Methods, systems and computer program products for providing internet protocol television communication services

• US 9,407,960 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mickle, Jacklyn A., Smith, Michael W., Chilton, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mendoza, Junior
• Application Number:
  US13/678,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20130074123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/27 Server based end-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of providing communications services to customer premise equipment (CPE) coupled to a television. The method includes operating a network element as a communications terminal server, the network element being part of a communications network. The network element receives from the CPE a request to initiate communications with a diagnostic system coupled to the communications network. The network element accesses a communications application executing on a communications server coupled to the communications network and pushes a communications interface to the CPE. The network element receives message information from the CPE and routes the message information to the communications server to initiate delivery of a message to the diagnostic system.

Claims

1. A method of providing communications services to customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

operating a network element as a communications terminal server, the network element being part of a communications network;

receiving at the network element a request from the customer premises equipment to initiate communications with a diagnostic system coupled to the communications network, the request including a type of communication;

the network element accessing a communications application corresponding to the type of communication received from the customer premises equipment, the communications application executing on a communications server coupled to the communications network;

the network element pushing a communications interface to the customer premises equipment, the communications interface corresponding to the communications application accessed;

the network element receiving message information from the customer premises equipment; and

the network element routing the message information to the communications server to initiate delivery of a message to the diagnostic system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the type of communication is e-mail, the communications application is an e-mail application, and the communications interface is an e-mail interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the type of communication is chat, the communications application is a chat application, and the communications interface is a chat interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the customer premises equipment is a set top box.

5. A computer program product for providing communications services to customer premises equipment, the computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by a processing circuit for facilitating a method comprising:

operating a network element as a communications terminal server, the network element being part of a communications network;

receiving at the network element a request from the customer premises equipment to initiate communications with a diagnostic system coupled to the communications network, the request including a type of communication;

the network element accessing a communications application corresponding to the type of communication received from the customer premises equipment, the communications application executing on a communications server coupled to the communications network;

the network element pushing a communications interface to the customer premises equipment, the communications interface corresponding to the communications application accessed;

the network element receiving message information from the customer premises equipment; and

the network element routing the message information to the communications server to initiate delivery of a message to the diagnostic system.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein:

the type of communication is e-mail, the communications application is an e-mail application, and the communications interface is an e-mail interface.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein:

the type of communication is chat, the communications application is a chat application, and the communications interface is a chat interface.

8. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein:

the customer premises equipment is a set top box.

9. A customer premises equipment, the customer premises equipment coupled to an internet protocol television network, the customer premises equipment comprising:

a network interface establishing communications between the customer premises equipment and the internet protocol television network; and

a processor executing an internet protocol television client for receiving internet protocol television services;

the processor executing a diagnostic applications program interface for transmitting customer premises equipment status information indicating the status of the customer premises equipment to a network element in the internet protocol television network;

the processor generating a request to initiate communications with a diagnostic system via a communications server providing communications with the diagnostic system, the request transmitted to the network element in communication with the communications server, the request including a type of communication;

the processor receiving a communications interface for the user from the network element, the communications interface corresponding to the type of communication; and

the processor routing message information to the network element to initiate delivery of a message to the diagnostic system.

10. The customer premises equipment of claim 9 wherein:

the type of communication is e-mail and the communication interface is an e-mail interface.

11. The customer premises equipment of claim 9 wherein:

the type of communication is chat, and the communication interface is a chat interface.

12. The customer premises equipment of claim 9 wherein:

the customer premises equipment is a set top box.