Abstract:
A method and apparatus for setting a TV operation environment for users submitting authorizing passwords. The method of setting a user environment of a television (TV) includes displaying a plurality of icons of Identifications (IDs) for respective users, each of the IDs corresponding to an operation environment for a user. If an ID icon is selected among the displayed icons, a password corresponding to the selected ID icon is authenticated, and if a user is authenticated by the password, a preset operation mode for the user is set.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a U.S. continuation application filed under 37 CFR 1.53(b) claiming priority benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/202,636 filed in the United States on Jul. 25, 2002, which claims earlier priority benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 2001-78180 filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 11, 2001 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present invention relates generally to a digital television (TV) system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for setting a TV environment in which a TV operation environment is set for each user through user authentication. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, a TV system is a system that enables TV viewers to watch TV programs by processing broadcast signals containing the TV programs. The TV that is rapidly being developed is a multimedia apparatus where TV viewers can access a variety of information, regardless of age or general authority to access the same. 
     Recently, solid security has been demanded in apparatuses transmitting or storing a lot of information, such as computers. In the future, when digital TVs become more sophisticated with Internet access functions, security of information will then be a requisite. Particularly, there is a need to restrict access to harmful channels, e.g., restricting teens from watching particular TV programs. Thus, an accurate recognition of users is needed. 
     In addition, because of differences in age of users, or technological knowledge, there is a need for a more effective way of setting different channels or TV environments, e.g., standard volume states, image states, or sound effects. 
     Conventional TV systems have employed a method where a user environment is accessed through an On Screen Display (OSD) technique while the TV is turned on. Every user who wants to watch the TV turns on the TV and sets a preferred environment or selects a prestored user environment. 
     However, this conventional user environment setting includes problems. First, it is inconvenient for every user who wants to watch the TV to have to turn on the TV and set a preferred environment or select a prestored user environment. Second, it is necessary to have a separate menu to control security for information. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of setting a TV environment for each user, where user convenience is accomplished by enabling an easy conversion of operation environments and preferred channel settings through user authentication, to satisfy a user&#39;s taste and preference in advance before watching the TV. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to set a TV environment for each user, such that an operation environment and preferred channel setting are enabled, through user authentication, so as to satisfy the user&#39;s taste and preference in advance before watching the TV. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     To accomplish the above and other objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides for a method of setting a user environment of a television (TV), including displaying a plurality of icons of Identifications (IDs) for respective users, with each of the IDs corresponding to an operation environment for a particular user. If an ID icon is selected among the displayed icons, a password is required to be authenticated corresponding to the selected ID icon. If the user is authenticated by the password, a preset operation mode for that user is then enabled. 
     To accomplish the above and other objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides for an apparatus to enable a user environment of the TV, including an input unit to generate an ID and password for each user, a memory unit to set operation environment parameters for each user for each user ID, and to store the parameters, a signal output unit to output a TV signal, and a control unit to receive an ID and password from the input unit, process user authentication, and set output signals of the signal output unit to environment parameters for each user stored in the memory unit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention for setting a TV environment; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention for setting a TV environment; and 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of a further embodiment of the present invention showing a method of setting a TV environment on a screen. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention for setting a TV environment, including an input unit  110 , a receiving unit  120 , a control unit  130 , a memory unit  140 , and a signal output unit  150 . The signal output unit  150  includes an image output unit  152 , an audio output unit  154 , and an OSD output unit  156 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the input unit  110  may correspond to a remote controller, through which a user inputs the user&#39;s own proper number (hereinafter referred to as “ID”) and a password in order to set a desired environment. 
     The receiving unit  120  may receive the ID and password from the input unit  110  wirelessly or via wire. 
     The memory unit  140  stores operation environment parameters for each user, for example, a picture quality, color preference, sound effect, an OSD location, and preferred channel list information. 
     The control unit  130  processes user authentication by receiving the ID and password from the input unit  110 . If the user&#39;s password is the same as a prestored code, the control unit  130  sets signal output parameters of the elements of the signal output unit  150 , that is, the image output unit  152 , the audio output unit  154 , and the OSD output unit  156 , to environment parameters for each user stored in the memory unit  140 . Also, the control unit  130  sets a channel according to a preferred channel list stored in the memory unit  140 . In addition, the control unit  130  issues an ID for each user through a master ID, sets authorization rights for access to particular channels, and displays a plurality of user IDs as icons on the screen in an initial user environment mode. 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention for setting a TV environment. 
     First, a master ID, which manages IDs and passwords of all users, is set in an initial phase, in step  212 . Using the master ID, an ID and operation environment for each user can be stored in the memory. Examples of the operation environment include a preferred channel list, sound effect, volume level, and a screen state that the user prefers, though it is not limited thereto. 
     Then, when power is provided, the TV operates in the operation environment of a channel that is set to default values. 
     Next, it is determined whether or not a user environment mode key is input, in step  214 . 
     Next, if the user environment mode key is input, each of the IDs for users are displayed in the form of icons, in step  218 . An example of this is shown as section (a) of  FIG. 3 . That is, on the screen, ID icons for “father”, “mother”, “son”, “grandmother”, “all members of family”, and “MASTER” are displayed. At this time, “MASTER” manages all IDs displayed on the screen. 
     Next, if the user selects a desired ID icon, in step  220 , a scene requesting the user to input the user&#39;s password is displayed. An example of this is shown as section (b) of  FIG. 3 . 
     If the user selects an icon “father evening,” a scene requesting the password for the icon is displayed. At this time, in a further embodiment, instead of displaying the ID icon on the screen, the user may request a password input scene by inputting the user&#39;s ID to the input terminal of the TV. At this time, with one user ID, a plurality of users can access the TV. For example, the ID “all members of family,” as shown in section (a) of  FIG. 3 , can be shared by a plurality of authenticated users. Also, one user can access the TV with a plurality of IDs. For example, as shown in section (a) of  FIG. 3 , a plurality of IDs such as “father” and “father evening” can be used by one user. 
     Next, if the user inputs a password, in step  222  of  FIG. 2 , it is determined whether or not the input password is correct, in step  224 . At this time, if the password input by the user is not the same as a stored code, the scene displaying ID icons appears again. 
     If the password input by the user is the same as the stored code, an acceptance scene, as illustrated in section (c) of  FIG. 3 , is displayed. 
     Next, if the password authentication is successfully finished, the TV environment is set to a user environment that is stored in memory, in step  228  of  FIG. 2 . If the user logs out, in step  230 , the user environment is terminated, and a scene of the default environment setting is executed. At this time, in another embodiment, if the authentication is successfully finished, preferred channel lists set for respective users may be displayed. 
     At this time instead of logging out, if a user environment conversion key is input, in step  232 , the previous user environment stored in memory is converted into another environment, in step  234 . 
     Meanwhile, if the authenticated password is the master ID, in step  226 , the master environment for managing all user IDs and passwords is set, in step  242 . At this time instead of logging out, in step  244 , if another user environment setting key is input, in step  246 , the master generates an ID for the other users and sets environments for the user, in step  248 . Also, the master may delete user IDs and environments. 
     The present invention may be embodied in code, which can be read by a computer, e.g., on a computer readable recording medium or transmitted to the computer in carrier waves, noting that code may include applets performing portions of the present invention or an entire program for controlling the computer to perform the present invention. The computer readable recording medium may also include all kinds of recording apparatuses on which computer readable data are stored. 
     The computer readable recording media can include storage media such as magnetic storage media (e.g., ROMs, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optically readable media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.) and the aforementioned carrier waves (e.g., transmissions over the Internet or an Intranet). Also, the computer readable recording media can be scattered on computer systems connected through a network and can store and execute a computer readable code in a distributed mode. 
     As described above, according to embodiments of the present invention, preferred channels, sound effects, volume levels, and screen states that a user likes are stored in advance, and through authentication, the preset environment can be protected from other users access. For a family with children, the children can be protected from harmful channels. Also, since the master ID manages all the user IDs and passwords, a plurality of people can access a user environment with one ID. 
     Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.