Communication between user agents through employment of codec format unsupported by one of the user agents

• US 20040095958A1
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Xie, Hong, Ejzak, Richard Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,443,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/16 Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices

Abstract

An apparatus in one example comprises one or more network controllers that serve to allow a second user agent to communicate with a first user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network controllers that serve to allow a second user agent to communicate with a first user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more first codec formats unsupported by the first user agent comprise the codec format unsupported by the first user agent, wherein one or more of the one or more network controllers comprise a first list of one or more second codec formats supported by the first user agent, wherein the one or more network controllers support one or more third codec formats that comprise the one or more first codec formats unsupported by the first user agent and one or more of the one or more second codec formats supported by the first user agent;

wherein second user agent comprises a second list of the one or more third codec formats supported by the one or more network controllers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein to initiate communication with the first user agent the second user agent employs the second list of the one or more third codec formats supported by the one or more network controllers to select the codec format of the one or more first codec formats unsupported by the first user agent;

wherein the second user agent sends an indication of selection of the codec format to one or more of the one or more network controllers.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising one or more translator components, wherein to communicatively couple the second user agent to the first user agent one or more of the one or more network controllers employ one or more of the one or more translator components to convert one or more media packets in the codec format as selected by the second user agent to one or more media packets in a codec format of the one or more second codec formats supported by the first user agent.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more network controllers promote a decrease in a number of the one or more translator components employed by the one or more of the one or more network controllers to communicatively couple the second user agent to the first user agent.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein to communicatively couple the second user agent to the first user agent the one or more of the one or more network controllers employ one or more of the one or more translator components that serve to promote an increase in voice quality of a communication between the second user agent and the first user agent.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a translator component, wherein one or more of the one or more network controllers employ the translator component to convert one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to one or more media packets in a codec format supported by the first user agent.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise a first network controller and a second network controller, wherein the second user agent sends a signaling message to the second network controller;

wherein based on the signaling message the second network controller employs the translator component to convert a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets in a codec format supported by the first user agent.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise a first network controller and a second network controller, wherein the second user agent sends a signaling message to the second network controller;

wherein based on the signaling message the second network controller sends a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the first network controller;

wherein the first network controller employs the translator component to convert the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packet in the codec format supported by the first user agent.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise a first network controller and a second network controller, wherein the second user agent sends a signaling message to the second network controller, wherein the signaling message includes an indication of the codec format selected by the second user agent;

wherein the second network controller employs one or more characteristics of the signaling message to determine whether to;

employ the translator component to convert a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format supported by the first user agent;

or

send a subsequent signaling message comprising an indication of the one or more media packet in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the first network controller;

wherein if the second network controller sends the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the first network controller then the first network controller employs the one or more characteristics of the signaling message to determine whether to;

employ the translator component to convert the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packet in the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets in the codec format supported by the first user agent;

or

send the subsequent signaling message to the first user agent.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more characteristics of the signaling message comprise the codec format unsupported by the first user agent for the subsequent media packet;

wherein upon determination by the second network controller that the codec format unsupported by the first user agent employs fewer bits to represent the media packet than the codec format supported by the first user agent the second network controller sends the subsequent signaling message to the first network controller for employment of the translator component by the second network controller.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise one or more session initiation protocol back to back user agents.

13. A method, comprising the step of:

allowing through one or more network controllers a second user agent to communicate with a first user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of allowing through the one or more network controllers the second user agent to communicate with the first user agent through employment of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent comprises the steps of:

generating a list of one or more codec formats supported by the first user agent;

appending the list with one or more codec formats supported by the one or more network controllers that are unsupported by the first user agent; and

employing the list to select a codec format unsupported by the first user agent for communication by the second user agent.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of generating the list of one or more codec formats supported by the first user agent comprises the steps of:

arranging an order for the one or more codec formats supported by the first user agent in the list from highest voice quality to lowest voice quality; and

sending the list from the first user agent to one or more of the one or more network controllers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of employing the list to select the codec format unsupported by the first user agent for communication by the second user agent comprises the steps of:

selecting by the second user agent the codec format from the list of the one or more codec formats supported by the one or more network controllers that are unsupported by the first user agent; and

sending an indication of the codec format selected by the second user agent from the second user agent to one or more of the one or more network controllers.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of allowing through the one or more network controllers the second user agent to communicate with the first user agent through employment of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent comprises the step of:

translating by one or more of the one or more network controllers one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to one or more media packets of a codec format that is supported by the first user agent.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise first and second network controllers, wherein the step of translating by the one or more of the one or more network controllers the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent comprises the steps of:

sending a signaling message from the second user agent to the second network controller;

sending the signaling message from the second network controller to the first network controller; and

translating by the first network controller a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise first and second network controllers, wherein the step of translating by the one or more of the one or more network controllers the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent comprises the steps of:

evaluating by the second network controller one or more characteristics of a signaling message; and

determining based on the one or more characteristics by the second network controller whether to allocate a gateway that serves to translate a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packet of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent or to send the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the first network controller to be translated to the media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more characteristics of the signaling message comprise the codec format of the subsequent media packet, wherein the step of evaluating by the second network controller the one or more characteristics of the signaling message comprises the steps of:

comparing a first number of bits used to represent the subsequent media packet of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent and a second number of bits used to represent the media packet of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent;

determining to translate by the second network controller the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent if the first number is greater than the second number; and

determining to ignore the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more network controllers comprise first and second network controllers, wherein the step of translating by the one or more of the one or more network controllers the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent comprises the steps of:

evaluating by the second network controller a traffic level or available resources of a network carrying the one or more media packets; and

determining based on the traffic level or the available resources of the network by the second network controller whether to;

allocate a gateway that serves to translate a subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent to a media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format that is supported by the first user agent, or

ignore the subsequent media packet of the one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

22. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

allowing through one or more of the one or more network controllers the first user agent to communicate with the second user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the second user agent.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of allowing through the one or more of the one or more network controllers the first user agent to communicate with the second user agent through employment of the codec format unsupported by the second user agent comprises the step of:

translating by one or more of the one or more network controllers one or more media packets of the codec format unsupported by the second user agent to one or more media packets of a codec format that is supported by the second user agent.

24. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media; and

means in the one or more media for allowing through one or more network controllers a second user agent to communicate with a first user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the first user agent.