System and method of transmitting photographs from a set top box

• US 20070011250A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cansler, James, Sullivan, Marc, Kortum, Philip, Williams, Alyssa Lenorah
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42227 the keys being reprogrammable, e.g. soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

A method of emailing photographs from a set top box is disclosed and includes presenting a menu of photographs at a television coupled to the set top box. The photographs within the menu can be highlighted using a remote control device. The method further includes presenting an email button at the television and presenting an address book. The address book contains at least one recipient email address. Further, the method includes sending an email addressed to the at least one recipient email address. In particular, the email includes a return email address that causes a response to the email to be sent to a location other than the set top box.

Claims

1. A method of emailing photographs from a set top box, the method comprising:

presenting a menu of photographs at a television coupled to the set top box, wherein the photographs within the menu can be highlighted using a remote control device;

presenting an email button at the television;

presenting an address book, wherein the address book contains at least one recipient email address; and

sending an email addressed to the at least one recipient email address, wherein the email includes a return email address that causes a response to the email to be sent to a location other than the set top box.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the return email address corresponds to an email address associated with a customer account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the customer account is associated with a user of the set top box.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a send button at the television and transmitting the email when the send button is selected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an address book set-up screen.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising importing an address list to the address book.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an email address; and

adding the email address to the address book.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a nickname for the email address; and

adding the nickname to the address book.

9. A set top box, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor;

a computer program stored within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to present a menu of photographs at a television;

instructions to present an email button at the television;

instructions to present an address book in response to the email button being selected, wherein the address book contains one or more email addresses corresponding to one or more recipients; and

instructions to create an email, wherein the email is addressed to at least one recipient address, wherein the email includes a return email address that corresponds to a customer email address that is associated with a customer account linked to the set top box and wherein the email appears to be sent from the customer email address and not the set top box.

10. The set top box of claim 9, wherein a reply to the email is not sent to the set top box.

11. The set top box of claim 10, wherein a reply to the email is sent to the customer email address.

12. The set top box of claim 9, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to present a send button at the television; and

instructions to transmit the email to a recipient when the send button is selected.

13. The set top box of claim 9, further comprising instructions to present an address book set-up screen when a recipient address is not available.

14. The set top box of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions to receive one or more recipient email addresses;

instructions to receive a nickname for each of the one or more recipient email addresses; and

instructions to add the one or more recipient email addresses and the corresponding nicknames to the address book.

15. A graphical user interface for a display coupled to a set top box, the graphical user interface comprising:

an array of photograph thumbnails;

a photograph viewing window;

an address book, wherein the address book contains one or more recipient email addresses, wherein after a recipient email address is selected, an email is created having a return email address that will cause a reply to the email to be sent to a location other than the set top box.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, further comprising:

a send button, wherein when the send button is selected, the email is transmitted to the recipient email address.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 15, further comprising:

a set-up button, wherein when the set-up button is selected, an address book set-up screen is presented.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the return email address corresponds to an email address associated with a customer account.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein the return email address causes the response to the email to be transmitted to a user computer that is not coupled to the set top box.

20. A computer, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor;

a computer program stored within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to receive an email, wherein the email is sent from a set top box; and

instructions to transmit a reply to the email, wherein the reply is not sent the set top box.

21. The computer of claim 21, wherein the reply is transmitted to a user computer that is not coupled to the set top box.