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US 8,621,369 B2Granted
Intercom and chat for home media network
AssigneeVerizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
InventorsJack M. Farris, Michael John Talbert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A media client presents a menu interface for a media client intercom and receives, via the menu interface, a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message. The media client receives a message input from the user, where the message input is provided through the human interface device, and converts the message input into a digital format to create a digitized message. The digitized message is sent, exclusively via a home media network, to another media client within the home media network.
Claims21
A method comprising:
- receiving, by a first set-top box within a home media network, an announcement that announces a capability of a second set-top box to perform intercom functions via the home media network;
- recognizing, by the first set-top box and based on the announcement, that the second set-top box is functional via the home media network;
- receiving, by the first set-top box and after recognizing that the second set-top box is functional via the home media network, a signal from a user, of the first set-top box, to initiate an intercom message to the second set-top box;
- receiving, by the first set-top box and after receiving the signal to initiate the intercom message, a message input for the intercom message,
- the message input being provided to the first set-top box by a human interface device associated with the first set-top box;
- sending, by the first set-top box and via the home media network, the intercom message, based on the message input, to the second set-top box;
- receiving, by the first set-top box, another intercom message;
- formatting, by the first set-top box, the other intercom message for presentation by a presentation device associated with the first set-top box to obtain a formatted presentation;
- and
- sending, by the first set-top box, the formatted presentation to the presentation device associated with the first set-top box.
7 more elements
A first set-top box comprising:
- one or more processors to:
- receive a signal from a user to initiate an intercom message to a second set-top box within a home media network associated with the first set-top box;
- receive a message input, for the intercom message, from the user,
- the message input being provided to the first set-top box through a human interface device;
- convert the message input into a digital format to create a first digitized message;
- send, exclusively via the home media network, the first digitized message to the second set-top box;
- receive, exclusively via the home media network, a second digitized message from the second set-top box;
- present information based on the second digitized message;
- record content of a program that is paused during the presentation of the information;
- and
- present the content after completing the presentation of the information.
8 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
- one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a first set-top box within a home media network, cause the at least one processor to:
- receive an announcement that announces a capability of a second set-top box to perform intercom functions via the home media network;
- recognize that the second set-top box is functional via the home media network;
- receive, after recognizing that the second set-top box is functional via the home media network, a signal to initiate an intercom message to the second set-top box;
- receive, after receiving the signal to initiate the intercom message, audio input, for the intercom message, from a human interface device that receives the audio input from a user;
- send, via the home media network, the intercom message to the second set-top box;
- receive another intercom message;
- format, to obtain a formatted presentation, the other intercom message for presentation by a presentation device associated with the first set-top box;
- and
- send the formatted presentation to the presentation device associated with the second set-top box.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.