authentication number and the message for requesting the portal server  200  to search the authentication number are not transmitted from the Internet TV  100  and a message for requesting the portal server  200  to provide the new authentication number is transmitted. The user information input screen is transmitted. 
     That is, as a result of determination in step  506 , when the message received from the Internet TV  100  is not the authentication number and the message for requesting the portal server  200  to search the authentication number, it is determined whether the message is for requesting the portal server  200  to provide the new authentication number, for example, a message referred to as ‘URL_A?Serial=new’. When the message is not for the portal server  200  to provide the new authentication number, since the message is not related to the authentication number, the portal server performs processes after step  504  again (S 519 ). However, when the message is for requesting the portal server  200  to provide the new authentication number, the portal server  200  transmits the user information input screen to the Internet TV  100  (S 519  and S 520 ). The portal server  200  is in the stand-by state until a user registration screen is transmitted from the Internet TV  100  (S 521 ). 
     When the user registration screen is received, the portal server  200  generates the authentication number of the corresponding Internet TV  100 , transmits the authentication number to the Internet TV  100 , and provides information to the Internet TV (S 522  and S 511 ). 
     As mentioned above, according to the method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV  100  according to the present invention, the portal server  200  provides the authentication number to each Internet TV  100 . Accordingly, the portal server  200  confirms the access authority of each Internet TV  100 , to thus let the Internet TV  100  automatically access the portal server  200  without the user login. 
     Also, in the method for accessing the Internet using the Internet TV  100  according to the present invention, the fee for the use of the Internet TV  100  is not individually charged for each user. The fee is charged according to time, for which the Internet TV  100  is used.