System and method for call placement using a television set-top box

A system for placing calls between a requesting subscriber of a cable television service and a target recipient comprising:

• a device having a display and set top box (STB) transmit and receive functions communicably associated with a head end of the cable television service for transmitting data to said head end and receiving data from said head end;
• a user interface (UI) that enables the requesting subscriber to access and manipulate menus on the display, the menus providing information related to placement of calls and information related to call targets;
• and
• a service application implemented in a server at the head end, the service application:
• receiving from said device a request, made by said requesting subscriber, to connect a telephone of the requesting subscriber to a telephone of the target recipient;
• providing to a telephone service provider instructions for connecting said telephone of said requesting subscriber and said telephone of said target recipient over a telephone network;
• and
• receiving from the telephone service provider confirmation that the telephones of said requesting subscriber and said target recipient can be connected, and providing said confirmation to said device for display thereon,
• wherein said request comprises an identification of said target recipient, and said service application extracts a phone number for the target recipient to be used in said instructions to said telephone service provider;
• at said head end, selecting one of at least two telephone service providers to be used for connecting said requesting subscriber to said target recipient;
• providing, from said service application at said head end, to said selected telephone service provider, instructions for connecting said telephone of said requesting subscriber and said telephone of said target recipient over a telephone network, said instructions including said telephone number of said target recipient;
• and
• at the head end, receiving information from the telephone service provider indicating whether the telephones of said requesting subscriber and said target recipient can be connected;
• wherein the information from the telephone service provider based on making an initial call to said target recipient, receiving an initial response from said target recipient, and using voice recognition methods to determine whether said initial response was pre-recorded or was made by a voice of a live person in real time;
• if said initial response is determined to be made by the voice of a live person in real time, generating a confirmation message;
• if said initial response is determined to be pre-recorded or not made by the voice of a live person in real time, generating a call access denied message;
• providing said confirmation message or said call access denied message, from said head end, to said device, for display thereon;
• and
• if said confirmation message was received, connecting said telephones of said requesting subscriber and said target recipient over said telephone network,
• wherein said request made by said requesting subscriber comprises, while displaying an identifier of said target recipient as part of a broadcast delivered from said head end to said device using said STB receive function, selecting said target recipient to be a recipient associated with said identifier,
• wherein said device further includes an onscreen display frame buffer causing said menus to be overlaid over a display of said broadcast, and
• wherein transmission of data from said device to said head end is carried over a reserved channel of said cable television service.