Dynamic real-time quality management of packetized communications in a network environment
First Claim
1. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network interface, comprising:
- a network interface that communicates with at least one VoIP terminal within a network to service packetized communications;
a backbone network interface communicatively coupled to the network interface to service the packetized communications;
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the network interface and to the backbone network interface;
whereby the processing unit determines a communication signature for each of the packetized communications; and
whereby the processing unit determines, based upon a corresponding communication signature, whether a packetized communication is a real-time communication.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a dynamic real-time quality management of packetized communications in a network environment. Packetized communications are monitored by and exchanged between wireless Access Points (APs) and wireless terminals or by quality monitoring modules located within network segments or at network vertices. The processing unit analyzes the packetized communications to identify communication signatures associated with the packetized communications. The processor then uses these signatures to identify network impediments to the exchange of the packetized communications. These impediments may take the form of coding problems in which case an appropriate coding scheme is employed by the programmable COder/DECoder (CODEC) to convert incoming packetized communications to incoming user communications, and outgoing user communications to outgoing packetized communications. These impediments may also take the form of communication problems along and between the various network segments. In these cases, the processor may choose a more appropriate communication pathway with which to route the packetized communications.
-
Citations
48 Claims
-
1. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network interface, comprising:
-
a network interface that communicates with at least one VoIP terminal within a network to service packetized communications;
a backbone network interface communicatively coupled to the network interface to service the packetized communications;
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the network interface and to the backbone network interface;
whereby the processing unit determines a communication signature for each of the packetized communications; and
whereby the processing unit determines, based upon a corresponding communication signature, whether a packetized communication is a real-time communication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP), comprising:
-
a wireless interface that communicates with a plurality of wireless terminals on the WLAN to service a plurality of packetized communications;
a WLAN backbone network interface communicatively coupled to the wireless interface to service the plurality of packetized communications;
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the wireless interface and to the WLAN backbone network interface;
whereby the processing unit determines a communication signature for each of the plurality of packetized communications; and
whereby the processing unit determines, based upon at least one communication signature, that one of the packetized communications is being affected by a network impediment. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A method of servicing real-time communications from a servicing Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP), comprising:
-
receiving outgoing user communications at the AP from a wireless terminal;
receiving incoming user communications at the AP for the wireless terminal from a WLAN backbone network interfaced with the AP;
selecting an initial coding scheme from a plurality of supported coding schemes with a programmable COder/DECoder (CODEC);
converting incoming user communications from packetized communications and outgoing user communications to packetized communications according to the selected coding scheme; and
exchanging packetized communications between the servicing AP and the WLAN terminal at a communication quality level;
exchanging packetized communications between the servicing AP and the WLAN backbone network at the communication quality level;
monitoring the communication quality level between the servicing AP and the WLAN terminal to determine the communication quality level delivered between the AP and WLAN terminal; and
revising the selected coding scheme from the plurality of supported coding schemes based upon the communication quality level delivered between the AP and WLAN terminal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP), comprising:
-
a wireless interface that communicates with a plurality of wireless terminals of the WLAN to service a plurality of packetized communications;
a WLAN backbone network interface communicatively coupled to the wireless interface to service the plurality of packetized communications;
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the wireless interface and to the WLAN backbone network interface;
whereby the processing unit determines a communication signature for each of the plurality of packetized communications; and
whereby the processing unit determines, based upon a corresponding communication signature, whether a packetized communication is a real-time communication. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
-
Specification