INTERCOM AND CHAT FOR HOME MEDIA NETWORK

• US 20110161839A1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: FARRIS, Jack M., TALBERT, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system

Abstract

A media client presents a menu interface for a media client intercom and receives, via the menu interface, a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message. The media client receives a message input from the user, where the message input is provided through the human interface device, and converts the message input into a digital format to create a digitized message. The digitized message is sent, exclusively via a home media network, to another media client within the home media network.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more media clients within a home media network, comprising:

receiving, by a media client, a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message;

receiving, by the media client, a message input from the user, where the message input is provided by a human interface device that is operatively connected to the media client;

converting, by the media client, the message input into a digital format to create a digitized message;

generating data for a display element to visually indicate information about the digitized message; and

sending, by the media client and via the home media network, the digitized message and the generated data to another media client within the home media network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, on a display device associated with the media client, a user interface for a media client intercom.

3. The method of claim 1, where the human interface device includes a microphone, and the message input comprises an audio input.

4. The method of claim 1, where the human interface device includes a video camera, and the message input comprises video images input.

5. The method of claim 1, where the human interface device includes a keyboard, and the message input comprises text input.

6. The method of claim 1, where sending the digitized message and the generated data to another media client within the home media network comprises:

sending, exclusively via the home media network, the digitized message as an Internet Protocol (IP) transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the other media client, the digitized message and the generated data;

formatting, by the other media client, the digitized message and the generated data for presentation on a display device associated with the other media client to create a formatted presentation; and

sending, by the other media client, the formatted presentation to the display device associated with the other media client.

8. The method of claim 7, where formatting the digitized message and the generated data for presentation on a display device associated with the other media client comprises:

inserting at least a portion of the generated data into a display element for the digitized message, and

associating the display element with an audio component of the digitized message.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising one or more of:

pausing, by the other media client, presentation of a program being presented on the display device at the time the formatted presentation is sent to the display device;

recording, by the other media client, the program being presented during the pause;

muting, by the other media client, presentation of the program being presented on the display device at the time the formatted presentation is sent to the display device.

10. The method of claim 1, where the message input includes a voice component, and where generating data for the display element comprises:

converting the voice component into text using automatic speech recognition.

11. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions;

a human interface device to receive user input; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

present, on a display device associated with a media client, a menu interface for a media client intercom,

receive, via the menu interface, a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message;

receive a message input from the user, where the message input is provided through the human interface device;

convert the message input into a digital format to create a digitized message; and

send, exclusively via a home media network, the digitized message to another media client within the home media network.

12. The system of claim 11, where the media client is a set-top box, and where the display device is a television.

13. The system of claim 11, where the instructions to send, via a home media network, the digitized message to another media client within the home media network include instructions to:

transmit the digitized message via Internet Protocol.

14. The system of claim 11, where the processor is further to execute instructions to:

receive another digitized message,

format the other digitized message for presentation on a display device to create a formatted presentation, and

send the formatted presentation to the display device.

15. The system of claim 14, where processor is further to execute instructions to:

activate one or more components of the system from a standby mode upon receipt of the other digitized message.

16. The system of claim 14, where processor is further to execute instructions to:

temporarily store the other digitized message based on instructions associated with the digitized message.

17. The system of claim 14, where the instructions to format the other digitized message includes instructions to:

generate a display element including visual information associated with the other digitized message.

18. The system of claim 11, where the instructions to send, exclusively via a home media network, the digitized message to another media client within the home media network include instructions to:

send the digitized message to a plurality of media clients within the home media network.

19. The method of claim 18, where the digitized message is sent as one of:

a multicast message, or

a broadcast message.

20. A system, comprising:

means for receiving, at a first media client, a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message;

means for receiving, at the first media client, an intercom message from the user, where the intercom message is provided by a human interface device;

means for sending, via a home media network, the intercom message to a second media client within the home media network;

means for receiving, at the second media client, the intercom message;

means for pausing, by the second media client and in response to receiving of the intercom message, a presentation of a program being presented on a display device associated with the second media client; and

means for presenting, by the second media client, the intercom message on the display device.

21. The system of claim 20, where the means for presenting the intercom message includes:

means for presenting an audio component of the intercom message, and

means for presenting, simultaneously with the audio component, a visual component that includes information to supplement audible component.