Open cable application platform set-top box (STB) personal profiles and communications applications

• US 8,453,188 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Campagna, Theresa, Chavez, David L., Weber, Gregory D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US12/050,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40, 725 44- 47, 725/60, 725/110, 725/133
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Utilization of stored of personalized information and communication preferences in a profile in a STB in a structured format or via cookies allows at least a combination of feature rich telephony applications, with the personalized data stored in STBs facilitating feature rich communications sessions. Providing advanced multimedia communications applications using personalized data resident in STBs could allow an entity to provide, for example, many previously unavailable services, and therefore provide considerable new business potential. The personal information stored in the STB can convey many exemplary benefits, such as communication preferences, alternate contact modalities, payment preferences, priority preferences, trusted contacts, personal information, as well as multimedia messaging, etc. The integration of the personal information with the intelligent personal agent also enhances the user experience.

Claims

1. A set-top box with an operating system layer operable to support cable network interconnectability and to provide an application platform comprising:

one or more profiles, each profile including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences used in association with a service application or communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

a profile interface operable to allow management of the one or more profiles, the management including one or more of creation and editing of the one or more profiles; and

an intelligent agent operable to use information in the one or more profiles to perform automatic or semi-automatic tasks on behalf of a user in association with one or more of the service application or communications application, wherein the intelligent agent utilizes one or more rules for dynamic application behavior and the intelligent agent is operable to perform;

monitoring a transaction between the user on the set-top box and another entity;

receiving an indication from the user to store the transaction between the user and the other entity as a preference for future use;

receiving a telephone number associated with the user to store in the one or more profiles;

receiving a telephone call from the user;

presenting a voice menu to the user to select the stored transaction;

receiving a selection of the stored transaction;

in response to receiving the selection of the stored transaction, initiating the stored transaction;

determining a set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user;

in response to determining the set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user, launching a secure fetch of payment information; and

sending payment information as part of the initiated stored transaction.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the one or more profiles comprise one or more of personal information, communications preferences, personal preferences, payment information, vendor information, priority information, contextual preferences, one or more sub-profiles, alternate contact modalities and one or more trusted contacts.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, adapted to receive one or more of television programming, data, voice information, internet communications, VOIP communications, ecommerce communications, communication from attached electronic devices and content.

4. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the intelligent agent also utilizes one or more of security information and the rules to perform the automatic or the semi-automatic tasks.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the service application includes an intelligent agent operable to initiate a service transaction request that includes information from the one or more profiles, the initiate service transaction request utilizing internet-based protocols to communicate with one or more of a trusted entity, a content/service provider and the other entity.

6. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising rules operable to both trigger the tasks and manage the operation of the tasks.

7. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising a security module operable to one or more of filter, analyze, restrict access to, restrict dissemination of and control information in the one or more profiles.

8. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising one or more sub-profiles, the behavior of which is governed by the one or more profiles.

9. A method of operating a set-top box with an operating system layer operable to support cable network interconnectability and to provide an application platform comprising:

establishing one or more profiles, each profile including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences used in association with a service application or communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

managing of the one or more profiles, the management including one or more of creation and editing of the one or more profiles; and

invoking an intelligent agent and a processor to use information in the one or more profiles to perform an automatic or semi-automatic task on behalf of a user in association with one or more of the service application or communications application, wherein the intelligent agent utilizes one or more rules for dynamic application behavior and the intelligent agent is operable to perform;

monitoring a transaction between the user on the set-top box and another entity;

receiving an indication from the user to store the transaction between the user and the other entity as a preference for future use;

receiving a telephone number associated with the user to store in the one or more profiles;

receiving a telephone call from the user;

presenting a voice menu to the user to select the stored transaction;

receiving a selection of the stored transaction;

in response to receiving the selection of the stored transaction, initiating the stored transaction;

determining a set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user;

in response to determining the set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user, launching a secure fetch of payment information; and

sending payment information as part of the initiated stored transaction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more profiles comprise one or more of personal information, communications preferences, personal preferences, payment information, vendor information, priority information, contextual preferences, one or more sub-profiles, alternate contact modalities and one or more trusted contacts.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving one or more of television programming, data, voice information, internet communications, VOIP communications, ecommerce communications, communication from attached electronic devices and content.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the intelligent agent also utilizes one or more of security information and the rules to perform the automatic or the semi-automatic task.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the service application includes an intelligent agent operable to initiate a service transaction request that includes information from the one or more profiles, the initiate service transaction request utilizing internet-based protocols to communicate with one or more of a trusted entity, a content/service provider and the other entity.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising using rules to both trigger the tasks and manage the operation of the tasks.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the intelligent agent is a software agent that assists users, and will act on their behalf, in performing non-repetitive computer-related tasks.

16. The method of claim 9, one or more of filtering, analyzing, restricting access to, restricting dissemination of and controlling information in the one or more profiles.

17. A system for operating a set-top box with an operating system layer operable to support cable network interconnectability and to provide an application platform comprising:

means for establishing one or more profiles, each profile including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences used in association with a service application or communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

means for managing of the one or more profiles, the management including one or more of creation and editing of the one or more profiles; and

means for invoking an intelligent agent to use information in the one or more profiles to perform an automatic or semi-automatic task on behalf of a user in association with one or more of the service application or communications application, wherein the intelligent agent utilizes one or more rules for dynamic application behavior and the intelligent agent is operable to perform;

means for monitoring a transaction between the user on the set-top box and another entity;

means for receiving an indication from the user to store the transaction between the user and the other entity as a preference for future use;

means for receiving a telephone number associated with the user to store in the one or more profiles;

means for receiving a telephone call from the user;

means for presenting a voice menu to the user to select the stored transaction;

means for receiving a selection of the stored transaction;

in response to receiving the selection of the stored transaction, means for initiating the stored transaction;

means for determining a set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user;

in response to determining the set-top box for the user based on the telephone number associated with the user, means for launching a secure fetch of payment information; and

means for sending payment information as part of the initiated stored transaction.