Call management via television

• US 7,277,445 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Integra5 Communications Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bartfeld, Eyal, Keinan, Giora
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US10/189,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20030086432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/265, 370/352, 370/356, 370/389, 370/401, 379/67.1, 379/201.1, 379/130, 379/142, 379/142.01, 379/142.14, 379/142.16, 379/142.17
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4563 Voicemail monitoring during recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 Message preview
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

A telephone call management system and method are disclosed, allowing for call review where a voice mail message being recorded for a specific telephone may be played on a television associated therewith during the time it is being recorded. Optionally, the call may further be retrieved and rerouted to the user telephone responsive to a command entered via the television distribution gateway, and any call may be recorded responsive to commands entered via the gateway.

Claims

1. A telephony television gateway apparatus operational in conjunction with a television distribution network, a telephony switch, and a messaging server for recording messages from a telephony network, the apparatus comprising:

a call information receiver for receiving session information from said telephony switch or messaging server;

a correlator for associating the session information with an associated set-top box coupled to said television distribution network;

an audio interface for receiving audio data from said messaging server, said audio data corresponding to a message, while said message is being recorded;

an audio encoder coupled to said audio interface, for encoding said audio data received therefrom into a television broadcast compatible format to form television encoded audio; and

transmission equipment coupled to said audio encoder and for transmitting said television encoded audio via said television distribution network to said associated set top box, wherein said transmission occurs during the time said message is being recorded.

2. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user command receiver, for controlling the coupling of said message based on user commands.

3. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a parser for parsing said user commands and for communicating instructions to said telephony switch, in accordance with said user commands.

4. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a parser for parsing said user commands and for communicating instructions to said messaging server, in accordance with said user commands.

5. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 1, further constructed to, responsive to user commands, instruct said telephony switch to attempt re connecting a messaged telephony session to the user associated therewith.

6. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said call information receiver is further constructed to receive information about the origin of an incoming call, and transmit said information to said associated set top box.

7. A telephony television gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said call information receiver is further constructed to receive a signal indicating a message is being recorded, and wherein the apparatus is constructed to transmit a notification thereof to said associated set top box.

8. A method for call management using a television, after a user rejects an incoming telephone call and said incoming telephone call is being directed to a messaging server, the method comprising the steps of:

Responsive to user commands,

receiving from said messaging server audio data corresponding to a message being recorded in the messaging server;

encoding said audio data into a television broadcast transmission format to form television encoded audio; and

,

transmitting said television encoded audio via a television distribution network to said television associated with said user to which the message is directed, while said message is being recorded.

9. A method for call management using a television according to claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying information related to said incoming call, on said television set.

10. A method for call management using a television according to claim 9, wherein said information comprises call connect time information.

11. A method for call management using a television according to claim 9, wherein said information comprises identification of the caller number, the caller name, or a combination thereof.

12. A method for call management using a television according to claim 9, wherein said information comprises notification that said message is being recorded in said messaging server.

13. A method for call management using a television according to claim 8, further comprising the step of rerouting said messaged call to said telephone, responsive to said user commands.

14. A method for call management using a television according to claim 13, wherein said messaged call is terminated responsive to a user disconnect command.

15. A method for call management using a television according to claim 8, further comprising the step of rerouting said messaged call to a telephone specified by said user commands.

16. A method for call management using a television according to claim 15 further comprising the step of muting sound played by said television as long as said rerouted call is active.

17. A method for call management using a television according to claim 8, further comprising the step of alerting said user that said message is being recorded.

18. A method for call management using a television, comprising the steps of:

directing an incoming telephone call to a telephone associated with a user;

displaying on the television associated with said user, information related to said incoming call;

routing said incoming call to a messaging server if said users declines to pick up said incoming call, or said incoming call was unanswered during a predetermined period, thereby forming a messaged call;

recording a message by said messaging server; and

,

coupling said message to said television, while said message is being recorded;

said step of coupling comprising the steps of;

receiving audio data from said messaging server, said audio data corresponding to said message, while it is being recorded;

encoding said audio data into a television broadcast compatible format to form television encoded audio; and

,

transmitting said television encoded audio via a television distribution system, to said associated television while said message is being recorded.

19. A method for call management using a television according to claim 18, further comprising the step of alerting the user when said message is being recorded.

20. A method for call management using a television according to claim 18, further comprising the step of rerouting said messaged call to said telephone, responsive to user command.

21. A method for call management using a television according to claim 18, further comprising the step of rerouting said messaged call to a telephone specified by a user command.

22. A method for call management using a television according to claim 18, further comprising the step of selecting a prompt the messaging server is to play to prompt the user of the messaged call.