Bellsouth Corporation

At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation

Swxtch the Rules, LLC

Other

Wayne R Howe

Fred Thomas Danner, Iii

John R Mauney

Dale W Malik

Jerome W Schull

Larry Woodring

Peter N Hill

Jerry C Shih

Kim Bailey

Ed Silver

Cathy Addison

Kitty Morel

A method includes receiving an indicator from a service provider via a network. The indicator is received with first media content and includes data to cause a selectable image to be displayed with the first media content. The selectable image indicates an availability of second media content that is different than the first media content. The method includes, in response to receipt of the indicator, displaying the selectable image with the first media content at a display device. The method further includes, in response to receiving a removal message before receiving an input indicating a selection of the selectable image, removing the selectable image from display at the display device.

System and method for providing media content and interactive content

A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network. When the session is terminated, the set top box re-tunes the television signal to the original program channel.

System and method for providing television services

A system and method are described for synchronizing store-and-forward networks and for scheduling and transmitting continuous, periodic, predictable, time-sensitive, or urgent information such as real-time and high-priority messages over those networks. This enables packet-, cell-, and/or frame-based networks to thereby efficiently switch voice, video, streaming, and other real-time or high-priority data at the layer one or physical level, thus ensuring that the delivery of selected information can be made fast, on-time, immediate, non-blocked, non-congested, loss-less, jitter-free, and have guaranteed delivery, and guaranteed quality of service.

Layer one switching in a packet, cell, or frame-based network

A method and apparatus for allowing a communication from a calling party (120) to a called party (130) to be monitored by a monitoring party (140) and/or recorded (180, 190). Upon receipt of a communication, the service node (180) of the system reads identification information associated with the communication and establishes a bridge for the communication between the calling party (120) and the called party (130), and establishes a bridge from the communication to a monitoring party (140) and/or to a recorder ( 180, 190) in accordance with the identification information. In response to receiving an indication from the monitoring party (140) to tear down the bridge, the system tears down the bridge. However, the communication remains connected between the calling (120) and called (130) parties. Neither the calling party (120) nor the called party (130) are aware of the monitoring or of the recording of the communication or of the discontinuation of the monitoring.

Method and apparatus for communications monitoring

A telephone system which offers a voice message service and which enables visual indication of waiting messages at subscriber locations using suppressed ringing connections through the switching network of the system and in which acknowledgement signals are provided to the system by the subscriber locations.

Visual message waiting indication in a telephone voice message system

A communications monitoring and control system including methods and apparatus for processing a communication directed to a called party. Upon receipt of a communication, the system determines the location of the called party from a changeable list including locations selectively provided by the called party. The communication may be accepted, rejected or monitored by the called party at the locations provided. If rejected, the communication is routed to a message service. If monitored, the communication is routed to a message service, and a one-way connection from the communication to the called party is established. The calling party is unaware of the connection. The called party may discontinue monitoring or connect to the communication at any time during the communication.

Communications monitoring and control system

A telephone system which offers a voice message service and which enables visual indication of waiting messages at subscriber locations using suppressed ringing connections through the switching network of the system.

Growing community of inventors

Dublin, OH, United States of America

Wayne R Howe