Disclosing the receipt of new electronic message

• US 6,614,890 B2
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Phillip Y., Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US09/107,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20020048354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.24, 379/88.12, 379/88.11, 379/88.13, 379/215, 379/90.01, 379/110.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.25, 709/206
• US Class Current: 379/93.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/064 Data transmission during pauses in telephone conversation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 : Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 : Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered entirely from a remote control device using a television set as a display device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call. The incoming call includes Caller ID information. In response to such a disruption, communication with the server is terminated. After pausing for a predetermined period of time, the client automatically re-establishes communication with the server if the line is clear. Upon reconnecting to the server, the client accesses a “White Pages” telephone directory Web site on a remote server. Using the number provided in the Caller ID information, the client looks up the name of the caller from the directory and stores the number and the corresponding name. Each time an incoming call is subsequently received from that number, the client displays the name of the calling party to the user as the call is received.

Claims

1. In a network system including a server system with a plurality of logically connected servers, and a client television system that is connectable to one or more of the servers in the server system, and wherein the client television system is comprised of a conventional television set coupled to an electronic unit which together provide a graphical user interface for permitting a user to use a television set to view content downloaded to the electronic unit from one or more of the servers, a method for permitting notification of the receipt of an electronic message that has been sent to one of the servers of the server system, for delivery to the client television system, comprising:

receiving at one of the servers an electronic message for delivery to the client television system;

if the electronic unit of the client television system is connected to the server system, the server which received the electronic message signaling the client television system in order to provide a perceptible indication at the client television system that electronic mail directed to the user of the client television system is available for viewing;

if the electronic unit of the client television system is not connected to the server system when an electronic message is received at one of the servers for delivery to the client television system,

the electronic unit thereafter automatically dialing the server system at a specified time to determine whether the user of the client television system has any new electronic message, and

then downloading the electronic message and storing it at the electronic unit, and providing a perceptible indication at the client television system that electronic mail directed to the user of the client television system is available for viewing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the perceptible indication is provided by lighting up an LED.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the perceptible indication is provided by a text message automatically displayed on the television set of the client television system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the perceptible indication is provided by a text message displayed on the televisin set of the client television system, and by lighting up an LED.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically dialing the server system at a specified time to determine whether the user of the client television system has any new electronic message comprises automatically dialing out and connecting to one of the servers of the server system at regular intervals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically dialing the server system at a specified time to determine whether the user of the client television system has any new electronic message comprises automatically dialing out and connecting to one of the servers of the server system at specified times of the day.