Integrating telephony applications and television broadcasts on a multimedia device

• US 9,407,451 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mistry, Nalin, Yao, Zhonghui
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US12/330,899
• Time in Patent Office: 2,793 Days
• Field of Search: 725/106
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00106 using land mobile radio networks, e.g. mobile telephone

Abstract

Systems and methods for integrating telephony and multimedia content include concurrently displaying a graphical user interface and a video channel of a media broadcast on a screen of a multimedia device. The graphical user interface has a graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of an interactive application that invokes a telephony service. In response to a selection of the interactive application by the end-user, a message is sent to a networked resource requesting the telephony service. The requested telephony service can be to ignore, reject, or forward the incoming telephone call. Alternatively, the requested telephony service can be a click-to-call. Other interactive applications can request access to an address book, acquire presence information, or request an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.

Claims

1. A method for integrating networked resource services and multimedia services, the method comprising:

concurrently displaying on a screen of a multimedia device a video channel of a media broadcast and a graphical user interface having a plurality of graphical elements by which an end-user of the multimedia device can interact with a plurality of interactive applications that are each associated with a different networked resource, wherein the multimedia device stores different protocol messages for interacting with the different networked resources;

receiving end-user input for interacting with one of the graphical elements;

communicating at least one protocol message to interact with the associated networked resource based on the received end-user input, wherein the protocol message is communicated to a server that includes a plurality of application services, each of which corresponds with and supports a respective one of the interactive applications; and

controlling the multimedia device based on a response to the at least one protocol message from the networked resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a caller ID associated with an incoming telephone call on the screen of the multimedia device, and wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to reject the incoming telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a caller ID associated with an incoming telephone call on the screen of the multimedia device, and wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to forward the incoming telephone call to another telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to establish a telephone call between two parties, and further comprising prompting the end-user on the screen of the multimedia device, in response to the selection of the interactive application, to provide telephone numbers for the two parties.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

further comprising;

sending, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, one of the protocol messages for requesting an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed from one of the networked resources; and

displaying the RSS feed on the screen of the multimedia device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

further comprising;

sending, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, one of protocol messages for requesting access to an address book; and

displaying contacts in the address book on the screen of the multimedia device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

further comprising;

receiving notification at the multimedia device of an incoming SMS (Short Message Service) message in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

displaying, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, contents of the incoming SMS message on the screen of the multimedia device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

further comprising;

retrieving, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a log of telephone calls or of SMS messages involving the multimedia device in accordance with one or more of the protocol Messages; and

displaying the log of telephone calls or SMS messages on the screen of the multimedia device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

further comprising;

receiving notification at the multimedia device of a new voice mail message that awaits at a voice mail server in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

establishing, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a telephone call between a communication device and the voice mail server.

10. A system for integrating networked resource services and multimedia services, the system comprising:

a server component configured to communicate with different networked resources by use of different protocol messages in order to provide a service to one or more client components that request the service; and

a client component in communication with the server component and configured to;

display concurrently on a screen of a multimedia device a video channel of a media broadcast and a graphical user interface having a plurality of graphical elements by which an end-user of the multimedia device can interact with a plurality of interactive applications that are each associated with different networked resources, wherein the multimedia device stores the different protocol messages for interacting with the different networked resources;

receive end-user input for interacting with one of the graphical elements;

communicate at least one protocol message to interact with the associated networked resource, via the server component, based on the received end-user input; and

control the multimedia device based on a response to the at least one protocol message;

wherein the server component is communicatively between the client component and the associated networked resource and is further configured to respond to the at least one protocol message by communicating with the associated networked resource to acquire a desired service, further wherein the server has a plurality of application services, each of which corresponds with and supports a respective one of the interactive applications.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the client component is further configured to display a caller ID associated with an incoming telephone call on the screen of the multimedia device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to reject the incoming telephone call.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to forward the incoming telephone call to another telephone number.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to establish a telephone call between two parties, and the client component is further configured to prompt the end-user on the screen of the multimedia device, in response to the selection of the interactive application, to provide telephone numbers for the two parties.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the client component is further configured to;

send, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, one of the protocol messages for requesting an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed from one of the networked resources; and

display the RSS feed on the screen of the multimedia device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the client component is further configured to;

send, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, one of the protocol messages for requesting access to an address book; and

display contacts in the address book on the screen of the multimedia device.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application and wherein the client component is further configured to:

provide notification at the multimedia device of an incoming SMS (Short Message Service) message in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

display, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, contents of the incoming SMS message on the screen of the multimedia device.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application and wherein the client component is further configured to:

request, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a log of telephone calls or of SMS messages involving the multimedia device in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

display on the screen of the multimedia device the log of telephone calls or SMS messages received in response to the request.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application and wherein the client component is further configured to:

provide notification at the multimedia device of a new voice mail message that awaits at a voice mail server in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

establish, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a telephone call between a communication device and the voice mail server.

20. The system of claim 10, in which the client component includes middleware that includes the interactive applications;

further in which the server component includes a corresponding application service to support each of the interactive applications.

21. The system of claim 10, in which at startup of the multimedia device, the multimedia device sends a telephone number of a separate telephone device to be associated with the multimedia device.

22. A receiver for integrating networked resource services and multimedia services, the receiver comprising:

memory storing middleware with an application program interface (API) for providing interactive services at a multimedia device and storing a plurality of interactive applications that are each configured to call the API of the middleware and to invoke a request for a service of one of a plurality of networked resources when executed, and wherein the memory stores different protocol messages for use by the interactive applications to interact with a supporting application service at a server to acquire the different networked resources;

a video output controller for presenting a video channel of a media broadcast and a graphical user interface to a multimedia device for concurrent display on a screen of the multimedia device, the graphical user interface having a plurality of graphical elements by which an end-user of the multimedia device can interact with the interactive applications to utilize the services of the networked resources; and

a processor programmed to execute one of the interactive applications in response to a selection of the interactive applications by the end-user and to communicate at least one protocol message to the supporting application service to request an associated service via the server, which is communicatively between the receiver and the networked resources.

23. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the processor is further programmed to provide to the video output controller a caller ID associated with an incoming telephone call for display on the screen of the multimedia device.

24. The receiver of claim 23, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to reject the incoming telephone call.

25. The receiver of claim 23, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to forward the incoming telephone call to another telephone number.

26. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the at least one protocol message includes an instruction to establish a telephone call between two parties, and the processor is further programmed, in response to the selection of the interactive application, to prompt the end-user on the screen of the multimedia device to provide telephone numbers for the two parties.

27. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the processor is programmed, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, to;

send one of the protocol messages for requesting an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed from one of the networked resources; and

provide the RSS feed to the video output controller for display on the screen of the multimedia device.

28. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the processor is programmed, in response to a selection of the second interactive application, to;

send one of the protocol messages for requesting access to an address book; and

provide contacts in the address book to the video output controller for display on the screen of the multimedia device.

29. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the processor is programmed, in response to a selection of the second interactive application to;

provide notification at the multimedia device of an incoming SMS (Short Message Service) message in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

display, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, contents of the incoming SMS message on the screen of the multimedia device.

30. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the processor is programmed, in response to a selection of the second interactive application to;

retrieving, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a log of telephone calls or of SMS messages involving the multimedia device in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

displaying the log of telephone calls or SMS messages on the screen of the multimedia device.

31. The receiver of claim 22, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a second graphical element by which an end-user of the multimedia device can select execution of a second interactive application;

and

wherein the processor is programmed, in response to a selection of the second interactive application to;

provide notification at the multimedia device of a new voice mail message that awaits at a voice mail server in accordance with one or more of the protocol messages; and

establish, in response to a selection of the second interactive application by the end-user, a telephone call between a communication device and the voice mail server.

32. The receiver of claim 22, in which at startup of the multimedia device, the multimedia device sends a telephone number of a separate telephone device to be associated with the multimedia device.