Method and apparatus for management and synchronization of telephony services with video services over an HFC network

• US 20010038690A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palmer, Douglas, Bawel, Paul F., Kannan, Navneeth
• Application Number:
  US09/752,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20010038690A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6421 Medium of transmission, e.g. fibre, cable, radio, satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method and system for managing telephone services and for synchronizing with video services is disclosed in which a subscriber selects and requests services through a selection device such as a telephone keypad and a video display (such as a television) displays information associated with the selected or requested service. An auto-mute feature is provided to mute the TV device when an off-hook event is detected. A service synchronization module temporarily interrupts the delivery of a video program upon the occurrence of a telephone call by pausing or recording the program and resumes the delivery after the telephone call is terminated.

Claims

1. A method for managing telephone services provided through a HFC network platform having at least a video display device and a telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting an off-hook state of a telephone device at a network element located at or substantially near a subscriber'"'"'s residence;

(b) receiving at said network element a set of digits from the telephone device;

(c) determining a service requested by the subscriber based on the received set of digits; and

(d) controlling the display on the video display device in association with the information associated with the requested service.

2. The method described in

claim 1

further comprising the step of:

(e) muting the audio of the video display device during an off-hook state.

3. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the requested service is a telephone call.

4. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the requested service is a retrieval of call logs.

5. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the requested service is a directory service.

6. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the information displayed on the video display device is a telephone listing.

7. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the information displayed on the video display device is a call progress status.

8. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the information displayed on the video display device is a call state.

9. The method described in

claim 1

wherein the information displayed on the video display device is a list of callers.

10. The method of

claim 1

wherein the network element is a communication gateway.

11. The method of

claim 1

wherein the network element is a set-top box.

12. A method for synchronizing the delivery of video and telephone services through an HFC platform having a video display device and a telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a control signal indicating an incoming telephone call to a subscriber at a network element located substantially near the subscriber'"'"'s residence and at a time when a video program is being delivered to said subscriber'"'"'s residence through the video display device; and

(b) selectively interrupting the delivery of the video program to the video display device when the telephone call in answered.

13. The method of

claim 12

further comprising the step of:

(c) resuming the delivery of the video program when the telephone call ends.

14. The method of

claim 12

wherein the interruption of step (b) is performed by recording the video program into a video recording device.

15. The method of

claim 14

wherein the video recording device stores the video program in a segmented buffer.

16. The method of

claim 12

wherein the interruption of step (b) is performed by pausing the video program.

17. A method for synchronizing the delivery of video and telephone services through an HFC telephony service platform having a video display device and a telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a control signal indicating an incoming telephone call to a subscriber at a network element located at or substantially near the subscriber'"'"'s residence and at a time when a video program is being delivered to said subscriber'"'"'s residence through the video display device; and

(b) displaying on the video display device a menu option providing an opportunity for the subscriber to synchronize the simultaneous reception of the video program and the telephone call.

18. The method of

claim 17

wherein the synchronization of step (b) is performed by recording the video program into a video recording device while the telephone call is in progress.

19. The method of

claim 18

wherein the video recording device stores the video program into a segmented buffer.

20. The method of

claim 17

wherein the synchronization of step (b) is performed by pausing the video program when the telephone call is answered.

21. The method of

claim 17

wherein the synchronization of step (b) is performed by muting the audio of the video program when the telephone call is answered.

22. A system for managing video and telephone services through an HFC platform having a telephone device and video display device, the system comprising service manager coupled to said telephone device and said video display device whereby the service manager

(i) detects an off-hook state of the telephone device;

(ii) receives digits from the telephone device;

(iii) determines the requested service by a subscriber based on said digits; and

(iv) controls the display on the video display device of information associated with the requested service.

23. The system of

claim 22

wherein the service manager is part of a set-top box.

24. The system of

claim 22

wherein the service manager is part of a communication gateway.

25. A system for synchronizing the delivery of video and telephone services through an HFC telephony service platform having a telephone device and a video display device, the system comprising:

(a) a service synchronization module coupled to both the video display device and the video display device for temporarily interrupting a delivery of a video program to said video display device when a telephone call is answered.

26. The system of

claim 25

wherein the service synchronization module further resumes the delivery of the video program after the telephone call is terminated.

27. The system of

claim 25

wherein the service synchronization module is part of a set-top box.

28. The system of

claim 25

wherein the service synchronization module is part of a communications gateway.

29. The system of

claim 25

wherein the service synchronization module interrupts the video program delivery by recording the video program into a video recording device.

30. The system of

claim 29

wherein the video recording device stores the video program in a segmented buffer.

31. The system of

claim 25

wherein the service synchronization module interrupts the video program delivery by pausing the video program.