Set-top box with interactive portal and system and method for use of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9560388-B2
Application number	US-201615074067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A set-top box with an interactive portal and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, the set-top box is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The set-top box is associated with a room and includes a housing that secures a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein in an interconnected bus architecture. The set-top box generates a guest interactive portal as well as a housekeeping interactive portal for a guest and housekeeper, respectively. Each of the portals provides relevant feedback on the condition of the room to a server associated with the hotel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for operating a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the system comprising:
a plurality of set-top boxes respectively disposed in the plurality of rooms, each set-top box programmably assigned to a respective room, each set-top box comprising:
a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein;
a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and the memory therebetween;
the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source, the source signal including a plurality of channels;
the television output configured to forward a tuned signal to a television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from the source signal at the set-top box;
the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a next room assignment from a server,
in response to a housekeeping servicing request, generate a housekeeping interactive portal including a first interactive icon relative to the clean/dirty status of the assigned room, a second interactive icon relative to maintenance of the assigned room, and the next room assignment,
forward the housekeeping interactive portal to the television via the television output, and
receive an interactive instruction relative to one of the first and second interactive requests;

the server being disposed in communication with the plurality of set-top boxes, the server being co-located at the hospitality establishment;
the server sending each of the plurality of set-top boxes the next room assignment;
the server receiving the interactive instructions relative to the first and second interactive requests;
a housekeeping schedule stored at the server, the next room assignment forming a portion of the housekeeping schedule, which is dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructions received at the server relative to the first interactive icon;
the server, based on the housekeeping schedule, sending each of the plurality of set-top boxes the next room assignment;
a maintenance schedule stored at the server, the maintenance schedule being dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructions received at the server relative to the second interactive icon and fourth interactive icon; and
the server optimizing the maintenance schedule prior to dispatching maintenance tasks,
wherein the first interactive icon is selected from the group consisting of dirty, deep clean needed, and clean,
wherein the second interactive icon is selected from the group consisting of telephone maintenance, television maintenance, light bulb maintenance, faucet maintenance, lock maintenance, clock maintenance, iron maintenance, light fixture maintenance, toilet maintenance, HVAC maintenance, refrigerator maintenance, Wi/Fi maintenance, and general maintenance, and
wherein for an occupied room, the set-top box periodically resets the second icon from dirty status to clean status.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first interactive icon further comprises a plurality of icons.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second interactive icon further comprises a plurality of icons.

4. A system for operating a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the system comprising:
a plurality of set-top boxes respectively disposed in the plurality of rooms, each set-top box programmably assigned to a respective room, each set-top box comprising:
a housing securing a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein;
a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and the memory therebetween;
the television input configured to receive a source signal from an external source, the source signal including a plurality of channels;
the television output configured to forward a tuned signal to a television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from the source signal at the set-top box; and
the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a next room assignment from a server;
in response to receiving a guest service request, generate a guest interactive portal including a first interactive icon relative to housekeeping of the assigned room and a second interactive icon relative to maintenance of the assigned room;
forward the guest interactive portal to the television via the television output; and
receive an interactive instruction relative to one of the first and second interactive requests;

the server being disposed in communication with the plurality of set-top boxes, the server being co-located at the hospitality establishment;
the server sending each of the plurality of set-top boxes the next room assignment; and
the server receiving the interactive instructions relative to the first and second interactive requests;
a housekeeping schedule stored at the server, the next room assignment forming a portion of the housekeeping schedule, which is dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructions received at the server relative to the first interactive icon;
the server, based on the housekeeping schedule, sending each of the plurality of set-top boxes the next room assignment;
a maintenance schedule stored at the server, the maintenance schedule being dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructions received at the server; and
the server optimizing the maintenance schedule prior to dispatching maintenance tasks,
wherein the first interactive icon is selected from the group consisting of dirty, deep clean needed, and clean,
wherein the second interactive icon is selected from the group consisting of telephone maintenance, television maintenance, light bulb maintenance, faucet maintenance, lock maintenance, clock maintenance, iron maintenance, light fixture maintenance, toilet maintenance, HVAC maintenance, refrigerator maintenance, Wi/Fi maintenance, and general maintenance, and
wherein for an occupied room, the set-top box periodically resets the second icon from dirty status to clean status.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 , wherein the first interactive icon is additionally selected from the group consisting of do not disturb, make up room, additional towels, fresh linens, and turn-back service.

Assignees

• Enseo Inc

Inventors

• Ogle Vanessa
• Wolfe Edward H
• Miller Thomas R

Classifications

• H04N21/25

  Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies {(maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00)} · CPC title

• H04N21/436

  Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB {or one or more peripheral devices} inside the home · CPC title

• H04N21/2143 Primary

  located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum (arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106) · CPC title

• H04N21/4131

  home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices (home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807) · CPC title

• H04N21/43615

  Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805) · CPC title