System and Method for Sending and Receiving Text Messages via a Set Top Box

• US 20090064258A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Carlton Ligar, Mornhineway, David
• Application Number:
  US11/845,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064258A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for sending text messages from an IPTV receiver is disclosed and includes detecting that a text button is pressed at an IPTV remote control device associated with the IPTV receiver and displaying a text window at a display device coupled to the IPTV receiver. Text messages can be sent and received via the text window.

Claims

1. A method for sending text messages from an IPTV receiver, the method comprising:

detecting that a text button is pressed at an IPTV remote control device associated with the IPTV receiver; and

displaying a text window at a display device coupled to the IPTV receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text window is picture-in-picture window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the text window is an L-bar that partially surrounds a video content window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text window is a substantially clear window that overlays video content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a virtual keyboard at the display device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual keyboard is substantially clear and overlays video content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a recipient identifier within the text window.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a text message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the text message is received from the IPTV remote control device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the text message is received as voice data and converted to text within the IPTV receiver.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying the text message within the text window.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the text message to the recipient when a send button is pressed.

13. An IPTV receiver, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a computer program within the memory, wherein the computer program includes logic to;

detect when a text button is pressed at an IPTV remote control device associated with the IPTV receiver; and

display a text window at a display device coupled to the IPTV receiver.

14. The IPTV receiver of claim 13, wherein the computer program further comprises logic to:

receive a recipient identifier within the text window.

15. The IPTV receiver of claim 14, wherein the computer program further comprises logic to:

receive a text message at the ITPV receiver.

16. The IPTV receiver of claim 13, wherein the computer program further comprises logic to:

receive voice data from the IPTV remote control device; and

convert the voice data to text.

17. The IPTV receiver of claim 16, wherein the computer program further comprises logic to:

display the text message within the text window; and

transmit the text message to the recipient when a send button is pressed.

18. A graphical user interface (GUI) for sending text via an IPTV receiver, the GUI comprising:

a text window for viewing text messages, wherein the text window is displayed at a display device coupled to the IPTV receiver; and

a virtual keyboard, wherein the virtual keyboard is displayed at the display device.

19. The GUI of claim 18, wherein the text window comprises:

a transparent window that overlays video content; and

opaque text within the transparent window, wherein the opaque text represents one or more text messages sent from or received at the IPTV receiver.

20. The GUI of claim 18, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises:

a plurality of clear buttons, wherein each button is surrounded by an opaque border and wherein each button includes an opaque identifier.