An intelligent gateway device provided at a premise (home or business) for providing and managing application services associated with use and support of a plurality of digital endpoint devices associated with the premises. The device includes a communications and processing infrastructure integrated with a peer and presence messaging based communications protocol for enabling communications between the device and an external support network and between the device and connected digital endpoint devices. A services framework at the gateway device implements the communications and processing infrastructure for enabling service management, service configuration, and authentication of user of services at the intelligent gateway. The framework provides a storage and execution environment for supporting and executing received service logic modules relating to use, management, and support of the digital endpoint devices. Thus, the gateway device provides a network-based services point of presence for a plurality of digital endpoint devices at the premises.

Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

The present invention utilizes an aggregator for searching, packaging and delivering content. The aggregator processes requests, searches, provides search results and acquires content. The aggregator, operating in a communications network, includes a request and results processing server, a search engine server coupled to the request and results processing server and a content acquisition server coupled to the request and results processing server. A request and results processing server receives a request for content, the search engine server searches for the content and the content acquisition program acquires content for delivery to the user. The request and results processing server includes a search request processor that receives information related to a user's search request and provides the information to a search results form builder that creates an electronic search request.

Video and digital multimedia aggregator

A method and an apparatus are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The virtual objects (1265) available for targeting categorized and categories are correlated to subscriber information (1210) to determine the optimum targeting of the virtual objects (1260). The virtual objects may be targeted (1220) based on individual subscriber information (1210) or on information related to a group of subscribers. When a frame of program includes a virtual object location, a default or an alternate virtual objects is displayed. The virtual object location may change over space or time. The virtual object may be interactive, and may be used to link a subscriber to a remote location, such as an Internet web site. The television terminals record which virtual objects were displayed and report this information back to the headends and the operations center. The reported information is used to generate billing for commercial advertisers and to analyze viewer watching habits.

Method and apparatus for targeting of interactive virtual objects

Among other things, a wireless device is disclosed for enabling communication with a gateway device within a user premises. The wireless device includes a wireless local area network transceiver for bidirectional wireless data communication at the premises, an interface for wired communication, a processor for converting data between the wireless and wired interfaces. The wireless device receives instructions from the gateway device via the transceiver or the interface and implements conversion and communication control functions to implement a selected one of a plurality of wireless-wired adaptations for communications flowing between the selected one of the transceiver and the interface and the other of the transceiver and the interface for communication within the user premises for application service delivered by the gateway device.

Multi-interface wireless adapter and network bridge

A gateway device for operation at a user premises to provide and manage application services provided for endpoint devices associated with the gateway device. The gateway device includes a communications client program to enable client-server communications between the gateway device and a remote communications server via the wide area network using a presence and networking message protocol. The gateway device utilizes at least one driver program with a driver communications protocol to communicate with, control, and manage associated endpoint devices. The communications client program interacts with the driver program, and the gateway device is configured to specify which associated endpoint devices, attributes and operations are exposed to the network via the communications client. The gateway device is configured to specify rules for presentation and/or notification of incoming presence and networking messages to the gateway device and the routing of those messages to the managed endpoint device through their respective drivers.

Presence Status Notification From Digital Endpoint Devices Through A Multi-Services Gateway Device At The User Premises

A method for providing integrated voice, video, and data content in an integrated service offering to one or more customer premises includes receiving television programming from a programming source, receiving data from a data network, and receiving telephone communications from a telephone network. The method further includes placing the television programming, data, and telephone communications in a common format for integrated communication over a single network infrastructure using a common communication protocol. In addition, the method includes communicating the integrated television programming, data, and telephone communications in the common format over the single network infrastructure using the common communication protocol to one or more customer premises to provide the integrated service offering.

System and method for providing integrated voice, video and data to customer premises over a single network

A method for providing integrated voice, video and data content in an integrated service offering to one or more customer premises (12) includes receiving television programming from a programming source (14), receiving data from a data network (18) and receiving telephone communications from a telephone network (16). The method further includes placing the television programming, data, and telephone communications in a common format for integrated communication over a single network infrastructure using a common communication protocol. In addition, the method includes communications in the common format over the single network infrastructure using the common communication protocol to one or more customer premises to provide the integrated service offering.

Patrick T. Robbins

Papers

System and method for providing integrated voice, video and data to customer premises over a single network

Providing voice, video and data to customers over a single network