Method and apparatus for notifying users of filtered e-mail using a set top box
First Claim
1. An apparatus for filtering electronic mail and notifying a user, residing in a set top box connected between a television content provider, an Internet provider having an e-mail server, and a television, comprising:
- a software program application which enables a user to specify e-mail filter criteria and a notification icon which then retains and stores said e-mail filter criteria and said notification icon;
a querying module contained within said software program application which queries said e-mail server to determine whether any e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria is among a plurality of e-mails for the user that have arrived at said e-mail server; and
a notifying module also contained within said software program application,wherein, upon arrival of an e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria, said software program application notifies the user by posting said notification icon to the set top box.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A software application that filters specific messages from an e-mail server is disclosed. A user specifies filtering criteria within the application, which then detects the arrival of an e-mail fulfilling the specified criteria, and notifies the user accordingly. The notification can consist of blinking an icon on a Set Top Box (STB) TV screen, making an audible sound, or activating a pager. The subject of the filter criteria can be an Instant Message or telephone call using Caller ID, instead of an e-mail message.
13 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for filtering electronic mail and notifying a user, residing in a set top box connected between a television content provider, an Internet provider having an e-mail server, and a television, comprising:
-
a software program application which enables a user to specify e-mail filter criteria and a notification icon which then retains and stores said e-mail filter criteria and said notification icon; a querying module contained within said software program application which queries said e-mail server to determine whether any e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria is among a plurality of e-mails for the user that have arrived at said e-mail server; and a notifying module also contained within said software program application, wherein, upon arrival of an e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria, said software program application notifies the user by posting said notification icon to the set top box. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. An e-mail filtering and notification apparatus, comprising:
-
set top box, connected between a TV content provider, an Internet provider having an e-mail server, and a TV; user-input means for allowing a user to specify e-mail filter criteria and a notification icon; retaining and storing means for retaining and storing said criteria and said notification icon; querying means, for querying said e-mail server to determine whether any e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria is among a plurality of e-mails for the user that have arrived at said e-mail server; and notification means for notifying the user of said arrival by posting said notification icon to the Set Top Box, wherein said notification icon relates to the subject matter of said arriving e-mail.
-
-
20. A computer readable medium for filtering electronic mail and notifying a user, residing on a set top box connected between a television content provider, an Internet provider having an e-mail server, and a television, comprising:
-
a software program application that enables a user to specify e-mail filter criteria and a notification icon which then retains and stores said e-mail filter criteria and said notification icon; a querying module that queries said e-mail server to determine whether any e-mail fulfilling said e-mail filter criteria is among a plurality of e-mails for the user that have arrived at said e-mail server; and a notifying module wherein, upon arrival of an e-mail fulfilling said criteria, said software program application notifies the user by posting said notification icon to the set top box.
-
Specification