Method and system for conveying SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box

• US 20030226143A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mavenir Ltd. (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kringel, Shlomi, Michael, Erez
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

SMS messages are conveyed via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique ID. The SMS messages are sent by a cellular telephone to a cellular service provider and are encoded with a unique ID of a destination TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box so as to be identifiable as destined for the TV communication infrastructure. After identifying that an SMS message is destined for the TV communication infrastructure, the cellular service provider forwards the SMS message to a TV communication gateway, which processes the SMS message, including identifying the unique ID of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box, and forwards data relating to the SMS message to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

Claims

1. A method to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an SMS message destined to a TV subscriber;

(b) identifying the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box; and

(c) forwarding to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box data relating to the SMS message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data includes a content of the SMS message.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including:

(d) scrambling the data prior to forwarding the data to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data includes a notification for alerting the TV subscriber that an SMS message has arrived at the TV communication gateway.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the data includes coordinates for displaying the notification at a specified location on a TV set coupled to said TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the data includes an instruction for one of illuminating an indicator lamp and displaying an indication on a display coupled to the TV set-top box of the TV subscriber.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the SMS message includes a unique ID of the TV set-top box, and the method further includes cross-referencing said unique ID in a database so as to determine the unique address of the TV set-top box.

8. The method according to claim 7, further including extracting from the database an ID of a group member to whom the SMS message is directed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said receiving, identifying and conveying operations is performed by a cellular service system.

10. A method to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an SMS message via a communication network;

(b) identifying that the SMS message is destined to a TV subscriber; and

(c) conveying the SMS message to a TV communication gateway configured to identify the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box and forwarding the SMS thereto.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein each of said receiving, identifying and conveying operations is performed by a cellular service system.

12. A method to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the method comprising:

logging on to a TV communication gateway that is in communication with the TV set-top box so as to inform the TV communication gateway of said unique address;

receiving the SMS message from the TV communication gateway; and

displaying the SMS message on a TV set coupled to the TV set-top box.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein each of said establishing, logging, receiving and displaying operations is performed by said TV set-top box.

13. The method according to claiml2, further including prior to said logging-on operation:

i) receiving a notification to alert a TV subscriber of said TV set-top box that an SMS message has arrived at the TV communication gateway.

14. The method according to claim 13 further including, after receiving the notification, displaying a user notice at a specified location on said TV set in accordance with display coordinates included in said data.

15. The method according to claim 13, further including, after receiving the notification, one of illuminating an indicator lamp and displaying an indication on a display coupled to the TV set-top box of the TV subscriber.

17. A TV communication gateway configured to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure to a TV set-top box having a unique address, the TV communication gateway comprising:

an input port configured to receive an SMS message destined to a TV subscriber;

a processor, coupled to the input port, configured to identify the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box;

a memory coupled to the processor, configured to store the SMS message; and

an output port coupled to the processor, configured to forward data relating to the SMS message to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

18. The TV communication gateway according to claim 17, wherein said data includes a content of the SMS message.

19. The TV communication gateway according to claim 18, further including:

a scrambling unit, coupled to the processor, configured to scramble the data prior to conveying to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

20. The TV communication gateway according to claim 17, including a data formatter to format said data, said data including a notification to alert the TV subscriber that an SMS message has arrived at the TV communication gateway.

21. The TV communication gateway according to claim 20, wherein the data formatter is configured to format said data to include coordinates for displaying, in response to receipt of notification to alert the TV subscriber that an SMS message has arrived, a user notice at a specified location on a TV set coupled to said TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box.

22. The TV communication gateway according to claim 20, wherein the data formatter is configured to format said data to include, in response to receipt of notification to alert the TV subscriber that an SMS message has arrived, an instruction for one of illuminating an indicator lamp and displaying an indication on a display coupled to the TV set-top box of the TV subscriber.

23. The TV communication gateway according to claim 17, further including a database coupled to the processor for cross-referring an address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box with said unique address.

24. The TV communication gateway according to claim 18, wherein the database includes an ID of a group member to whom the SMS message is directed.

25. A server configured to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure to a TV set-top box having a unique address, the server comprising:

an input port configured to receive an SMS message transmitted from a wireless mobile communication device;

a processor, coupled to the input port, configured to process the SMS message and identify that the SMS message is destined to a TV subscriber; and

an output port, coupled to the processor, configured to convey the SMS message to a TV communication gateway, to identify the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box, and to forward the SMS message thereto.

26. A TV set-top box having a unique address configured to receive SMS messages conveyed via a TV communication infrastructure, the TV set-top box comprising:

a communication unit for establishing bi-directional communication with the TV communication gateway;

a processor coupled to the communication unit for logging on to the TV communication gateway so as to convey said unique address thereto and to receive data representative of the SMS message therefrom; and

a TV connection port, coupled to the processor, said TV connection port configured to be coupled to a TV set to display thereon the SMS message.

27. The TV set-top box according to claim 26, wherein the processor alerts a TV subscriber of said TV set-top box that an SMS message has arrived at the TV communication gateway, in response to receipt of said data.

28. The TV set-top box according to claim 27 wherein the alert includes a user notice at a specified location on the TV set of the TV subscriber in accordance with display coordinates included in said data.

29. The TV set-top box according to claim 27, wherein the alert includes illuminating an indicator lamp coupled to the TV set-top box of the TV subscriber.

30. A program storage medium readable by a processor, said medium incorporating instructions e to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure to a TV set-top box having a unique address, the medium including instructions to:

receive an SMS message destined to a TV subscriber;

process the SMS message to identify the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box; and

forward to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box data relating to the SMS message.

31. A computer readable medium incorporating instructions configured to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive an SMS message destined to a TV subscriber;

instructions to process the SMS message to identify the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box; and

instructions to forward to the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box data relating to the SMS message.

32. A program storage medium readable by a processor , incorporating instructions to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive an SMS message;

instructions to identify that the SMS message is destined to a TV subscriber; and

instructions to convey the SMS message to a TV communication gateway, the TV communication gateway identifying the unique ID of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box and forwarding the SMS thereto.

33. A computer readable medium having instructions therein to allow SMS messages to be conveyed via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive an SMS message;

instructions to identify that the SMS message is destined to a TV subscriber and

instructions to convey the SMS message to a TV communication gateway for identifying the unique address of the TV subscriber'"'"'s TV set-top box and forwarding the SMS thereto.

34. A program storage medium incorporating instructions executable by a processor to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the instructions configured to:

establish communication with the TV communication gateway and inform the TV communication gateway of said unique address;

receive the SMS message from the TV communication gateway; and

display the SMS message on a TV set coupled to the TV set-top box.

35. A computer readable medium incorporating therein instructions to convey SMS messages via a TV communication infrastructure for receipt by a TV set-top box having a unique address, the instructions comprising:

instructions to establish communication with the TV communication gateway,

instructions to logon to the TV communication gateway so as to inform the TV communication gateway of said unique address,

instructions to receive the SMS message from the TV communication gateway, and

instructions to display the SMS message on a TV set coupled to the TV set-top box.

36. A cellular communication device, including an encoder configured to encode an SMS message with one or more parameters indicating that the SMS is destined for a TV set-top box and indicating a unique address of the TV set-top box.