Methods and apparatus to provide messages to television users

• US 8,266,664 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Qiu, Chaoxin Charles, Scruggs, Jeffrey Lee, Lemay, John E., Lee, Jessie Tsae-Jiuan, Cantu, Diana Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/669,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20080181377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,050 Days
• Field of Search: 725/106, 725/133, 725/109, 348/14.04, 379/564, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.25, 379/93.24, 379/93.25, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/14 cable networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/063 where the telephone network is a network other than PSTN/ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide messages to television users are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a request for a voicemail message from the television user, determining a voicemail mailbox associated with the television user, and sending at least one of a list of one or more voicemail messages or a voicemail message to a display device associated with the television user.

Claims

1. A method to provide messages to a television user, the method comprising:

receiving, with a processor, an incoming message from a message provider, the incoming message being at least one of a voicemail message, a text message or an electronic mail message;

accessing a datastore associating messaging accounts with television device identifiers to determine an identification of at least two television devices associated with the incoming message;

transmitting, with the processor, a notification of the incoming message to the at least two television devices for display in response to receiving the incoming message;

receiving a first request to access a voicemail account from the television user;

determining a voicemail mailbox associated with the television user;

sending at least one of a list of one or more voicemail messages or a voicemail message to one of the at least two television devices using a terminal session implemented in accordance with a remote desktop protocol;

receiving a second request for a contact list from the television user;

sending a third request to the message provider requesting the contact list;

receiving a first contact list from the message provider;

receiving a second contact list;

compiling at least the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregate contact list; and

transmitting the aggregate contact list to the one of the at least two the television devices for presentation.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the television user is an internet protocol television user.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the voicemail mailbox is associated with at least one of a voice over internet protocol service, a mobile phone service, or a public switched telephone network service.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the terminal session is a remote desktop session.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining an account identifier associated with the television user.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising converting the voicemail message from a first format to a second format before sending the voicemail message to the one of the at least two television devices.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a graphical user interface associated with the list of one or more voicemail messages.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second contact list is received from a second message provider different from a first message provider.

9. A tangible machine readable storage medium, excluding propagating signals, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

receiving an incoming message from a message provider, the incoming message being at least one of a voicemail message, a text message or an electronic mail message;

accessing a datastore associating messaging accounts with television device identifiers to determine an identification of at least two television devices associated with the incoming message;

transmitting a notification of the incoming message to the at least two television devices for display in response to receiving the incoming message;

receiving a first request to access a voicemail account from a first television device of the at least two television devices;

determining a voicemail mailbox associated with a television user;

sending at least one of a list of one or more voicemail messages or a voicemail message to the first television device using a terminal session implemented in accordance with a remote desktop protocol;

receiving a second request for a contact list from the first television device;

sending a third request to the message provider requesting the contact list;

receiving a first contact list from the message provider;

receiving a second contact list from a second message provider different from the message provider;

compiling at least the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregate contact list; and

transmitting the aggregate contact list to the first television device for presentation.

10. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the television user is an internet protocol television user.

11. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the voicemail mailbox is associated with at least one of a voice over internet protocol service, a mobile phone service, or a public switched telephone network service.

12. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the terminal session is a remote desktop session.

13. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to determine an account identifier associated with the television user.

14. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to convert the voicemail message from a first format to a second format before sending the voicemail message to the first television device.

15. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate a graphical user interface associated with the list of one or more voicemail messages.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

associate an identifier associated with a television device with a voicemail mailbox and a messaging account;

receive an incoming message from a message provider and to access a database to determine an identification of at least two television devices associated with the incoming message, the at least two television devices at separate physical locations, the incoming message being at least one of a voicemail message, a text message or an electronic mail message;

receive a first request for a list of voicemail message information from a first of the at least two television devices;

determine the identifier associated with the first television device;

query the database to determine the voicemail mailbox associated with the identifier;

receive a second request for a contact list from atelevision user via an internet protocol television network;

send a third request for the contact list to a message provider;

receive a first contact list from the message provider;

receive a second contact list from a second message provider;

compile at least the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregated contact list; and

initiate a terminal session with the first television device, transmit a notification of the incoming message to the at least two television devices for display in response to receiving the incoming message, send the list of voicemail message information to the first television device via the terminal session, and transmit the aggregate contact list to one of the at least two television devices associated with originating the second request.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the messaging account is an electronic mail mailbox associated with the identifier.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the first television device is an internet protocol television device.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising sending a list of electronic mail message information with the list of voicemail message information, the list of voicemail message information being associated with a user of the first television device.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising an administration interface to allow a user to modify the database.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the database is further to provide information associated with the message provider.