At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Adam Klein

James Austin Britt

Lee M Chow

Stephen A Rys

Joshua J Fox

Wesley McAfee

Marc Andrew Sullivan

Charles V Scott

David R Wolter

Tara Hines

Dinesh Nadarajah

Rias Muhamed

Denis L Bagsby

James Bert Grantges

Jamie Andrew Fisher

Philip Ted Kortum

Leonardo Velazquez

James L Cansler, Jr

Nishant Jain

Mark J Yampanis

Lona Noelle Dallessandro

Sudha Gopal

Sandra C Lenhart

Nicholas Macron

David Richard

Austin Britt

Donn E Willburn, Jr

Jeffrey B Schnoebelen

Hunter Sinclair

Marcel M Soens

Donn Wilbum, Jr

John Crane

Donn E Wilburn, Jr

Yoklim Law

A communication device such as a smart phone is enabled for remotely controlling set-top boxes (STBs) over Internet protocol networks using an applet running on the communication device. Authentication from within a multimedia content distribution network may be achieved by verifying that a network identifier associated with the communication device is associated with an account that has granted access to the smart phone and that is associated with the controlled STB. A viewing pane on the communication device permits a user to remotely view content received on or available to the controlled STB.

Smart phone as remote control device

A particular method includes receiving, at a device, an identifier of a set top box. The method also includes determining, at the device, based on the identifier of the set top box, whether the set top box is capable of supporting a high-definition television service or a digital video recording service. The method further includes selectively sending a power-up event to a service provider based on determining whether the capabilities of the set top box match a pending order.

System and method of authorizing a device in a network system

A disclosed example method to manage network bandwidth allocation in a media delivery environment involves detecting insufficient bandwidth available to deliver requested media to a media receiver and presenting user-selectable options via the media receiver to allocate bandwidth to deliver the requested media to the media receiver. The example method also involves receiving a first user selection of one of the user-selectable options and implementing the selected one of the user-selectable options specifying a second user selection identifying a particular media stream to be delivered at a media quality that is lower than a higher media quality previously selected for that particular media stream.

Methods and apparatus to manage bandwidth allocations in media delivery networks

The disclosure is directed to a connection manager that includes a dialer configured to interact with a modem to provide a connection to a service provider. The connection manager includes a graphical user interface and an advice window. The graphical user interface is configured to manipulate parameters associated with the connection. The graphical user interface includes a form component. The advice window is responsive to user actions associated with the form component.

Connection manager and methods of connection management

A method of delivering event notifications includes receiving data from a network-based calendar system at a notification system. The data indicates that a notification related to a calendar-based event is to be sent to a subscriber. The method also includes receiving presence information related to the subscriber from a presence system. The presence information indicates whether the subscriber is present at one or more of a plurality of subscriber devices. The plurality of subscriber devices includes a set-top box device. Further, the method includes sending an event notification related to the calendar-based event to the set-top box device when the presence information indicates that the subscriber is present at the set-top box device.

System and method of delivering event notifications

An apparatus () and method are disclosed for managing voicemail messages. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a voicemail system () having a communications interface () and a controller () for managing operations of the communications interface. The controller is programmed to store () voicemail messages corresponding to a communication device (), transmit () a log of the voicemail messages to the communication device, and receive () from the communication device a request to delete a voicemail message selectively chosen from a user interface corresponding to the voicemail log. The present disclosure further describes embodiments for the communication device.

Method and apparatus for managing voicemail messages

In a particular embodiment, a method of authorizing use of a set top box is disclosed. The set top box is operatively coupled to a network device that has an internet protocol (IP) address associated with an account of a subscriber. The method includes blocking a service to the set top box when capabilities of the set top box do not match a pending order associated with the account.

The disclosure is generally directed to a system and method of processing a service product order. The method includes receiving a service product package defining a service product offering from a service delivery platform. The method also includes receiving an order for the service product offering from a subscriber having a subscriber account. The method further includes associating a subscriber identity with the order and providing the subscriber identity and the order to the service delivery platform. The method also includes providing provisioning data to the service delivery platform and delivering, via the service delivery platform, a video item corresponding to the service product package. The method includes communicating a billing activation event from an order management system to a billing system, the billing system to create or modify a bill corresponding to the subscriber account and providing an order completion notification to the subscriber.

System and method of processing service product orders

Systems and methods of deferred multimedia content delivery are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving a request from a first customer premises equipment (CPE) device to receive multimedia content. The method also includes selectively recording the multimedia content at a server based on a comparison of a measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device and a bandwidth threshold. The method may also include delivering the multimedia content to the first CPE device from a network when measured bandwidth is available.

System and method of deferring multimedia content delivery

Example methods and apparatus to enable 911 services to an internet protocol ('IP') communication device are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves receiving a media access control address associated with the IP communication device and a first internet protocol address associated with a gateway through which the IP communication device is obtaining network access. A second internet protocol address associated with the media access control address is then retrieved. The first internet protocol address with the second internet protocol address are then compared. When the first internet protocol address does not match the second internet protocol address, the media access control address is associated with the first internet protocol address in a database to designate a geographic location of the device.

Methods and apparatus to update geographic location information associated with internet protocol devices for E-911 emergency services

A method is disclosed that includes detecting a problem with a broadband connection at an end device and determining whether the problem can be resolved at the end device. The method also includes requesting that a data network connection device remotely connected to the end device attempt to determine a cause of the problem when the end device cannot resolve the problem. The method also includes determining whether the broadband connection is available. When the broadband connection is available, the method includes initiating a broadband data communication session via the data network connection device.

System and method for troubleshooting broadband connections

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller to request from an alternate communication device a log of subscribed content acquired by the alternate communication device from an alternate source, identify from the log a desired portion of the subscribed content, and transmit to the alternate communication device a peer-to-peer request for the desired portion of the subscribed content according to one or more available subscriptions. Additional embodiments are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Park, TX, United States of America

Adam Klein