Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to updating TV software images using a TV Internet adapter. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The fusion of television with the Internet is a continuing goal that has spawned systems making it convenient for viewers to access content from both conventional TV sources and the Internet using a single TV chassis. In this way, the number of programs that can be made available to people using the familiar technology of television can be expanded enormously. 
         [0003]    This fusion has also resulted increasing the computerization of TVs. This in turn means that TVs increasingly become software driven. Once a TV is vended its software, if it remains static, can become less capable than the software of newer TVs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    A system includes a TV including a TV display and an Internet adapter module connected to the TV using an audio video link and a control link. The TV is configured to display video received from the module over the audio video link responsive to data carried on the control link. The module emulates an Internet interface to send Internet video to the TV at a first time, and furthermore the module, at a second time, ceases to emulate an Internet interface and instead emulates a mass storage device accessible by the TV to obtain software therefrom. 
         [0005]    The TV may include a processor that can send a special message to the module indicating that the TV has obtained the software from the module. In response to the special message the module may cease to emulate a mass storage and instead emulate an Internet interface. The control link can be, without limitation, a universal serial bus (USB) link, and the module may be implemented by a set back box. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, a tangible digital storage medium is readable by a module processor to present, to a component configured to execute updatable software, an emulation of an Internet interface, receive from the component information identifying the component, send the information to a server over the Internet, receive back from the server updated software for the component, present to the component an emulation of a mass storage device, and permit the component to access the updated software. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, a method includes configuring a module to virtually appear to a display device as an Internet adapter communicating with the Internet. The method also includes communicating, over a multimedia link between the module and the display device, video data received by the module from the Internet and communicating, over a control link between the module and the display device and without user interaction, information identifying the display device. The information is provided to an Internet server. In response, the method receives, at the module, update software from the server. The update software is associated with the display device. The configuration of the module is changed to virtually appear to the display device as a mass storage device and to no longer appear as an Internet adapter. Then, the display device is enabled to access the update software. 
         [0008]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a non-limiting system in accordance with present principles; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of non-limiting logic which may be undertaken by a processor executing code elements stored on a computer readable medium. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0011]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , that includes a TV  12  with TV processor  14  and tangible digital storage medium  16  that may be, without limitation, a magnetic or optical disk drive, a solid state device such as random access memory or read-only memory or flash memory, a removable stick medium or removable floppy disk, etc. The medium  16  and processor  14  may be stored in the TV housing as shown along with a display  18  such as but not limited to a high definition (HD) matrix display or a standard definition cathode ray tube display, or the processor  14  and/or medium  16  may be external to the TV housing, e.g., in a set-top box or in the below-discussed module. Typically, the TV processor is programmed with code for receiving updates, a mechanism that is leveraged by the logic below. 
         [0012]    The TV  12  typically includes a wireless receiver such as but not limited to an IR receiver  20  for receiving wireless signals from a hand-held remote control  22  having a wireless transmitter such as but not limited to an IR transmitter  24 . A processor  26  in the remote control  22  can receive input from a user-manipulable key array  28  in accordance with principles known in the art to cause the transmitter  24  to send wireless signals to the TV  12 , including cursor control signals to move a cursor on the display  18 . 
         [0013]    In the non-limiting embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , audio-video content from a wide area computer network such as the Internet  30  can be provided to the TV  12  for presentation on the display  18  using a Internet adapter module  32  that may have a module processor  34  accessing a computer readable medium  35 . The module  32  may communicate audio video data with the TV  12  using a communication interface  36  such as a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) to provide content from the Internet to the TV. Also, the module  32  can exchange control information over a control link  37  with the TV by means of a control link interface  37   a  such as a universal serial bus (USB) interface. This control information may include commands and GUI elements used for display and user interaction. 
         [0014]    The module  32 , which can be implemented as a set-back box (SBB) or other device such as an optical disk player, may be physically engaged with the housing of the TV  12  with communication being established by respective connectors on the module and TV, or the module  32  may be connected via a cord to the TV  12 . In any case, an Internet interface  39  (such as a wired or wireless modem) of the module  32  can be connected to the Internet typically by a computer cable that extends from the housing of the module  32  to an Internet jack, although as intimated above the module  32  alternatively may communicate with the Internet wirelessly using, e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc. Audio-video content may be provided from one or more content servers  38  on the Internet  30  via the module  32  for presentation on the TV display  18 . 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows logic in accordance with present principles. While  FIG. 2  refers specifically to a TV that requires updating and a SBB that obtains software for upgrading the TV, general principles apply to updatable components other than the TV and updating components other than the SBB. 
         [0016]    Commencing at block  40 , the USB link  37  and, if desired, the HDMI connection are established between the module  32  and TV  12 . At block  42 , the TV automatically sends identifying data over the USB link to the module. This data may include TV model number and serial number. The TV identifying information can also be read by the module  32  from the HDMI key selection vector (KSV) of the TV, typically received on the HDMI path. 
         [0017]    In turn, at block  44  the module  32  sends the TV ID information over, e.g., the Internet to a server such as one of the servers shown in  FIG. 1  or another server on the wide area network. The server contains a database that correlates TV identifying information with available software updates, and if any are found by the server that correlate to the uploaded TV ID information, the server sends the appropriate update back to the module  32  at block  46  using, e.g., the Internet. The software update may be stored in the medium  35  within the module  32 . 
         [0018]    When the module receives the update, at block  48  it changes its software emulation from that of an Internet adapter to one of mass storage, so that it appears to the TV  12  as, e.g., a USB mass storage device. The TV accordingly detects the module  32  as a mass storage device at block  50 , loading the software from the medium  35  in the module  32  to the TV medium  16  in the TV  12  at block  52 . The TV processor  14  accesses the medium  16  to update its internal software, e.g., its operating system or other software image, accordingly. 
         [0019]    As shown at block  54  in  FIG. 2 , the TV  12  sends a special message such as a predetermined file or other message to the module  32  to indicate completion of the update. In response, at block  56  the module  32  again changes its software emulation, this time appearing once again as an Internet network interface to the TV. Control information exchange appropriate for a network adapter may then be subsequently exchanged over the USB link. 
         [0020]    The above information exchange between TV and module in blocks  42 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  may be over the USB link. Internet video is sent from the module  32  to the TV  12  over the HDMI link. 
         [0021]    While the particular TV SOFTWARE UPGRADE USING TV INTERNET ADAPTER is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims. For example, the module  32  may be, instead of or in addition to an Internet adapter, a video disk adapter to provide video disk capabilities to the TV, in which case the update data can be loaded from a disk in the adapter to the TV, with the adapter containing the above-described database of TV ID and TV update files as well as the update files themselves.

Technology Category: h