Communications terminal, a system and a method for internet/network telephony

• US 20040132407A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Patents, LLC
• Original Assignee: Nextlink Patent AB
• Inventors: Hein-Magnussen, Jon, kuhlmann, Peer, Stenfeldt Hamsen, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 7,187,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• 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 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 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

This invention relates to an electronic portable communications terminal for Internet telephony and comprising audio means adapted to reproduce sound on the basis of a first electrical signal and to record sound resulting in a second electrical signal, converting means adapted to convert said second electrical signal into transmission data, representing sound for transmission, in a suitable data format and to convert received data, representing received sound, in said suitable data format into said first electrical signal, and communications means for wireless near field communication of said received and transmission data with a connecting unit adapted to establish a connection to a network and/or the Internet, said terminal additionally comprising protocol means adapted to handle/control communication of said received and transmission data in accordance with a TCP/IP protocol in connection with said wireless near field communication. This provides a communications terminal which enables a network and/or the Internet for the transfer of digitized speech, sounds, etc., thereby achieving great economic savings. Also, the flexibility is increased with respect to wireless communication/coupling with the network and/or the Internet without any need for specialized equipment and functionality. The invention moreover relates to a system and a method for Internet telephony as well as to a computer-readable medium having a program for causing a computer to perform the method.

Claims

1. An electronic portable communications terminal (100;

200;

200′

;

400;

500) for Internet/network telephony comprising

audio means (101) adapted to reproduce sound on the basis of a first electrical signal and to record sound resulting in a second electrical signal,

converting means (102) adapted to convert said second electrical signal into transmission data, representing sound for transmission, in a suitable data format, and to convert received data, representing received sound, in said suitable data format into said first electrical signal, and

protocol means (103) connected to said converting means (102) and adapted to handle and control communication of said received and transmission data in accordance with a standardized Internet/network protocol thereby embedding and extracting said transmission and received data, respectively, in/from a first data packet format according to said standardized Internet/network protocol,

characterized in that said terminal further comprises

wireless near field communications means (104) connected to said protocol means (103) and receiving/sending said received and transmission data in said first data packet format from/to said protocol means (103), the near field communications means (104) being adapted to embed said transmission data in said first data format received from said protocol means (103) in a wireless second data format and to extract said received data in said first data format from said wireless second data format, the wireless near field communications means (104) being further adapted to wireless near field communication of said received and/or transmission data embedded in said wireless second data format with a connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230) adapted to communicate in said wireless second data format and to establish a connection to a network and/or the Internet (220) according to said standardized Internet/network protocol.

2. A terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that said standardized Internet/network protocol is the TCP/IP protocol, said terminal is adapted to communicate additional information and/or data with said connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230), and that said additional information and/or data comprises one or more of;

an IP address of a communication receiver (200′

;

202′

),

an IP address of said terminal (100;

200′

;

200;

400;

500),

an IP address of at least one connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230;

240),

an IP address of a service server (210),

TCP/IP packets.

3. A terminal according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said terminal is adapted to communicate additional information and/or data with said connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230), and that said additional information and/or data comprises one or more of;

speech mails,

commercials,

music,

stock exchange and financial news,

chat-lines,

chat-rooms,

telephone meetings.

4. A terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that said terminal is adapted to establish a connection to a service server (210) on said network and/or the Internet (220) via said connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230), so that information concerning a desired communication receiver (100;

200′

;

202′

;

241;

400;

500) may be transferred to the server (210), said server (210) being adapted to pass on information concerning the IP address of the desired communication receiver (100;

200′

;

202′

;

241;

400;

500) and/or to establish a direct connection between the desired communication receiver (100;

200′

;

202′

;

241;

400;

500) and said terminal (100;

200;

200′

;

400;

500).

5. A terminal according to claims 1-4, characterized in that said terminal additionally comprises speech recognition means (105) adapted to analyze and interpret said sound for recording and/or said transmission data to identify one or more commands.

6. A terminal according to claims 1-5, characterized in that said near field communications means (104) for near field communication are adapted to communicate in the form of one or more of:

an radio-frequency (RF) communications protocol,

the Bluetooth wireless near field communications protocol,

an infrared communications protocol, or

another wireless communications protocol.

7. A terminal according to claims 1-6, characterized in that said suitable data format is a compressed data format.

8. A terminal according to claims 1-7, characterized in that said terminal is an ear telephone (400) which comprises means for capturing sound for said recording via the cheek-bone and the soft tissue in the auditory canal of a user.

9. A terminal according to claims 1-8, characterized in that said terminal is a headset (500) comprising

a housing (502) comprising the converting means (102), the wireless near field communication means (104), and the protocol means (103),

an earpiece (503) secured to the housing (502) comprising means for reproducing sound on the basis of the first electrical signal,

a brace (504) secured to the housing (502) at one end and with a sound capturing unit (505) for capturing sound for transmission in the form of a second electrical signal located at the other end of the brace (504).

10. A system for Internet/network telephony, characterized in that the system comprises

a portable communications terminal (100;

200;

200′

;

400;

500) according to any one of claims 1-9,

a connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230) connected to a wireless near field communications module (203, 203′

) adapted to communicate in a wireless second data format, the connecting unit adapted to establish a connection to a network and/or the Internet (220),

a service server (210) connected to the Internet and/or a network, said server (210) comprising one or more databases comprising information related to potential desired communication receivers (100;

200′

;

202′

;

400;

500) and/or transmitters (100;

200;

202;

400;

500), said server (210) being adapted to pass on information concerning the IP address of a desired communication receiver (100;

200′

;

202′

;

400;

500) and/or establish a direct connection between the desired communication receiver (100;

200′

;

202′

;

400;

500) and a communication transmitter (100;

200;

202;

400;

500), wherein said terminal (100;

200;

200′

;

400;

500) is adapted to act as a communication transmitter or as a communication receiver within the system.

11. A system according to claim 10, characterized in that said system additionally comprises speech recognition means adapted to analyze and interpret data representing sound to identify one or more commands.

13. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that said standardized Internet/network protocol is the TCP/IP protocol, said method communicates additional information and/or data with said connecting unit, and that said additional information and/or data comprises one or more of:

an IP address of a communication receiver (200′

;

202′

),

an IP address of said terminal (100;

200′

;

200;

400;

500),

an IP address of at least one connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230;

240),

an IP address of a service server (210),

TCP/IP packets.

12. A method for Internet/network telephony comprising the steps of

reproducing sound on the basis of a first electrical signal and recording sound resulting in a second electrical signal, by audio means (101),

converting said second electrical signal into transmission data, representing sound for transmission, in a suitable data format, and converting received data, representing received sound, in said suitable data format into said first electrical signal, by converting means (102), and

handling/controlling communication of said received and transmission data in accordance with a standardized Internet/network protocol and embedding and extracting said transmission and received data, respectively, in/from a first data packet format according to said standardized Internet/network protocol, by protocol means (103),

characterized in that said method further comprises the steps of

receiving/sending, by wireless near field communication means (104), of said received and/or transmission data in said first data packet format from/to said protocol means (103), embedding said transmission data in said first data format received from said protocol means (103) in a wireless second data format and extracting said received data in said first data format from said wireless second format,

communicating, by said wireless near field communication means (104) of said received and/or transmission data embedded in said wireless second data format with a connecting unit (202;

202′

;

230) adapted to communicate in said wireless second data format and to establish a connection to a network and/or the Internet according to said standardized Internet/network protocol.

14. A method according to claims 12-13, characterized in that said method communicates additional information and/or data with said connecting unit, and that said additional information and/or data comprises one or more of:

speech mails,

commercials,

music,

stock exchange and financial news,

chat-lines,

chat-rooms,

telephone meetings.

15. A method according to claims 12-14, characterized in that said method establishes a connection to a service server (210) on said network and/or the Internet (220) via said connecting unit, so that information concerning a desired communication receiver may be transferred to the server, said server being adapted to pass on information concerning the IP address of the desired communication receiver and/or to establish a direct connection between the desired communication receiver and said terminal.

16. A method according to claims 12-15, characterized in that said method additionally comprises speech recognition for analysis and interpretation of said sound for recording and/or said transmission data to identify one or more commands.

17. A method according to claims 12-16, characterized in that said communications means for near field communication communicate in the form of one or more of:

an radio frequency (RF) communications protocol,

the Bluetooth wireless near field communications protocol,

an infrared communications protocol, or

another wireless communications protocol.

18. A method according to claims 12-17, characterized in that said suitable data format is a compressed date format.

19. A method according to claims 12-18, characterized in that said method is used in an ear telephone which comprises means for capturing sound for said recording via the cheek-bone and the soft tissue in the auditory canal of a user.

20. A method according to claims 12-18, characterized in that said method is used in a headset comprising

a housing comprising converting means, wireless near field communication means, and protocol means,

an earpiece secured to the housing comprising means for reproducing sound on the basis of the first electrical signal,

a brace secured to the housing at one end and with a sound capturing unit for capturing sound for transmission in the form of a second electrical signal located at the other end of the brace.

21. A computer-readable medium comprising a program written thereon, wherein the program, when being executed, causes one or more computers or CPUs to perform the method according to claims 12-20.