Apparatus and method for managing voice communications

• US 8,869,195 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bi, Haifeng, Bi, Xiaolian
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US12/634,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20110142215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to receive a call request from a set top box that is remote from the server where the call request identifies a telephone number that is displayed in video content presented by the set top box where the telephone number was detected based on at least one of image pattern recognition and voice recognition and where the telephone number is associated with a marketing entity of the video content, establish a voice communication with a first telephone device associated with the set top box, and establish the voice communication with a second telephone device associated with the telephone number and the marketing entity if the first telephone device accepts the voice communication. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a set top box, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

presenting, by the set top box, video content at a display device;

determining, by the set top box, a primary telephone number displayed in the video content at the display device using image pattern recognition;

determining, by the set top box, an alternative telephone number based on a metadata pointer embedded in the video content;

presenting, by the set top box, an option to establish voice communication with a marketing entity associated with the video content;

receiving, by the set top box, an input from a remote controller associated with the set top box in response to the presentation of the option;

transmitting, by the set top box, a first call request to a remote server responsive to the input being received, requesting the voice communication be established between a first telephone device associated with the set top box and a second telephone device associated with the marketing entity based on the first call request and the primary telephone number; and

transmitting, by the set top box, a second call request to establish communication between the first telephone device and a communication device associated with the marketing entity based on the second call request and the alternative telephone number if voice communication is not established in accordance with the first call request.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first telephone device receives a first call from the remote server prior to the voice communication being established.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to determine an area code associated with the primary telephone number.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the voice communication is based on a voice over internet protocol.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to present the option delayed with respect to display of the video content, based on a user profile associated with the set top box.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the option is presented as an overlay.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the overlay is semi-transparent.

8. A system comprising:

a memory to store computer instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving a first call request from a set top box that is remote from the controller, wherein the first call request identifies a primary telephone number displayed in video content presented by the set top box, wherein the primary telephone number was detected based on image pattern recognition or voice recognition performed by the set top box, wherein the primary telephone number is associated with a marketing entity of the video content;

facilitating establishing a voice communication with a first telephone device associated with the set top box;

facilitating establishing the voice communication with a second telephone device associated with the primary telephone number and the marketing entity if the first telephone device accepts the voice communication; and

receiving a second call request from the set top box if the voice communication with the second telephone device is not established, wherein the second call request identifies an alternative telephone number based on a metadata pointer embedded in the video content.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the voice communication is according to a voice over internet protocol.

10. A method comprising:

presenting, by a set top box, video content at a display device;

determining, by the set top box, a primary telephone number that is displayed in the video content at the display device using image pattern recognition;

determining, by the set top box, an alternative telephone number based on a metadata pointer embedded in the video content;

transmitting, by the set top box, a first call request to a remote server based on the primary telephone number, requesting a voice over internet communication be established between a first telephone device associated with the set top box and a second telephone device associated with a marketing entity of the video content based on the first call request and the primary telephone number; and

transmitting, by the set top box, a second call request to establish communication between the first telephone device and a communication device associated with the marketing entity based on the second call request and the alternative telephone number if the voice over internet protocol communication is not established in accordance with the first call request.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising presenting an option on the display device to establish the voice over internet protocol communication.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving an input from a remote controller associated with the set top box in response to the presentation of the option.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising establishing the voice over internet protocol communication with the second telephone device if the first telephone device accepts the voice over internet protocol communication.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the option is presented as an overlay with the video content.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising transmitting the option to an other communication device associated with the set top box.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the other communication device is a mobile phone.

17. The method of claim 10, comprising determining an area code associated with the primary telephone number.

18. The method of claim 10, comprising presenting an option on the display device to establish the voice over internet protocol communication, wherein a graphical user interface for the option is based on a user profile associated with the set top box.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting the option delayed with respect to display of the video content, based on a user profile associated with the set top box.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising presenting the graphical user interface delayed with respect to display of the video content, based on the user profile.