Method for provisioning network service provider application in digital interactive broadcasting environment

1. A method for provisioning a network service provider application (NSP application) in a digital interactive broadcasting environment, comprising the steps of:

A) at a broadcasting headend server, incorporating an application provisioning descriptor including at least an application version information and a location information of the NSP application to be provisioned into an application information table (An table) and transmitting the AIT table through a digital broadcasting network in a form of an always tuned transport stream (ATTS); and

B) at a user set-top box,

b-1) checking the application version information specified in the application provisioning descriptor and a downloaded status of the application, and comparing the application version information with a version information of an application previously stored into the set-top box,

b-2) if the application version specified in the application provisioning descriptor is the same with the version of the application previously stored in the set-top box and downloading of the application has been performed normally, executing the previously stored application without any downloading, and

b-3) if the application version specified in the application provisioning descriptor is different from the version of the application previously stored in the set-top box or if downloading of the application has been performed abnormally, accessing and downloading the application based on the location information of the application to be provisioned, which is specified in the application provisioning descriptor

wherein the ATTS is independent of A/V (audio/video) data of a service a user is watching, and

wherein the application provisioning descriptor includes information on a descriptor tag, a descriptor length, an application version, an AIT URL service length, a network identifier, a transport stream identifier, a service identifier and a stored priority.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application provisioning descriptor is present within an application descriptor loop in the AIT table.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application to be provisioned is carried from any one selected from the group consisting of digital storage media command and control (DSM-CC) carousel, an application over hypertext text transport protocol (HTTP) and a combination thereof.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the application to be provisioned is carried from the combination of the DSM-CC carousel and the application over HTTP.

5. The method as set for in claim 4 , wherein the application to be provisioned is carried from the DSM-CC carousel at an early stage of provisioning, and thereafter from the application over HTTP.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application provisioning descriptor further includes stored priority information of the application to be provisioned that indicates whether the application to be provisioned is to be stored into a non-volatile memory, as well as the application version information and the location information.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the application provisioning descriptor further includes an application identifier that identifies which application is provisioned.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the step b-1) is carried out with activation of a provisioning monitor application for monitoring the AIT table.

9. A method for provisioning a network service provider application (NSP application) in a digital interactive broadcasting environment, comprising the steps of:

A) at a broadcasting headend server, incorporating an application provisioning descriptor including at least an application version information and a location information of the application to be provisioned into an application information table (AIT table) and transmitting the AIT table through a digital broadcasting network in a form of always tuned transport stream (ATTS); and

B) at a user set-top box,

i) starting a provisioning monitor application when the user set top box is booted,

ii) tuning to the ATTS and checking the AIT table in the ATTS and the application provisioning descriptor within the AIT table,

iii) checking the application version information specified in the application provisioning descriptor and a downloaded status of the application, and comparing the application version information with a version information of an application previously stored into the set-top box,

iv) if the application version specified in the application provisioning descriptor is the same with the version of the application previously stored in the set-top box and downloading of the application has been performed normally, executing the previously stored application without any downloading,

v) if the application version specified in the application provisioning descriptor is different from the version of the application previously stored in the set-top box or if downloading of the application has been performed abnormally, recording last version of the application in order to update the version information, setting the downloaded status as “downloading”, and checking the location information of the application to be provisioned, which is specified in the application provisioning descriptor,

vi) downloading the application to be provisioned based on the location information from digital storage media command (DSM-CC) carousel or hypertext text transport protocol (HTTP), and

vii) killing the previously stored application and setting the downloaded status as “downloaded” if the downloading of the application has been completed normally,

wherein the ATTS is independent of A/V (audio/video) data of a service a user is watching, and

wherein the application provisioning descriptor includes information on a descriptor tag, a descriptor length, an application version, an AIT URL service length, a network identifier, a transport stream identifier, a service identifier and a stored priority.