Methods and apparatus to provide messages to television users

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455293-B2
Application number	US-201715407396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Jan 31, 2007
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide messages to consumer electronics devices are disclosed. An example method includes determining an identifier associated with a consumer electronics device from which a request has been received. The method also includes querying a database to determine first and second account identifiers associated with the identifier of the consumer electronics device. When the request is for messaging information stored with a first message provider, a first command is sent to cause the first message provider to forward the messaging information. When the request is for messaging information stored with a second message provider, a second command is sent to cause the second message provider to forward the messaging information. The messaging information received from at least one of the first message provider and the second message provider is sent to the consumer electronics device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a database;
a request receiver to receive a request from a consumer electronics device for messaging information stored with at least one of a first message provider or a second message provider, the request receiver to determine an identifier associated with the consumer electronics device, the request receiver to query the database to determine first and second account identifiers associated with the identifier of the consumer electronics device;
a message transceiver in communication with the request receiver, the message transceiver to, when the request is for the messaging information stored with the first message provider, send a first command to cause the first message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the first message account identifier, and, when the request is for the messaging information stored with the second message provider, send a second command to cause the second message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the second message account identifier; and
a message presenter to send the messaging information received from at least one of the first message provider and the second message provider to the consumer electronics device, at least one of the request receiver, the message transceiver and the message presenter implemented with hardware.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the messaging information includes at least one of a new message notification, a message list, a message, a message list summary, and a contact list.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the messaging information received from the first message provider includes a first contact list, the messaging information received from the second message provider includes a second contact list, and the message presenter is further to:
compile the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregate contact list, the sending of the message information to the consumer electronics device includes sending the aggregate contact list to the consumer electronics device via a terminal session.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the terminal session is in accordance with a remote desktop protocol.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first messaging account identifier identifies at least one of a voicemail account, a text messaging account, and an email account.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the consumer electronics device is an Internet protocol television device.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first messaging account identifier is associated with at least one of a voice over internet protocol service, a mobile phone service, or a public switched telephone network service.

8. A tangible machine readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:
determine an identifier associated with a consumer electronics device from which a request has been received, the request for messaging information stored with at least one of a first message provider or a second message provider;
query a database to determine first and second account identifiers associated with the identifier of the consumer electronics device;
when the messaging information is stored with the first message provider, send a first command to cause the first message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the first message account identifier;
when the messaging information is stored with the second message provider, send a second command to cause the second message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the second message account identifier; and
send the messaging information received from at least one of the first message provider or the second message provider to the consumer electronics device.

9. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the messaging information includes at least one of a new message notification, a message list, a message, a message list summary or a contact list.

10. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the messaging information received from the first message provider includes a first contact list, the messaging information received from the second message provider includes a second contact list, and the instructions further cause the processor to:
compile the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregate contact list, the sending of the message information to the consumer electronics device includes sending the aggregate contact list to the consumer electronics device via a terminal session.

11. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 10 , wherein the terminal session is in accordance with a remote desktop protocol.

12. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first messaging account identifier identifies at least one of a voicemail account, a text messaging account, or an email account.

13. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the consumer electronics device is an Internet protocol television device.

14. The tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first messaging account identifier is associated with at least one of a voice over internet protocol service, a mobile phone service, or a public switched telephone network service.

15. A method, comprising:
determining, by executing an instruction with a processor, an identifier associated with a consumer electronics device from which a request has been received;
querying, by executing an instruction with the processor, a database to determine first and second account identifiers associated with the identifier of the consumer electronics device;
when the request is for messaging information stored with a first message provider, sending, from the processor, a first command to cause the first message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the first message account identifier;
when the request is for messaging information stored with a second message provider, sending, from the processor, a second command to cause the second message provider to forward the messaging information associated with the second message account identifier; and
sending, from the processor, the messaging information received from at least one of the first message provider and the second message provider to the consumer electronics device.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the messaging information includes at least one of a new message notification, a message list, a message, a message list summary or a contact list.

17. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the messaging information received from the first message provider includes a first contact list, the messaging information received from the second message provider includes a second contact list; the method further including:
compiling the first contact list and the second contact list into an aggregate contact list, the sending of the message information to the consumer electronics device includes sending the aggregate contact list to the consumer electronics device via a terminal session.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the terminal session is conducted in accordance with a remote desktop protocol.

19. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the first messaging account identifier identifies at least one of a voice

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Qiu Chaoxin Charles
• Scruggs Jeffrey Lee
• Lemay John E
• Lee Jessie Tsae-Jiuan
• Cantu Diana Maria

Classifications

• H04L2012/6475

  N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN] · CPC title

• H04N21/6181

  involving transmission via a mobile phone network (arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004) · CPC title

• H04M7/063

  where the telephone network is a network other than PSTN/ISDN · CPC title

• H04N21/2356

  by altering the spatial resolution · CPC title

• H04N21/4786

  e-mailing {(message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00)} · CPC title