Enhanced error protection for high priority communication sessions

• US 10,432,355 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer Aref, Clark, Bradford R., Gilbert, Michael Travis
• Primary Examiner(s): Chase, Shelly A
• Application Number:
  US15/619,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20180359053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0057 Block codes H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0068 by puncturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Techniques for enhanced error protection for high priority communication sessions are described. Generally, the described techniques enhance error protection for high priority communication sessions, such as emergency calling, such that the high priority communication sessions are essentially error free. According to various implementations, user input to initiate a communication session over a network is received at a communication application. In response to detecting that the communication session corresponds to a high priority communication session, error protection for data of the high priority communication session is enhanced. The data may be enhanced in a variety of different ways, such as by performing forward error correction on the data. The enhanced data of the high priority communication session is then communicated over the network to an endpoint.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a communication application implemented at a client device, user input to initiate a communication session over a network;

detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session;

in response to detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session, enhancing error protection for data of the high priority communication session at an application layer between the communication application and a communication service; and

communicating the data of the high priority communication session with the enhanced error protection over the network to the communication service.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session comprises detecting that the communication session comprises an emergency call.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the communication service is running on an endpoint and the endpoint comprises an emergency dispatch network, and wherein the data comprises voice data of the emergency call communicated to the emergency dispatch network.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the enhancing comprises enhancing the error protection for data of the high priority communication session by performing forward error correction on the data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein performing forward error correction on the data comprises encoding the data of the high priority communication session with an error-correcting code that encodes the data with a maximum redundancy available for a communication channel between the communication application and the communication service.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the encoding comprises dynamically adjusting a redundancy of the error-correcting code using punctured coding.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the encoding comprises encoding the data of the high priority communication session using systematic forward error correction encoding.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein enhancing error protection for data of the high priority communication session comprises enhancing error protection for the data of the high priority communication session at a physical and link layer between the client device and a base station.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the enhancing error protection for the data of the high priority communication session at the physical and link layer comprises instructing a device driver of the client device to communicate the data of the high priority communication session to the base station using one or more modified wireless parameters.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more modified wireless parameters comprise one or more of a lowest order modulation scheme, a lowest rate of error control coding, a low frequency band, a maximum power level, or channel bonding.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically monitoring channel conditions of the network;

determining and maintaining a reliability metric indicating the current channel conditions; and

wherein the enhancing further comprises selecting an error protection enhancement level based on the reliability metric.

12. A client device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, implement a communication application, the communication application configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving user input to initiate a communication session over a network;

detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session;

in response to detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session, enhancing error protection for data of the high priority communication session at a first layer and a second layer of the network, the first layer comprising an application layer between the communication application and a communication service and the second layer comprising a physical and link layer between the client device and a base station; and

communicating the enhanced data of the high priority communication session to the communication service.

13. The client device of claim 12, wherein the detecting that the communication session comprises a high priority communication session comprises detecting that the communication session comprises an emergency call.

14. The client device of claim 13, wherein the communication service is running on an endpoint, and the endpoint comprises an emergency dispatch network, and wherein the data comprises voice data of the emergency call communicated to the emergency dispatch network.

15. The client device of claim 12, wherein the enhancing comprises enhancing the error protection for data of the high priority communication session by performing systematic forward error correction on the data.

16. The client device of claim 15, wherein performing systematic forward error correction on the data comprises encoding the data of the high priority communication session with an error-correcting code that encodes the data with a maximum redundancy available for a communication channel between the communication application and the communication service.

17. The client device of claim 12, wherein the enhancing error protection for the data of the high priority communication session at the physical and link layer comprises instructing a device driver of the client device to communicate the data of the high priority communication session to the base station using one or more modified wireless parameters.

18. The client device of claim 17, wherein the one or more modified wireless parameters comprise one or more of a lowest order modulation scheme, a lowest rate of error control coding, a low frequency band, a maximum power level, or channel bonding.