User interface for customer premises communications gateway

• US 8,060,655 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McGinnis, Kevin, Winebrenner, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali; Farhad
• Application Number:
  US12/040,031
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge

Abstract

A user interface is provided for an apparatus located at a customer premises location that manages routing of network services to communication endpoints at the customer premises location. The apparatus aggregates network traffic for the customer premises location and routes the network traffic to any of a variety of different communication endpoints at the customer premises location. Routing of network traffic may be based on user-configurable customer management rules. The user interface facilitates access to and interaction with network services and control of the customer management rules.

Claims

1. An apparatus that, when positioned at a customer premises location, facilitates routing of network services, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface that receives television content from a television-services network and that receives voice calls from a voice over IP services network;

a television interface that provides the television content to a television communicatively coupled with the television interface; and

a femtocell that provides the voice calls to a mobile device and that receives input from the mobile device, wherein the input prescribes whether the television content is to be routed to the television and wherein the network interface, the television interface, and the femtocell are all housed in the apparatus as an integrated unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a media host device for facilitating receiving television services.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the television services include a television programming service, a television-guide service, a video-on-demand service, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the femtocell is in communication with a wireless telecommunications network, and wherein the network service comprises a wireless telecommunications service.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wireless telecommunications service comprises at least one of:

a short message service, an instant message service, a picture mail service, an electronic mail service, and a voice message service.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content communicated for presentation on the television comprises at least one of audio content and visual content.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input received from the mobile device comprises text input.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the mobile device includes a numeric keypad, and wherein the text input comprises triple-tap text entry from the numeric keypad.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of a cell phone, a pager, and a personal data assistant.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein based on the input from the mobile device, a communication is sent to the one or more networks via the network interface.

11. An apparatus that, when positioned at a customer premises location, facilitates routing of network services, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface that communicates with one or more networks providing a plurality of network services to communication endpoints located at the customer premises location;

a plurality of interfaces, each of which transfers network services to a respective communication endpoint, wherein the plurality of interfaces includes a television interface for communicating with a television and a femtocell for communicating with a mobile device at the customer premises location;

data storage including a plurality of customer management rules that prescribe a respective endpoint to which each network service of the plurality of network services is to be routed; and

a user interface that receives user-provided instructions configuring the customer management rules,

(1) wherein the user interface communicates data representing the customer management rules to the television interface, thereby enabling presentation of the customer management rules on the television,

(2) wherein the user interface receives user-provided instructions from the mobile device via the femtocell, and

(3) wherein the network interface, the television interface, the femtocell, the data storage, and the user interface are all housed in the apparatus as an integrated unit.