Patent ID: 7647617

Claim:
A method for user assisted association between a television and a telephony device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a code request from a set-top box having an address; selecting a code by at least one of generating a random number, selecting from a list, hashing the set-top box address, and generating the code using a counter; identifying the set-top box address automatically; associating the code with the set-top box address; sending a code to the set-top box, for displaying the code to a user, wherein displaying further comprises instructions for transmitting the code; receiving the code from a telephony device wherein transmitting further comprises at least one of entering the code on a keypad of the telephony device and speaking the code into the telephony device; having an address associated therewith and, identifying the telephony device address; using the code, associating the address of the set-top box with the address of the telephony device, wherein identifying the set-top box address automatically further comprises at least one selected from the group of: adapting the code request from the set-top box to contain the set-top box address and adapting the identifying step for detecting the set-top box address from the code request sent by the set-top box; adapting identifying the set-top box address by a Media Access Code address of the set-top box; adapting identifying the set-top box by an Internet Protocol address assigned to the set-top box; and, adapting identifying the set-top box by a combination of the Media Access Code address of the set-top box and an Internet Protocol address assigned to the set-top box, wherein the television and the telephony device are associated by user assistance.