Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use of Same

A set-top box with an interactive portal for use in a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the set-top box comprising:

• a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein, the housing configured to be located in an assigned room of the plurality of rooms;
• a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and the memory therebetween;
• the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source, the source signal including a plurality of channels;
• the television output configured to forward a tuned signal to a television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from the source signal at the set-top box;
• the memory-processor combination associated with the assigned room;
• and
• the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• receive a guest configuration profile, the guest configuration profile including guest identification,
• in response to receiving the guest configuration profile, temporarily override the default profile and generate a guest interactive portal;
• in response to receiving the guest configuration profile, activate a local area wireless network for a guest device to a network associated with the hospitality establishment;
• the local area wireless network having identical behavior to a home wireless network belonging to the guest, the local area wireless network providing identical network configuration and device and application login credentials as the home wireless network;
• in response to receiving a default profile, generate a default interactive portal;
• forward one of the guest interactive portal and the default interactive portal to the television via the television output;
• and
• the guest configuration profile configuring the local area wireless network to be a guest private wireless network that acts as an access point having the same network configuration and login credentials for devices, applications, and services, including streaming movie services, as the home wireless network belonging to the guest, thereby creating a home away from home environment for the guest.

A set-top box with an interactive portal for use a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the set-top box comprising:

• a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein, the housing configured to be located in an assigned room of the plurality of rooms;
• a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and the memory therebetween;
• the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source, the source signal including a plurality of channels;
• the television output configured to forward a tuned signal to a television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from the source signal at the set-top box;
• the memory-processor combination associated with the assigned room;
• and
• the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• receive a guest configuration profile, the guest configuration profile including guest identification;
• in response to receiving the guest configuration profile, temporarily override the default profile and generate a guest interactive portal;
• in response to receiving the guest configuration profile, activate a local area wireless network for a guest device to a network associated with the hospitality establishment;
• the local area wireless network having identical behavior to a home wireless network belonging to the guest, the local area wireless network providing identical network configuration and device and service login credentials as the home wireless network;
• in response to receiving a default profile, generate a default interactive portal;
• forward one of the guest interactive portal and the default interactive portal to the television via the television output;
• the guest configuration profile configuring the local area wireless network to be a guest private wireless network that acts as an access point having the same network configuration and login credentials for devices, applications, and services, including streaming movie services, as the home wireless network belonging to the guest, thereby creating a home away from home environment for the guest with provisioning for room-specific guest preferred features, including room temperature and television lineup;
• and
• the guest configuration profile requiring no new room configuration, the guest configuration profile accessing needed information and data to provision the guest wireless network from one of a co-located server and a cloud-located server.