Voice over IP portable transreceiver

• US 20060126560A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Wotherspoon, Kent, Callow, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/332,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126560A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A portable transreceiver system transmitting voice communications over a data network is described. The system has a portable transreceiver (WT) mode where multiple users are connected using semi duplex communications, and a private mode in which pairs of users are connected using full duplex communications. Wireless voice enabled terminals are used by the users, and are interconnected via a network such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A system to provide voice communication over a data network, comprising:

wireless voice enabled terminals;

access points connected to the data network adapted to exchange network messages over the data network;

a transmitter component of each of the terminals adapted to exchange wireless messages with the access points over a wireless network; and

a software module executing on each of the terminals configured to provide a plurality of virtual channels, each of the virtual channels being carried over the wireless network and the data network, wherein

the software module is configured to enable reception of the voice communication and to enable transmission of the voice communication over selected virtual channels.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module is configured to enable half duplex transmission and reception on the virtual channels.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a speaker and a PTT switch of each of the terminals.

4. The system according to claim 1. wherein the software module is configured to prevent collision of transmissions on each of the virtual channels.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein transmission on an active channel is disabled when the active channel is in use.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein a user notification is generated when initiating transmission on one of the selected channels if the selected channel is in use.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module is configured to prioritize simultaneous transmissions on each of the selected channels, such that only one of the simultaneous transmissions is enabled.

8. The system according to claim 1. further providing a priority channel enabled to override transmission and reception on the plurality of virtual channels.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module is configured to initiate a peer to Deer full-duplex call with a selected one of the terminals.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the selected one of the terminals originates a voice transmission received over one of the plurality of virtual channels.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the peer to peer full duplex call overrides reception and transmission of the voice communication over the plurality of virtual channels.

12. The system according to claim 1. further comprising a memory of each of the terminals adapted to store and replay a portion of the voice communication.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module is configured to transmit redundant data packets representing the voice communication.

14. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a directory service of the data network adapted to associate names with the virtual channels.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the associated name is displayed on the terminals.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module compresses data packets representing the voice communication before transmission.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software module is configured to operate the voice enabled terminals at a reduced power level.

18. A method of transmitting voice communications between users, comprising:

establishing a half duplex connection between wireless terminals of the users over a data network;

establishing a full duplex connection between a pair of the wireless terminals over the data network;

sending the voice communications from a sender of the wireless terminals to receivers of the wireless terminals; and

reproducing the voice communications at the receivers.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

sending the voice communications as data packets.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

redundantly sending the data packets.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing a plurality of virtual channels over which to establish the half duplex connection.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising prioritizing the voice communications taking place over a selected one of the plurality of virtual channels.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising preventing the sending of the voice communications over a selected one of the virtual channels if the selected virtual channel is in use.

24. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing power management for the wireless terminals.

25. The method according to claim 18, further comprising storing the voice communications at the receivers.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the full duplex communication is established between a selected one of the receivers and the sender.

27. A portable voice enabled terminal comprising:

a transmitter section adapted for exchanging data with an access point via a wireless network, the access point being connected to a data network; and

a processor adapted to execute software instructions, the software instructions comprising;

instructions to provide a plurality of virtual channels carried over the wireless network and the data network;

instructions to generate data packets representing an outbound voice communication, and transmit the data packets over selected ones of the virtual channels; and

instructions to receive data packets over the selected ones of the virtual channels and regenerate an inbound voice communication from the data packets.

28. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, wherein the processor further comprises instructions to establish semi duplex communications over selected ones of the virtual channels.

29. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, wherein the processor further comprises instructions to establish a full duplex communication with a selected addressee.

30. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, wherein the instructions further comprise disabling transmission of the data packets over a virtual channel that is in use.

31. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, wherein the instructions further comprise transmitting the data packets redundantly.

32. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, further comprising instructions to monitor selected ones of the virtual channels for the data packets.

33. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, further comprising a digital signal processor adapted for compressing the data packets.

34. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, further comprising a dedicated push to talk button.

35. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, further comprising a memory module adapted for storing the inbound voice communication

36. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 27, further comprising a display adapted to show a user interface of the software instructions.

37. The voice enabled terminal according to claim 36, wherein the display shows an origin identification of the inbound voice transmission.