Set top box supporting selective local call termination and call bridging

A set top box comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• a tuner communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry and operable to receive and decode a signal containing media content;
• a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry;
• a first interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);
• a second interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to the Internet;
• and
• the processing circuitry operable to:
• receive a first call setup request from the Internet via the second interface;
• selectively prepare a second call setup request based upon the first call setup request;
• and
• send the second call setup request to the PSTN via the first interface.

A set top box comprising:

• a tuner operable to receive and decode a signal containing media content;
• a user interface;
• a packet data network interface communicatively coupled to the Internet that supports Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony;
• and
• processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the tuner, the user interface, and to the packet data network interface, the processing circuitry operable to:
• receive a first call setup request from the Internet via the packet data network interface;
• selectively prepare a second call setup request based upon the first call setup request;
• and
• send the second call setup request to the Internet via the packet data network interface.

A method for operating a set top box having a tuner, a user interface, and both a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) interface and a packet data network interface, the method comprising:

• receiving a first call setup request from the PSTN via the PSTN interface;
• selectively preparing a second call setup request based upon the first call setup request;
• and
• sending the second call setup request to the Internet via the packet data network interface.

A method for operating a set top box having a tuner, a user interface, and both a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) interface and a packet data network interface, the method comprising:

• receiving a first call setup request from the Internet via the packet data network interface;
• selectively preparing a second call setup request based upon the first call setup request;
• and
• sending the second call setup request to the PSTN via the PSTN interface.

A method for operating a set top box having a tuner, a user interface, and a packet data network interface, the method comprising:

• receiving a first call setup request from the Internet via the packet data network interface;
• retrieving telephony bridging instructions based upon the first call setup request;
• selectively preparing a second call setup request based upon the first call setup request and the telephony bridging instructions;
• and
• sending the second call setup request to the Internet via the packet data network interface.