Enhanced broadband telephony services

• US 6,882,709 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kauffman, Marc W., Sherlock, Peter, Eldering, Charles, Sylla, M. Lamine, Blum, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US09/549,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 379/68, 379/87, 379/88.13, 379/88.12, 379/88.11, 379/88.25, 379/102.03, 379/93.23, 379/93.24, 379/90.01, 348/468, 348/486, 348/564
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks

Abstract

An enhanced telephony services manager is used in a broadband communication environment, such as with a set-top-box coupled to a television monitor. A number of different telephony-based services can be offered and displayed on the television monitor (e.g., voice mail, call logs, Internet access, personal telephone directories, white pages, yellow pages, etc.), where a remote control, keyboard, or any other suitable interface device can be used to access the services. In accordance with the present invention, the GUI of the enhanced services consists of a set of menus that can be displayed concurrently with other video information on the television monitor.

Claims

1. An enhanced telephony services management system for controlling communications between a subscriber location and a head end in a broadband cable television communication system, the subscriber location including a local database, a display device and an interface device for interacting with the display device, and the head end including connections to a network mail server, a conventional broadcast television source and at least one remote network database, the enhanced telephony services management system comprising

a plurality of user modules for interacting with the subscriber local database, display device and interface device to initiate and control the presentation and delivery of enhanced telephone services to the subscriber through the display device while simultaneously viewing programming from the conventional broadcast television source;

and

a plurality of network modulates for interacting with the network mail server and the head end in the broadband cable television communication system to provide the enhanced telephone services to the subscriber.

2. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of user modules comprises

a menu generation module for creating selected enhanced telephony services menus in response to commands from a subscriber;

a selection handler module, responsive to commands from the interface device, to control the selection of options listed with selected menus and pull-down menus; and

a message display module for creating menu displays in response to the menu generation module and communicating the created displays to the subscriber display device for simultaneous displaying with programming being viewed from the conventional broadcast television source.

3. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 2 wherein the plurality of user modules further comprises a directory access module for controlling a subscriber'"'"'s access to a personal telephone listing directory maintained within the local database.

4. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 3 wherein the directory access module further permits access to network-based telephone directories.

5. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 4 wherein the network-based telephone directories include white pages listings.

6. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 4 wherein the network-based telephony directories include yellow pages listings.

7. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of network modules comprises

a message retrieval module in communication with the network mail server for collecting messages destined for the user;

and

a call log module for storing data related to either one of incoming messages and outgoing messages.

8. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the plurality of network modules further comprises an event notifier for providing real time incoming message information to the user display device for simultaneous display with current programming being viewed from the conventional broadcast television source.

9. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 8 wherein the plurality of network modules further comprises a call-back module, coupled to the broadband communication system for initiating a return call in response to a received message from the event notifier.

10. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the retrieved mail includes voice mail messages.

11. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the retrieved mail includes e-mail messages.

12. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the retrieved mail includes fax messages.

13. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the retrieved mail includes video messages.

14. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the call log module further includes a directory access element for storing a selected number in the call log in the local database.

15. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 where the call log comprises a plurality of separate logs, each associated with a different user within the subscriber location.

16. An enhanced telephony services management system as defined in claim 7 wherein the call log comprises a plurality of separate logs, each identified with a separate telephone line associated with the subscriber location.

17. In an enhanced telephony management system, a method for managing received messages in a multi-user environment, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying, on a graphical user interface, a menu of various users within the multi-user environment while simultaneously displaying programming received from a conventional broadcast television source;

b) receiving, in the enhanced telephony management system, a menu selection corresponding to a particular user chosen from the various users displayed in step a);

c) allowing accessing to received messages associated with the particular user; and

d) displaying a log of received messages while simultaneously displaying programming received from a conventional broadcast television source, wherein the log of received messages corresponds to the particular user.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the graphical user interface is a television monitor.

19. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the step of:

e) receiving, in the telephony services management system, a call-back command from the particular user to initiate a return telephone call to a selected number associated with a received message.

20. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the received messages are voice mail messages.

21. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the received messages are e-mail messages.

22. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the received messages are fax messages.

23. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the received messages are video e-mail messages.

24. In an enhanced telephony management system, a method for managing personal telephone directories in a multi-user environment, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying, on a graphical user interface and simultaneously with the displaying of programming from a conventional broadcast television source, a menu of various users within the multi-user environment;

b) receiving, in the telephony management system, a menu selection corresponding to a particular user chosen from the various users displayed in step a);

c) allowing access to a personal telephone directory associated with the particular user.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the telephone directory is a locally-stored database of names and associated telephone numbers.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein in performing step c), the particular user is provided access to a network-based white pages directory.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein in performing step c), the particular user is provided access to a network-based yellow pages directory.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises the step of:

d) updating the locally-stored database with information from a white pages listing, a yellow pages listing, or an incoming call.