Videophone over cable networks

• US 8,458,756 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: William E. Wall Jr
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Arturo A., Rovira, Luis A., Simerly, Timothy W., Wall, William E. Jr., Patel, Neilesh R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US11/567,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20070126856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,371 Days
• Field of Search: 725 87-120, 370265-268
• US Class Current: 725/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a videophone system implemented over a cable television network. The instant invention provides a videophone comprising a camera for capturing images associated with a videophone signal, a videophone unit and a set top terminal or cable modem connecting the videophone to a cable television network. Videophone signals created at the call origination site are encoded and transported to a predetermined destination over an existing cable television network. The system uses IP addresses as phone number on the network. Additionally, transport of videophone signals between different cable systems is accomplished via a high-speed long distance data network, such as, for example, a satellite network, that provides communication between the headends of the different cable television systems. The set top terminal may be a conventional subscriber terminal, a cable modem or a subscriber terminal configured to operate as a cable modem. The set top terminal provides the interface between the videophone and the cable television system. More than one videophone may be connected to a single set top terminal. Display of videophone data may be achieved using any conventional display device, including a television set or a personal computer monitor. Accordingly, the videophone system described herein takes advantage of increased bandwidth and lower cost realized by using existing cable television infrastructure and technology.

Claims

1. A videophone system for receiving and providing a plurality of signals, the videophone system comprising:

a cable set top box including videophone functionality integrated as a card for concurrently receiving and processing a broadcasted television signal comprising video and audio signals and a singlecasted videophone signal;

a display device for displaying the broadcasted television signal in a first portion of a display and for displaying the singlecasted videophone signal on a second portion of the display over the broadcasted television signal; and

a stand-alone videophone wirelessly connected to the cable set top box, wherein the stand-alone videophone has a different IP address than the cable set top box.

2. The videophone system of claim 1, further comprising a communications system for transmitting the broadcasted television signal and the singlecasted videophone signal, and for receiving a return singlecasted videophone signal from the cable set top box.

3. The videophone system of claim 2, wherein the return singlecasted videophone signal is generated by a camera and a microphone, wherein the camera produces video images and the microphone produces associated audio, wherein the video images and the audio are provided to the cable set top box.

4. The videophone system of claim 3, wherein the video images produced by the camera are displayed in a third portion of the display.

5. The videophone system of claim 3, wherein the video images produced by the camera are displayed in a third portion of the display, and wherein the cable set top box provides a database listing of IP addresses for displaying in a fourth portion of the display.

6. The videophone system of claim 5, wherein the return singlecasted videophone signal further includes an IP address, wherein the IP address is associated with a cable set top box that is intended to receive the return singlecasted videophone signal.

7. The videophone system of claim 1, further comprising at least one remote videophone device that is capable of receiving the singlecasted videophone signal from the cable set top box.

8. The videophone system of claim 7, further comprising a remote display device coupled to the remote videophone device for displaying the singlecasted videophone signal received from the cable set top box.

9. The videophone system of claim 2, further comprising a cable modem for modulating and transmitting the return singlecasted videophone signal comprising a video image, audio, and an IP address associated with a receiving cable set top box.

10. A communications system for transmitting and receiving a plurality of signals, the communications system comprising:

a plurality of set top boxes each for concurrently receiving from the communications system a broadcasted television signal and a singlecasted videophone signal, wherein the singlecasted videophone signal is received by a set top box based on a set top box IP address, and wherein each set top box transmits a reverse singlecasted videophone signal, wherein at least one of the plurality of set top boxes is a self-contained device comprising an integrated videophone device and a stand-alone videophone wirelessly connected to the set top box, wherein the stand-alone videophone has a different IP address than the cable set top box; and

a control system for receiving a videophone request from a first set top box to transmit a reverse singlecasted videophone signal to a second set top box, and for assigning reverse path bandwidth on one of a plurality of demodulators between the first and second set top boxes.

11. The communications system of claim 10, further comprising a server for performing data format conversion, if necessary, of the reverse singlecasted videophone signals between the first and second set top boxes.

12. The communications system of claim 10, wherein the second set top box may reside in a network system outside of the communications system, and the server performs data format conversion to a data format associated with the network system.

13. The communications system of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the set top boxes that comprises the integrated videophone device further comprises a camera and a microphone, a second plurality of the each of the set top boxes comprising:

a camera for producing video images;

a microphone for producing audio; and

a videophone device for receiving the singlecasted videophone signal, and for providing the reverse singlecasted videophone signals comprising the video images and audio into a header packet, the header packet further comprising an IP address associated with a receiving set top box.

14. The communications system of claim 13, further comprising a display device coupled to the each of the set top boxes for displaying the broadcasted television signal in a first portion of a display, and for displaying the singlecasted videophone signal on a second portion of the display, the produced video images on a third portion of the display, and a database listing of IP addresses on a fourth portion of the display.

15. The communications system of claim 13, a subset of the each of the set top boxes comprising:

a cable modem for modulating and transmitting the header packet using a QPSK modem.

16. The communications system of claim 15, the communications system further comprising:

a switch for receiving the header packet and routing the header packet to the intended receiving set top box associated with the IP address.

17. The communications system of claim 13, further comprising a remote videophone device coupled to at least one of the set top boxes, wherein the set top box provides received singlecasted videophone signals to the remote videophone device for further processing.

18. The communications system of claim 17, further comprising a remote display device coupled to the remote videophone device for displaying the received singlecasted videophone signals.

19. The communications system of claim 18, further comprising:

a remote camera coupled to the remote videophone device for producing video images; and

a remote microphone coupled to the remote videophone device for producing audio,

wherein the remote videophone device provides a reverse singlecasted videophone signal comprising the video images and audio to the set top box for further transmission to the communications system.

20. The communications system of claim 19, wherein the remote display device displays both the received and reverse singlecasted videophone signals.