Adjusting CODEC parameters during emergency calls

• US 20070206505A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Forbes, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0072 Speech codec negotiation H04L65/1069 takes precedence

Abstract

The CODEC adjustment system is used when an incoming call is received for emergency services and the received audiovisual data does not reflect the information useful to the emergency services operator. The operator may want to hear background noise or increase the fidelity of the call in order to identify voices or determine the full extent of the emergency. Using the CODEC adjustment system, the operator or the caller can change the parameters of the sending CODEC during the emergency services call such that the encoded data contains the desired information.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for adjusting CODEC parameters during a call, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming call comprising encoded data, wherein the encoded data is produced by a CODEC having at least one adjustable parameter;

determining that the encoded data does not satisfy a content criteria; and

sending a request to change a parameter of the CODEC so that the encoded data satisfies the content criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter comprises a request to adjust the background noise.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter comprises a request to adjust a parameter selected from the group consisting of sampling rate, bits per sample, latency, bandwidth, average packet size, lookahead, frame size, average bytes per second, channels, samples per frame, fixed vs. variable rate, block alignment, jitter compensation/control, input and output buffer size, use of error correction, error correction buffer size, bandwidth checking, and packet loss checking.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter comprises an adjustment based on historical information from a previous call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter uses an extension to SIP.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter uses an extension to RTP.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter is sent when the call is answered.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter is sent dynamically throughout the call.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the call is received using VoIP.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter is sent automatically based on analysis of the encoded data.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to change a parameter is in response to receiving an adjustment from an agent listening to the call.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing audit information identifying a source of the request and the parameters that were changed.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving information identifying the adjustable parameters of the CODEC.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the encoded data does not satisfy a content criteria comprises determining that additional information is desired that is not present in the encoded data.

15. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to change the quality of data received in a call by adjusting the parameters of a CODEC that encodes the data, by a method comprising:

during a call, determining at a callee'"'"'s site that the quality of the call data is to be adjusted; and

sending from the callee site to a caller site a request to adjust a parameter of the CODEC to adjust the quality of the call data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the adjusted parameter increases the background noise contained in the call data.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the call is received using VoIP.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the request to change a parameter is sent automatically based on analysis of the call data.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the request to adjust a parameter is in response to receiving an adjustment from a person listening to the call.

20. A system for adjusting CODEC parameters during an emergency services call, comprising:

a call receiving component that receives a call comprising encoded data, wherein the encoded data is produced by a CODEC having adjustable parameters;

a user interface component that displays a user interface with controls for adjusting a parameter of the CODEC and receives a selection from a user indicating a new value for the parameter; and

a CODEC adjusting component that adjusts the parameters of a CODEC based on the received selection.