Methods and apparatus for enhancing wireless data network telephony, including quality of service monitoring and control

• US 20020015398A1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 6,795,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/287 Remote access server, e.g. BRAS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for wireless communication comprises an architecture of routers connected to a network and having connected transceivers for wireless transmission and reception of data, and a plurality of hand-held communicators adapted for users to communicate with the network through the routers. The system is adapted to provide wireless Data Network Telephony (DNT), and the hand-held communicators execute Quality of Service (QoS) code adapted to prioritize DNT packet code over all non-DNT traffic, thereby preserving the real-time nature of the DNT code.

Claims

1. A data network telephony (DNT) system, comprising:

a base station connected to a DNT-capable data network and to a wireless transceiver and adapted to operate the transceiver by a two-way, narrow-band, multiple-channel, real-time duplex radio protocol, and to process DNT calls on the DNT-capable data network and to broadcast and receive the DNT calls to and from the plurality of communicator units via the transceiver as DNT data packets; and

a plurality of portable computer-enhanced communicator units, including microphone and speaker apparatus, each adapted to communicate with the base station by the two-way real-time radio protocol and to process DNT calls;

wherein the portable, computer-enhanced communicator units are adapted to prioritize DNT data over other data when transmitting on the wireless network, such that DNT data always is processed before non-DNT data.

2. The DNT system of claim 1 wherein the DNT-capable data network is a local area network (LAN).

3. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the communicator units is equipped with Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) adapted for recognizing human speech, and wherein audio data for DNT calls is processed by the DSPs, allowing substantially only human speech to be prepared as DNT packets for transmission.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the communicator units is equipped with noise cancellation microphone and speaker apparatus adapted for creating a noise reduction zone in the region of a principle speech input microphone.

5. In a system providing wireless communication between a portable communication unit and a base station over a dedicated channel, wherein the portable device is adapted for Data Network Telephony (DNT), a method for enhancing quality of DNT calls, comprising steps of:

(a) monitoring all outgoing wireless traffic at the portable communication unit;

(b) recognizing DNT data as opposed to non-DNT data; and

(c) transmitting DNT data always with preference over non-DNT data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the portable communication unit comprises a CPU and a memory, and the method is provided by the CPU executing a Quality of Service (QoS) algorithm stored in the memory.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the method is provided by the CPU executing Quality of Service (QoS) code provided as a portion of an operating system (OS).