System and method for voice portal control of an integrated communications center

• US 20040175096A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Beyda, William J., Caspi, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 : involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for voice portal-based control of a digital personal video stream manager (102), for example, to program a video recording device (114). Such a system includes a DPVSM control module (3304, 3306, 3308) at a server (3202) of a service provider. The DPVSM control module (3304, 3306, 3308) is adapted to respond to a user calling in a predetermined phone number and using an interactive voice response system, issue prompts and accept inputs for DPVSM control. The DPVSM control module (3304, 3306, 3308) then converts the inputs to a DPVSM Instant Message or a DPVSM e-mail control message. The DPVSM Instant Message or a DPVSM e-mail control message is then transmitted to the user'"'"'s personal computer (110), where the IM or e-mail plug in translates it and uses it to control the DPVSM (102).

Claims

1. A telecommunications method, comprising:

receiving digital personal media stream manager control inputs at a voice portal;

converting said inputs to one or more control commands;

using said one or more control commands to control programming of a broadband video recording device operably coupled to a personal computer.

2. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving said control inputs at a voice portal server remote from said computer and converting said inputs to a control message format readable by said personal computer.

3. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said using comprises transmitting one or more control commands over a local area network.

4. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said one or more control commands are received at a digital personal media stream manager, said digital personal video stream manager adapted to convert broadband media to media files useable on said local area network and convert media files from said local area network to a format viewable on a television.

5. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising using said personal video stream manager to control recording of broadband media using said video recording device or as digitized media files.

6. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said converting includes converting said inputs to one or more e-mail control messages.

7. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said converting includes converting said inputs to one or more Instant-Messaging control messages.

8. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a local area network;

a media subsystem coupled to receive broadband media, said media subsystem including;

a television for viewing said broadband media; and

a digital personal video stream manager operably coupled to said television and said local area network, said digital personal video stream manager adapted to convert said broadband media to media files useable on said local area network and convert media files from said local area network to a format viewable on said television;

a network subsystem coupled to an Internet and said local area network, said network subsystem including a computer having a digital personal video stream manager controller and a memory for storing media files;

wherein said digital personal video stream manager controller is adapted to receive media files from said digital personal video stream manager via said local area network and transmit media files to said digital personal video stream manager via said local area network; and

a voice portal adapted to receive a user'"'"'s voice portal inputs;

wherein said computer is adapted to receive said inputs for controlling operation of said digital personal video stream manager.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said voice portal runs on said computer.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said voice portal runs on a remote server, said server adapted to convert said inputs to an e-mail format and transmit said e-mail to said computer.

11. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said voice portal runs on a remote server, said server adapted to convert said inputs to an Instant Messaging format and transmit said IM message to said computer.

12. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, said media subsystem further including a video recording device, wherein said video recording device is controllable by said inputs via said digital personal video stream manager over said local area network.

13. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said computer is configured to download one or more media files from said Internet and transmit said one or more media files over said local area network to said digital personal video stream manager for viewing on said television.

14. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said local area network is a wireless local area network.

15. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said digital personal video stream manager controller is adapted to determine one or more program schedules via said Internet and cause said digital personal video stream manager to supervise a recording of a program based on said schedule.

16. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said recording comprises converting said program to one or more media files and transmitting said one or more media files over said local area network to said computer.

17. A telecommunications method, comprising:

receiving one or more broadband media streams; and

controlling recording of said one or more broadband media streams remotely using one or more voice portal inputs.

18. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said controlling recording comprises receiving said one or more voice portal inputs at a server and converting said one or more voice portal inputs into one or more messaging control messages readable by a personal computer operably coupled to a local area network.

19. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising transmitting one or more control messages responsive to said one or more messaging control messages over said local area network to a digital personal video stream manager adapted to control a video recording device.

20. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 19, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting over a wireless local area network.

21. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said converting comprises converting said one or more voice portal inputs to one or more Instant Messaging messages.

22. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said converting comprises converting said one or more voice portal inputs to one or more e-mail messages.

23. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a voice portal system; and

a local area network;

a connection for receiving one or more broadband media streams at a television;

a digital personal media stream manager operably coupled to said local area network and adapted to digitize said one or more broadband media streams as one or more media files and transmit said one or more media files to a personal computer;

wherein said digital personal media stream manager is adapted to interface playback and recording of said one or more media files on said personal computer or said television; and

wherein said digital personal media stream manager is controllable via one or more voice portal inputs received at said personal computer.

24. A home-based multimedia telecommunications system in accordance with claim 23, further comprising:

an Internet connection for receiving one or more Internet media files at said computer;

said digital personal video stream manager is adapted to interface playing back said one or more media files via said television.

25. A home-based multimedia telecommunications system in accordance with claim 24 wherein said personal computer is adapted to download a program schedule for setting a video recording device via said digital personal media stream manager to record said one or more broadband media streams.

26. A home-based multimedia telecommunications system in accordance with claim 24, wherein said digital personal media stream manager includes an infrared interface for controlling said playback.

27. A home-based multimedia telecommunications system with claim 23, wherein said digital personal media stream manager includes a local area network interface for transmitting said one or more media files via a local area network.

28. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 27, wherein said local area network is a wireless local area network.

29. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 23, wherein said voice portal inputs are received first at a remote server and converted to an e-mail format received at said personal computer.

30. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 23, wherein said voice portal inputs are received first at a remote server and converted to an Instant Messaging format received at said personal computer.