US 8,543,665 B2 · Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

Abstract

An intelligent gateway device provided at a premises (home or business) for providing and managing application services associated with use and support of a plurality of digital endpoint devices associated with the premises. The device implements includes a communications and processing infrastructure integrated with a peer and presence messaging based communications protocol for enabling communications between the device and an external support network and between the device and connected digital endpoint devices. A services framework at the gateway device implements the communications and processing infrastructure for enabling service management, service configuration and authentication of user of services at the intelligent gateway. The framework providing a storage and execution environment for supporting and executing received service logic modules relating to use, management and support of the digital endpoint devices. Thus, the gateway devices provides a network-based services point of presence for a plurality of digital endpoint devices at the premises.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A media manager residing as software in a gateway device at a user premises comprising:

a gateway device residing at a user premises;
a video retrieval module operable as software in association with the gateway device and operable to retrieve and capture video activity of at least one media display device as a video activity stream;
and
a media management module operable as software in association with the gateway device, and coupled to the video retrieval module and the at least one media display device, said media management module including a media processor operable to receive the video activity stream, the media management module further operable to receive a user command to view the video activity stream at a selected other media display device coupled to the media management module, and direct the video activity stream to the selected other media display device, wherein the media management module is operable to receive a selection of a media content by a first user from a first predetermined media player device, to determine whether a metadata of the selected media content comprises user control parameters associated therewith, to send a notification to a second predetermined media player device to obtain permission, and to stream the selected media content to the first predetermined media player device only in response to receiving permission from a second user with authority over the user control parameters.

1 more element

A system comprising:

at least one remote service manager coupled to a network;
at least one gateway device disposed at a user premises and in communication with the at least one remote service manager through a network module coupled to the network, the at least one gateway device comprising at least one application performing traditional central office functions for voice services and logically positioned on the user premises side of the network service provider demarcation;
at least one endpoint device disposed at the user premises and in communication through a user module with the at least one gateway device, the at least one endpoint device being operable to generate, through the at least one gateway device, a message by executing the at least one application performing traditional central office functions for voice services;
a voice service manager disposed at the at least one remote service manager, the voice manager being configured to deliver the message from the network to a second network;
the at least one gateway device operable to enable, under the control of the at least one remote service manager, the at least one endpoint device via the voice service manager to generate, maintain, and terminate the message, wherein control provided by the at least one remote service manager enables a first user to manage a second user's usage of the at least one endpoint device by limiting accessibility to voice call data based on various parameters including:
an identity of the user, time of day, day of week, type of call;
a video retrieval module operable as software in association with the gateway device and operable to retrieve and capture video activity of at least one media display device as a video activity stream;
and
a media management module operable as software in association with the gateway device, and coupled to the video retrieval module and the at least one media display device, said media management module including a media processor operable to receive the video activity stream, the media management module further operable to receive a user command to view the video activity stream at a selected other media display device coupled to the media management module, and direct the video activity stream to the selected other media display device, wherein the media management module is operable to receive a selection of a media content by a first user from a first predetermined media player device, to determine whether a metadata of the selected media content comprises user control parameters associated therewith, to send a notification to a second predetermined media player device to obtain permission, and to stream the selected media content to the first predetermined media player device only in response to receiving permission from a second user with authority over the user control parameters.

6 more elements

A method for enabling an endpoint device to communicate through at least one gateway device to receive video and conduct a telephone call wherein traditional central office based functions for voice services associated with the telephone call have been moved to the user premises, the method comprising:

configuring the at least one gateway device at a user premises by a remote service manager through a network module connected to a network with at least one application supporting traditional central office based functions for voice services and at least one application providing video management services;
enabling the at least one gateway device to execute the at least one application supporting traditional central office based functions for voice services and disposed on the user premises side of a network service provider demarcation;
detecting and configuring a first endpoint device associated with the at least one gateway device capable of supporting voice services by the at least one gateway device, the first endpoint device executing the at least one application supporting traditional central office based functions for voice services;
communicating through a user module by the first endpoint device with the at least one gateway device to access the at least one application supporting traditional central office based functions for voice services voice services;
managing voice services through the remote service manager to enable the first endpoint device to communicate with a second endpoint device;
providing a video retrieval module operable as software in association with the gateway device and operable to retrieve and capture video activity of at least one media display device as a video activity stream;
and
providing a media management module operable as software in association with the gateway device, and coupled to the video retrieval module and the at least one media display device, said media management module including a media processor operable to receive the video activity stream, the media management module further operable to receive a user command to view the video activity stream at a selected other media display device coupled to the media management module, and direct the video activity stream to the selected other media display device, wherein the media management module is operable to receive a selection of a media content by a first user from a first predetermined media player device, to determine whether a metadata of the selected media content comprises user control parameters associated therewith, to send a notification to a second predetermined media player device to obtain permission, and to stream the selected media content to the first predetermined media player device only in response to receiving permission from a second user with authority over the user control parameters.

5 more elements

A gateway device residing at a user premises comprising:

an application service module operating as software in association with the gateway device and having at least one application, the application service module residing on a user premises side of a network service provider demarcation;
a user module operating as software in association with the gateway device and providing a user interface that is associated with the at least one application, wherein the user module enables bi-directional communications with at least one media player device;
a network module including a connection that enables bi-directional communications with a remote service manager;
a video retrieval module operating as software in association with the gateway device and operable to retrieve and capture video activity of at least one media display device as a video activity stream;
a media management module operating as software in association with the gateway device and coupled to the video retrieval module and the at least one media display device and operable to receive the video activity stream, the media management module further operable to receive a user command to view the video activity stream at a selected other media display device coupled to the media management module, and direct the video activity stream to the selected other media display device, wherein the media management module is operable to receive a selection of a media content by a first user from a first predetermined media player device, to determine whether a metadata of the selected media content comprises user control parameters associated therewith, to send a notification to a second predetermined media player device to obtain permission, and to stream the selected media content to the first predetermined media player device only in response to receiving permission from a second user with authority over the user control parameters;
and
a storage device operable with the media management module to receive and store the video activity stream for later retrieval and viewing.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

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Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

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Abstract

Claims29