Transmission of voice over a network

• US 20050152341A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Curcio, Igor, Jokimies, Matti
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A terminal, system and a method for transmitting voice from the terminal to at least one other terminal over a network. Voice is transmitted in first packets, and control information is transmitted in second packets. A bearer service is reserved from the network for transmission of the first and the second packets. In the terminal, voice activity is detected to determine whether there is voice or silence, wherein detected silence is used for transmitting at least one of the second packets.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising a transmitter for transmitting voice from the terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, a voice activity detector for detecting voice or silence period, wherein the terminal further comprising a scheduler for initiating the transmission of at least one of said second packets during detected silence period.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scheduler being arranged to initiate the transmission of at least one of said second packets in the beginning of detected silence period.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the scheduler being arranged to re-schedule the transmission time of another packet of said second packets on the basis of the transmission time of the second packet which was transmitted during the detected silence period.

4. A terminal comprising a transmitter for transmitting voice from the terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, and means for limiting the size of the second packets.

5. The terminal according to claim 4, said first packets having a certain size, and said second packets having a certain set of allowable sizes, wherein the size of the second packets is limited to a minimum multiple of the size of the first packets which equals to one allowable size in said set of allowable sizes of the second packets.

6. A terminal comprising a transmitter for transmitting voice from the terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, and means for determining a desired maximum size for said second packets to be used in connection with the voice transmission.

7. The terminal according to claim 6 comprising means for transmitting said maximum size of the second packets to said at least one other terminal.

8. A system comprising at least one network for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, the network comprising a bearer service for transmission of said first and said second packets, the terminal comprising a voice activity detector for detecting voice or silence period, wherein the terminal further comprising a scheduler for initiating the transmission of at least one of said second packets during detected silence period.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the scheduler being arranged to initiate the transmission of at least one of said second packets in the beginning of detected silence period.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the transmission time of a next packet of said second packets is arranged to be re-scheduled on the basis of the transmission time of the second packet which was transmitted during the detected silence period.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein Voice over IP protocol is arranged to be used in the voice transmission.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein said first packets are RTP packets, and said second packets are RTCP packets.

13. The system according to claim 12 comprising means for forming one PDP context for transmission of both said first packets and said second packets.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein a bandwidth is available for the voice transmission, the system comprising means for reserving required PDP context bandwidth for transmission of said first packets, wherein said second packets is arranged to be transmitted using the remainder of the available bandwidth.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein a bandwidth is available for the voice transmission, the system comprising means for reserving required PDP context bandwidth for transmission of said first packets, and for reserving required PDP context bandwidth for transmission of said second packets.

16. A system comprising at least one network for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the system terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice in real-time, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, and means for limiting the size of the second packets.

17. The system according to claim 16, said first packets having a certain size, and said second packets having a certain set of allowable sizes, wherein the size of the second packets is limited to a minimum multiple of the size of the first packets which equals to one allowable size in said set of allowable sizes of the second packets.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein Voice over IP protocol is arranged to be used in the voice transmission.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein said first packets are RTP packets, and said second packets are RTCP packets.

20. The system according to claim 19 comprising means for forming one PDP context for transmission of both said first packets and said second packets.

21. A system comprising at least one network for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the system terminal comprising means for forming first packets for transmitting voice in real-time, means for forming second packets for transmitting control information, and means for determining a desired maximum size for said second packets to be used in connection with the voice transmission.

22. The system according to claim 21 comprising means for transmitting said maximum size of the second packets to said at least one other terminal.

23. A method for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the method comprising transmitting voice in first packets, transmitting control information in second packets, reserving a bearer service from the network for transmission of said first and said second packets, detecting in the terminal voice activity to determine whether there is voice or silence, wherein the method further comprising using detected silence for transmitting at least one of said second packets.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising limiting the size of the second packets.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein Voice over IP protocol is used in the voice transmission.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein said first packets are RTP packets, and said second packets are RTCP packets.

27. A method for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the method comprising transmitting voice in first packets, said first packets having a certain size, and said second packets having a certain set of allowable sizes, wherein the size of the second packets is limited to a minimum multiple of the size of the first packets which equals to one size in said set of allowable sizes of the second packets.

28. A method for transmitting voice from a terminal to at least one other terminal over a network, the method comprising transmitting voice in first packets, including determining a desired maximum size of said second packets to be used in connection with the voice transmission, and informing the maximum size of the second packets to said at least one other terminal.