Audio quality when streaming audio to non-streaming telephony devices

• US 20040052338A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Victor S., Celi, Joseph Jr., Gavagni, Brett J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,103,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

A method of providing streaming audio to a non-streaming telephony audio interface can include receiving audio segments of a complete audio message and storing the audio segments in memory. A size of the audio segments can be determined. A callback can be registered for each of the audio segments, wherein each registered callback can be provided a timer value associated with the size of the audio segment for which the callback was registered. The complete audio message can be played when an active one of the callback timers expires.

Claims

1. A method of providing streaming audio to a non-streaming telephony audio interface comprising:

receiving audio segments of a complete audio message and storing said audio segments in memory;

determining a size of said audio segments;

starting a timer for each of said audio segments;

clearing one of said timers prior starting a new one of said timers; and

sending said complete audio message to said telephony audio interface when an active one of said timers expires.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each said timer is initialized with a timer value associated with a size of one of said audio segments for which said timer was started.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio segments are randomly sized.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each said timer is started upon receiving an associated one of said audio segments.

5. The method of claim 1, said sending step further comprising:

said expired timer initiating said sending step over a different thread of execution.

6. The method of claim 1, said sending step comprising:

sending each received audio segment of said complete audio message in a sequence in which said audio segments were received and without time delays disposed between adjacent ones of said audio segments.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

said telephony interface playing said complete audio message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said complete audio message is played without time delays disposed between adjacent ones of said audio segments.

9. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

receiving audio segments of a complete audio message and storing said audio segments in memory;

determining a size of said audio segments;

starting a timer for each of said audio segments;

clearing one of said timers prior starting a new one of said timers; and

sending said complete audio message to said telephony audio interface when an active one of said timers expires.

10. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein each said timer is initialized with a timer value associated with a size of one of said audio segments for which said timer was started.

11. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein said audio segments are randomly sized.

12. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein each said timer is started upon receiving an associated one of said audio segments.

13. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, said sending step further comprising:

said expired timer initiating said sending step over a different thread of execution.

14. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, said sending step comprising:

sending each received audio segment of said complete audio message in a sequence in which said audio segments were received and without time delays disposed between adjacent ones of said audio segments.

15. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, further comprising:

said telephony interface playing said complete audio message.

16. The machine-readable storage of claim 15, wherein said complete audio message is played without time delays disposed between adjacent ones of said audio segments.