DISCLOSING THE RECEIPT OF NEW ELECTRONIC MESSAGE

• US 20020048354A1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: PERLMAN, STEPHEN G., GOLDMAN, PHILLIP Y.
• Granted Patent: US 6,614,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/064 Data transmission during pauses in telephone conversation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 : Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take 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 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 : Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered entirely from a remote control device using a television set as a display device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call. The incoming call includes Caller ID information. In response to such a disruption, communication with the server is terminated. After pausing for a predetermined period of time, the client automatically re-establishes communication with the server if the line is clear. Upon reconnecting to the server, the client accesses a “White Pages” telephone directory Web site on a remote server. Using the number provided in the Caller ID information, the client looks up the name of the caller from the directory and stores the number and the corresponding name. Each time an incoming call is subsequently received from that number, the client displays the name of the calling party to the user as the call is received.

Claims

1. In a network system including a server system and a client system capable of connecting to the server system, the client system including a display device for presenting a graphical display to a user and a housing separate from the display device, a method of indicating the receipt of a new electronic message, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the server system, the new electronic message, wherein the new electronic message is associated with a user of the client system;

communicating between the client system and the server system, wherein the client system is informed of the new electronic message; and

activating an indicating device at the housing, thereby indicating to the user that the new electronic message has been received.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of activating the indicating device comprises the step of lighting an LED at the housing.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the new electronic message comprises the steps of:

receiving, at the server system, an electronic mail message addressed to the user, wherein the electronic mail message is the new electronic message; and

storing the electronic mail message at the server system.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of communicating between the client system and the server system comprises the step of initiating, by the client system, communication between the client system and the server system without direct user involvement.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of initiating communication is repeatedly conducted at regular intervals.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of initiating communication is repeatedly conducted at specified times of day.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of communicating between the client system and the server system is conducted without direct user involvement and comprises the step of downloading the new electronic message to the client system.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, in addition to the step of activating the indicating device, the step of visually indicating that the new electronic mail message has been received using the display device.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the steps of receiving the new electronic message, communicating between the client system and the server system, and activating the indicating device are each conducted without direct user involvement.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the new electronic message comprises an electronic mail message that has been received at the server system since the client system last communicated with the server system.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the new electronic message comprises an electronic mail message that has not yet been read by the user, the client system previously having been informed of the electronic mail message during a previous step of communicating between the client system and the server system.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of initiating communication between the client system and the server system is repeatedly conducted without direct user involvement.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the step of initiating communication between the client system and the server system is repeatedly conducted at regular intervals.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the step of initiating communication between the client system and the server system is repeatedly conducted at specified times of day.

17. A client system as defined in claim 16, wherein the indicating device is an LED.

19. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein the program code means for establishing communication comprises program code means for establishing the communication at regular intervals.

20. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein the program code means for establishing communication comprises program code means for establishing the communication at specified times of day.

21. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise program code means for receiving the new electronic message, wherein the new electronic message has been downloaded from the server system over the network.

22. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein the communication between the client system and the server system is established without direct user involvement.

12. In a network system including a server system and a client system capable of connecting to the server system, the client system including a display device for presenting a graphical display to a user and a housing separate from the display device, wherein the housing includes an LED, a method of indicating the receipt of an electronic mail message, comprising the steps of:

repeatedly conducting the step of initiating, by the client system, communication between the client system and the server system;

receiving, at the server system, the new electronic mail message;

determining, by the client system, that the new electronic mail message has been received at the server system;

downloading the new electronic mail message from the server system to the client system; and

lighting the LED, thereby indicating to the user that the new electronic message has been received.

16. A client system capable of connecting to a server system and communicating with the server system over a network, the client system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device;

a housing containing the processor and the memory device, the housing including an indicating device for providing a visual indication to a user of the client system;

a display device separate from the housing, for providing a graphical display to the user based on display information received from the processor;

means for determining whether a new electronic mail message has been received at the server system; and

means for activating the indicating device after the new electronic mail message has been received at the server system.

18. A computer program product for implementing a method of indicating the receipt of a new electronic message, the method being implemented in a client system connected to a server system over a network, wherein the client system includes a display device for presenting a graphical display to a user and a housing separate from the display device, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium carrying instructions capable of being executed by the client system, wherein the instructions comprise;

program code means for establishing communication between the client system and the server system;

program code means for determining, via the communication between the client system and the server system, that the new electronic message has been received at the server system; and

program code means for activating an indicating device at the housing in response to determining that the new electronic message has been received.