Television receiver having a user-editable telephone system caller-ID feature

• US 6,141,058 A
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing Dtv
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Dennis Ronald, O'Brien, Robert Lawrence, Lagoni, William Adamson
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US08/798,049
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/566, 348/552, 348/553, 348/725, 348/6, 348/134, 379/74, 379/77, 379/87, 379/142, 379/88, 379/98, 379/67, 379/61, 379/2 A, 379/211, 379/355, 379/825.52, 379/58, 379/59, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 348/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

A television receiver includes telephone network interface circuitry which allows the receiver to receive and process Caller-ID signals for display during the ringing period of the telephone set. The television receiver also includes circuitry which allows a list of priority callers to be entered. In this way, the incoming Caller-ID codes are compared to the telephone numbers of the priority callers. Upon detection, the Caller-ID information of a priority caller is displayed on screen during television viewing. The telephone numbers of those callers not listed as priority callers are not displayed during the ringing period of the telephone. Both displayed and non-displayed telephone numbers which correspond to unanswered telephone calls are stored in a Caller-ID list for display at the user'"'"'s convenience. In this way, the user is able to enter data to select beforehand which calling telephone numbers are permitted to interrupt his or her television show by displaying Caller-ID information on the screen.

Claims

1. Television apparatus, comprising:

means for processing a television signal to produce a program video signal;

means for receiving a message signal comprising a source identification;

means for allowing a user to store a list of source identifications and for assigning a respective source identification label to each source identification to said list of source identifications;

means for comparing and matching said source identification to said list of source identifications;

means for selectively generating for display a graphics video signal corresponding to one of said source identification labels only if said source identification matching an entry in said list of source identifications; and

means for combining said program video signal and said graphics video signal to produce a combined video signal which corresponds to an image containing a program portion and a source identification portion, whereby viewing interference due to incoming message signals is minimized in that said source identification portion is only displayed when said source identification list has a corresponding entry in said identifications and nothing is displayed including but not limited to a source identification portion is displayed if said source identification list has no corresponding entry.

2. The television apparatus recited in claim 1,

wherein said message signal is a telephone message signal and said source identification is a caller identification (ID).

3. The television apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said list of source identifications comprises a plurality of Caller-ID messages for identifying respective ones of a plurality of telephone numbers.

4. The television apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said means for allowing comprises data entry means for entering a plurality of messages.

5. The television apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said data entry means comprises a remote control signal receiver for receiving remote control signals produced by a remote control transmitter.

6. The television apparatus of claim 2 wherein

said means for allowing stores said source identification of said received message signal when said source identification matches an entry in said list of source identification, and said received message signal is not answered by the user.

7. The television apparatus of claim 2 wherein said graphics video signals are included as PIP insets in the combined video signal.

8. Television apparatus, comprising:

means for processing a television signal for producing an output video signal representing a television program during an entertainment mode of operation;

means for receiving a telephone signal including a first message; and

control means for processing said telephone signal and comparing and matching said first message with message data scored in said television apparatus, and for including in said output video signal a signal representing a second message relating to said first message included in said telephone signal;

said output video signal being suitable for coupling to a display device for producing a displayed image having a first portion representing said television program and having a second portion representing said second message;

said second portion interrupting viewing of said first portion during said entertainment mode of operation;

said control means including said signal representing said second message in said output signal during said entertainment mode of operation only in response to detecting that if said first message included in said telephone signal corresponds to matches said stored message data in response to the comparison and not displaying any message if said first message does not match said stored message data, therefore preventing said second portion of said displayed image from interrupting viewing of said first portion of said displayed image.

9. The television apparatus of claim 8, wherein

said telephone signal corresponds to a currently received telephone call;

said first message included in said telephone signal comprises a Caller-ID message;

said control means comprises data entry means for entering a plurality of messages, and data storage means for storing said plurality of messages;

said control means includes said second message in said output signal during said entertainment mode of operation only in response to detecting that said Caller-ID message included in said telephone signal matches one of said plurality of stored messages;

said second message comprises Caller-ID information relating to said currently received telephone call.

10. The television apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said plurality of stored messages comprises a plurality of Caller-ID messages for identifying respective ones of a plurality of telephone numbers;

said second message indicates which one of said plurality of Caller-ID messages matches said Caller-ID message included in said currently received telephone call.

11. The television apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said data entry means comprises a remote control signal receiver for receiving remote control signals produced by a remote control transmitter.

12. The television apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said control means stores said Caller-ID message included in said telephone signal in said data storage means in response to said data storage means not containing a Caller-ID message matching said Caller-ID message included in said telephone signal, and said currently received telephone call being unanswered.

13. The television apparatus of any one of claim 8, wherein said control means includes said second message signal in said output signal for superimposing said second portion of said displayed image on said first portion of said displayed image.

14. The television apparatus of any one of claim 8, wherein said control means includes said second message signal in said output signal for including said second portion of said displayed image in a PIP inset into the first portion of the displayed image.

15. A method for producing an output video signal, comprising the steps of:

processing a television signal for producing an output video signal representing a television program during an entertainment mode of operation;

receiving a telephone signal including a first message; and

processing the telephone signal for comparing whether the first message matches message data stored in the television apparatus, and for including in the output video signal a display signal relating to the first message included in the telephone signal;

the output video signal being suitable for coupling to a display device for producing a displayed image having a first portion representing the television program and having a second portion representing the display signal;

the second portion interrupting viewing of the first portion during the entertainment mode of operation;

the control means including the display signal relating to the first message in the output signal during the entertainment mode of operation only in response to a match of the first message included in the telephone signal with the stored message data and no display if there is no match therefore preventing the second portion of the displayed image from interrupting viewing of the first portion of the displayed image.