Method and system for real-time notification and disposition of voice services in a cable services network

• US 7,835,506 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gavrilidis, Constantine, Groff, Vincent, Dada, Varun, Calzone, Steve, Bordner-Babayigit, Elissa, Beeco, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US11/247,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8811- 8825, 379/90.01, 379/102.03, 348 1401- 1416, 725/106
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• 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 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/14 cable networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN

Abstract

A method and system are provided for providing real-time notification and disposition of voice services in a cable television services system. A voice services application server enables communications between one or more telecommunications sources and subscriber set-top boxes in the cable television services system. The voice services application server, in communication with a telecommunications network, enables a subscriber to receive real-time notification of incoming telephone calls on a television connected to a set-top box and to issue disposition instructions for managing the incoming telephone calls. The disposition instructions may include answering a call, not answering a call, or forwarding a call to a voicemail system, or forwarding a call to an alternate telephone number.

Claims

1. A method for providing real-time notification and disposition of voice services from a plurality of telecommunications sources in a cable television services system, comprising:

receiving, in a cable television services system, a notification of an incoming voice service from one or more of the plurality of telecommunications sources coupled to the cable television services system;

retrieving subscriber profile data for the set-top box from a database maintained in and managed by the cable television services system;

sending the notification of the incoming voice service to a set-top box in the cable television services system based on the subscriber profile data maintained in and managed by the cable television services system;

receiving, at a server in the cable television services system, a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the set-top box;

analyzing the subscriber profile data by the server to determine a disposition preference according to the disposition instruction received from the set-top box; and

sending from the server in the cable television services system the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service to the one or more of the plurality of telecommunications sources according to the determined disposition preference, wherein sending the notification of the incoming voice service and receiving the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service occur in real-time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating a voice services log after sending the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service to the one or more of the plurality of telecommunications sources.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a request to view the voice services log; and

displaying the voice services log on a display device in communication with the set-top box.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the notification of the incoming voice service on a display device in communication with the set-top box.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the set-top box comprises receiving an instruction to forward a telephone call to a predetermined telephone number.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving an instruction to forward a telephone call to a predetermined telephone number, comprises receiving an instruction to forward the telephone call to a predetermined telephone number associated with a voicemail system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the set-top box comprises receiving an instruction to answer a telephone call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the notification of the incoming voice service to a set-top box in the cable television services system comprises sending a telephone number associated with an incoming telephone call to a subscriber associated with the set-top box.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving updated subscriber profile data from the set-top box, the updated subscriber profile data comprising subscriber preferences for the notification and disposition of incoming voice services from the set-top box.

10. In a cable television services system, a system for managing the notification and disposition of voice services from a plurality of telecommunications sources, comprising:

a cable services set-top box disposed at a subscriber premises; and

a voice services application server, disposed in a cable television services system, in communication with the plurality of telecommunications sources and the cable service set-top box at the subscriber premises, wherein the voice services application server is operative to;

receive a notification of an incoming voice service from one or more of the plurality of telecommunications sources;

retrieve subscriber profile data for the cable services set-top box from a profile preferences database maintained in and managed by the cable television services system, the profile preferences database being in communication with the voice services application sever;

send the notification of the incoming voice service to the cable services set-top box in the cable television services system based on the subscriber profile data maintained in and managed by the cable television services system;

receive a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the cable services set-top box;

analyze the subscriber profile data to determine a disposition preference according to the disposition instruction received from the set-top box; and

send the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service to the one or more of the plurality of telecommunications sources according to the determined disposition preference, wherein sending the notification of the incoming voice service and receiving the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service occur in real-time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server is further operative to update a voice services log after sending the disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service to the one or more of the plurality of telecommunications services.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the voice services application server is further operative to:

receive a request to view the voice services log; and

display the voice services log on a display device in communication with the cable services set-top box.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server is further operative to display the notification of the incoming voice service on a display device in communication with the cable services set-top box.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server in receiving a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the cable services set-top box is further operative to receive an instruction to forward a telephone call to a predetermined telephone number.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the voice services application server in receiving an instruction to forward a telephone call to a predetermined telephone number is further operative to receive an instruction to forward the telephone call to a predetermined telephone number associated with a voicemail system.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server in receiving a disposition instruction for processing the incoming voice service from the cable services set-top box is further operative to receive an instruction to answer a telephone call.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server in sending the notification of the incoming voice service to a cable services set-top box in the cable television services system is further operative to send a telephone number associated with an incoming telephone call to a subscriber associated with the cable services set-top box.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice services application server is further operative to receive updated subscriber profile data from the cable services set-top box, the updated subscriber profile data comprising subscriber preferences for the notification and disposition of incoming voice services from the cable services set-top box.