Alerting user engaged in a first communications session on a first network to a request to establish a second communications session on a second network
First Claim
1. An apparatus for multimedia communications with multiple network functionality, the apparatus comprising:
- a first network interface, the first network interface coupleable to a first network for communication of a first network signal, wherein the first network is selected from a set of networks consisting of a cable network, an integrated services digital network or a public switched telephone network;
a second network interface, the second network interface coupleable to a second network for communication of a second network signal, wherein the second network is also selected from the set of networks, but a different selection from the first network;
a user interface for reception of a plurality of control signals; and
a processor arrangement coupled to the first network interface, to the second network interface and to the user interface, the processor arrangement responsive through a set of program instructions, when operably coupled,to determine a presence of a first network communication session,to further determine an occurrence of a second network signal requesting establishment of a session on the second network,and upon the occurrence of the second network signal during the first network communication session, to provide a distinctive alert to the user interface during the first network communication session indicating the occurrence of the second network signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for multimedia communications with multiple network functionality, such as conflict resolution for multiple simultaneous communication sessions involving separate and independent networks and call types, such as video and voice. The apparatus includes a first network interface, such as a cable interface (120), an ISDN interface (125) or a telephony interface (130), with the first network interface coupleable to a first network for communication of a first network signal; a second network interface, the second network interface coupleable to a second network for communication of a second network signal; a user interface such as a user/audio interface (135) for reception of a plurality of control signals; and a processor arrangement (143) responsive through a set of program instructions, when operably coupled, to determine a presence of a first network communication session, to further determine an occurrence of the second network signal, and upon the occurrence of the second network signal during the first network communication session, to provide a distinctive alert to the user interface during the first network communication session indicating the occurrence of the second network signal.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for multimedia communications with multiple network functionality, the apparatus comprising:
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a first network interface, the first network interface coupleable to a first network for communication of a first network signal, wherein the first network is selected from a set of networks consisting of a cable network, an integrated services digital network or a public switched telephone network; a second network interface, the second network interface coupleable to a second network for communication of a second network signal, wherein the second network is also selected from the set of networks, but a different selection from the first network; a user interface for reception of a plurality of control signals; and a processor arrangement coupled to the first network interface, to the second network interface and to the user interface, the processor arrangement responsive through a set of program instructions, when operably coupled, to determine a presence of a first network communication session, to further determine an occurrence of a second network signal requesting establishment of a session on the second network, and upon the occurrence of the second network signal during the first network communication session, to provide a distinctive alert to the user interface during the first network communication session indicating the occurrence of the second network signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for multimedia communications with multiple network functionality, the method comprising:
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(a) determining a presence of a communication session on a first network, wherein the first network is selected from a set of networks consisting of a cable network, an integrated services digital network or a public switched telephone network; (b) determining a presence of a signal on a second network requesting establishment of a session on the second network, wherein the second network is also selected from the set of networks but a different selection from the first network; and (c) providing a distinctive alert during the first network communication session indicating the presence of the second network signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for multimedia communications with multiple network functionality, the apparatus comprising:
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a first network interface, the first network interface coupleable to a first network for communication of a first network signal; a second network interface, the second network interface coupleable to a second network for communication of a second network signal, the second network being separate and independent from the first network; a user interface for reception of a plurality of control signals; and a processor arrangement coupled to the first network interface, to the second network interface and to the user interface, the processor arrangement responsive through a set of program instructions, when operably coupled, to determine a presence of a communication session on the first network, wherein the first network is selected from a set of networks consisting of a cable network, an integrated services digital network or a public switched telephone network, to further determine a presence of a signal on the second network requesting establishment of a session on the second network, the second network also selected from the set of networks but a different selection from the first network, and upon the occurrence of the second network signal during the first network communication session, to provide a distinctive alert to the user interface during the first network communication session indicating the occurrence of the second network signal; in response to a first control signal of the plurality of control signals, the processor arrangement further responsive to establish a second network communication session during the first network communication session; in response to a second control signal of the plurality of control signals, the processor arrangement further responsive to interchange the first network communication session with the second network communication session; in response to a third control signal of the plurality of control signals, the processor arrangement further responsive to interchange the second network communication session with the first network communication session; and in response to a fourth control signal of the plurality of control signals, the processor arrangement further responsive to multiplex the first network communication session with the second network communication session.
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Specification