WO2002084988A1 - Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc) - Google Patents

Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc) Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002084988A1
WO2002084988A1 PCT/US2001/011639 US0111639W WO02084988A1 WO 2002084988 A1 WO2002084988 A1 WO 2002084988A1 US 0111639 W US0111639 W US 0111639W WO 02084988 A1 WO02084988 A1 WO 02084988A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
video
telephone
display device
call
service
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2001/011639
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Douglas Palmer
Navneeth Kannan
Paul F. Bawel
Original Assignee
General Instrument Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Instrument Corporation filed Critical General Instrument Corporation
Priority to PCT/US2001/011639 priority Critical patent/WO2002084988A1/fr
Publication of WO2002084988A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002084988A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/439—Processing of audio elementary streams
    • H04N21/4396—Processing of audio elementary streams by muting the audio signal
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M11/00—Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/414—Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
    • H04N21/4147—PVR [Personal Video Recorder]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4331—Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4333—Processing operations in response to a pause request
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H04N21/4786—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application e-mailing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H04N21/4788—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application communicating with other users, e.g. chatting
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H04N21/4882—Data services, e.g. news ticker for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/60—Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client, e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client 
    • H04N21/61—Network physical structure; Signal processing
    • H04N21/6106—Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network
    • H04N21/6118—Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/60—Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client, e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client 
    • H04N21/61—Network physical structure; Signal processing
    • H04N21/6156—Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network
    • H04N21/6168—Network physical structure; Signal processing specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/445—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for displaying additional information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H04N7/17309—Transmission or handling of upstream communications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H04N7/17309—Transmission or handling of upstream communications
    • H04N7/17336—Handling of requests in head-ends
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/60—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for the sound signals

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and system for managing multiple telephony services and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for managing telephony services delivered through ah HFC platform and for synchronizing the reception of such services with video services.
  • Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) networks are rapidly evolving to support a variety of telecommunications services in addition to traditional broadcast type video services, particular, HFC networks are being utilized for data services, including high speed Internet access. Cable network operators are expected to be providing medium to high penetration rate telephony services in the near future.
  • telecommunications services such as telephone services can be provided tlirough the use of a unit located at the side of the home or in a centralized location in the residence (or business). This unit, which forms the interface between the HFC network and the telephony Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) can be referred to as a Communications Gateway (CG).
  • CPE Customer Premises Equipment
  • the CG contains line cards which provide an interface between the HFC network and traditional telephones.
  • POTS Plain Old Telephone Service
  • the CG transmits and receives signals over the HFC network using a known protocol, for example the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) which uses a Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) as the signaling protocol for telephony applications.
  • DOCSIS Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification
  • MGCP Media Gateway Control Protocol
  • the CG can also be in communication with other CPE including PCS and set-top boxes.
  • CG unit allows the simultaneous delivery of voice, data and video services to the same subscriber.
  • One of the problems that arises with the CG is that the transmission of the different services are not synchronized, e.g, a subscriber watching TV cannot simultaneously handle telephone calls. The subscriber must choose to either ignore the telephone call or answer the telephone call and miss some portions of the TV program.
  • the present invention is directed at a method and system for managing telephony services delivered through an HFC platform and for synchronizing the reception of such services with video services.
  • HFC network platform having at least a video display device and a telephone device is disclosed.
  • the method comprises the steps of '1 (1) detecting an off-hook state of a telephone device at a network element located at or substantially near a subscriber's residence; (2) receiving at said network element a set of digits from the telephone device;
  • a method for synchronizing the delivery of video and telephone services through an HFC-based telephony service platform comprising the steps of (1) receiving a control signal indicating an incoming telephone call to a subscriber at anetwork element located substantially near the subscriber's residence and at a time when a video program is being delivered through the video display device; and (2) selectively interrupting the delivery of the video program to the video display device when the telephone call is answered, h yet another embodiment, the method further comprises the step of resuming the delivery of the video program when the telephone call ends.
  • a system in accordance with the principles of the present invention permits the subscriber to select how to handle telephone-based services transmitted/received during the delivery of video programming, e.g. receipt of a telephone call during television program viewing. These selections may be made at each event occurrence, i.e. the subscriber may pause the video program during a first call and record the program during a second call.
  • FIG. 1 is an exemplary communications system for supporting video and telephony services
  • FIG. 2 is a call flow for establishing a voice connection in a MGCP environment
  • FIG. 3 is a use case diagram of the present invention
  • FIGS. 4A illustrates an operation of the service synchronization module
  • FIG. 4B shows a list of options available to a subscriber
  • FIG. 5 is a use case diagram of the management system of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a set of menus for configuring the service synchronization.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communications system which can simultaneously handle the transmission of telephony services as well as the transmission of video and data services.
  • the system is based on the use of a Communications Gateway (CG) 150, which is in communication with a head-end 100 via the HFC network 170.
  • the head-end 100 comprises a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) 107 that directly communicates with an IP network 120.
  • CMTS Cable Modem Termination System
  • CMS Call Management System
  • PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
  • IP network 120 IP network
  • the CG 150 can communicate with a PC 133 , a set-top box (S TB) 135 and one or more telephone devices 131 which are attached to the telephone wiring inside the residence 130.
  • the STB 135 is connected to a video entertainment system comprising a video display device such as TV 137 and a VCR 139.
  • the head-end 100 can send and receive signals from fiber optic cables 108. h one embodiment, separate cables are used for the transmission of fiber optic signals to a node
  • the signals are transmitted, from node 140, over coaxial cable 141 to one or more active amplifiers 145. From active amplifiers 145, the signals are propagated down a coaxial cable 143 and are intercepted by tap 147 which routes a portion of the signal to a Communications Gateway (CG) 150 located at or near a residence 130.
  • CG Communications Gateway
  • a drop cable 149 is used to connect tap 147 to CG 150.
  • the drop cable 149 may be a coaxial cable or any other comparable means.
  • the term communications gateway refers to a device for transmitting and receiving data, voice or video signals over a HFC network such as an embedded client.
  • the CG 150 acts as an interface between the HFC network 170 and the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) located at the residence 130.
  • the CG 150 transmits and receives signals over the HFC network 170 using a particular protocol, which, in apreferred embodiment, is the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) using the Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) as the signaling protocol for telephony applications.
  • DOCSIS Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification
  • MGCP Media Gateway Control Protocol
  • FIG.2 illustrates an example of call flow for establishing a voice connection between two devices through the HFC network using the MGCP protocol. Specifically, the call flow depicts a method for providing optional services and features to a subscriber by incorporating additional steps in the process of making a voice connection. The additional steps as illustrated in FIG. 2 are a decision step and an option step which will be described hereinafter.
  • the call flow starts with a device going off hook.
  • the off-hook state of a call originating device (device 0 ) 210a is detected by an originating communication gateway (CG 0 ) 230a which then exchanges, with an originating call management system (CMS 0 ) 270a, MGCP-based messages to create a connection (CRCX) and to provide a dial-tone to the device 0 210a.
  • the CG 0 230a acknowledges the connection with a session description protocol (SDP) packet which specifies the client address at which audio data is to be received, the transport protocol, the port identifier and the audio profile.
  • SDP session description protocol
  • the audio profile defines the transmission format which can be based on G.711, G.729 or other audio transmission formats.
  • the call flow for establishing a voice call between two clients attached to a cable network is described in the "PacketCable Network Based Call Signaling Protocol Specification" which is herein incorporated by reference.
  • the CG 0 230a can start collecting the digits after a dial-tone is provided the device 0 210a.
  • the digits entered through the device 0 210a are used at a decision step as illustrated in FIG. 2 to determine which service is being requested by the user.
  • the CG 0 230a provides locally the service and if no access to the HFC network is further needed, the CG 0 230a may notify the CG 0 230a.
  • CMS 0 270a of the dropped call In the case of a service such as a telephone call, the CG 0
  • the digits collected by the CG 0 230a are notified to the CMS 0 270a, which, in return, issues a create-connection (CRCX) request to a destination communication gateway, CG T 230b via a destination CMS, CMS T 270b.
  • CRCX create-connection
  • CMS T 270b sends a combined CRCX and aNotificationRequest message to the CG T 230b instructing the destination gateway to create a connection and to ring a destination device, device ⁇ 210b.
  • the message sent by the CMS T 270b includes the SDP parameters sent by the CG 0 230a.
  • the CG T 230b sends a ringing signal to the device ⁇ 210b and presents a list of options displayed on a TV device to the user as illustrated in FIG. 2. The options provided to the user will be described hereinafter.
  • the call flow of FIG. 2 illustrates partially the signaling between the devices, the communication gateways and the CMS for establishing a voice connection.
  • FIG. 3 is a use case diagram 300 of a system for managing telephony services and for the synchronization with video services.
  • the actors of the use case diagram comprise a user 315, and a set of CPE such as a TV device 305, a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) 325, a telephone device 335 and a recorder 345, which the user 315 may utilize to interact with the system.
  • the user 315 can select and request services supported by the system through the telephone device 335 keypad, a remote control or any other device such as a keyboard connected to the system.
  • the display menu use case 310 is responsible for displaying information associated with a service requested by the user 315 and for displaying on the TV device 305 options' menus when receiving a telephone call.
  • the options' menus may be displayed in different ways such as a translucid display or a reduced display which provides to the user a non- blocking view of the current video program.
  • the user 315 may select or request a service or may choose an action to be performed to synchronize a simultaneous reception of a telephone call with a video program.
  • the system may, after receiving the digits entered by the user 315, as explained previously, determine which service is being requested by the user 315 and allow the requested service to be delivered.
  • the user 315 may enter a set of digits matching the digit map provided by the originating call management system CMS 0 270 (shown in FIG.2). In this case, a determination will be made that an outgoing call needs to be placed and a "place call" use case 350 performs the necessary signaling needed to establish a voice connection with a called party.
  • a local service such as a call log retrieval or a directory service
  • the user may enter a set of digits outside the digitmap but within a pseudo-dialing plan supported by the system.
  • a pseudo-dialing plan is supported by the system which identifies access numbers for the local services.
  • An example of a mask for the pseudo- dialing plan is "9*-XXX" wherein the prefix "9*" indicates an access to a local service and the digits "XXX" identify the local service.
  • a list of callers may be displayed on the TV device.
  • the "display telephone listing" use case 390 is responsible for displaying telephone listings when a directory service is requested by the user 315.
  • the telephone listings that can be displayed include a yellow page listing, a community listing, an emergency listing and other listings such as "favorite" listing and "last dialed" listing.
  • the emergency listing can be a downloaded listing of emergency service providers such as the police, the fire station or ambulance services.
  • the listing can also be entered manually.
  • the favorite listing can be a list of favorite telephone numbers with their associated names.
  • the present system allows the simultaneous delivery of voice, data and video services to the same subscriber through the same platform. Furthermore, the present system synchronizes the reception of both voice and video services, i.e. the reception of a telephone call during the viewing of a video service causes the video service to be temporarily routed through another device for recording and for later retrieval, or to be paused.
  • a destination communication gateway receives a request to alert a subscriber of an incoming telephone call
  • a set of options may be presented to the user to synchronize the reception of the telephone call and the video program. The options include pausing or recording the video program, or muting the audio of the video program when answering. Another option may be for the subscriber to forward the call to the voice mail.
  • the "pause program” use case 380 may pause a video program running from a VCR device 325 or a video program delivered through a Video-On-Demand (VOD) system.
  • the "record program” use case 340 records the program onto a digital NCR having a buffer or in a recording device, e.g., recorder 345.
  • the recording device may be a stand-alone device or may be incorporated in a set-top box, communication gateway (CG) or TV.
  • the buffer for recording the TV program may be segmented and pointers may be used to track the order of the segments. The use of a segmented buffer allows the user 315 to navigate through the stored TV programs to view a specific segment of the TV program.
  • the "mute TV audio" use case 320 mutes the audio of the video program when the mute option is chosen by the subscriber when receiving a telephone call.
  • the volume level of the TV audio can be automatically adjusted at a level preset by the customer, when receiving a telephone call. This volume adjustment allows the subscriber to simultaneously receive a call and watch a video program at a comfortable volume level.
  • the "resume play” use case 360 is responsible for playing back a recorded program or for resuming the delivery of the paused program.
  • a playback option maybe presented to the subscriber to manually control the start of the playback.
  • FIG.4A is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a service synchronization module of the present system.
  • the service synchronization module (which maybe part of the embedded client) receives a control signal indicating an incoming call.
  • the indication of an incoming call may be in the form of a Create_Connection and NotificationJRequest signal as described in accordance with the call flow of FIG. 2.
  • the service synchronization module sends a call alert (i.e. ringing signal) to the telephone device 131 at Alert step 410 and terminates its operation at an End step 415.
  • a call alert i.e. ringing signal
  • a second test is performed at a Configuration_File_Present step 403 to check if a configuration file describing how to synchronize the simultaneous reception of both video and telephone services is present. If the configuration file is present, a task configured in this file is performed at Perform_Configuration_Task step 430. If no configuration file is present, the service synchronization module displays a menu of options on the TV 137 at Display_Menu step 420 giving an opportunity to the subscriber to synchronize the two services being delivered to him. A list of options available to the subscriber is shown in FIG. 4B. At Receive_S election step 440, the option chosen by the subscriber is received and the task associated with it is performed at Perform_Selected_Task step 460. The operation of the service synchronization module terminates with the end step 415.
  • FIG.4B shows a list of exemplary options available to the subscriber when receiving a telephone call while watching a video program.
  • the subscriber can choose to answer a call and mute the TV audio.
  • the subscriber may answer the call and pause the video program.
  • the subscriber can choose a third option of answering the call and recording the program into a recording device.
  • a fourth option is to ignore the call by forwarding it to the subscriber voice mail.
  • FIG. 5 shows a use case diagram illustrating different features of the present system.
  • the "monitor call” use case 500 is responsible for monitoring information related to a telephone call and for displaying, through the "display call information" use case 510, the call information on the TV device 205.
  • the call information may include phone number, date/time and duration of call.
  • the call progress information can also be obtained and displayed. The call progress indicates if a call is successfully delivered or if a busy line is encountered.
  • the present system may be configured to automatically and periodically redial busy lines.
  • the "monitor call” use case 500 is also responsible for timing a call and for displaying the remaining time of a call based on a predetermined time limit.
  • the "monitor call” use case 500 monitors also the number of calls made to a specific phone number. A count of the number of calls placed to a specific number can be used by the present system to restrict the number of calls made to the same phone within a period of time.
  • the "log call information" use case 550 stores the list of callers which can be identified using the callerlD detection capability of the CG 505.
  • the callerlD information may be logged in a log file based on a predetermined filtering criterion.
  • the system may be configured to log unanswered calls. Other filtering criteria may be used as well.
  • the log file may be stored in the CG 505 or may be stored in a hard drive of the set-top box. Alternatively, a centralized approach maybe used wherein a database is maintained at the head end to store and manage the log files.
  • the "retrieve call log” use case 530 is responsible for retrieving the callers' information stored in the log file.
  • the call log can be accessed by dialing a call log retrieval service access number as described previously.
  • the "manage conference call” use case 560 is responsible for managing conference calls. Each party participating in a conference call is identified by its line number or its name as identified by the callerlD.
  • the conference call feature of the present invention can also support a video call which includes transmission of a video signal to a receiving line participating in a two-way call or in a conference call. This use case can also maintain a calendar of phone conferencing events with names, numbers and date/time.
  • the "synchronize services" use case 520 manages the simultaneous delivery of voice and video services to the user, hi accordance with the present invention, the reception of a telephone call when the user is viewing a video program causes the video program to be temporarily paused or routed through another device for recording and for later retrieval.
  • the "display call information" use case 510 displays call-related information such as callerlD, and teletext data for the hearing impaired. Other information related to a call are also displayed through this use case as mentioned earlier in accordance with the monitor call use case 500.
  • the "configure system” use case 570 provides a set of tools for configuring the system.
  • a set of menus is used to configure, for example, the service synchronization feature of the present invention. Such menus will be described hereinafter.
  • the "configure system” use case 570 is responsible for associating specific keys of the telephone device to specific functions. As an example, the combination of keys “#0" may be associated to a community listing while the combination "#1" may be associated with the yellow pages listing.
  • the "configure system” use case 570 can also define the filtering criteria for logging received calls. The various features described previously may be enabled and configured, and the phone lines may be authorized to use, the features configured through this use case.
  • FIG. 6 is a set of menus that may be used to configure the service synchronization and saved as part of the configuration file. This configuration may be used by the service synchronization module to automatically handle telephone calls received while the subscriber is watching a video program.
  • a first menu 600 presents a choice of actions that can be taken when a call indication is received or, alternatively, when the phone goes off-hook.
  • an off-hook event can trigger the VCR to pause the play.
  • the system can be set up to start recording the TV program when the phone goes off-hook.
  • the program maybe recorded onto a digital VCR which is provided with a buffer for storing the program.
  • a third action that can be configured from the first menu is the pause of a TV program. This action can be taken in the case of a Video-on-Demand (VOD) system which allows users to perform VCR-like commands (e.g. pause, fast forward and rewind) to the program, hi this case, the video program can be automatically paused when the phone goes off-hook.
  • VOD Video-on-Demand
  • a second menu 620 allows configuring the various phone lines to use the service synchronization feature of the system, hi one embodiment, a first line may be configured to trigger a specific action as permitted by the options presented in accordance with the first menu 600 while a second line may not have that feature associated with it. hi one embodiment, the system starts automatically playing the recorded or paused program after the telephone call terminates. Alternatively, the playback can start a predetermined time period after the phone returns on the on-hook condition. In another embodiment, the system waits for a manual entry (e.g. playback button hit) to start the playback.
  • the system continues recording the program even after starting to playback the program, this embodiment, the program played back is offset from the original program for a length dependent on the playback criterion set up on the third menu.
  • the present invention provides a subscriber receiving a telephone call while watching a video with a means to handle the reception of both services without missing part of the video program.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un système de gestion de services téléphoniques et de synchronisation avec des services vidéo, dans lesquels un abonné sélectionne et demande des services via un dispositif de sélection tel qu'un clavier de téléphone et un affichage vidéo (par exemple une télévision) qui affiche des informations associées au service sélectionné ou demandé. Une caractéristique de mise en silence automatique est fournie afin de mettre en silence le dispositif de télévision lorsqu'une position de décrochage est détectée. Un module de synchronisation de service interrompt temporairement la diffusion d'un programme vidéo lors de l'occurrence d'un appel téléphonique par mise en attente ou enregistrement du programme et résume la diffusion une fois l'appel téléphonique terminé.
PCT/US2001/011639 2001-04-11 2001-04-11 Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc) WO2002084988A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2001/011639 WO2002084988A1 (fr) 2001-04-11 2001-04-11 Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2001/011639 WO2002084988A1 (fr) 2001-04-11 2001-04-11 Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc)

Publications (1)

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WO2002084988A1 true WO2002084988A1 (fr) 2002-10-24

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PCT/US2001/011639 WO2002084988A1 (fr) 2001-04-11 2001-04-11 Procede et appareil de gestion et de synchronisation de services telephoniques avec des services video via un reseau hybride fibre optique-cable coaxial (hfc)

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2002084988A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012072948A1 (fr) * 2010-12-02 2012-06-07 France Telecom Interaction entre un terminal telephonique fixe d'un reseau local et des equipements relies au reseau local
WO2013003183A1 (fr) * 2011-06-30 2013-01-03 General Instrument Corporation Présentation d'alerte d'utilisateur avec informations extérieures sur dispositif électronique

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5528673A (en) * 1994-10-14 1996-06-18 Rosenthal; Richard A. Switching device for controlling power to appliances and muting audio devices in response to a telephone call
WO1997041688A1 (fr) * 1996-04-29 1997-11-06 Agostino Richard J D Procede et appareil pour commerce ou loisirs par annuaire de visioconference
US20010038690A1 (en) * 1999-12-30 2001-11-08 Douglas Palmer Method and apparatus for management and synchronization of telephony services with video services over an HFC network

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5528673A (en) * 1994-10-14 1996-06-18 Rosenthal; Richard A. Switching device for controlling power to appliances and muting audio devices in response to a telephone call
WO1997041688A1 (fr) * 1996-04-29 1997-11-06 Agostino Richard J D Procede et appareil pour commerce ou loisirs par annuaire de visioconference
US20010038690A1 (en) * 1999-12-30 2001-11-08 Douglas Palmer Method and apparatus for management and synchronization of telephony services with video services over an HFC network

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012072948A1 (fr) * 2010-12-02 2012-06-07 France Telecom Interaction entre un terminal telephonique fixe d'un reseau local et des equipements relies au reseau local
FR2968498A1 (fr) * 2010-12-02 2012-06-08 France Telecom Interaction entre un terminal telephonique fixe d'un reseau local et des equipements relies au reseau local
WO2013003183A1 (fr) * 2011-06-30 2013-01-03 General Instrument Corporation Présentation d'alerte d'utilisateur avec informations extérieures sur dispositif électronique

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