Stand-alone internet mailbox for cable subscribers

• US 6,636,890 B1
• Filed: 11/28/1997
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mandalia, Baiju D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US08/980,379
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/245, 709/238, 709/227, 709/207, 709/249, 709/229, 348/6, 348/7, 348/13, 348/10, 348/9, 370/352, 370/389, 370/312, 370/432, 370/328, 370/338, 370/343, 370/349, 370/419, 370/421, 358/1.15, 707/10, 725/105, 725/109-111, 725/114, 725/115, 725/139
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method for delivering electronic mail (e-mail) messages over a cable television distribution network comprises the steps of: accepting e-mail messages addressed to e-mail subscribers of the cable television distribution network; respectively associating each the e-mail message with data identifying one of the subscribers; adding an address header from the data identifying the subscribers to each the e-mail message corresponding to the premises of the respective e-mail subscriber; transmitting the e-mail messages and address headers for transmission over the cable distribution network simultaneously with television signals but in a predefined frequency band not carrying the television signals; receiving all e-mail messages transmitted over of the cable television distribution network at each respective premises of the e-mail subscribers; decoding the address headers of the e-mail messages; determining from the address headers whether the e-mail message is addressed to the respective premises; and, if the e-mail is addressed to the respective premises, displaying the e-mail message. The e-mail message can be encrypted prior to transmission with a code from the data identifying the respective subscriber and subsequently decrypting at the subscriber'"'"'s premises. A stand-alone mailbox for receiving the e-mail messages comprises: a demodulator for receiving all e-mail messages transmitted over of the cable television distribution network; a decoder for the address headers and the e-mail messages; a comparator for determining if the address header of any of the e-mail messages matches an address of the premises for which the mailbox is coded; and, a display for the e-mail messages.

Claims

1. A method for delivering electronic mail (e-mail) messages over a cable television distribution network, comprising the steps of:

(a.) receiving in said cable television distribution network, an Internet addressed e-mall message addressed to an e-mail subscriber of said cable television distribution network, wherein said receiving step is performed without assistance from a mail server in said cable television distribution network;

(b.) responsive to receiving said Internet addressed e-mall message, associating said Internet addressed e-mail message with a cable subscriber identifier, adding a cable network address header based on said cable subscriber identifier to said e-mail message corresponding to the premises of said e-mail subscriber, and modulating said e-mail message and cable network address header in a cable television signal over said cable distribution network simultaneously with other cable television signals but in a predefined frequency band not configured to carry said cable television signals;

(c.) demodulating said e-mail message and cable network address header in said cable television signal in a stand-alone e-mail message receiver in said premises of said subscriber by decoding said address header, said stand-alone receiver having a single one-way communicative link from said Internet through said cable television distribution network; and

,

(d.) displaying said e-mall message in said stand-alone e-mail message receiver operating without requiring concurrent operation of an external output device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, between said steps (b.) and (c.), encrypting said e-mail message with a code from said data identifying said subscriber.

3. A method for receiving Internet addressed electronic mail (e-mail) messages over a cable television distribution network, transmitted with an address header over a cable distribution network simultaneously with television signals, comprising the steps of:

(a.) receiving at each premises of e-mail subscribers in a corresponding stand-alone mailbox without assistance from a mail server in the cable distribution network an Internet addressed e-mail message which has been modulated in a cable television signal and broadcast over said cable television distribution network simultaneously with other cable television signals but in a predefined frequency band not configured to carry said cable television signals, together with a cable network subscriber identifier appended to said e-mail message, said stand-alone mailbox having a single one-way communicative link from said Internet through said cable distribution network;

(b.) demodulating said modulated cable television signal and decoding said cable network subscriber identifier;

(c.) determining whether said cable network subscriber identifier corresponds to said premises of said e-mail subscriber; and

,

(d.) if said cable network subscriber identifier corresponds to said premises of said e-mail subscriber, displaying in said stand-alone mailbox said e-mail message without requiring concurrent operation of an external output device.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail message by printing said e-mail message.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail message by scrolling said e-mail message on an alpha numeric display.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of, between said steps (c.) and (d.), decrypting said e-mail message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of storing said e-mail message prior to displaying said e-mail message.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of storing said e-mail message prior to displaying said e-mail message.

9. A method for delivering electronic mail (e-mail) messages over a cable television distribution network, comprising the steps of:

(a.) receiving in said cable television distribution network, Internet addressed e-mail messages addressed to e-mail subscribers of said cable television distribution network, wherein said receiving step is performed without assistance from a mail server in said cable television distribution network;

(b.) responsive to said receiving step, respectively associating each Internet address of each said e-mail message with a cable network subscriber identifier identifying one of said subscribers, adding to each said e-mail message a cable network address header corresponding to the premises of said respective e-mail subscriber, said cable network address header based on said cable network subscriber identifier, and modulating said e-mail message, cable network subscriber identifier and cable network address headers in cable television signals over said cable distribution network simultaneously with other cable television signals but in a predefined frequency band not configured to carry said cable television signals;

(c.) receiving without assistance from a mail server in said cable distribution network all said modulated e-mail messages broadcast over said cable television distribution network in stand-alone mailboxes at each respective premises of said e-mall subscribers, each said stand-alone mailbox having a single one-way communicative link from said Internet through said cable distribution network;

(d.) demodulating said modulated e-mail messages and decoding said cable network address headers of said e-mail messages in said stand-alone mailboxes;

(e.) determining in said stand-alone mailboxes from said cable network address headers whether any of said e-mail messages are addressed to said respective premises; and

,

(f.) if an e-mail is addressed to said respective premises, displaying in a corresponding stand-alone mailbox said e-mail message addressed to said respective premises without requiring concurrent operation of an external output device.

10. The method of claim 9, further the steps of:

between said steps (b.) and (c.), respectively encrypting said e-mail messages with a code from said data identifying said respective subscriber; and

,

between said steps (e.) and (f.), decrypting said e-mail message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of storing said decrypted e-mail messages prior to displaying said messages.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail messages by printing said e-mail messages.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail messages by scrolling said e-mail messages on an alpha numeric display.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail messages by printing said e-mail messages.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail messages by scrolling said e-mail messages on an alpha numeric display.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of storing said e-mail messages prior to displaying said messages.

17. The method of claim 9, comprising the step of displaying said e-mail messages by scrolling said e-mail messages on an alpha numeric display.

18. A stand-alone mailbox for receiving Internet addressed electronic mail (e-mail) messages transmitted over a cable television distribution network to each premises of a plurality of e-mail subscribers, each said e-mail message transmitted with a network subscriber identifier appended to each said e-mail message, said e-mall messages transmitted over a cable distribution network simultaneously with television signals, comprising:

a demodulator for receiving without assistance from a mail server in said cable television distribution network, Internet addressed e-mail messages modulated in cable television signals and transmitted over said cable television distribution network simultaneously with other cable television signals, but in a predefined frequency band not configured to carry said cable television signals, together with a cable network subscriber identifier appended to each said e-mail message;

a decoder for decoding said cable network subscriber identifiers of said e-mail messages;

a comparator for determining if said cable network subscriber identifiers of said e-mail messages corresponds to said premises for which said mailbox is coded; and

,

a display for said e-mail messages,

said stand-alone mailbox operating each of said demodulator, decoder comparator and display without requiring concurrent operation of an external output device, said stand-alone mailbox having a single one-way communicative link from said Internet through said cable television distribution network.

19. The mailbox of claim 18, further comprising a decrypter for said decoded messages.

20. The mailbox of claim 19, further comprising a memory for storing said decrypted e-mail messages.

21. The mailbox of claim 18, further comprising a memory for storing said decoded e-mail messages.

22. The mailbox of claim 18, comprising a printer for displaying said e-mail messages.

23. The mailbox of claim 18, comprising a scrollable alpha numeric display for displaying said e-mail messages.