Enhanced features in an advanced voice services (AVS) framework for wireless communications systems

• US 20060234687A1
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boray, Giridhar K., Patel, Krishnakant M., Vempati, Brahmananda R., Lawler, Bruce D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,813,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.200
• 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 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A real-time exchange (RTX) interfaces to a wireless communications system to provide enhanced features for advanced voice services (AVS), which include location-based information, voice portal integration, push ring tones and voice message screening.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing enhanced features for advanced voice services in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless communications network for making calls to and from mobile units, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile units across bearer paths in the wireless communications network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to the wireless communications network to provide advanced voice services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile units that use the advanced voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced voice services for the mobile units; and

wherein the enhanced features comprise location-based services (LBS) for enhancing the calls to and from the mobile units.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location-based services utilize knowledge of position information of a mobile unit to provide localized and contextual information for group communications.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the localized and contextual information comprises location of the mobile units participating in the group communications.

4. An apparatus for providing enhanced features for advanced voice services in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless communications network for making calls to and from mobile units, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile units across bearer paths in the wireless communications network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to the wireless communications network to provide advanced voice services therein;

wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile units that use the advanced voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the advanced voice services for the mobile units; and

wherein the enhanced features comprise voice recognition services for enhancing the calls to and from the mobile units.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the voice recognition is performed using a client-less mobile unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the voice recognition is performed to invoke the advanced voice services.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the voice recognition is performed to establish a conference call between a group of mobile units identified in the real-time exchange.

8. An apparatus for providing enhanced features for advanced voice services in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless communications network for making calls to and from mobile units, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile units across bearer paths in the wireless communications network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to the wireless communications network to provide advanced voice services therein;

wherein the real-time exchange stores a personalized ring tone for the mobile unit, so that, when a calling party specifies the personalized ring-tone for the mobile unit of a called party, the personalized ring tone for the mobile unit is downloaded from the real-time exchange.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the personalized ring tone is selected by the calling party of an originating mobile unit and pushed to one or more terminating mobile units.

10. An apparatus for providing enhanced features for advanced voice services in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless communications network for making calls to and from mobile units, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless communications network and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile units across bearer paths in the wireless communications network; and

a real-time exchange that interfaces to the wireless communications network to provide advanced voice services therein;

wherein the real-time exchange interfaces to one or more voice mail servers, and upon request, routes voice messages from the voice mail servers to the mobile unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a called party screens the voice message being deposited by a calling party on the mobile unit of the called party, while the voice message is being deposited and while the deposit proceeds in a normal manner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the calling party is unaware that the voice message is being screened on the mobile unit of the called party.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the called party elects to pick up the call associated with the voice message being deposited, while the deposit is still in process, by invoking a function on the mobile unit of the called party.