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US 9,432,619 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for communications
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorHaifeng Bi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box (STB) having a controller to operate the STB coupled to an interactive television network as an audio visual answering machine using a digital video recorder forming a part of the STB, use at least one camera coupled to the STB to capture video, use at least one microphone coupled to the STB to capture audio, present video from at least a calling party on a television set coupled to the STB, and present audio from at least the calling party on speakers coupled to the STB. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims20
A digital recording device, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor facilitate performance of operations comprising:
- recording media content received at a set-top box from a source television network;
- providing, by the set-top box, an alert responsive to an incoming call;
- in a first alternative responsive to the alert and the incoming call being answered by way of the set-top box, recording data associated with a calling party and a called party associated with a multimedia conference hosted by the set-top box according to an interactive television network protocol using voice-over-internet protocol and video over the source television network, wherein a video portion of the multimedia conference is presented by the set-top box at a display coupled to the set-top box, and wherein an audio portion of the multimedia conference is presented by the set-top box at speakers attached to one of the set-top box or the display;
- in a second alternative responsive to the alert and the incoming call being answered by way of a telephone coupled to the set-top box, presenting the audio portion of the multimedia conference at the telephone, without presenting the audio portion at the speakers and without presenting the video portion at the display;
- and
- in a third alternative responsive to the incoming call being unanswered, recording a multimedia call made to the set-top box through the source television network.
6 more elements
A method, comprising:
- recording, by a system comprising a processor, media content received at a media processor from a source television network;
- providing, by the system, an alert responsive to an incoming multimedia call;
- responsive to the incoming multimedia call being answered by way of the media processor, responsive to the alert, recording, by the system, data associated with a calling party and a called party associated with a multimedia conference hosted by the media processor according to an interactive television network protocol using voice-over-internet protocol and video over the source television network, wherein a video portion of the multimedia conference is presented at a display by the media processor, and wherein an audio portion of the multimedia conference is presented a by the media processor at speakers attached to one of the media processor or the display;
- responsive to the alert and the incoming multimedia call being answered by way of a communication device coupled to the media processor, presenting, by the system, the audio portion of the multimedia conference at the communication device, without presenting the audio portion at the speakers and without presenting the video portion at the display;
- and
- responsive to the incoming multimedia call being unanswered, recording, by the system, the incoming multimedia call made to the media processor through the source television network.
3 more elements
A machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
- recording media content received from a source television network;
- providing an alert responsive to an incoming call;
- responsive to the incoming call being answered, recording data associated with a calling party and a called party associated with a multimedia conference hosted by a media processor according to an interactive television network protocol, wherein a video portion of the multimedia conference is presented at a display by the media processor, and wherein an audio portion of the multimedia conference is presented by the media processor at speakers coupled to the media processor;
- responsive to the alert and the incoming call being answered by way of a communication device coupled to the media processor, presenting the audio portion of the multimedia conference at the communication device, without presenting the audio portion at the speakers and without presenting the video portion at the display;
- and
- responsive to the incoming call being unanswered, recording a multimedia call made to the media processor through the source television network.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.