Method and system to provide text messages via a host device connected to a media-delivery network

• US 7,636,578 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cope, Warren B., Mcconnell, Von K.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US11/117,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2.01, 455/3.01, 455/414.1, 455/466, 455/550.1, 4554121- 2, 455/412.2, 455/415, 455/517, 455/566, 455/464, 455/414.2, 455/414.4, 455/417, 455/426.1, 370/260, 370/252, 370/259, 370/335, 370/342, 370/352, 709/206, 709/203
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating telecommunications and cable networks for the purpose of providing text messages to a cable host device over a cable network. The method includes delivering a text message to a cable host device. The text message may comprise a caller identification message, a short message service (SMS) message or an alert message containing a news headline, stock quote or sports score. Also described is a system for connecting telephone and cable networks to enable text messages to be received by a cable host device.

Claims

1. A method of delivering text messages to a cable host device comprising:

receiving a text message at a cable host device from a text message server, wherein the cable host device is connected to a monitor and receives user input through an input mechanism;

providing an identifier of the cable host device to the text message server from a telephone subscriber database that correlates the cable host device identified by the identifier with the telephone number to which the text message was directed;

displaying an indicator on the monitor connected to the cable host device that the text message is available;

receiving a selection of the displayed indicator from an input mechanism connected to the cable host device; and

displaying the text message on the monitor connected to the cable host device in response to receiving the selection of the displayed indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a response text message from the cable host device to the text message server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is a caller identification message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is a short message service text message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is an email.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is an instant message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is a chat session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message is an alert message comprising a news headline, a stock quote or a sports score.

9. A method of delivering a text message to a cable host device comprising:

associating a cable host device with a mobile telephone number by registering the cable host device address with a telephone subscriber database through an intermediate gateway server;

querying the telephone subscriber database to determine whether the mobile telephone device subscribes to a cable host device text message service;

providing an identifier of the cable host device to a text message server from the telephone subscriber database that correlates the cable host device identified by the identifier with the mobile telephone number to which the text message was directed;

sending text message to each subscribed cable host device from the text message server through the intermediate gateway server;

displaying an indicator on a monitor connected to the cable host device that the text message is available;

receiving a selection of the displayed indicator from an input mechanism connected to the cable host device; and

displaying the text message on the monitor connected to the cable host device in response to receiving the selection of the displayed indicator.

10. The method of claim 9 where sending text message to each subscribed cable host device through an intermediate gateway server further comprises:

querying configuration control server for the cable host device IP address using the cable host device MAC address.

11. The method of claim 10 where sending text message to each subscribed cable host device through an intermediate gateway server further comprises:

sending text message to intermediate gateway server;

creating a message containing the text message at the intermediate gateway server; and

sending the message from the intermediate gateway server to each subscribed, active cable host device.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

sending a second text message to the sender of text message from the cable host device.

13. A system to deliver a text message to a cable host device comprising:

a media delivery network;

a cable host device that receives information from the media delivery network;

a monitor operably connected to the cable host device;

a configuration control component that interfaces with the media delivery network and that provides the current IP address for a cable host device; and

a text message server that delivers text messages to the cable host device over the media delivery network; and

a telephone subscriber database that correlates telephone numbers with cable host devices, the telephone subscriber database interfacing with the text message server to provide the text message server with an identifier of the cable host device that correlates with a telephone number to which a text message is directed.

14. The system claim 13, further comprising:

an intermediate gateway server that connects to the telephone subscriber database and text message server to the media delivery network.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

an input mechanism connected to the cable host device by one of the following;

IEEE 802.11x, infra-red, Bluetooth, wireless mobile telephone network Firewire, and USB.