Methods and systems for delivering signals from cable networks to telecommunications networks

• US 9,578,387 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roman, Gerald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HONG, MICHAEL HYUN
• Application Number:
  US15/070,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18578 Satellite systems for providing broadband data service to individual earth stations for selecting H04W; provisions for broadband connection, H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for delivering electrical signals from a cable network to a telecommunications network. The electrical signals are received from a community antenna television network and communicated via the telecommunications network. The telecommunications network may then communicate those electrical signals to end-users and to customers. Because the electrical signals may include video, music, data, and other cable content, this cable content is communicated along the telecommunications network and, thus, distributed to an end user.

Claims

1. A base station system, comprising:

an antenna;

a processor; and

a memory device storing instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, from a wireless application gateway, wireless markup language messages, wherein the wireless mark-up language messages are received by the wireless application gateway from a communications server via a data network, wherein the wireless markup language messages comprise content formatted by the communications server, wherein the content is received by the communications server from a headend of a community antenna television network via a satellite link;

transmitting, via the antenna, the wireless mark-up language messages via a wireless data network to a mobile device; and

processing a dual-tone multi-frequency signal received via the wireless data network from the mobile device, the dual-tone multi-frequency signal input by a user of the mobile device, the input indicating declining receipt of the wireless mark-up language messages transmitted by the base station system.

2. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the wireless mark-up language messages via a mobile telephone switching office.

3. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content by the communications server via switching equipment in a telecommunications network.

4. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the wireless mark-up language messages via a Public Switched Telephone Network.

5. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise communicating the wireless mark-up language messages utilizing an Internet Protocol address associated with the data network.

6. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the wireless markup language messages utilizing a voice extensible mark-up language protocol.

7. The base station system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise ceasing transmission of the wireless mark-up language messages in response to the dual-tone multi-frequency signal.

8. The base station system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content by the switching equipment via a server co-located at a central office with the switching equipment.

9. The base station system of claim 8, wherein the switching equipment utilizes a packet-based soft-switch.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, content via a feed connected to a headend of a community antenna television network;

formatting, by the system, the content into wireless markup language messages;

sending, by the system, the wireless mark-up language messages via a data network to a wireless application gateway for wireless transmission from a base station; and

receiving, by the system, a dual-tone multi-frequency signal transmitted from a mobile device via the data network, the dual-tone multi-frequency signal input by a user of the mobile device to decline receipt of the wireless mark-up language messages wirelessly transmitted via the data network from the base station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the content comprises receiving at least one of video, audio, and a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising ceasing, by the system, the wireless transmission of the wireless mark-up language messages in response to the dual-tone multi-frequency signal.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising formatting the wireless markup language messages utilizing a voice extensible markup language protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the content via switching equipment in a telecommunications network.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the wireless markup language messages via a mobile telephone switching office.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving the content via a server co-located at a central office with the switching equipment.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving content via a feed connected to a headend of a community antenna television network;

formatting the content into wireless markup language messages;

sending the wireless mark-up language messages via a data network to a wireless application gateway for wireless transmission from a base station to a mobile device; and

ceasing the wireless transmission of the wireless mark-up language messages in response to a dual-tone multi-frequency signal generated at the mobile device, the dual-tone multi-frequency signal input by a user of the mobile device to decline receipt of the wireless markup language messages.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the wireless markup language messages utilizing a voice extensible markup language protocol.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content via switching equipment in a telecommunications network.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content via a server co-located at a central office with the switching equipment.