Method and apparatus for internet co-browsing over cable television and controlled through computer telephony
US6425131B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 23, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2207/14
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A novel mechanism is disclosed by which a sender can direct information such as an audiovisual signal to a particular recipient's audiovisual display device, such as a cable television set and, thereby, share information between the sender and the recipient. In one embodiment of the invention, a calling party originates a telephone call and associates that telephone call with audio-visual information that exists on the caller's personal computer or on an Internet server. The called party answers the call, and can tune an associated cable television to the appropriate channel in order to view the audio-visual information. The caller can modify the audio-visual information during the call. Accordingly, the current invention ties together the telephone, cable, and IP networks in a manner that does not require large investments from cable or telephone service providers. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a called party, such as a representative at a customer service center or an interactive voice response unit, can associate audio-visual information with the call such that the calling party can see the data on the appropriate television channel. In another embodiment, the t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.