WO2006120677A2

WO2006120677A2 - Method, system and device for displaying caller identification information and sms messages on a television screen

Info

Publication number: WO2006120677A2
Application number: PCT/IL2006/000547
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shay Navy; Yizhaq Aroch
Original assignee: Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Corp., Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-09
Filing date: 2006-05-09
Publication date: 2006-11-16
Also published as: WO2006120677A3

Abstract

A device, system and method for displaying caller identification information and/or a message such as SMS messages transmitted through the PSTN on a television or other composite video display device.

Description

METHOD, SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING CALLER IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION AND SMS MESSAGES ON A TELEVISION SCREEN

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to caller identification and messaging systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a method, system and device for displaying caller identification information and SMS (Short Message Service) messages on a display device, such as a television.

Background of the Invention

Caller identification systems, allowing the recipient of a phone call to see the phone number and name of the originating caller, are well known in the art. A person at the receiving telephone may view caller identification information, such as a caller telephone number and optionally name, and decide whether to answer the incoming call. Various telephones and apparatuses have been developed in order to process and display such caller identification information. Usually, such apparatuses display the incoming caller's telephone number, name, etc. on a stand-alone display or on a display integrated into the telephone. However with such apparatus, a person watching, for example, a television, has to move to be near the display in order to view such displayed information, and also the person has to move to be near the telephone in order to answer such an incoming call. A number of solutions have been proposed in order to solve the above problem, but none of them until now has provided an effective solution.

For example, US Patent No. 6,061,434 (hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein) presents circuits for determining the caller identification for an incoming call by using an RF modulator and/or a multi- channel RF box and for displaying such caller identification information on a video display device such as a television. US Patent No. 6,061,434 teaches how to modulate through an RF modulator a video signal output to a television channel. A multi-channel RF box may be used to receive television channels inputs and output from video caller m circuit. The above multichannel RF box distributes television channels in a desired manner to a plurality of televisions and a multi-channel RF modulator modulates caller identification information and/or external camera video signals to an unused channel. However, US Patent No. 6,061,434 does not solve the problem of displaying SMS messages on a display device, such as a television. Also, the device does not operate in a "plug and play" or easy to operate manner.

Another patent, US 6₅052,444, discloses an apparatus and method for transferring caller information or tele-communication information to a video device adapted to convert video format signals into a medium of expression. Again, US Patent No. 6,052,444 does not solve the problem of displaying SMS messages on a display device, such as a television. Also, the device does not include features for easy installation and initiation of operation.

Summary of the Invention

The background art does not teach or suggest a device, method or system for displaying caller identification information and SMS messages on a display device, such as a television. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks of the background art by providing a caller identification method and system for displaying caller identification information on a video screen, such as a television, which is simple and can be efficiently and economically carried out by inexpensive hardware. For example, the present invention is able to operate in a "plug and play" manner, with simple and easy installation and initiation of operation.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device, method and system for displaying received SMS messages on a video display device, such as a television, a computer display screen, a monitor or any other display device which can display composite video as described herein. The present invention provides an increased level of convenience for users, as according to preferred embodiments thereof, it allows the television viewers to continue watching their television programs while at the same time seeing the incoming caller ID information and/or SMS message.

The present invention also optionally and preferably provides a device, method and system for informing deaf or hearing-impaired persons about incoming phone calls and/or received SMS messages. The present invention is also suitable for those who do not wish to have their telephone ring, vibrate or otherwise indicate incoming calls except through display on a device such as a television set for example. According to the present invention, there is provided a system for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network, comprising: a. a video display device for displaying the visual message; and b. a visual message device comprising a telephone line interface connected to the fixed line telephone network, said visual message device processing the visual message received by said telephone line interface and formatting the visual message for display on said video display device.

Optionally, the visual message comprises a SMS (short message service) message, an EMS (SMS enhanced message service) message, a MMS (multimedia messaging service) message or an e-mail message. Optionally, the fixed line telephone network comprises the PSTN (public switched telephone network).

Optionally, the video display device comprises a device capable of displaying composite video signals. Preferably, the video display device comprises a television, a computer display screen or a monitor. More preferably, the video display device comprises the television, the visual message device further comprising a television interface for compositing a video signal, the video signal including at least a portion of the visual message. Most preferably, the video signal also includes a television video signal, such that the at least a portion of the visual message overlays the television video signal on the television. Alternatively, the video signal replaces a television video signal.

Optionally, the television interface further comprises an OSD component for compositing the video signal. Preferably, the OSD component substitutes corresponding pixels within a matrix, the matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of the visual message. More preferably, the OSD component comprises a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, the table determining the matrix for each character, wherein the visual message is received as at least one ASCII code. Optionally, the OSD component comprises at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to the matrix.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the television displays an indicator informing a user about the visual message and enabling the user to request display of the visual message. Preferably the indicator is selected from the group consisting of a picture; an icon; an animation; and a video clip. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the telephone line interface further comprises a modem for communicating with the fixed line telephone network. Preferably, the modem comprises at least one instruction for forwarding the visual message to at least one other device on the fixed line telephone network. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the telephone line interface further comprises a relay, wherein if the relay is in a first state, the telephone line interface monitors the visual message, and if the relay is in a second state, the telephone line interface does not permit the visual message to pass.

According to other preferred embodiments of the present invention, the telephone line interface further comprises a relay for switching between the state of receiving a voice telephone call and the state of receiving a visual message.

Optionally and preferably the system further comprises a memory for storing at least one parameter of the visual message.

Optionally and preferably the system further comprises a user input, which more preferably is a remote control for receiving user input.

Optionally and preferably the telephone interface also receives caller ID information and wherein the video display device displays the caller ID information, the visual message device processing the caller ID information. More preferably, the caller ID information comprises at least one of a caller's phone number; the date of a phone call; the time of the phone call; and a caller's name.

Preferably, the system further comprises a PSTN terminal for connecting to the PSTN through the telephone interface. More preferably, the PSTN terminal comprises a telephone.

Preferably the system further comprises a video apparatus for communicating with the television interface and for providing the video signal to the television. More preferably, the video apparatus is selected from the group comprising: a set-top box; a satellite receiver; a video player; a VCR player; a cable system decoder; and a DVD. Also more preferably the video apparatus prepares composite video in a RF format for the television. Optionally, said television interface device further comprises a RF interface.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network, comprising: detecting an incoming phone call through the fixed line telephone network; determining that the incoming telephone call comprises transmission of the visual message; receiving the visual message through the fixed line telephone network; and displaying the visual message on a composite video display device.

Preferably, the visual message comprises a SMS message. More preferably, the determining that the incoming telephone call comprises transmission of the SMS message comprises: receiving characters representing caller ID information; recognizing a caller's phone number; comparing the caller's phone number with an SMSC access number; if the caller's phone number is equal to the SMSC access number, then detecting transmission of the SMS message. Most preferably, the composite video display device comprises a television, and wherein the receiving the SMS message comprises: converting characters in the SMS message to characters being displayable on the television.

Also most preferably, the receiving the SMS message further comprises: storing the received SMS message together with the caller ID information. Alternatively and most preferably, the receiving the SMS message further comprises: compositing the received SMS message together with the caller ID information for display on the composite video display device. Preferably, the compositing the received SMS message further comprises: substituting corresponding pixels within a matrix, the matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of the SMS message. More preferably, the substituting is performed according to a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, the table determining the matrix for each character, wherein the SMS message comprises at least one ASCII code.

Alternatively and more preferably, the substituting is performed according to at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to the matrix. Optionally and preferably, the method further comprises displaying an indicator informing a user about the visual message and enabling the user to request display of the SMS message. More preferably, the indicator is selected from the group consisting of a picture; an icon; an animation; and a video clip.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network and for enabling display on a video display device, comprising: a telephone line interface connected to the fixed line telephone network for receiving the visual message; a controller for processing the visual message received by said telephone line interface for displaying the message.

Preferably, the visual message comprises a SMS (short message service) message, an EMS (SMS enhanced message service) message, a MMS (multimedia messaging service) message or an e-mail message.

Preferably, the fixed line telephone network comprises the PSTN (public switched telephone network). Preferably, the video display device comprises a device capable of displaying composite video signals, the device further comprising a video interface for preparing said composite video signals. More preferably, the video display device comprises a television, a computer display screen or a monitor. Most preferably, the video display device comprises said television, wherein said video signal includes at least a portion of the visual message. Also most preferably, said video signal also includes a television video signal, such that said at least a portion of the visual message overlays said television video signal on said television. Alternatively, said video signal replaces a television video signal.

Optionally, said video interface former comprises an OSD component for compositing said video signal. Preferably said OSD component substitutes corresponding pixels within a matrix, said matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of the visual message. More preferably, said OSD component comprises a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, said table determining said matrix for each character, wherein the visual message is received with at least one ASCII code. Optionally and preferably, said OSD component comprises at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to said matrix.

Optionally, the device further comprises: a RF interface for formatting the visual message for display on the video display device.

Definitions. Acronyms and Abbreviations

Throughout this specification, the following definitions are employed: ASCII: Acronym for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is a code for representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127. For example, the ASCII code for uppercase Mis 77. Most computers use ASCII codes to represent text, which makes it possible to transfer data from one computer to another CAS: CPE (customer premise equipment) Alerting Signal; is a dedicated signal used to notify the PSTN terminal (such as a telephone) that a data transmission is forthcoming.

CHECKSUM: is a form of redundancy check, a very simple measure for protecting the integrity of data by detecting errors in data that is sent through space

(telecommunications) or time (storage). It works by adding up the basic components of a message, typically the bytes, and storing the resulting value. Later, anyone can perform the same operation on the data, compare the result to the authentic checksum, and (assuming that the sums match) conclude that the message was probably not corrupted. COMPOSITE VIDEO: is the format of an analog television signal before it is modulated onto an RF (Radio Frequency) carrier. It is usually in a standard format, such as NTSC (National Television System Committee), PAL (Phase Alternating Line) or SECAM (Sequentiel couleur avec memoire, translated from French as "sequential color with memory"). It is a composite of three source signals called Y, U and V (together referred to as YLJV). Y represents the brightness or luminance of the picture and includes synchronizing pulses, so that by itself it could be displayed as a monochrome picture. U and V between them carry the color information. They are first mixed with two orthogonal phases of a color carrier signal to form a signal called the chrominance. Y and UV are then added together. Composite video can easily be directed to any broadcast channel simply by mixing it with the proper RF carrier frequency. Most home video equipment records a signal in composite format: VCRs and laserdiscs both work this way, and then give the user the option of outputting the raw signal, or mixing it with RF to appear on a selected TV channel. In contrast, most computers use RGB (Red Green Blue) video, which consists of three separate signals for red, green, and blue. The term "compositing" means substituting corresponding pixels within a matrix, which represents a picture or video frame to pixels of at least one character.

DECT: Digital European Cordless Telecommunications. It is an European standard for a digital cordless connection to the telecommunications network. This digital wireless telephone technology is expected to make cordless phones much more common in both businesses and homes in the future. DECT is designed especially for small areas with a large number of users, such as in cities and corporate complexes.

FSK: Short for Frequency Shift Keying. It is a modulation technique used by modems in which two different frequencies in the carrier signal are used to represent the binary states of 0 and 1. Using FSK, a modem converts the binary data from a computer into a binary form in which logic 1 is represented by an analog waveform at a specific frequency and logic 0 is represented by a wave at a different specific frequency.

Modem: Short for modulator-demodulator. A modem is a device, an IC (Integrated circuit) or program that enables transmission of data over, for example, telephone or cable lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms. Modem can receive and transmit FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) modulated signals to the telephone line. OSD: On-Screen Display. The display of information, like channel number, volume, brightness, contrast, horizontal and vertical positioning, etc. on the screen of a TV set. On the television screen, the OSD can usually be activated either through buttons on the television set itself or through the remote control. Television on-screen displays are becoming increasingly complex and interactive. In addition to the visual calibration options, the on- screen display may allow program information to be viewed, program searching, or one or more channels to be placed under parental control. There are two types of OSD: OSD generated in receiver, which is used for device control such as volume control for audio, and OSD generated in transmitter, which is already composited with a television signal, such as a channel logo, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) device control signal and/or video device control signals, etc.

PAL. NTSC/SECAM: PAL is Short for Phase Alternating Line, the dominant television standard in Europe. The United States uses a different standard, NTSC (National Television System Committee). Whereas NTSC delivers 525 lines of resolution at 60 half-frames per second, PAL delivers 625 lines at 50 half-frames per second. SECAM (Sequentiel couleur avec memoire), translated from French as "sequential color with memory") is an analog color television system first used in France. The color space is three dimensional by the nature of the human vision, so after subtracting the luminance (1), which is carried by the base signal, the color subcarrier still has to carry a two dimensional signal. Typically the red (R) and the blue (B) information are carried because their signal difference with luminance (R-Y and B-Y) is stronger than that of green (G-Y). SECAM differs from the other color systems by the way the R-Y and B-Y signals are carried. PSTN: public switched telephone network; refers to all fixed line telephone networks. PSTN terminals optionally include any type of telephone or other transmitting/receiving device on the network.

RGB/RGBA: RGB (Red Green Blue) is a type of a video signal used in the video electronics industry. It consists of three signals - red, green and blue. RGBA (Red Green Blue Alpha) comprises an alpha channel which is the transparency channel, and is unique to this color space. RGBA, like RGB, is an additive color space, so the more of a color you place, the lighter the picture gets.

ROM: acronym for Read-Only Memory; it is computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot be removed and can only be read. Unlike main memory (RAM - Random Access Memory), ROM retains its contents even when the computer is turned off. ROM is referred to as being nonvolatile, whereas RAM is volatile.

Hereinafter, when the term "phone" is mentioned, it should be understood that it refers also to "telephone". The terms "television", "TV" and "TV set" are also used interchangeably.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Implementation of the method and system of the present invention involves performing or completing certain selected tasks or stages manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of preferred embodiments of the method and system of the present invention, several selected stages could be implemented by hardware or by software on any operating system of any firmware or a combination thereof. For example, as hardware, selected stages of the invention could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. As software, selected stages of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In any case, selected stages of the method and system of the invention could be described as being performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions.

Brief Description of the Drawings , The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in order to provide what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. IA illustrates a conventional telephone with a capability of displaying caller identification information, such a caller's telephone number on a display, according to the prior art; Fig. IB presents a conventional device for providing a user with a capability of seeing caller identification information during a phone call, according to the prior art;

Fig. 2 A illustrates a display device, such as a television, displaying caller identification information on a television screen, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2B illustrates a display device, such as a television, displaying received SMS message on a television screen, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 A is a schematic illustration of the system for displaying caller identification information and SMS messages, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 B is schematic illustration of an exemplary telephone line Interface, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 C is a schematic illustration of the physical connections of the system of Fig. 3A; Figure 3D is a schematic illustration of an exemplary device 365 of Figures 3 A and

3C, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4A illustrates an exemplary video frame represented as a matrix having a predetermined number of rows and columns; Fig. 4B illustrates a matrix, wherein the letter "A" was inserted in a cell, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4C is an exemplary set of ROM (Read-Only Memory) based characters of the OSD component; Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary display of a memory list on the television screen, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 A is an exemplary flow chart of a method for receiving caller identification information and/or SMS (Short Message Service) message, and then displaying the caller identification information and/or an SMS message indicator on a television screen in case when no DECT digital apparatus (or any other digital apparatus, which is capable to receive SMS messages) is connected to a telephone line plug point, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6B is an alternative exemplary flow chart of a method for receiving caller identification information and/or SMS (Short Message Service) message, and then displaying the caller identification information and/or an SMS message indicator on a television screen in case when a DECT digital apparatus (or any other digital apparatus which is capable to receive SMS messages) is connected to a telephone line plug point, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7A is an exemplary flow chart for displaying and/or deleting a phone call memory list on a television screen, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 7B is another exemplary flow chart for displaying and/or deleting an SMS messages memory list on a television screen, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The present invention is of a method, device and system for displaying caller identification information and/or visual messages received through a PSTN (public switched telephone network) terminal (or other fixed line telephone device) on a television or other video display device. By "visual messages", it is meant any message with a component to be visually displayed, including but not limited to one or more of text, image or video. For example, a visual message may optionally include SMS messages, which is the illustrative example given herein, although other types of messages may optionally also be displayed, including but not limited to e-mail. It should be noted that as referred to herein, the receiving device may optionally include any type of device which receives the message through a network other than the regular known network, in addition to a PSTN terminal. For example, if the message is an SMS message, then the regular known network may be a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) defined network (such as a SMS enabled cellular telephone network).

Caller identification information, also referred to as "caller id" or CND (calling number delivery), optionally and preferably identifies the telephone number and sometimes the name associated with a particular telephone line. The information is transmitted between the first and second ring using Frequency Shift Keyed (FSK) modem tones. Most modems can be set to provide this information if connected to the telephone line. A method for implementing caller id itself is described in US Patent No. 4,582,956, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Two formats are used for Caller ID in the US: Bellcore SDMF (Single Data Message Format) and MDMF (Multiple Data Message Format). Both formats, when provided by a modem, take the form of an ASCII hexadecimal (base- 16 number system, which consists of 16 unique symbols) string, where the first byte of the string indicates the message type. For the purposes of description only and without any intention of being limiting, the present invention is described with regard to the Bellcore SDMF protocol. As described in greater detail below, the SDMF protocol provides date, time, and calling number for an incoming telephone call. The MDMF protocol additionally provides the name associated with the calling number. The overall format is similar for both protocols; adaptations could easily be made by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Other caller identification formats may optionally be used according to the present invention, and one of ordinary skill in the art could easily adapt the present invention for operation with one or more of these additional formats.

Additionally or alternatively, the present invention may optionally receive SMS (Short Message Service) messages through a PSTN terminal and display such messages on the television. The SMS protocol provides for the transmission of short text messages to and from a mobile phone, fax machine and/or IP (computer network) address; such messages may optionally be received by a PSTN terminal according to one or more protocols (see below for a more detailed description). An exemplary SMS service description for PSTN (public switched telephone network) networks can be found in ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) standard ES 201 986 "Short Message Service (SMS) for PSTN/ISDN; Service description". Currently there is no US or Israeli standard, although obviously the present invention could be adjusted to operate according to one or both of these standards. Once a message is sent, it is received by a Short Message Service Center (SMSC)₅ which must then transmit it to the appropriate device.

Turning now to the drawings, Fig. IA illustrates a conventional telephone 100 as an exemplary PSTN terminal, with the capability of displaying caller identification information, such as the caller's telephone number on a display 105, according to the known art. The function of providing such information and/or the information itself is often referred to as "caller id" or CND as described above. If performed according to the Bellcore standard, described in greater detail below, caller id permits a telephone (or device receiving the telephone signal) to receive a calling party's directory number and the date and time of the call during the first four second silent interval in the ringing cycle. Such caller identification information is displayed during a phone call and may optionally stored in the telephone memory in order to be seen later. The caller identification information is displayed through display 105 right after telephone 100 begins to ring (for example during the first four second silent interval between rings in the ringing cycle according to the Bellcore standard). Therefore, upon viewing display 105, a user of such a telephone may optionally decide, relying on the displayed caller identification information, whether to answer the phone call. If the user misses a phone call, the user can more easily return the telephone call, since the telephone number of the missed call is automatically stored in the telephone memory.

Fig. IB presents a conventional device 120 (external to a telephone) for providing a user with the capability of seeing caller identification information during a phone call, according to the prior art. When device 120 is connected to a conventional telephone (PSTN terminal; not shown), caller identification information is displayed on the device display 124. Such information can include, for example, the caller's telephone number 125, the date 127 of a telephone call and the time 126 of the call. The above device 120 can be, for example, provided by Starline® (Saudi Arabia). Such a device can store the received caller identification information in order to enable the user to review this information later. However, these display devices, whether internal (ie part of the PSTN terminal) or external, share a number of drawbacks. In particular, the user needs to be sufficiently close to the device to read the display. If the user is watching television or is interacting with another type of display, then the user must interrupt this activity in order to examine the display. At the time of receiving a telephone call, the user must interrupt this activity before knowing whether the telephone call is of interest. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by allowing the user to view the caller id information on the display with which the user is currently interacting.

Fig. 2 A illustrates a display device, such as a television 200, displaying caller identification information on a television screen 205, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Caller identification information, such as the telephone number 220 of the incoming telephone call, the date 210 of a telephone call and the time 215 of the call is preferably displayed on the television screen 205. More preferably, as shown the information is overlaid onto the television program being displayed, so that the user can continue to watch the program while viewing the caller identification information. The user, watching the television 200 and seeing the above information, can decide whether to answer the phone call without seeing the display on the actual telephone or device connected to the telephone (not shown). The proposed system enables the user to filter incoming phone calls, canceling the need to view the telephone for every call. It should be noted that according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the caller identification information can further comprise caller's name (first name and/or last or family name). The caller's name can also be displayed on the display device, such as television screen 205.

As noted previously, the present invention is also optionally and preferably operative for displaying SMS messages on a display device such as a television for example. Fig. 2B illustrates a display device, such as television 200, displaying received SMS message 225 on television screen 205, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to this preferred embodiment, the user can see one or more incoming SMS messages, such as one numbered 225. In addition, the user can preferably see SMS sender's telephone number 125, the date 127 of the received message and the time 126 when the SMS message was received.

Fig. 3 A is a schematic illustration of a system 300 for displaying caller identification information and SMS messages on a display device such as a television, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that Figure 3 A is a logic diagram; a description of the physical interconnections between components is described with regard to Figure 3C.

System 300 preferably comprises a controller 320, a telephone line interface 315, a television interface 330, a set-top box 325, a memory 321, a telephone line plug point 305 and television 200. The system also may optionally comprise a remote control 322 for communicating with controller 320 for managing displayed caller identification information and SMS messages. For each incoming phone call, system 300 preferably identifies the caller, such as the identification of the telephone number, the date of the phone call and the time of the call, and optionally the name of the caller, and presents this information on television screen 205.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, system 300, before displaying the caller identification information on television screen 205, preferably compares the caller's telephone number to telephone numbers stored in memory 321 in order to display the caller identification information according to one or more predetermined user settings, such as displaying the caller's name instead of the telephone number for example.

Turning now to a more detailed description of system 300, controller 320 may optionally and preferably be implemented according to any suitable technology; controller 320 may optionally comprise, for example, microcontroller PIC 16F628 or PIC 16F628A (Microchip Technology Inc, USA), as well as any type of suitable processor. Controller 320 is optionally and preferably connected to telephone line plug point 305 through telephone line interface 315. Telephone line plug point 305 is connected to telephone line provider (i.e. to the PSTN). Set-top box 325 is preferably connected both to television 200 and to controller 320 through television interface 330.

It should be noted that set-top box 325 is provided for the purposes of illustration only, according to a typical but non-limiting implementation of a television connected to a television program provider such as a cable or satellite network for example. It should be noted that any video apparatus for providing a television signal, including but not limited to a satellite receiver, video player, DVD player or VCD (Video Compact Disk) player, cable system decoder, or any other video playback device, may optionally be used instead of set-top box 325 or in addition to set-top box 325. Optionally, if a display device which displays RF is used (as opposed to composite video, such as a television set which operates according to PAL for example), then television interface 330 is preferably connected to a video appliance selected from the group including but not limited to a video player, a DVD player or a VCD player, which can translate the video signals to RF directly. Any other type of implementation for use with television 200 could optionally be used with the present invention.

Controller 320 is optionally and preferably further connected to a memory 321 for storing predetermined system and/or user settings, and/or other information. Memory 321 may optionally be included within controller 320. Memory 321 also optionally and preferably stores information received from a telephone network such as the PSTN, preferably including at least one parameter of the visual message, for example optionally including a copy of one or more SMS messages received, and/or caller id information received. Optionally, if a user is unable to view such information at the time of being received and/or if the user wishes to view such information again, the user is able to retrieve the information at a later time and to display it on television 200. In addition, a PSTN terminal such as a conventional telephone 310 may optionally be connected to telephone line plug point 305 in order to allow the user to answer incoming telephone calls.

Television interface 330 preferably makes a data signal comprising a television signal, which may optionally be received from set-top box 325 for example, and a caller ID information signal, which is preferably received from controller 320, in order to display the information on a television screen. Since the television signal may optionally be an analog signal and the caller ID information signal is a digital signal, television interface 330 optionally and preferably comprises an OSD component (not shown), which is used for combining the analog and digital signals. As a non-limiting illustrative example, the OSD component may optionally comprise a STV5730 OSD chip (SGS-Thomson

Microelectronics, USA), which is used to generate the on screen menus for VCR devices.

The OSD component is optionally and preferably able to operate in PAL mode, NTSC mode or SECAM mode, and it receives input a COMPOSITE, RGB or RGBA video signal. The output signal from the above OSD component is also a COMPOSITE, RGB or RGBA video signal.

The OSD component may optionally operate in a number of modes, including but not limited to Full Page Mode and Mixed Mode. In the Full Page Mode, at the time of an incoming phone call and/or SMS message, the television signal is optionally and preferably cancelled. In place of the television program, a background picture having, for example, a blue color is displayed on television screen 205. Caller ID information received through telephone line Interface 315 is displayed over the above background picture. It should be noted that the Full Page Mode is the easiest mode for implementation, but it less convenient for the user. In the Mixed Mode, caller ID information is composited over the television signal and a composited signal is displayed on the television screen 205. The Mixed Mode is more convenient for the user, since user disturbance is minimal.

If there are no incoming caller id information and/or SMS messages, television interface 330 optionally and preferably transparently transfers the television signal to television 200. At the time of an incoming voice telephone call and/or SMS message, television interface 330 processes data received both from controller 320 and set-top box 325 for displaying composited data on TV set display 205.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, controller 320 and telephone line interface 315 are combined in a single unit. Such a unit can be, for example, CMX85O of CML Microcircuits (USA); another non-limiting example of a combined unit is the MASC device of Wavetel (France).

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, any combination of telephone line interface 315, controller 320, television interface 330 and memory 321 is a single unit. For example, controller 320 and television interface 330 can be a single unit (see for example the PIC OSD project board of Black Box Camera (United Kingdom) which combines the previously described PIC16F628 controller with the previously described STV5730 OSD chip), controller 320 and memory 321 can be a single unit, etc.

Fig. 3 B is a schematic illustration of telephone line interface 315, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Telephone line interface 315 comprises a modem 380 and relay 381. Since the information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves, in order to retrieve caller ID information modem 380 is used to convert analog signals to digital signals and vice versa. Modem 380 can optionally and preferably receive and transmit FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) signals, and it is preferably connected to controller 320 (shown in Fig. 3A), to telephone line plug point 305 (shown in Fig. 3A) and to relay 381.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, telephone line interface 315 is at least capable of detecting incoming phone calls, to recognize the CAS signal, to detect call waiting signals and to detect SMS messages. Modem 380 can optionally and preferably support various caller ID standards, such as Bellcore GR-30- CORE or Bellcore TR-NWT-000031 standard, etc. Modem 380 can be, for example CMX86O of CML Microcircuits company (USA), although alternatively any other suitable modem could be used.

When modem 380 detects an incoming phone call, it converts incoming analog data to digital signals and transfers the signals for processing to controller 320. For incoming calls, modem 380 determines whether the telephone call is a conventional voice phone call or alternatively whether it is an SMS message (or any other message type that may be handled by the present invention; see below for more details). According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the default situation is that relay 381 remains open unless a message type that can be handled by the present invention is detected, in which case controller 320 activates and closes relay 381. In case of reception of a SMS message (or other type of message), in addition to caller ID information the message is displayed on a video display, such as television 200 (not shown; see Fig. 3A). The detection of an incoming SMS message is described with regard to Figure 6 A.

Fig. 3 C is a schematic illustration of a system 350 featuring the physical connections of the system of Fig. 3 A. In this exemplary non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, system 350 comprises a set-top box 325, telephone line plug point 305, device 365 for receiving caller identification information and/or SMS messages and TV set 200. Device 365 preferably comprises telephone line interface 315 (which may optionally include a connector for the telephone as well, so that the telephone can also be connected to the telephone line (not shown, see Figure 3D)), controller 320, memory 321 and television interface 330, as well as an OSD component (not shown). Device 365 is shown in more detail with regard to Figure 3D and may optionally be referred to as "a visual message device".

Set-top box 325 is connected to an external antenna (or other device for receiving the television signal) through cable 356. It receives analog or digital data and converts it to an analog signal for displaying on TV set 200. Video signals are transferred between set- top box 325 and device 365 through cable 359, connected to video OUT port 361 in set- top box 325 and to video IN port 368 in device 365. Audio signals are preferably transferred from set-top box 325 directly to TV set 200, since these signals do not require any processing. Device 365 is preferably connected to telephone line plug point 305 through cable 366, which is preferably connected to phone IN plug point 370 as shown. Video signals from device 365 are preferably transferred to TV set 200 through cable 367 connecting Video OUT plug point 369 in the device 365 and Video IN plug point 371 in the TV set 200. Device 365 can optionally be connected to electricity through a conventional electrical cable or by an AC (Alternating Current) to DC (Direct Current) adapter connected to a power plug point 373. Device 365 can also be operated through batteries, any type of temporary power storage device or by drawing power from a telephone line through telephone line plug point 305. Since SMS service operates in accordance with GSM standard 03.40, based on a bi-directional protocol management of each message sent from one person to another, typically only one digital device will receive the SMS message (SMS message broadcasting to multiple devices is described in a separate standard). Reception by a single such device may cause a problem, since the user in addition to the above device 365 can have a digital telephone, such as a DECT (Digital European Cordless

Telecommunications) enabled telephone or any other digital apparatus which is capable of receiving SMS messages. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, device 365 optionally and preferably comprises a bi-directional switch (not shown; see Figure 3D) having two states: the first state for processing incoming SMS messages if an additional digital device for processing SMS messages is connected to the user's telephone line and the second state for processing incoming SMS messages if there is no such additional digital device. This bi-directional switch (also described herein as a "DECT switch") may optionally be user controlled or alternatively the first device which acknowledges may receive the message in a "competition" between the devices. When the bi-directional switch is in the first state (more than one SMS receiving device), device 365 operates in a monitoring mode, listening and analyzing data passing over the user's telephone line. In this state, device 365 receives the content of each sent SMS message and/or caller ID information without interrupting the operation of the above additional digital device. When the bi-directional switch is in the second state, device 365 receives each telephone call and manages all communication regarding the SMS messages (preferably therefore not permitting the message to pass to a different electronic device capable of receiving SMS messages). For example, device 365 preferably communicates directly with an SMSC (Short Message Service Center), which intermediates between SMS sender and SMS receiver. In this case, if an additional device is to receive the SMS message, device 365 will be required to forward it as described in greater detail below.

In any case, device 365 analyzes the SMS message and optionally also the caller ID information, and preferably stores them in memory 321 (shown in Fig. 3A). Device 365 also preferably causes an SMS message indicator, such as a small envelope, to be displayed on television screen 205 (shown in Fig. 3A). The SMS message indicator informs the user that a new SMS message has been received. Upon viewing the small envelope, the user can optionally and preferably view received SMS message by pressing a corresponding button on device 365 or on remote control 322 (shown in Fig. 3A). For each phone call, device 365 preferably identifies the telephone number of an incoming call and compares it to an SMSC service number stored in the memory (such as memory 321, shown in Figure 3A). If there is no match between these numbers, the caller ID information is preferably displayed on television screen 205 and the user's telephone continues to ring. After the caller ends the phone call or after the user answers the phone call, the caller id information disappears from TV screen and, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is stored in memory 321 (Fig. 3A). If there is a match between the phone number of the incoming telephone call and the SMSC service number, then according to the position of the bi-directional switch, device 365 receives an SMS message, optionally and preferably stores it in memory 321, and displays an SMS message indicator on television screen 205.

If the user is already speaking on the telephone when the incoming call is received, device 365 recognizes a CAS signal indicating the state of call waiting, and sends an acknowledgement to indicate that device 365 is ready to receive caller ID information. After receiving the above caller ID information, device 365 displays the information on television screen 205.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, device 365 is connected to a COMPOSITE, RGB or RGBA video output plug of set-top box 325 and to a COMPOSITE, RGB or RGBA video input plug of TV set 200.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the previously described modem (not shown; see Figure 3B) could also contact another device to forward the message. For example, if the other device is connected to a telephone network such as the PSTN and/or a wireless network such as a cellular telephone network, then the modem could optionally dial the number of the other device and forward the message according to the necessary protocol. Preferably such a modem comprises at least one instruction for forwarding the visual message to at least one other device on the fixed line telephone network.

Figure 3D shows an exemplary implementation of visual message device 365. As shown, device 365 preferably comprises telephone line interface 315. Telephone line interface 315 optionally and preferably includes a telephone connector 398 to connect device 365 to the telephone line (not shown, see Figure 3A or 3C). Telephone connector 398 is preferably connected to a telephone decoder 379, which is able to convert the incoming telephone signals to a form which can be processed. Such decoders are well known in the art and could easily be implemented by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Device 365 also preferably features controller 320, memory 321 and television interface 330 as shown. As previously described, television interface 330 may optionally be any type of suitable interface for preparing video signals, preferably composite video signals, described herein as a video interface. Television interface 330 preferably features an OSD 399. Television interface 330 may optionally feature an RF interface 389. Such a feature is optional and the present invention is clearly operative without such an RF interface; however, the implementation of television interface 330 with RF interface 389 enables television interface 330 to provide output directly to RF enabled display devices, such as HD (high definition) television sets for example. Again, such interfaces are well known in the art and could easily be implemented by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Device 365 also optionally and preferably features an input interface 393 which is in communication with controller 320. Input interface 393 is also in communication with a user input 396 through a communication channel 391. User input 396 may optionally be attached to, a part of or integrally formed with device 365, but may also optionally be physically separate from device 365. For the former implementation, communication channel 391 may optionally and preferably be any type of wire connection, for example. For the latter implementation, as for example when user input 396 comprises a remote control device, communication channel 391 is preferably some type of wireless communication channel, including but not limited to infrared, RF, WiFi or Bluetooth for example.

Incoming telephone calls are preferably received through telephone line interface 315 as previously described. The information (caller id or message such as SMS) is then processed by controller 320 and displayed on a television (not shown) through television interface 330. OSD 399 performs the necessary processing with regard to the composite video signal, so that the television can display the telephone information on the television as described in greater detail below.

Fig. 4A illustrates an exemplary video frame represented as a matrix 400 having a predetermined number of rows and columns. The video signal, inputted to the OSD component located within television interface 330 (shown in Fig. 3A)₅ through cable 359 (shown in Fig. 3C) from set-top box 325 (shown in Fig. 3C) is a set of pictures (frames), which are varying in a rate of several pictures in a second, for example 25 pictures in a second. OSD component, located within television Interface 330 in device 365 (shown in Fig. 3C), receives the above video signal. Then OSD component inserts this picture into a matrix 400 dividing the picture in virtual rows and columns as shown in Fig. 4A. Each cell in matrix 400, for example cell 405, comprises a number of screen rows and columns, and also a number of pixels. Each cell in matrix 400 has it own coordinates, related to the above virtual rows and columns. For example, to insert an "A" letter in cell 10 from the left in row number 7, the cell numbered 405, OSD component performs the operation according to the rows and columns of the screen, so that it knows which pixels it should change in order to generate the letter "A" in cell 405.

Fig. 4B illustrates a matrix 400, wherein the letter "A" 425 was inserted in cell 405 (Fig. 4.A), according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Television 200 (not shown; see Fig. 3A) receives matrix 400 representing a picture (video frame) as an ordinary picture (video frame). Television 200 does not distinguish between the processing and displaying of matrix 400 with the letter "A" and the processing and displaying of matrix 400 (shown in Fig. 4A) without this letter. The OSD component, which is located within television Interface 330 (not shown, see Fig. 3A), composites the letter "A" into matrix 400 by substituting corresponding pixels within the matrix to pixels of the letter "A'. In this manner any character, such as 'b", "-", "?", etc. can be composited inside matrix 400.

For displaying an SMS message according to the present invention, optionally and preferably the OSD component features a table of characters. Each character has its corresponding code, preferably an ASCII code for example, and so optionally characters from any language can be shown. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, any non-Latin alphabet language characters may optionally be displayed, including but not limited to, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai and so forth. Each character may optionally be drawn by pixels on television 200. According to other preferred embodiments of the present invention, other format information may also optionally be featured, including but not limited to color, character formatting such as bold, underline, italic and so forth, and/or font. This type of format information is preferably provided through the table of characters with regard to the code used. In terms of the actual display, changes to color and/or other format characteristics can optionally and preferably be implemented by software, as described for example by the STV5730A chip manufacturer. Optionally and preferably the OSD component includes at least one instruction for rendering or inserting at least a portion of the visual message to this matrix, which may optionally not use the ASCII code, for example. This also further supports the display of any non-Latin alphabet language characters.

Fig. AC is an exemplary set 450 of ROM (Read-Only Memory) based characters which may be featured with the OSD component. The set, illustrated in this figure, is delivered together with the necessary OSD component as described above, such as the 5TV5730 chip for example. The user of device 365 (Fig. 3C) can redefine the total character set 450, except for the character "0" according to an exemplary implementation with the 5TV5730 chip, as such a chip does not permit redefinition of the character "0". Other implementations with other components may optionally have additional or alternative requirements, which could easily be handled by one of ordinary skill in the art. Without wishing to be limited by a particular implementation, it should be noted that the exemplary, illustrative implementation described herein has a number of advantages. For example, device 365 (as shown in Figures 3 C and 3D) may optionally be operated as a "plug and play" device, which can be connected immediately, directly to telephone 310 and television 200 (Figure 3A). A direct connection is possible because device 365 is configured to communicate according to the appropriate telephone protocols and also according to the appropriate television display protocols, as described herein. Device 365 could also optionally be configured to operate directly and immediately with other types of display devices as described herein.

According to other optional but preferred embodiments of the present invention, device 365 can draw power directly from the PSTN and/or other telephone network as follows. Device 365 may optionally comprise a rechargeable battery that may be charged through the current provided in the telephone plug (telephone wire), such that an external power supply may not be needed. Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary display 200 of a memory list 510 on the television screen 205 (Fig. 3A), according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all incoming phone calls anchor incoming SMS messages are stored in memory 321 (Fig. 3A) and can be reviewed later by the user of device 365 (Fig. 3C). Device 365 (Fig. 3C) and/or remote control 322 (Fig. 3A) can comprise one or more buttons for displaying and managing a list of phone calls and/or SMS messages. For example, when user selects a suitable button on the remote control, TV screen 205 (Fig. 3A) optionally and preferably begins to operate in Full Page Mode and displays a list 510 of incoming phone calls comprising a telephone number 220, dates 210 of phone calls and time of the phone calls 215. The length of the above list of incoming phone calls and/or incoming SMS messages depends on a capacity of memory 321 (Fig. 3A); for example and without limitation, the list can have, for example, 20, 50 or 100 stored items. The stored phone calls and/or SMS messages can be displayed on the TV screen 205 (Fig. 3A) in parts, displaying each time a predetermined number of the phone calls and/or SMS messages, for example 5 to 10 phone calls and/or SMS messages at a time. After the entire list has been displayed, television screen 205 (Fig. 3A) can optionally and preferably automatically return to its previous state (before the memory list was displayed).

It should be noted that the user can optionally and preferably delete the entire memory list of phone calls and/or SMS messages by pressing, for example, on one or more buttons provided on device 365 (shown in Fig. 3C) and/or remote control 322 (shown in Fig. 3A). After such a selection, the question "Delete memory?" optionally and preferably appears. If for example, after appearance of such question the user makes the required selection, then the entire memory list of all phone calls and/or SMS messages is preferably deleted and a message "Memory deleted" preferably appears on television screen 205 (shown in Fig. 3A).

It should be noted that according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user can also delete a single member or a group of members within the above memory according to a similar method as described above. Fig. 6 A is an exemplary flow chart 600 of a method for receiving caller identification information and/or SMS message, and then displaying the caller identification information and/or an SMS message indicator on a television screen 205 (Fig. 3A), preferably when no DECT digital apparatus (or any other digital apparatus which is capable of receiving SMS messages) is connected to telephone line plug point 305 (Fig. 3C)₃ according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. At stage 605, device 365 (Fig. 3C) is waiting for a phone call or it is waiting for CAS signal detection indicating call waiting. If the CAS signal has been detected, device 365 at stage 610 sends an acknowledgement to a telephone services exchange, featuring a DTMF digit applied for 60+/-5ms, according to the appropriate Bellcore protocol(s). By this acknowledgement device 365 informs the above telephone services exchange that the device has appropriate equipment for receiving call waiting. Preferably, the call waiting protocol implemented is Caller ID on Call Waiting (CIDCW) of Bellcore, in which caller id information can be received regarding the second telephone call (the telephone call which is waiting for a connection to be made during call waiting) while a first telephone call is ongoing. The signalling is performed according to the "off-hook data transmission" protocol defined in Bellcore documents GR-30-CORE and SR-TSV-002476, hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. If an incoming phone call has been detected or the above call waiting acknowledgement has been sent, device 365 at stage 615 receives from the telephone services exchange a number of signals, such as a Channel Seizure signal and Mark signal preparing the device 365 for accepting caller ID information. These signals are transmitted according to one of two protocols, SDMF and MDMF. Briefly, device 365 receives a Channel Seizure signal followed by a Mark signal, indicating that a message according to the SDMF or MDMF protocols is now being received by device 365.

Then, device 365 begins to receive the message. As noted above, according to the Bellcore standard, these messages may be transmitted according to the SDMF or MDMF protocols; however, one of ordinary skill in the art could easily make any necessary adjustments for the present invention to be operative with any other data message protocol, optionally including other caller id message protocols.

As a non-limiting example, the message format of the SDMF protocol message is briefly explained. This protocol sends the message as a series of 8 bit words, each of which starts with a start bit and ends with an end bit. The message itself is organized into a header and a message body. The header features two such 8 bit words; the first word indicates the message type while the second word indicates the message length. The message length is the number of 8 bit words which are in the body of the message, apart from the checksum word, which is the last word at the end of the message. The MDMF protocol is similar, except that the message body features a plurality of parameter messages. A parameter message is similar to a message in the SDMF format, except that the header features the parameter type and the parameter length. The MDMF protocol permits various features to be included in a single message. One of ordinary skill in the art could easily adjust the process as described herein to be operative with MDMF.

Turning back to the flowchart in Figure 6 A, at stage 620, device 365 receives a message type indicating the type of message being received, such as a caller ID message or data message. According to the SDMF protocol, the message type is included in the first word of the header of the message. The following stages assume that the message type features caller ID information.

At stage 625, device 365 receives a parameter representing a number of characters (words) in the message, which is the message length. Device 365 saves this parameter as a Counter, decreasing it after each received character. Device 365 begins to receive characters (words) at stage 630, receiving the first character. Then, at stage 635, device 365 stores received character in memory 321 (Fig. 3A) and decreases the Counter value by 1, at stage 640, checking if the Counter value is equal to 0. If the Counter value is not 0, device 365 continues to receive characters until the Counter value becomes 0.

The Checksum (CSM) value from the checksum word (which is the last word of the message) is checked at stage 645. If it is correct, then all characters are organized in the order and caller's telephone number is recognized at stage 650. If the CheckSum is corrupted, then device returns to stage 605. Otherwise the caller id has been correctly determined. This stage ends the last part of the process for determining the caller id.

The next stages relate to detecting whether an SMS message has been sent, and if sent, handling the SMS message. Transmitting SMS messages through the PSTN may optionally and preferably be performed according to the ETSI standard (European

Telecommunications Standards Institute). This method actually has two variations, a user based service (UBS) and a network based service (NBS). The description provided below is of a non-limiting method for implementing the present invention according to a UBS- type method; however, the present invention could also optionally be implemented according to a NBS-type method as described in greater detail below.

At stage 660, device 365 compares the caller's telephone number to a list of one or more SMSC service numbers stored in memory; in order to determine whether the incoming phone call is an SMS message. As described above, when transmitting an SMS message through the PSTN to a terminal device, such as telephone (or device 365), the message is received by the terminal device in a process which starts in a similar manner as a voice telephone call. However, if an SMS message is being sent (rather than a voice call being initiated), the telephone number of the device initiating the telephone call is an SMSC service number, since SMS service is provided by SMSC and all SMS messages are transferred from one user to another through SMSC. If an SMSC service number is detected, at stage 675, device 365 activates (closes) relay 381 (shown in Fig. 3B). Then at stage 680, an ESTABLISH signal is sent to the telephone services exchange, informing the telephone services exchange that device 365 is ready to receive SMS content. The action of sending the ESTABLISH signal is analogous to sending an acknowledgement at stage 610. Also at stage 680, device 365 receives SMS message content according to the SMS protocol. Then, at stage 685, device 365 converts the received characters of SMS message content to characters recognizable by the OSD component, according to a conversion table; the OSD component is located within television Interface 330 (not shown; see Fig. 3 A and previous description). Once the entire SMS message has been received, the telephone call is terminated as for any other telephone call, and telephone 310 returns to being on-hook.

At stage 690, the received and converted SMS message is preferably stored in memory 321 (Fig. 3A) and at stage 695 a small envelope and/or other symbol is optionally and preferably displayed on a television screen, for example in the upper right television screen corner. The above small envelope informs the user that a new SMS message has been received, and the user may optionally view received SMS message by pressing an corresponding button on device 365 or on remote control 322 (Fig. 3A). Alternatively, the SMS message content may optionally be displayed automatically, without user intervention.

If the caller's telephone number is not an SMSC service number stored in the memory of device 365, then caller ID information, such as caller's phone number, the date and time of a phone call is preferably composited and displayed in stage 665. At stage 670, device 365 updates a memory list stored in memory 321 (see Fig. 3A) and inserts the last phone call data in the memory list. After no further rings are received, device 365 goes back to stage 605. The above telephone rings may cease if the caller stops calling or the user answers the phone call. It should be noted that instead of the small envelope any other indicator, such as an icon, picture, logo, animation, video clip can be displayed on the television screen, informing the user about the new received SMS message.

Figure 6B is an alternative exemplary flow chart 601 of a method for receiving caller identification information and/or SMS (Short Message Service) message, and then displaying the caller identification information and/or an SMS message indicator on a television screen 205 (Fig. 3A) if a DECT digital apparatus (or any other digital apparatus which is capable of receiving SMS messages) is connected to telephone line plug point 305 (Fig. 3C), according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The differences between Fig. 6B and Fig. 6 A include the following: in Figure 6B relay 381

(shown in Fig. 3B) is not activated (is not closed); and instead of stage 680 (shown in Fig. 6A), device 365 at stage 681 monitors and analyzes the data transfer over a telephone line between a DECT digital device and an SMSC, and device 365 extracts the relevant data from the telephone line. According to optional but preferred embodiments of the present invention, the above methods may optionally be adapted for other message types, such as EMS (SMS enhanced message service) and/or MMS (multimedia messaging service). EMS supports additional functionality for SMS messages, such as sending/receiving music, pictures, formatted text and sounds. MMS may optionally feature video and other types of media. These features require additional capabilities from the display device to present the message to the user. However, such messages may optionally be displayed on a television. Any other message type, including but not limited to e-mail, which may be sent through the PSTN and/or any other fixed line telephone network may optionally be displayed according to the present invention. According to other optional but preferred embodiments of the present invention, the above method for displaying SMS messages is implemented according to aNBS-type method. The NBS-type method requires implementation of transmission of SMS messages through infrastructure changes to the network itself, such that the message is transmitted independently of a telephone call. The actual implementation details would depend upon how the network infrastructure changes were implemented. One of ordinary skill in the art could easily adjust the above method according to the present invention to be suitable for operation with such an implementation, or indeed any other SMS delivery implementation over a telephone network such as the PSTN. Fig. 7 A is an exemplary flow chart 700 for optionally displaying and/or deleting a phone call memory list 510 (shown in Fig. 5A) on a television screen 205 (Fig. 3A), according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. At stage 705, device 365 (shown in Fig. 3C) is waiting for the user to press a button on the device or on remote control 322 (shown in Fig. 3C). If the button has been pressed, a short delay is optionally and preferably activated at stage 710. At stage 715, device 365 checks if the above button is still pressed. If it is still pressed, then a question "Delete memory?" optionally and preferably appears. If the button is not pressed, then at stage 720, device 365 preferably activates Full Page Mode and at stage 721, a title preferably appears on the television screen, such as "Memory List'. At stage 730 the date and time of a phone call are preferably displayed; at stage 731 a caller's phone number is preferably displayed. Then, at stage 735, device 365 optionally and preferably checks whether a predetermined number of phone numbers were already displayed, such as five telephone numbers for example. If not, device 365 goes to stage 721 in order to display caller ID information for the next telephone call stored in memory.

If the predetermined number of phone numbers was already displayed, a timer is preferably activated at stage 725, allowing the user to observe the displayed memory list for a predetermined period of time, and then the TV screen is preferably cleared, at stage 736, for displaying additional 5 rows of caller ID information. The process optionally and preferably continues until all stored callers' phone numbers are displayed and then device 365 preferably exits the Full Page Mode at stage 745. After exiting the Full Page Mode, device 365 returns to stage 705.

If the question "Delete memory?" appears (stage 755) as previously described, then a short delay is preferably activated at stage 760. If the button is still pressed (the button located on device 365 or on remote control 322) at stage 765, then device 365 preferably clears the television screen 205 (shown in Fig. 3A) at stage 770 and a message informing the user that the memory list was deleted appears on the television screen 205. Then, at stage 780 a deletion of the memory list is preferably performed. If the button already is not pressed at stage 765, then device 365 goes directly to stage 745. Fig. 7B is another exemplary flow chart 701 for displaying and/or deleting an SMS messages memory list on a television screen 205 (Fig. 3A), according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In comparison with the flow chart disclosed in Fig. 7A, Fig. 7B has the following differences. At stage 722, a small envelope is deleted and SMS sender's phone number is displayed on television screen 205. The above small envelope is intended to inform the user that a new SMS message has been received. At stage 723 the date and time of the received SMS message is displayed. Then, at stage 724, the SMS message content is displayed. At stage 725 a timer is activated, allowing the user to observe the displayed SMS message for a predetermined period of time. If a button press was detected at stage 726, then device 365 checks at stage 728 if the displayed SMS message is the last message. If the displayed SMS message is not the last message, then device 365 passes to the next SMS message at stage 729. If the displayed SMS message is the last message, then device 365 goes directly to stage 745, exiting Full Page Mode. If a button press was not detected at stage 726, then the displayed SMS message is displayed on television screen 205 until the timer counting is over, and then device 365 passes to stage 745 and after that back to stage 705.

It should be noted that according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention an indication as to whether the user answered the incoming phone call or not, is optionally and preferably stored in memory 321 (shown in Fig. 3A) and displayed in memory list 510 (shown in Fig. 5).

While some embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention can be put into practice with many modifications, variations and adaptations, and with the use of numerous equivalents or alternative solutions that are within the scope of persons skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED:

1. A system for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network, comprising: a. a video display device for displaying the visual message; and b. a visual message device comprising a telephone line interface connected to the fixed line telephone network, said visual message device processing the visual message received by said telephone line interface and formatting the visual message for display on said video display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual message comprises a SMS (short message service) message, an EMS (SMS enhanced message service) message, a MMS (multimedia messaging service) message or an e-mail message.

3. The system of claims 1 or 2, wherein the fixed line telephone network comprises the PSTN (public switched telephone network).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said video display device comprises a device capable of displaying composite video signals.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said video display device comprises a television, a computer display screen or a monitor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said video display device comprises said television, the visual message device further comprising a television interface for compositing a video signal, said video signal including at least a portion of the visual message.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said video signal also includes a television video signal, such that said at least a portion of the visual message overlays said television video signal on said television.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said video signal replaces a television video signal.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said television interface further comprises an

OSD component for compositing said video signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said OSD component substitutes corresponding pixels within a matrix, said matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of the visual message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said OSD component comprises a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, said table determining said matrix for each character, wherein the visual message is received with at least one ASCII code.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said OSD component comprises at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to said matrix.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein said television displays an indicator informing a user about the visual message and enabling said user to request display of the visual message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said indicator is selected from the group consisting of a picture; an icon; an animation; and a video clip.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein said telephone line interface further comprises a modem for communicating with the fixed line telephone network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said modem comprises at least one instruction for forwarding the visual message to at least one other device on the fixed line telephone network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said telephone line interface further comprises a relay, wherein if said relay is in a first state, said telephone line interface monitors the visual message, and if said relay is in a second state, said telephone line interface does not permit the visual message to pass.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said telephone line interface further comprises a relay for switching between the state of receiving a voice telephone call and the state of receiving a visual message.

19. The system of claim 5, wherein said visual message device further comprises a memory for storing at least one parameter of the visual message.

20. The system of claim 5, further comprising a user input.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said user input comprises a remote control.

22. The system of claim 5, wherein said telephone interface also receives caller ID information and wherein said video display device displays said caller ID information, said visual message device processing said caller ID information.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said caller ID information comprises at least one of a caller's phone number; the date of a phone call; the time of said phone call; and a caller's name.

24. The system of claim 3, further comprising a PSTN terminal for connecting to said PSTN through said telephone interface.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said PSTN terminal comprises a telephone.

26. The system of claim 6, further comprising a video apparatus for communicating with said television interface and for providing said video signal to said television.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said video apparatus is selected from the group comprising: a set-top box; a satellite receiver; a video player; a VCR player; a cable system decoder; and a DVD.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said video apparatus prepares composite video in a RF format for said television.

29. The system of claim 6, wherein said television interface device further comprises a RF interface.

30. A method for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network, comprising: detecting an incoming phone call through the fixed line telephone network; determining that said incoming telephone call comprises transmission of the visual message; receiving the visual message through the fixed line telephone network; and displaying the visual message on a composite video display device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the visual message comprises a SMS message.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said determining that said incoming telephone call comprises transmission of said SMS message comprises: receiving characters representing caller ID information; recognizing a caller's phone number; comparing said caller's phone number with an SMSC access number; if said caller's phone number is equal to said SMSC access number, then detecting transmission of said SMS message.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said composite video display device comprises a television, and wherein said receiving said SMS message comprises: converting characters in said SMS message to characters being displayable on said television.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said receiving said SMS message further comprises: storing said received SMS message together with said caller ID information.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said receiving said SMS message further comprises: compositing said received SMS message together with said caller ID information for display on said composite video display device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said compositing said received SMS message further comprises: substituting corresponding pixels within a matrix, said matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of said SMS message.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said substituting is performed according to a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, said table determining said matrix for each character, wherein said SMS message comprises at least one ASCII code.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said substituting is performed according to at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to said matrix.

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising displaying an indicator informing a user about the visual message and enabling said user to request display of said SMS message.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said indicator is selected from the group consisting of a picture; an icon; an animation; and a video clip.

41. A device for receiving a visual message through a fixed line telephone network and for enabling display on a video display device, comprising: a telephone line interface connected to the fixed line telephone network for receiving the visual message; a controller for processing the visual message received by said telephone line interface for displaying the message.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein the visual message comprises a SMS (short message service) message, an EMS (SMS enhanced message service) message, a MMS (multimedia messaging service) message or an e-mail message.

43. The device of claim 41, wherein the fixed line telephone network comprises the PSTN (public switched telephone network).

44. The device of claim 41, wherein the video display device comprises a device capable of displaying composite video signals, the device further comprising a video interface for preparing said composite video signals.

45. The device of claim 44, wherein the video display device comprises a television, a computer display screen or a monitor.

46. The device of claim 45, wherein the video display device comprises said television, wherein said video signal includes at least a portion of the visual message.

47. The device of claim 46, wherein said video signal also includes a television video signal, such that said at least a portion of the visual message overlays said television video signal on said television.

48. The device of claim 46, wherein said video signal replaces a television video signal.

49. The device of claim 44, wherein said video interface further comprises an OSD component for compositing said video signal.

50. The device of claim 49, wherein said OSD component substitutes corresponding pixels within a matrix, said matrix representing a video frame, for pixels representing at least one character of the visual message.

51. The device of claim 50, wherein said OSD component comprises a table of characters, each character having an ASCII code, said table determining said matrix for each character, wherein the visual message is received with at least one ASCII code.

52. The device of claim 50, wherein said OSD component comprises at least one instruction for rendering at least a portion of the visual message to said matrix.

53. The device of claim 41 , further comprising: a RF interface for formatting the visual message for display on the video display device.